Sunset with Robin

More birds from John and Fish

Japanese White Eye, taken at DaSyueShan 15k, Taichung County, TAIWAN
綠繡眼．攝於台灣 台中縣 大雪山15K


Gray-chinned Minivet, taken at Dasyueshan Trail, TAIWAN
灰喉山椒．攝於台灣 大雪山林道


Taiwan Blue Magpie, taken at Xingyi Park, Taipei City, TAIWAN
台灣藍鵲．攝於台灣 台北市 行義公園

More photographic bird beauty from John and Fish. I really can't get enough of these amazing images. Always a joy. Clicking each photo will take you to it's Flickr page. I previously blogged about them here.

John & Fish - Stunning Bird Photography

White Eared Sibia: Photography by John & Fish


White-eared Sibia: Photography by John & Fish


Japanese White-eye: Photography by John & Fish


Formosan Yuhina: Photography by John & Fish

Incredible Birds photo's by John & Fish. I'm totally taken with the photography of this brother and sister team in Taiwan, John is the Photographer and Fish assists. All the photo's are from their Flickr site which I could look at all day long. They have the sort of vibrant colour that I love in print designs, but rarely see in real life bird and plant shots that aren't tropical rainforest based. And they have such wonderful names too. I've always wanted to visit Taiwan for the beautiful landscapes, but I had no idea that they had such wonderful small birds. Somebody get me a suitcase, but until then, Thank You John & Fish for sharing your amazing photographs. Get details of where they are exhibiting here.







Here's what they say about themselves on their Flickr profile page.

Hi, we are John&Fish, John (勇士丸) is elder brother (artist), Fish (小魚) is young sister (assistant), we came from Tainan - a ancient capital of Taiwan, and now we are working and living in Taipei city. We like bird photography very much, almost spent every weekend (since 2005~now) went around the island to capture their beautiful shapes, for those we have to thank our motherland-Taiwan for giving such beautiful creatures to us.





As someone from a Country known for it's less colourful birds, often referred to as LBJ's (Little Brown Jobs) I'm reluctant to look out at the bird feeder today lest the Sparrows sense my disappointment at their lack of sartorial pizzazz. On seeing the next shot I said "Ooh, look at these two" but when I showed Mr.P he only had one thing to say... "Jedward".


Taiwan Yuhina
The Taiwan Yuhina (Yuhina brunneiceps), formerly known as "Formosan Yuhina", is a small songbird endemic to the island of Taiwan.

Jedward (Photo by Getty Images Via The Telegraph)
Jedward (Juvenis Dementis), formerly known as "John and Edward", are twin singers endemic to Ireland.

Bugs, Buds & Birthdays

So much life in the garden after some fine Spring weather last week. The ladybirds (ladybugs) are making hay while the sun shines! I've only pottered gently but already I can feel my joints and muscles getting a bit more movement in them. Feels like I'm stretching out in tandem with all the buds and shoot tips. Here are the first red leaves and buds on the Berberis...



Clusters of Spring flowers have emerged in the dappled light under the trees and I imagine most of the trees will come in to leaf in April. So much change. See my garden in detail here

It's been a weird month, lots of crappy things at the start so I had to postpone my own birthday but when I finally opened my presents it was amazing, beyond my wildest dreams type of amazing. My brother bought me a MacBook Pro and my parents got me Adobe CS5. I was utterly flabberghasted. I don't think anyone has ever seen me speechless before. I don't think I can ever thank them enough. The whole drive home I just kept saying 'I can't believe it, I can't believe it'.

I can finally make my books and edit years of archived photo's and designs without it being an archaic grind. Well, I will once I can afford to get all my peripherals to work with it, it's so whizzy and new it doesn't recognise my scanner, cables, camera, printer etc. That was one reason I could never get a new Mac, because if I spent any money on it I'd have nothing left to get it workable with all the extra bits. Now I can afford to do that over the next year or so - which is probably how long it will take me to learn all vastly updated software.

