FROM LATE WINTER TO LATE SUMMER

I am writing today from my home on the coast of Victoria, Australia, after spending the past 10 weeks in Europe. Laurie and I spent our last few days with friends in the Surrey village of Cranleigh where the sun finally shone brightly enough to lunch at this out-door cafe.

The trees were still thinking about putting forth leaves.

Although catkins were well in evidence.

I noticed this squirrel out foraging in the afternoon sunshine.

Warm jackets were still necessary and our hosts have since told us they were subjected to heavy snow a week later on the 12th March. 

It is a somewhat strange experience in a matter of about 24 hours to go from a cool northern hemisphere spring to a southern hemisphere autumn. Late summer really, given that here on the southern edge of the Australian mainland we have had eight days of temperatures in the mid 30's. This is how the beach looked in the early morning of our first day home.

I attended my ikebana class this last week. I failed to photograph my work at the time so have re-used the materials here in this casual arrangement of Morning Glory. The vase is a Bizen beaker with soft colours that complemented the flowers. I rather liked the changing colour and texture of the flowers that were past their peak and had started to wither.

My teacher had set a Chabana arrangement as the class exercise. At home I re-created the work in a hanging vase.

Greetings from Christopher
16th March 2013