It is Not Autumn

It is not autumn in New Zealand yet I found these multi-coloured leaves yesterday.  I am not sure of the name of the shrub they came from but it is probably a native of this country.

Pictures from Home

This season has been great for the Dogwoods as well as unusual lighting.  The rainbow between the old acacia and the gum trees during a light shower was a recent event.

Arthur's Pass

Many times I have driven through Arthur's Pass between Christchurch and the West Coast of the South Island and every time it is different.  The Rata in flower in Summer, the waterfalls and shingle slides after heavy rain which can be at any time of the year.  It is always spectacular.

Spring Winds.

Although autumn is long past the leaves are still blowing about with the very strong winds we are experiencing.  I do not usually burn leaves but the smoke from some incense make me wonder whether that is not what I should have done.

A Lovely Fountain and Flower

This lovely fountain is in Okayama in Japan.  It puts the local one outside our library to shame.  The magnolia have been flowering beautifully this season as have my dogwoods and blossom trees.

More Panoramic Pictures

I thought I should show you the back of the house which, unlike most places, is just as clean lined as the front.  Form the gateway the property looks very large and the house and workshop are barely visible with only a minimal track for a driveway.

Panorama Pictures of Kamaka House and Workshop

Two panoramic pictures of the house and workshop taken recently.  The wide images give a better impression of how these buildings look than wide angle or standard lenses can ever give. The gardens are looking especially pretty with blossoms and new leaves on the trees.

New Pictures of the Kamaka Anagamas

These two kiln pictures were taken by my son using the panoramic utility on his I-phone.  They give a better impression of the size of the kilns than an ordinary photograph can achieve. What fun they were to fire.

News I would Rather Not Have

In the last N.Z. Potter's magazine was a report that Kenneth Clark, the New Zealand ceramicist who worked in London for many years had died at the age of 89.  He visited us in 1970 when our house was being built and we asked him to make some tiles for our bathrooms.  He asked our architect, John Scott, what colours he thought the bathrooms would be.  John's favourite colour was Air-sea Rescue Orange, or, if you prefer, "Poppy Red", for the main bathroom and Midnight Blue for the second bathroom.   On his return to UK Kenneth made this group of four tiles and fourteen single ones for the orange room and this group of blue and brown for the other bathroom. Kenneth and his wife Ann produced a large amount of very beautiful work.

More Screens

 These are two of the screens that I have made.  The top one is to shade a very hot area on our deck in the summer.  They are easily removed as they are held between the posts with small pad-bolts.  The other photo is of a pair of sliding screens that give endless patterns depending on how much overlap they are given.