Thursday, May 17, 2012 | 1 Comment 
Our little fig tree has made a complete recovery with healthy leaves and even some fruit! Quite exciting really as it was given to us by my mother from her garden when it started showing signs of new life after an ordeal that gave the impression of its final days late November.
Sunday, March 25, 2012 | 3 Comments
After nearly two weeks of annoying anyone who dared walk into my office, I am pleased to show the results. I had set up a timelapse rig with lighting for the plants and a connection to my laptop for timed shots. You will notice a lot of movement despite my fatherly protection. I would have loved it more if the results were similar to 0:26 to 0:34 throughout. However, I also wanted to capture different angles and to experiment a little. In using a glass container I succeeded in showing the roots and the amazing early movement, but I neglected to consider drainage for the soil after watering it each night. This, together with the unnatural light, have somewhat limited the growth of the rocket. The glass sits outside on our garden table from today for a shot-in-the-'light' chance of the rocket maturing.
Depite all the things that did not go according to plan, I am pleased with the overall result. The music in the backround is one of my favourite pieces of classical music: the Radetzky March by Johann Strauss (1848) and this particular one was performed by the Mantovani Orchestra.
Saturday, February 25, 2012 | 2 Comments 
From childhood memories to recent discussions with friends about rainful in Kuwait, I often hear about the relationship between the greening of the desert a week or so after a few days of propper, heavy, puddles-everywhere rainy days. As I type these words, it's raining heavily and has been all day today. The desert-greening puddles will hopefully continue working a few more weeks this season.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 | 3 Comments 
I've been working on a little photography project, details of which I will be sharing soon. Part of the project required a photo of my current camera. I just realised that althought it's the source of most of the images on this blog, it has never had its moment in the light, so to speak.
So here it is... my tusted friend and faithful travel companion.
Saturday, December 24, 2011 | 2 Comments 
Our tree feels at home after a few weeks in place, the fireplace is hosting some candles (not cold enough here for anything stronger), the presents have been piling in, and the cards have decorated the room. The kids are almost as excited as their mother. It will be an early start tomorrow, but a day full of joy and good food.
Merry Christmas.
Saturday, October 22, 2011 | 4 Comments 
It's that time of year again when I need to do a little more than the usual tidying up in the garden. It's time to introduce colour and scent. The summer passed with only a few expected casualties, including a couple in this post.
Thursday, September 15, 2011 | 4 Comments 
It's a very simple tourism rule: You see a tower, you've got to go up! Is the view good? and more importantly, is there a lift? In the case of the Galata Tower in Istanbul, the answer was thankfully 'yes' to both. It stands a tall 70m which is very impressive for its age. The tower was built in 1348 according to Wikipedia.
Sunday, August 7, 2011 | 5 Comments 
I'm finally getting round to looking again at my Istanbul collection. This series is of the truly amazing Hagia Sophia which was the highlight of our trip. Everything about it is interesting: its age, its history, the beautiful Byzantine architecture, its size, its location, its 'mixed' uses over time and that magnificent dome. It's impressive, even with today's engineering know-how, how the dome is supported without columns growing out of the ground and disrupting the fantastic view that fills your eyes as you enter. Hagia Sophia captures you the moment you walk in, you will not be able to register everything at once. Appreciating the intricate details in the decorations, the mosaics that survived centuries and the sear size of the place, requires time.
Friday, July 1, 2011 | 4 Comments 
It wasn't our first stop in Istanbul, but it's a great place to get a taste of architecture in Istanbul, Anatolia and Ottoman territories outside of Turkey. The 1:25 models are built to astonishing detail with attention given to the aging of different materials and scaled surroundings.
Thursday, June 16, 2011 | 5 Comments 
It's interesting, it's special and when you see it as it happens, it's amazing! My father quite rightly reminded me that every day's sunrise and sunset is just as amazing... we just got used to it. This one happens less frequently so we give it more importance. I heard about the lunar eclipse about ten days ago and was pleased to see that I would be in town.