RINGING THE CHANGES

Last week I commented that if we get some more rain the creek at Torquay will wash through the sand bar. 

Well that has not happened yet. Instead the waves at high tide were washing over the sand bar into the creek. That combined with the slow flow from up-stream has raised the level of the creek a little further.

The water surface was exceptionally still when I managed to take this photo of a cumulus cloud and its reflection in the late afternoon.

In the garden the first of the Cootamundra Wattle, Acacia Baileyana, blossom has started to open. I thought this would be a good material to use with the massed ikebana of curving lines that I included on last week's post.

This is how it looked last week.

For my first re-working of this ikebana I have added two loose curving lines. This 'opens up' the ikebana, allowing it to 'breathe' and creates a different feeling.

 

I then added a mass of Cootamundra blossom, creating a focal point. In Sogetsu terms this mass is called the hikae, which I have seen translated as 'achieving balance'. The hikae mass balances the movement of the asymmetrically placed principal lines.

The Costal Sword Sedge leaves, which are the main material of this ikebana, not only last well but also change. Over time the leaves develop autumnal colouring in the form of orangey stripes that contrast beautiful with their rich green. This colouring started to occur in some of the leaves in the five days since I did the first re-working with the Cootamundra Wattle.

Today I have changed the position of the kenzan so that the coloured leaves show better and have added some Dwarf Nandina Domestica, as well as a single upward curving line.

Greetings from Christopher

27th June 2020