I've been fiddling with some old designs just to get a feel for what's new in Photoshop CS5 (I was using Photoshop 7 and I abandoned Illustrator about 9 years ago). They are so much faster though freakishly more complex. I can see there will be tears ahead trying to get to grips with Illustrators bazillion new options. I'm glad I don't have any deadlines.



And as for In Design, it didn't even exist when I got my last Mac, I've always been a Quark Xpress girl. I can tell it's going to take ages to learn since my brain struggles to remember my own phone number these days, but it will be so worth it. Learning curve here I come. Just think, no more compromises, no more workarounds, no more frustration as I wait an hour for a book page to save. These things are annoying at the best of time but when you have M.E. every little bit of wasted energy is like a huge chunk of wasted life. With my memory coming and going I really want to get things put into more books to keep it all from slipping away completely.

I'm so excited I can barely contain myself. And so grateful. With all the shit happening around the world I feel guilty about something so good happening to me, but then I think that I should just appreciate how lucky I am, when lives can be upturned in an instant it would be crazy for me to make the most of something so positive happening.

Hectic days, sleepless nights

Sun, wind, showers, the gulls are loving it

Once again, I've neglected my blog. I've not even been checking comments, but I am trying to go through them today. And goodness only knows how many emails I've missed. I'll try and catch up a bit this week. For anyone wondering why I've been blog absent read on, for everyone else, some pictures from June.


Thalictrum at Malleny Gardens


Remnants of June

On the day I started to recover from my own infection, the cat began to succumb to one of his own and nearly died. It was awful, and with Mr P away for a week I had to manage all the vet trips myself. Given that I can't even get to the shops to buy my own food, this was somewhat of a challenge. Fortunately my stress levels got high enough that the adrenalin kicked in and helped me handle the travel, after a fashion. The vets got his temperature down after a few days and he finally ate and drank one week after stopping and he was able to come home before Mr P returned. He's still weak and has lost a lot of weight, but he can walk again and seems keen to keep an eye on his territory, though god forbid he gets into any fights at this stage. I bloody love that cat.


My tall Hebes are bursting with flowers for the bees

The nights when he wasn't here were awful, I couldn't sleep at all, and then when he was here I still couldn't sleep as I was so worried about him dying. Lots of tears, then lots of joy. Now that it's all over I'm completely wiped out and have had no oomph for blogging at all. Plus I seem to be having serious problems with my eyes. I'm a bit shocked how fast my sight has deteriorated in just 2 weeks so I'm guessing I'll have to get my eyes tested and start wearing specs. Hopefully that will sort things out. In my darker moments when the cat wasn't here I was planning what kind of art I would make if I went blind! I do get carried away with my thoughts, good or bad. Lucy also got the all clear from the vet, her lump was just a fatty cyst, nothing to worry about, and her wound is healing well.


Such a lovely background for wild flowers.

Trend de la Crême

The Christopher Kane Fall 08 collection reminded Jill Sherman (Trend de la Crême blog) of jellyfish. See them all here on Coutorture where you can link to the full sized images, so much better than the tiny snippets I'm showing you. If you liked those, you should visit her blog since many of her posts are like the jellyfish one above & below that she did for Coutorture.



I always link things visually and it's been a great pleasure and to see someone else who not only looks at things the same way, but has the time and skill to find wonderful images which match the connections her brain is making. Plus she often has personal stories or memories of what made her think of the links, like a childhood visit to Roseville Telephone Museum for her post on Telephones...

Derek Lam's fall/winter collection (2008 I assume)

Seriously, her blog is full of these and I've gone a bit mad with links to them here, but it's because I think they are great. Here are a few favourites highlighting recent collections and the things that they remind her of - Sea slugs, Sea squirts, Siamese fighting fish, Octopusses, Beetles, more Beetles, Butterflies, Birds, more Birds, Humming birds...

