Two Girls

The Harden-Murrumburrah Historical Museum, located in rural New South Wales, is a rabbit warren of dust and artifacts, housed in a gorgeous old building. There's a fabulous collection of antiquated garments upstairs, modeled by an array of vintage dummies — sigh … it’s my idea of photographic paradise.

Don’t tell anyone I snuck behind the ropes to take this shot!

The name “Harden-Murrumburrah” is curious. It actually refers to two towns that have merged, although everyone (including maps) simply refers to it as “Harden”. A walk around the streets is a must — peeling paint, crumbling bricks and uneven pavements speak of a mythical Australia, yet beg for restoration at the same time.

Rodeo Kids

One of my favourite things about the Yass rodeo is all the kids who come out of the woodwork looking like miniature cowboys and cowgirls. The dress-up is intentional, but it's about more than show — the plaid shirts are crinkled, the jeans bear the odd hole, the hats are stained and boots are in need of a good shine. The costumes are so well-worn, but I never see the kids donning them any other time during the year!

Prize Ducks

The annual Yass Show and Rodeo was on this weekend and one of my favourite things about the event is the juxtaposition of sideshow alley with the agricultural exhibits. One is so loud and disposable — from pink fairyfloss to the gleeful screams of teenagers on rides. While the other is earthy and antiquated — the smell of manure blended with primped and preened animals.

I love these Bali ducks. The pom-pom crest is a natural feature of the breed, but they look like they've spent an afternoon having their hair done at a salon!

Telephone Booth

Lucknow is a strange name for a tiny town in rural New South Wales. The last piece of luck to notably occur there was almost 160 years ago when two farmers stumbled upon a gold strike. Ironically, no-one knows if this event was the inspiration behind the name — some say it comes from the siege of Lucknow, an Indian city that the British and "rebel" Indians fought over in the Indian Rebellion of 1857. One can hardly describe a six-month battle as lucky!

I fared much better when I visited the Australian version of Lucknow a few years ago. I found this delightful girl hiding in a phone box outside D’Arcy’s Old Wares on the main street. A mix of antiques, collectibles and junk, this store is a dream to browse through. Don’t expect a bargain, though — over the shoulder of the mannequin, you can just make out a price tag of $2,500 for this decrepit old telephone booth.

Three Zucchinis and a Giant Film Sale

I grew these three sunny babies last summer. There were, in fact, a whole lot more than three — I planted four times the amount of zucchinis (better known as courgettes or squash outside Australia) recommended for a family of two, so there was an awful lot of zucchini slice and zucchini cake to be had in our house!

I took this using my wonderful Holga Micro, which is so versatile for a camera not much bigger than a lipstick (and it certainly won’t smudge in your handbag!).

I must confess that I have an ulterior motive in showing you this image ….

Sakura 110 film (the same film used above) is 50% off at
cameraFanplastic
my online store

Just AU$3.70 per roll, plus postage
That’s below cost!

Sale continues until the film sells out.

So why not stock up on 110 film … grab your Lomo, Holga or vintage camera and get outside in the sunshine!

Dear Sister

“I’m the Christmas card humbug and baby doll vandal!” is how my sister Kerriann describes her previous appearances in this blog.

Well, to make amends and ensure I get a present for my birthday next month, here are two gorgeous portraits we took in January last year.

The first one (top) is Kerriann is full fashionista mode, posing under Neil Dawson’s gorgeous sculpture, “Diamonds”, outside the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra. Whereas this oozes confidence, the second (bottom) is vulnerable — you’d never guess it was taken in the foyer of Parliament House.

The shots show two strikingly different sides of the same person.

Check out another portrait of Kerriann here.

Glassford Girls

No-one would ever guess that these two cherubs are the same two talkative, hyperactive and crazy girls that belong to my friend, Deb. Actually, they're very cute ... I'm just amazed they stood still long enough to have their portraits snapped!

As I write this, Hannah (top) is on a girls' trip to Sydney with her mum and Rachel (below) has just left my house to go out for Chinese with her dad. I wouldn't be surprised if she fell asleep at the dinner table, though — we took my kelpie and miniature dachshund on a huge trek along the nearby river, pushing through long grasses and climbing over granite rocks.

The round trip must have been about six kilometres and ended very sweetly when we found an over-burdened peach tree.

Chandelier Girl

At this time in exactly five weeks, I'll be arranging canapes on platters, trembling as I straighten frames on walls and wishing I could sneak a glass of champagne before everyone arrives at the opening of my exhibition, Dumb-founded, at Photoaccess.

Everything is coming together smoothly so far, but that doesn't help the mix of nerves and anticipation. I'm trying to remain calm, which isn't helped by the possum that's been scuttling in the roof above my studio all day!

Top of the Class

The theory in visual merchandising is that mannequins are "silent salespeople", reflecting the aspirations of customers and, thus, enticing them to buy.

Um ... as non-profit organisations, charity shops obviously have a different perspective, as least that's what the above picture suggests. You certainly don't need a degree to work out that a mortar board and naked model equals something a tad kinky!

This naked girl has been living next to the change rooms at the Salvation Army in Fyshwick for years, appearing in a different incarnation of disarray every time I drop in. As a volunteer in my local store, I can tell you that Salvo's staff definitely have a very keen sense of humour!

Apple for the Teacher

Sigh ... the delay between posts is because we've just spent three weeks moving house.

Why so long?

Well, we moved next door and kind of stopped packing because it seemed easier just to pass things over the fence as we needed them. Of course, it didn't help that our new place is already fully furnished, not to mention temporary. In fact, we actually did two moves in one, with most of our stuff going into storage while we look for a few acres on which to build a house, plant an orchard and expand our hen house.

Anyway, this lovely lady (the one in the photo, not me!) comes from the Goomalling Museum in Western Australia. The building was once a school, hence the recreated classroom. Note the mannequin's hands ... that's right, she has none — she's an amputee!

Why then is a cane tucked under her wrist? You probably can't see it in this small version, but the cane is resting between the mannequin and the black board, with a white sheet of paper attached.