A New Eye

After thinking about it for a very long time, I got a new camera yesterday, a Canon EOS Rebel T3.  Here are some initial experiments (not perfect by a long shot).  I have so much to learn--as if I needed more--but I think it will be fun! (Dear brain cells, please do not give out on me. You see, the learning curve is not over!)

Thanks to a reminder from a dear friend, I brought some of my garden herbs inside this past weekend.  I always have good intentions, but sometimes I leave it too late and they end up buried in snow.  Pictured above are fragrant lemon thyme and rosemary. I also brought in my golden oregano, orange thyme and a passion fruit vine.  Now I just have to keep them out of Meeko's reach and remember to water them.

I took a couple of photos in the back garden this morning.  I look forward to getting more familiar with my lenses and confident in using the different features. I'm definitely at the awkward stage.

Mountain ash

I have discovered the loveliest set of blogs belonging to Q.  If you enjoy photos of birds, flowers, butterflies and trees, I encourage you to have a look here and here. Her photography is exquisite and she has a close connection with nature.

I am so in love with the colours of this scarf!

Above is a photo of some of my pretty rocks against a lovely background.  I wonder if anyone recognizes whose beautiful handiwork this is?  Here are some clues: aside from being the artist who made this luscious hand-dyed cotton gauze scarf which I am very happy to own, she is an inspiring photographer with a magical eye, and a nature lover with a particular affinity for rocks. Give up? :) Click here.

I think my most formidable challenge in the weeks ahead will be to find this camera in our house.  Both of my daughters are aspiring photographers and are very excited about my purchase. They've already snatched it away from me a few times and we've only had it since last night. I think we may need to schedule our usage!

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"There is healing in the trees for tired minds and for our overburdened spirits, there is strength in the hills, if only we will life up our eyes. Remember that nature is your great restorer."

Calvin Coolidge

MY NEW CAMERA - CANON EOS Rebel T3 (EOS 1100D)

I've had some nice comments on my photos. (Thanks!) The camera is a Canon EOS Rebel T3 and the lenses are:  

• Canon® EF-S 18-55 mm F/3.5-5.6 IS lens
• Canon® EF 75-300 mm F/4.0-5.6 III USM lens

The camera and lenses were sold as a package at Costco here in Canada but I'm assuming would be available elsewhere too. Click here for the details. :)

More Prints in My Shop (Woof)

I've been hard at work the past couple of days converting my paintings into prints and then taking photos of them. It's painstaking work getting the prints to look as close to the originals as possible. The photography has been taking a long time too. I've put two more of my prints in my Etsy shop today:  one of my painting of viburnum leaves and berries and another of the painting I did this summer of an inuksuk (also spelled and pronounced inukshuk by many).  I've read that the Inuit prefer the inuksuk spelling and pronunciation as it is closer to the Inuit word.

Don't you love that rock with the x on it? It is one of my favourite rocks.  I wish I could remember where I found it.

Do you know that sweet dog in the video I posted on Sunday? (By the way, thanks for all of the lovely comments about what a good job Emma did with her video.) Well, Meeko wasn't such a sweet companion yesterday.  Our furnace broke and the repairman was here for 5½ hours fixing it.  Meeko barked for pretty much that whole 5½-hour period.  My nerves woof were so jangly woof by the time the repairman left woof, that I wasn't much good woof for anything woof that required concentration woof or patience woof afterwards. My brain woof hurt woof.

I cranked up the music very loud while the repairman was here to try and drown out the sound of his power tools so Meeko would in turn calm down.  I'm certain he thought I was some kind of hard rocker.  It probably contributed to the way my head felt too. :)

He looks so darn innocent, doesn't he?

I am hoping to get back in my studio in the next couple of days to paint again.  I'm really happy with all of the progress I've made with my Etsy store, Facebook page, etc., but if I'm not painting, everything starts to feel off balance.

My Boy

My daughter Emma made this beautiful video yesterday of our backyard starring my huggable boy, Meeko.  I just love her video.  With the garden, the birdfeeders, our dog, the music...I feel that she caught so much of what is important to me and I told her so. ♥

(The lovely song is 'Mango Tree' by Angus and Julia Stone, a brother and sister duo from Australia.)