Kristian Aadnevik designs for The Protégé Collection 2008

Lighting, Medieval armour, T'ang Dynasty, Cathedral ceilings, Electric Canvas Architecture, Spires & Pagodas...

Marchesa's fall/winter 2008 collection

Fancy Cakes, more Cakes, Orchids, Irises, Endangered Wild Cyclamen...

Diana Bobar's Spring’08 ready-to-wear collection

There are more, but my eyes are going fuzzy so I'd better stop. Thanks Jill for letting me post your great pairings, I love the way you mind works and can't wait to see more!

Hens and hot air

I'm too sore to sleep so I little post seems a fitting distraction and a chance to edit some Christmas photo's. It was strange being at my parent's house on Christmas day but having no energy to 'be busy'. Instead I had time to notice things I'd made around the house. One shelf had Christmas cards I'd made, one was about 20yrs old and was painted on fabric, Id forgotten it completely until that moment. Then there was a collage card I did for Mum on the back of an envelope...




Card for Mum's birthday - old envelope, pen, felt tip, pencil, tape, tracing paper

Above are some badly photographed images of a birthday card I made for mum. I saw some cute chickens on Flickr and knew my mum would like them illustrated and patterned. As is often the case, it didn't turn out as I'd planned in my head so I thought it was shit, but I knew my mum would like it. Seeing it framed I quite like it now. It's like finding old folio pieces, you see them with fresh eyes and can appreciate them for what they are, instead of worrying what they were meant to be. Like so many things in life, we should enjoy things more at the time.

Another card that was a disappointment to me, but a hit with everyone else was for my Dad's birthday which has just passed. I had planned an elaborate papercut but with my muscles as they are it became clear (by 4.30am on his birthday, through tears and frustration) that I simply just can't do even basic paper cutting just now.

Instead I did a layered cut out card of their house, with the fields and rowan tree, each on different layers, with a hot air balloon attached by a pin so it swings when the card is moved. We got him a hot air balloon trip for his birthday, though he can't take it till later in the year. We all plan to go on it with him but until then the card will be the reminder of what is to come...


Card for Dad - photocopies on cereal boxes

Happy Birthday Anna

Happy Wintery Birthday Anna!

My white post still not ready. I've been unable to do anything much since returning, my muscles and joints like glue, body like lead and so many aches... then I discovered yesterday that the liquorice my mum gave me was full of wheat! I had no idea it would have wheat in it, not a clue, and I ate a huge bag of it over 3 days. Consequently I have been unable to do anything at all, not even made a birthday card for my dad. Feel SO guilty but have no control, just have to sit it out till it clears from my system. But the White post is sitting in my drafts, it just needs all the links added, and that is the time consuming part. I may need to delay till after christmas. Must stop, hurts to type. x

Cecilia Levy & Sara Lechner

I couldn't sleep last night, crampy crampy crampy. I've been up for hours trying to distract myself with Flickr and chanced upon this beautiful collaboration between Cecilia Levy and textile artist Sara Lechner...


Cecilia Levy and Sara Lachner collaboration 2007

It led me to the work of Cecilia which somehow I have never come across before though judging by her flickr comments a lot of you know her work, thank god for cramps eh! Here are a couple of her illustrations...


Cecilia Levy: Tree Book detail, 2007


Cecilia Levy: 'Musing' 11x11cm
Pencil and acrylic on board 2006

See more of her birds here. I was especially moved by the sad story and illustration of her cat Kalle.

I love the layering, paleness and texture of this mixed media textile piece by Sara...


Sara Lechner: Detail, mixed media 2006

Christina Lyon

I liked this and thought Gracia and Julie might also...


Bird and Berries print by Christina Lyon

Available for $7 in the Studio Lyon ETSY shop this is a 5x7 print of one of an original collage & ink illustration. SHe also has a blue patterned teapot illustration that reminded me of my pattern doodling when I was supposed to be paying attention in classes.