Work, work.

Have completed some more of the units in CCLLearn, the photos and images one was fantastic, really enjoyed this. Made a wordle out of my blog, and looked at Matapihi and Web 2.0. Obviously Matapihi could be improved by Web 2.0; it is a wonderful resource but the user comes up against the stony wall of copyright as regards using the images. Matapihi could do with a Flickr-type application, which has some images in the public domain able to be uploaded. It would also benefit from being far more interactive, with a public forum for adding information. This would have to be moderated, of course, to avoid facetious and obscene comments, but much could be gained from public contributions.

Motukiekie Rocks near Greymouth

Motukiekie Rocks near Greymouth
Originally uploaded by Dan and Kats Travels

Here is one of my favourite places in all the world. I used to stay in a house owned by my landlady on the top of the cliffs on the left. Now she has died and the house is sold, so I feel like Eve shut out of Eden. I once wrote a poem here:
Kiekie islands make me smile,
Stay here for a little while,
You'll see bush and you'll see sun,
You will have a lot of fun.
Walk upon the beach at dawn,
Forget about your bloody lawn!
Eat, and laugh, and drink some wine.
You'll go back home feeling fine.

Daffodils in winter

I've just seen daffodils on sale at the supermarket, blooming and lovely and yellow, but it's early June, just the beginning of winter here in the southern hemisphere. While I love spring flowers, I don't want to see them at other times. It seems that not only do we have the technology to produce out-of-sesason vegetables, but also cut-flower crops and bulbs. These daffodils will have been kept in a dark place and force-fed nutrients and chemicals, their natural flowering cycle altered to fit the time that they will make most money for the grower, like a vegetable Strasbourg goose.
Surely part of the joy of spring is the long wait we have for it, and the sense of emerging from a dark tunnel into a world of colour, scent and warmth. Is this why so many people in our Western world suffer from depression? Our joy is dulled by our ability to have whatever we want when we want it, there is no thrill of anticipation any more. I think the writer Wilkie Collins was once asked for the secret of writing. "Make'em laugh, make 'em cry, make 'em wait". Hope deferred may maketh the heart sick, but a little waiting is good for the soul. Wait for your daffodils; they will seem all the sweeter.

Lovely in Lilac

Lovely in Lilac
Originally uploaded by Mary Faith.

And here is one of my favourite flowers. I have one flowering now in the garden. It is very tall and flowers just as we turn from deep autumn to winter. Sometimes it gets knocked over by high winds but that hasn't happened this year.

Soldier's goodbye & Bobbie the cat, ca. 1939-ca. 1945 / by Sam Hood

Soldier's goodbye & Bobbie the cat, ca. 1939-ca. 1945 / by Sam Hood
Originally uploaded by State Library of New South Wales collection

Is the cat looking up the woman's dress?

Noli Me Tangere

Noli Me Tangere
Originally uploaded by j_hasara

This is one of my favourite pictures. It is a fresco on the wall of the monastery of San Marco, one of several painted in the monks dormitory. I like it partly because it depicts Christ as a gardener (yes, that seems to be a mattock he is holding), also for the beautiful colours of the fresco and the expressive pose and gestures of the two figures.

On and on

Today I had a closer look at customizing my layout, as I feel my layout is a little boring. The information seems a little contradictory. I will crack it sometime, but now I just want to add a few more pictures. Enjoy.