223 / the best shop

I did wonder what happened at the end of the day..

did they have to put the stock away?

anyway, it looked very inviting

& even more so, close up

but when you step back, theres the sense 

you might miss something extraordinary..

that's the art of display, isn't it?

Meant to visit this shop, didn't find time

135 / country towns

After Xian, on this trip to China, we passed through many 

small towns of the kind where traffic is a matter

of interest

Being in a big bus gave us a surreal vantage point

to start with, though it was difficult to catch

bedcovers & meat seemed an odd combination

of course it could reflect my state of mind.

In Australia they would be covered in flies, but not there

I think the casket makers were close by,

though they were very small towns..

In many ways a tour like this is like a science fiction story 

I read once, where time travel would translate the future

people directly into an incomprehensible town/city/situation.

107 / glass

This morning, two pieces of glass I made at a 

fun weekend workshop maybe 30 years ago 

were sitting with the sun shining through,

while I was cleaning my old Canon camera, 

it was a good opportunity to compare the different results.

The glass is rather clunky, but I love the shadows.

The small Nikon, which I've been using a lot, is at top,

the single glass is from the heavier Canon.

Its better, but also hard for me to hold steady in,

for instance, a moving vehicle. 

( am planning another trip in May )

the Silk Road!

95 / older story

In the east of Turkey, near Diyabakir from memory,

the darker walls at top were ancient ~ were they

defending, making a last stand, or what?

a mysterious inside pillar, I think it was at Aya Sofya,
so it spoke of two quite different chapters..

(apologies if I've got that wrong)

94 / stories

Was looking for photos of Gobekli Tepe from my trip to 

Turkey, had to go through many folders, & was struck again

by the amazing stories in Istanbul walls

some are in Greek,

others in a language I can't read

maybe others couldn't either

or they learnt the right gestures

sometimes I could feel the words through my feet

actually one doesn't need the language

it is often just a beautiful harmonious song

92 / self portrait

a favourite self portrait, am standing directly in front of

a mirrored temple wall in Thailand, only a bit of hair

is visible (perhaps if you click on it?)

73/ balance

Within the monastery, the scale of the rocks & mountain

achieves a balance with the massive walls

which seem to have always been there

leaning towards the summit

72/like this

such fine paintings & thangkas

decorative details wherever possible

extravagant pillars

I couldn't figure out what happens in other sections

imagine that its all a continuous process of repairs.

66/ Tibetans

In Sydney recently, I met a friend who'd been on the same tour to Tibet,

we showed our photos. He had some great people shots,

while mine were more landscapes. I'd like to take more of people,

but am often uncomfortable, without some interaction

- unless they are part of a scene, as above

or already lined up for someone - this very 

attractive  & happy group, at the Summer Palace

near Lhasa. I count smiling at each other as communication.

This I fluked as we drove past, they looked happy too

& one can often get people who are not looking,

except its those telling faces which interest me. 

Faces that speak volumes.

55/ mirror image

Today is another birthday, it was my twin's yesterday,

she is far away, so it's strange to know that the idea of time

being different in another country

means that we can celebrate on the same day..

never could get my head around numbers.

It's a mystery how any thing works..

in awe of how this works

51/ meditate

There's a possible new project: an image suitable to

represent meditation, for a book. 

 For me that means

'allowing every thing to be as it is.'

So it could be a buddha type figure

(that seems to be an easily understood symbol),

or almost anything that evokes a sense of peace..

Even though it might for instance be an active

process of sending love to all be-ings.

In the case of a book cover, it also needs to be
an image that captures the attention.

37/ still appearing

Doing this the day before 21st: Judgement Day.

did it happen, were you saved, who judged??

28/ spangled drongo

This came about because I'd fluked a nightlights shot that
resembles notes of music. Put a few different ones
together for the background, with two shots of the same
buddha.

Because a drongo bathed in my birdbath today