Shadows, water, fuchsia

I took this image at a nursery before Christmas. I should actually go and do another round in local nurseries to get new images... I saw an ad about an orchid exhibition happening soon but it is a bit further away. I do not feel like travelling far... On the other hand orchids are fascinating looking plants. Dilemma, clearly.

Copyright Kirsi Reinikka 2013

Another

Yesterday, whilst working and visiting clients' houses, I stopped to smell roses before going in. It is one of my premeditated actions in life nowadays - when I see roses, I stop to smell them. I love the scent of roses...

I was also let go of my job last night, along with many others. It is a disappointment as I thought I would get to work at least two more weeks. Goodbye cash flow!

Back to brighter topics: There is usually only one flower at a time on the yellow hibiscus bush on my front yard. This one came about a couple of days ago.

Copyright Kirsi Reinikka 2013

Out of this world

I took this image a couple of days ago of a hibiscus flowering on my front yard. There is something about hibiscuses that I cannot get past. They are amazing looking when they flower. Especially the cheeky tongue that is poking out!

Copyright Kirsi Reinikka 2013

Red linings

I am still working within the community recovery for a few more days, until the situation winds down. It is amazing to learn what each individual considers as hardship. There is a person who has severe depression, lives in a flooded and muddy caravan, has lost everything except her dog, and who is responsible for caring her elderly, sick parents, and then there is person who complains about her pool getting so dirty in the storm that she is entitled to goverment assistance to get it cleaned. I am speechless.
I am getting excited about the art therapy studies. I looked through the list of readings, and oh my, it is a long list......

Here is an image of juicy succulent leaves from my backyard (before the storms).

Copyright Kirsi Reinikka 2013

Dinos, claws, nature

Copyright Kirsi Reinikka 2013

 

Hey, I have been a bit busy doing volunteer work and have not had time to contribute in this site. I am posting this image although it is actually from the island I went to on Christmas holidays. It is the same 'orchid' I posted an image in January. The angle is different in this picture. I like this image. It reminds me of meccano toys that look like dinosaurs and 'terrible claws' (aka the flower in the corner).

The cactus flowered again! It had two flowers but they did not have the same exquisite, heady scent as couple of months ago. These did not smell like potatoes afterwards either. I do not understand but what the heck - nature is really funny... Except when it is cruel, like now with the bush fires and floods...

Bending

There could be another storm cycle like this coming up within two months. We had the devastating Brisbane and Ipswich floods just two years ago and now this. I really feel for the surf life savers and helicopter rescuers and all the others, especially the volunteers, that are dedicated to saving human lives. Many of the people they saved did not follow the given evacuation or other instructions in the first place. But that is the way it is, some people save lives and some people put others at risk. A cycle.

Here is an image of a rose that is not giving up.

Copyright Kirsi Reinikka 2013

Surviving

The storm is moving to NSW now but it is still rainy here. I have been reading Lucy Irvine´s book Castaway for the past week. She and her companion G were so unprepared for their one-year-long island experience in the Torres Strait that it baffles me. What were they thinking?? And it was G´s third attempt... Some people do not seem to learn from their experiences... Lucy and G´s adventure sounds like a suicide mission. Anyway, they were suffering from lack of water at some point. I have not got to that part the wet season starts... In Tom Neale´s book Tom was very well prepared, maybe that is why it is a pleasurable read; I do not have to get frustrated for him. He knew what he was doing whereas Lucy and G are incompatible and ill-prepared. Lucy´s motive to pair up with G never comes clear, or least I am not that far in the book, but maybe it was her desire for fame? Which does not seem like a good motivation to move to a deserted island with a whinging verbal abuser for a year. On the other hand there are always two sides to the story... Anyway, why I am writing about the these books (again) is that when these huge rainfalls torment us at the moment I just try to imagine how would it feel to be on an island in the middle of Pacific, and not sure whether the hut is going to take the beating, and wheather the beans and tomatoes are going to survive, not to mention if a giant swell would swipe me away...

The good thing is, naturally, that there is a lot of useful debris on the beaches after the storms. Heheh.

Here is an image of an flower on a beautifully dry day.

Copyright Kirsi Reinikka 2013