Day 341 - State of the garden

Things are blooming or promising to. The stephanotis is bursting with buds.

Look how big it's grown. Sorry about the sun-bleached photo but I couldn't block out the setting sun.

Both buddleia are blooming - the purple and the white. The white one is competing for space with the crab apple.

And that's it from our garden segment this week. How is your garden growing?

Day 340 - Getting closer

Getting closer to the end of the year, isn't it? The closer it gets, the less I can identify with it. By Christmas I'm feeling alienated, looking at things from a distance. Does this happen to anyone else? I think I've failed to be able to live for the moment of significant days. I can look ahead, I can look back, relive and re-experience, but during the day itself, I look around bewildered, feel detached and just go through the motions. Or maybe I'm just exaggerating. We'll see....

Oh, and the picture is part of our dinner - potato and beetroot salad with garlic chives. The pickled cucumber is missing. Must buy some.

Day 339 - City sights

The city was overstimulating today. Coming up to Christmas is always like this. More people, more cars, more buskers, cranes obstructing major roads (Collins St), sounds mingling - singing, guitar, flute, drums, trumpet. Still, it's a good feeling. Walking up Bourke St I stopped with others to watch a talented artist make a decent job reproducing well-known paintings.

I like the way he's lined up his money tray with the money in the painting. Witty.

The artist had already completed a few pictures - the Madonna-like woman with the plump children, Vermeer's woman pouring milk from a jug, and a young woman with a basket of berries.

I walked past ACMI (Australian Centre for the Moving Image) and saw a group of bright green, Telly Tubby-like video pods, and into the Atrium through to the gallery shop to do some Christmas shopping. The umbrellas were new.

I also took one or two photos of traditional Christmas decorations in a traditional setting for Susan.

Day 338 - Last day

Today's photo is of Mr 16 with the obligatory signed shirt for the last day of school. As Mr 16 said, funny how it's when you leave or die that people say really nice things about you.

Day 337 - A musical evening

I know, it's a very blurry photo, but the others weren't much better. This is what you get with my camera at dusk. At least I recorded Mr 16 playing for the last time in his school's string orchestra. In fact, this is his second last day at his current school before he goes to VCASS next year. This little outdoor concert precedes the annual end-of-year middle years chapel service.

Nothing else to report. I took some photos from this position of the school surrounds, including this tree from far away, a little closer and closer still. One of the ovals is being excavated; I'm not sure what for. All the tractors and such have gone to bed. And so should I.

Day 336 - Borrowed photos

On Saturday I cursed silently as I walked through the Old Post Office in the city. The interior was the best example of contemporary Christmas decoration I'd seen in a long time. That's why I've borrowed these two photos from Guest Photographer who went there today - with camera.

Just wanted to share these. What do you think?

Guest Photographer is phillipsandwich on Flickr.

Day 335 - Chadstone and the end of Movember (unrelated)

Well, I walked my feet off at Chadstone - yes, I'm sitting here with stumps where my feet used to be. Chadstone Shopping Centre should come with a warning or at least GPS. I thought I'd just mention that I didn't purchase a single thing for myself (impressed?) apart from a sandwich and coffee. A small dent has been made in the Great Christmas Retail Hunt, so I'm pleased in a small way.

Later this evening, Mr 19 shaved his moustache, having joined the ranks of men raising money for prostate cancer and depression research and awareness, and having come to the end of the month and raised $448. Facebook has been a good way to promote this fundraiser.