Lyttelton Street Party

I've been making the most of all the events that are on about Christchurch at the moment, and this weekends destination was the Lyttelton Street Party. London Street was packed with people enjoying the entertainment, food stalls and sunshine, but my favourite spot was the Sound Garden, set amongst the roses a little way up the hill by the old Lyttelton jail. It was a lovely spot to relax in the sun whilst enjoying a vodka iced tea..

Shaky Isles featured in Etsy article

The lovely Deidre from Shaky Isles recruited my photographic services earlier in the year for an Etsy Storque article on tea towels she was taking part in, and I've been patiently waiting for it to go up online so I can blog the final composite image we sent in.
I was a little hesitant before the shoot, as Deidre had warned me that she ends up looking like former Prime Minister Helen Clark in most of her photos, so I was very pleased with the final image in which she looks just lovely! (and nothing like the PM).
Deidre makes gorgeous screen printed, pure linen tea towels – my favourite is the pohutakawa print we used for the portrait frame – and also has a lovely range of upcycled textile products.

Check out the Etsy Storque Tea Towel article
Visit Shaky Isles' felt shop

Chinese Lantern Festival

After missing the Lantern Festival the last 2 years in a row, (and kicking myself after seeing all the amazing photos my photographer friends took), I well and truly made up for it this year, visiting Victoria Square both nights of the festival, and now have a lovely collection of photos for the black swan archives!


A little Lantern Festival montage..


And of course I had to take at least one pano..


While I was hoping to see fire breathers, the puppeteers (9 of them in total) put on an amazing show!

Summer roadie – the final installment!

Wow, it's February already and not only have petrol prices jumped up 30 cents odd since, but I still haven't finished uploading my holiday pics! It all seems like the distant past now alas, but I have picked up a new obsession (it's not quite that bad, not yet anyhow..) for collecting teaspoons which all started with the one little spoon below that I picked up at Langfords Store in Bainham, just out of Takaka (love at first bite). I fear it won't be long before I'm purchasing some sort of rack to house them in..




Full moon rising at Collingwood, and on the right a couple of shots taken on the last day of the trip at Lake Rotoiti, including the obligatory black swan shot.. very obliging creatures.