Well, so much for any changes! Ah, well. Life has seasons and my season for the past year or so has me pulled in many different directions, leaving me with little time to focus on photography or this website. Hopefully that will change come early spring. We shall see.
In the meantime, I intend to start post photos here more regularly and less on Facebook. Today's photo is from the annual chrysanthemum exhibition in Hirakata, a small city not far from here. I had no interest in chrysanthemums at all until my first visit to this exhibition. I had no idea there were so many different kinds! Now I'm hooked! (^.~) For more about chrysanthemums in Japanese culture, click here. For more about the chrysanthemum exhibition in Hirakata in 2020, click here.
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As you may have noticed, I'm making a few changes around here. Nothing major so far; I've changed the theme and a few fonts. However, I'm also in the process of changing how the photos are accessed. It's a major undertaking so it may take some time. Wish me luck! Now, back to work...
(It's the rainy season which means hydrangea! This was taken at a temple in the south-west corner of Kyoto up in the hills.) As I continue to rethink this website, sadly, it appears that I may need to just go elsewhere and start again. Over the past few months, the editing functions have become slower and slower. Recently they have been so slow that I have given up adding blog posts or photos multiple times. (Thankfully, today is manageable.) A little research shows that this becoming increasingly common and many are requesting an update that addresses this issue. We shall see...
(Anemone in a local plant nursery.) Thanks so much for visiting even though I've been largely absent over the past few months. I've been dealing with many changes in my life - some difficult and painful, others welcomed and exhilarating, and others still ongoing. It will take time to settle into this new "normal" but I'm looking forward to what lies ahead. (In short, I've retired! \(^.^)/)
One thing that has become clear is that while I love sharing my photos, I need to rethink how I have organized this website. There is lots to consider and no matter what I do it will be a lot of work! However, it's one of the tasks I've given myself over the next year so expect some changes ahead! Wish me luck! (^.~)/ Asian fawnlily ("katakuri" in Japanese) is a woodland plant and is rated vulnerable-endangered in parts of Japan. The bulb produces "katakuriko" which is used as a thickener in Japanese cooking but since quantities are so small, potato starch is now more commonly used. This patch was growing in a local botanical research garden. For most of the fall and December the weather was unusually warm. However, a few days ago things changed. BRRR! So cold! Temperatures here rarely go below 0°C at night and, when they do, they usually return to above zero very quickly. However, not so the past few nights and my plants have been suffering. I've never seen such severe frost damage in all my time here and I am sure I will lose some of them. I'll know in the spring. Thankfully, it's supposed to warm up from tomorrow. Bring it on!
I took this photo at a local shrine at the beginning of the year. Usually there are only one or two blooms this time of year, but this time they were all in full bloom! So cheerful! Although they will have suffered frost damage, I'm confident they will survive the cold to bloom again next year. Three cheers for vigorous plants! \(^.^)/ |
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I'm a photographer based in Osaka, Japan. I love to take photographs. I like to share.
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