19 & 20th January 2009

19-01-09

I had to go to a meeting this afternoon. Camera by my side. I was driving into town and the sky was looking rather somber and gray. As I was driving I saw some interesting cloud formations and at every traffic light that was red I quickly picked up the camera, window down snapping spontaniously and randomly (often without even checking what was in the cameras sight). I was rather self-conscious as other drivers where trying to figure out 'What the hell I was taking photos of" (Or maybe that I might be taking photos of them...!)

(It made me realise how paranoid many of us have become since 911 and that people feel they are being watched under some negative pretense...)

I had a similar incident happen to me a couple of days earlier (Sunday morning to be exact). A neighbour on our street came bursting out of her front door with a defensive and rather annoyed disposition heading straight for me as I had stopped to take a photo of her perfectly kept stone garden at the front of the house. (It interested me because it used to be beautiful lawn until the water restrictions were so strict that it was not looking its best and it was obviously decided that it would be more functional not to have such a water needy area.)

Anyhow...she stormed in my direction and asked me 'What exactly I was doing!' And I was very quick to respond that I was taking photos every morning and afternoon for a weather related project that I was doing and I had just taken a photo of her gravel and would she like to see for herself to put her mind at rest?... I felt I need to reassure her that I was not planning anything sinister. Then she calmed down and I could see the relief on her face and a smile replaced the stern look that greeted me only a minute earlier.

It made me realise how suspicious we have all become... including myself. (If I had noticed someone doing the same thing I know that I would also have approached them to find out what they were up to...(Having being burgled twice in my lifetime...I could relate to her concern.)

This cloud looked absolutely luminous in real life (It has lost some of it in translation onto the camera) The inside of the cloud was glowing like a backlit cottonball.

20-01-09
It was rather bright this morning and the artist took over when I decided to take this shot.

And I too have noticed that our grass is sorely chasing a good drink. (I have not watered our lawn now for almost 4 years which show just how tough and robust this most basic groundcover really is.