It’s been almost a month

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Painting MessAfter promising at the start of the year to keep a steady stream of posts flowing, I have been remiss. It has been a month since my last post.

Please forgive me. The hustle and bustle of daily life has left little time for the the ramblings that make up this blog.

And it’s not because of a lack of material.

There’s always something happening at our place. Currently the exterior of Casa Kainui being repainted by a team of eager and hard working painters. They arrived 2 weeks ago and immediately surrounded the house in scaffolding, ladders and other painterly things.

I learnt early on that any semblance of privacy rapidly disappeared and no room was a safe haven – even two stories up in the bathroom a little head would pop around the open window and wish you a cheery good morning – always at the most inappropriate moment.

Their work has been cut short by a solid week of rain that is still continuing and which means the house is split between two colour schemes and is surrounded by ladders, pots of paint and scaffolding. With the forecast being for another week of rain this chaos might be around for a while yet.

 

 

 

It always pays to look the other way

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Just north of Pienza in Tuscany is a stand of Cypress trees that have been photographed more often than most others. The reason is they seem to represent Tuscany to tourists and they are visible from the main road. In each season they summarise the beauty of the region.

It’s not unusual to see half a dozen cars stopped at the side of the road with the occupants out shooting the grove of trees.

Interestingly very few people turn around and look the other way to a view that, in my humble opinion, is even more Tuscan. Captured here in late Autumn.

That house in Nelson

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Every time I pass through Richmond I pass an old run down house sitting in the middle of a field. I always mean to stop and photograph the house but there has inevitably been a good reason not too.

Until recently.

On the drive back from Pelorus Sound, I stopped and risked life and limb crossing the main road to captured a shot.

A weekend away

Gallery

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This gallery contains 10 photos.

It’s been a few years since I’ve spent time in the Sounds. Or in this case Kaiuma Bay in Pelorus Sound. It was June’s 70th birthday and a family weekend away to celebrate. After flying from Wellington to Nelson we … Continue reading →

Thank you all for the good wishes

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Birthday CardsFebruary is birthday month at Kainui Road. Both Jean and I have had birthdays in the past week and we’d like to pass on a big thank you to everyone who sent their best wishes.

It was also a big birthday for Jean’s Mum and the family spent the weekend celebrating and relaxing on the shores of Pelorus Sound. But more of that in a future post.

What, me get into mischief? No way.

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What me get up to no good?

Bella has that ability to look completely innocent – even when there is evidence to the contrary.

This is what happens when she goes rummaging through a wet garden looking for something to chew on – despite being taught not too.

Wellington sunset

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While I was out and about Monday evening, Wellington put on display one of it’s “look at me” sunsets.

MX5 reborn

Gallery

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This gallery contains 11 photos.

After a brief pink period, the trusty Mazda MX5 arrived home pre-Christmas in resplendent red. It was immediately despatched to the trimmer for a new hood (the old one was a bit leaky) and the car is now as good … Continue reading →

In praise of fixed focal length lenses

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From the headline you can tell this post is going to be a bit geeky. And if you’re not interested in photography, it could be boring as well. Be warned.

A few weeks ago I purchased my first ever fixed focal length lens. It was a AF Nikkor 50mm 1.8D which is a lens Nikon have been making for the best part of 10 years in one guise or another.

It cost me the princely sum of $85 as it was second hand but in “near new” condition. The previous owner had his Nikon camera stolen a week after buying the lens. He didn’t replace the camera so the lens had been used only once. (No seriously, I believe what people write about stuff on Trade Me.)

Up until now I’ve always been a zoom lens guy. I love the flexibility of a good zoom lens and the ability to frame things as I like without having to rush towards or away from the subject. In fact I didn’t really see the need for a fixed length lens at all.

Recently I was watching the excellent video blog The Art of Photography and the host was extolling the sharpness of prime lenses and the discipline required to use them. The need to move around to frame the subject – sometimes to get in close and sometimes to back off.

And now after a few weeks with the 50mm lense I’m sold. The sharpness of this cheap little lens is amazing. The ability to accurately control depth of field is amazing and the 1.8 f-stop means photos can be taken in low light without any risk of the dreaded camera shake or resorting to flash.

If you don’t have a prime 50mm or 35mm lens in your camera bag, trust me, get one.

Happiness is …

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Happiness isAs a puppy Bella used to enjoy resting her head over your shoulder. She would stay there for hours if you let her.

As a gangly adolescent she still enjoys resting there when she gets the chance.

Red sky at night …

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Red sky at night ...… a shepherd’s delight – or so the old saying goes.

Earlier this evening the sky over Wellington was delighting more than just passing shepherds. Not only was it glowing red but also yellow, pink, orange and some colour that might be called cerise.

After a glorious and calm summer’s day (I can say that as December is officially summer) the sun put on a fantastic light show to entertain us as it dropped slowly below the western horizon.

Bob Dylan – Interactive

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How cool is this video for the Bob Dylan’s song Like a Rolling Stone? Have a look at http://video.bobdylan.com and play around with the channel buttons.

A refresh for a trusty workhorse

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When it was first produced in 1989 the Mazda MX5 was hailed as the quintessential sports car – open topped, great handling and pretty to boot. I bought one of the first to come into New Zealand and have owned it ever since. It has been great fun to drive and has displayed that legendary Japanese reliability with over 130,000 kilometres on the clock and only minor repairs to show for it.

However in the last 12 months it has started to show it’s age. Not surprising considering the car is close 23 years old, it’s 13 years since it’s last repaint and 10 years since it’s soft top was last replaced.

With that in mind it was despatched to the excellent team at Classic Auto Refinishers in early October with instructions to “make it like new”.

Today they sent some shots of the car as it has progressed. The good news is it’s only a few days away from completion, the bad news is it’s still looking a bit pink.

After the paint shop, the next stop is the upholsters for a new (watertight) hood and then it’s as good as new – just in time for summer.

Spot the dog

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Bella in the toysBella is 9 months old and although she is close to full grown she is still very much a puppy. As you can see from this shot of her after she dived into the toy basket. Extra points for spotting the head, the tail and the stray leg.

Down to the sea in bricks

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Trans Future 5 visit Wellington

Wellington is a harbour city so the locals take an interest in the various vessels that come to visit. Cruise ships are common these days, berthed alongside the container ships and various other freighters that use the port as they load and unload their respective cargos.

So if you see locals taking a picture of a ship it’s either something special or something else. This was something else. – maritime utility taken to it’s extreme.

As close as you can get to a floating brick.