I Must Carry My Camera

I went to a concert at the new Melbourne Recital Centre yesterday afternoon. A friend of mine was singing in "The Cho!r". I wasn't in a particularly good mood when I headed off, and it took more than the usual effort to get myself out the door.

I'd heard a lot about the new Recital Centre--all of it good, but I wasn't sure exactly where it was, nor what it looked like. Well here it is: It was worth the effort of going out for the building itself, let alone the concert! This is the front of the building. The inside is pretty much 100% wood. Beautiful carved natural timber! In fact one of the surprising things about all the talk I've heard about this hall is that it is universally praised, by musicians. The acoustic is brilliant--and that's a rare thing.

Anyway, today I should be made to write out 100 lines, "I must carry my camera. I must carry my camera. I must carry my camera. . . ." There I was with this magnificent, intricate, beautiful building on a clear Melbourne evening and no camera. Not good. At least I had the phone, but when the light is as good as it was and the details as wonderful, the phone isn't quite the thing.

As for textiles, there's a large tapestry in the upstairs foyer from the Melbourne Tapestry Workshop. I'm not too sure of the protocol around that, so I didn't photograph it, but I'd love to find out more.

The Sky Above

I love these trees. Their bare branches against the sky are such a contrast. And some days I need the reminder to look up. Yesterday was one of those days. I guess the photo is proof that I did remember to look up--and even pulled out my phone to capture the image.

It's turning out the way I predicted with the phone camera: I'm getting to take photos in situations where I never would have had a camera with me. In the midst of enjoying that convenience, though, I do find myself wishing for some of the features of my real cameras.
Aren't I a contrary creature!

Magnolia

I took this picture while I was out walking last week. Magnolias in flower at this time of year are spectacular! The combination of dramatic flowers on a leafless tree and those textured buds gets me every time. I hadn't thought of this when I bought it, but now I have a camera with me on my walks as well, since I generally take my phone with me. The challenge is going to be to remember to keep walking, since there are always beautiful and interesting things that catch my eye. Then again I do have the dogs to help me. They love to sniff out interesting details at ground level, but they're not so keen on me stopping to explore at eye level.

Rainbows and Colour Wheels

Visit to Rathdowne St continued . . .

M has started knitting a rainbow blanket. Of course I had to check out the colours. Here they are nicely arranged in a colour wheel on the marble cafe table:

Again, I'm checking out the limits of the camera in my new phone. Though it's hardly fair to criticise colour balance on a low light indoor shot when I have no idea how to adjust the settings. Anyway, it was ok. I worked out how to turn the flash on and off at least. As for the wool, it's a merino-border leicester first cross and the colour range is great. I must remember to get a copy of the shade card--lots and lots of lovely bright colours in 4-ply sounds worth investigating.