Reprise

I went for my walk a few times last week and again today, despite the cold.

Really it's perfect weather for reviving my long-neglected armchair project. 

Classic Image

Continuing my habit of picking up something to look at and think about on my walk--and continuing my thoughts about possibilities of my next linocut--I picked this daisy and its leaf this morning.

My walk turned out to be cold and a little wet. By the time I realised that the fine drizzle wasn't about to stop I was too far from home for it to be worth turning back.

Take 2

I did my regular walk again this morning. It's not just physical exercise, but time to think; get perspective and observe. I generally take the same route, so there's a pattern of repetition and change. So, I walked past the same grevillea bush as last week. I picked another flower

I'm really taken by the little loops formed by the opening buds. Don't know what I'll do with it, but there it is . . .

Subtle Things

I came home from my walk today with several sprigs of evergreen.

I like to think about the subtle differencs in colour, texture and pattern. And the scent . . .

Today's Treasure

I picked up this little feather on my way home from my walk this morning.

I have new patchwork students starting today. It's always fun to see the fabrics they choose for their first 9-patch blocks. And the topic of contrast always comes up. So the little feather on birch table-top is in honour of contrasts.

Small Things

I've been regularly walking again the last week or so: a long walk through several adjoining parks. It's good for my body and mind. And I come home with little treasures like this.

Drawing Board

Yesterday morning I got stuck on how to arrange my new furniture in the living room. Thankfully the actual furniture isn't here yet. I took my room layout plans back to the drawing board. I drew up a scale drawing of the room and the furniture and played around with different possibilities. I'm sure my mood didn't help, because I still didn't come out with an ideal arrangement. I'll probably need to decide which compromises I'm willing to live with.

By mid-afternoon I'd had enough of getting stuck in my planning efforts. Instead I took myself off for a walk by the river up at Warrandyte.

I wish I could say that the fresh air and beauty made it all clear, but that's not the case. Still I had a good walk and picked up a few pretty leaves. This morning I have sore feet and a slightly fresher mind to have another go at it.

Out and About

There were plenty of tasks I could have done yesterday, but I decided to give myself a day off. I caught up with a couple of friends and went for a walk at Warrandyte, along the banks of the Yarra River.

I have no specific textile inspirations to report. I just took a chance to breathe a little. There were wattle blossoms everywhere in different stages of development.

Locomotion

Oh the irony! Yesterday I celebrated my first day back with my own wheels by buying the walking shoes I wished I'd had for the two months I was without a car. I've been walking a lot lately. Not just my recreational--make myself and the dogs happy by exploring the neighbourhood morning walks. I've been walking to get where I need to be. Now the difference between the two is reflected in my footwear. I've got excellent runners, but their white silver and purple sportiness is not the look I want when I'm shopping, attending meetings or teaching. I thought I had quite a good range of sensible well-fitting flat shoes. But my ideas of comfort had to be adjusted to walking several kilometers a day in them. Suddenly they weren't as good as I'd thought. I wished for a hybrid: black leather walking shoes that would be unobtrusive but kind on my feet. I bought them, yesterday when I could drive to several different locations until I found what I wanted. I've decided that despite the convenience of having my own car again, I do want to keep up as much walking as I can. So while I'm appreciating the irony, I'm also making myself a promise that these walking shoes will be well used. But now I'm about to head over to Williamstown. Last time I went there on a Sunday it was a two hour trip on a bus and three trains. I'm going to hop into my little car and deliver myself door to door in less than half that time. I guess that means I don't have to wear sensible shoes.

Walking

So, my car didn't make it through the Easter Weekend--long story, but the upshot is that it's been written off. I can't pretend I'm happy about that. It's a pain and an expensive pain, at that. On the bright side, though, I had been missing my walks for months now and despite my best resolutions, just hadn't got back into the habit. Without a car, walking becomes a necessity instead of an optional extra. As well as walking to help me get where I need to be, I've started walking the dogs again. I'm still at the stage where I feel more tired than I'd like after a good hour's walk. As I said, it's been a while. I'm looking forward to the benefits of exercise--coming soon, I hope!

Walking is always great way of noticing small details around the neighbourhood. Here's a bit I picked from one of the peppercorn trees in the local park. I love the delicate drooping leaves and the teeny tiny berries just starting to form. At least I'm guessing that's what they are.
I looked up the peppercorn tree when I got home the other day. Turns out it's considered a weed, since it grows so well locally that it easily takes over bushland. And the "pepper" bit is very real--I was surprised how strongly the leaves smell when I broke off a piece!

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.

Another Day, Another Bit of Beauty

Day 2 of walking with the dogs yesterday. If I keep it up for another week, I hope to have some sort of routine going. In the meantime, here's my tangible reward from yesterday's walk. I think it's some sort of hibiscus. Though what any self-respecting hibiscus is doing blooming prolifically in the middle of a Melbourne winter, I don't know. Its colour and texture remind me of the hand-dyed cotton I posted a couple of days ago.

The technical difficulties of taking this photo with my compact digital reminds me that I have a multi-page manual to read. I wanted to use the macro manual focus setting, but to do that I would have had to find the settings for aperture etc. I looked around, but no luck. I'm sure the manual clearly shows where the setting are. Oh well, I'll get there eventually.

One Step at a Time

I started walking with the dogs again yesterday. I hadn't been walking for months--and it shows! The dogs took no time at all to get back into the rhythm of walking. I'm afraid it's going to take me a little while, but it will be worth it.

One of the great benefits of my regular walks around the neighbourhood is the chance to observe everyday beauty. Most of the gardens around here are nothing special, but there are plenty of lovely details which I can appreciate up close when I'm moving along the footpath at a walking pace rather than driving by on the road.

I've chosen this rosehip as today's pic:
It's from my own front garden--the "rhapsody in blue" roses need a trim--but I hadn't noticed it until I came home from my walk. I'll look forward to more inspiring scraps of beauty in days to come as I get back into my walking routine--one step at a time.