Two Tomatoes

I’m addicted to growing my own food — it’s a miracle to see a tiny yellow flower transform into a plump, round tomato. And it takes nothing more than water and sunshine.

These two beauties are from last summer’s crop. I photographed them as much for their smooth, burnished aesthetic as I did to record my own gardening achievement.

For those who like “how-to” details, I simply used my Holga Micro with a close-up filter held over the lens.

And what happened to the tomatoes?

Along with the rest of the crop, I made tomato paste — the home-made kind is so delicious, you’ll want to spread it on toast! My favourite recipe comes from Cuisine de Monde (it says to scrape out the seeds, but I never bother).

Australian Animals in Danger of Being Extinguished

In my last post, I promised something other than mannequins for the new year.

Well, January has been chaotic with visitors and two huge writing deadlines, so it has been a long time coming. I blame this busyness, not to mention a couple of weeks of soaring summer temperatures, for the deranged sense of humour shown here.

C'mon, could you resist photographing a pile of fire extinguishers, a danger sign and three pictures of Australian animals?

I found them at the Handyman's Trading Post, a demolition yard (or, more politely, supplier of second-hand building materials) at 34 Geelong St, Fyshwick.

I'm dedicating this shot to my friend Nerida, who launched the online version of Admin Bandit, an accounting software package for volunteer treasurers, just minutes before midnight on Tuesday. In her sleep-deprived and caffeine-loaded state, she will (hopefully) think it's hilarious!