The idea is a collection of stories, gathered from all over the world. It is an invitation for everyone to record the spaces in between the last grand adventure and the next one. The ordinary (or extraordinary) moments that make up a weekend. Any weekend. This one, the last one, the one yet to be lived.

I’ve called it Weekends Collected

My dream for this online space is to collect stories of the times that are lived within the space of our arm’s reach… the places that are the source of our ‘humanness’… the foundations on which the rest of our life is built. The pieces of our life that quietly pass by – no grand adventures, no obviously meaningful exchanges. The moments where chores happen, we take our children to sports practise, we do our grocery shopping, go for a run, attend a weekend event, try something new or stay home and fold the laundry.

The moments we often perceive as everyday, boring, not worth telling about, are very often just the moments that someone else craves. These are the moments that make up our lives. These are weekends, collected.

I want for people from all around the globe to contribute: This is not exclusive… and it’s not just for people who have their own blogs, in fact a lot of people this invitation has gone out to, don’t have any kind of online presence.

So if you know someone (or know someone who knows someone!) who would like to submit something, then they would be welcome to email me their submissions too. For all the details and submission guidelines, please visit the about page

There’s a book I’ve been reading recently where the author says:

We’re accustomed to not seeing what is so near to us; we do not need to look at things that are at hand, because they are at hand every day. That is what makes home so safe and so appealing, that we do not need to look at it.

I want for us to look; to really notice things that have become familiar, to shine light on the exquisite ordinariness of lives, well-lived.
Please will you join us?

+++

someone said once (and i paraphrase) that the best camera you have is the one that is with you.
there are days now where leaving the house with my dslr simply isnt practical. i cycle to work and often my bicycle basket is overflowing with lunchboxes, yoga gear, work clothing, bike locks, books, pens and lip balm! in these circumstances, my iphone is my way of keeping a visual diary.

i want to always be learning… and playing with making photographs on my phone is a way for me to practise my visual commentary.

We need to focus on the soul of the picture, not the technology used to shoot it. The question should not be, “What device was used to make this photo?” it should be, “How did he communicate this story so effectively?”

- Al Smith, eyePhone from Craft & Vision

links for learning/inspiration:

• the Craft & Vision ebooks. covering a whole range of subjects and awesome value at only $5 each
• there’s a new eyePhone ebook from Craft & Vision. use the code EYEPHONE4 to get this ebook for only $4. (Code valid until 11:59pm PST May 27, 2012)
• susannah conway’s photo meditations e-course. susannah has a beautiful eye, and amazing teaching style. her courses are packed full of details, inspiration and practical exercises.
• if you are in london, get thee to a photography workshop at the papered parlour
• join in with bella’s 52 photos project
• angie shares her knowledge in fun, easy to understand language
• lisa wiseman’s iphoneography
• my friends on instagram
• the taken with iphone and cellphone photography groups on flickr
• what are some of yours? i’d love to know…

+++

record of the day: write it on your skin by newton faulkner.

+++

if there’s one thing i love about london it’s the pop-up restaurants and markets. the idea of a restaurant appearing out of thin air, in an interesting location, serving diners for three or four nights, then disappearing again has a frenzied and magical energy about it that regular restaurant dining simply cannot match.

this past friday evening was the fourth time we’ve dined at a pop-up – we’d previously eaten at the english launderette (in a back alley in shoreditch), the dishoom chowpatty beach bar (on the southbank) and michelin starred dining at the minotaur (in the old vic tunnels under waterloo station). this time it was the wild food kitchen, setup in an empty space in the arthaus, hackney.

i’m a big fan of foraged and home-made/grown food so this was a great way to try some new dishes.

we ate:

trio of canapé – i can’t remember exactly what was in them… but they were nice enough

me: wild nettle gazpacho with wild garlic and chorizo oil (i struggled with the cool soup. i think it was the texture more than anything that threw me, but it could have also done with some salt)
him: wild and foraged apple and walnut salad with orange and mint dressing (which didn’t appear to have actually been dressed)

me: wild mushroom brioche bread and butter pudding with whisky jus (delicious! i could have eaten a portion that was twice the size)
him: duo of wild rabbit – confit leg, stuffed loin wrapped in pancetta, served with apple mashed potato and cider gravy (he quite enjoyed it)

me: wild berry deconstructed eton mess – berry ripple meringues, strawberry cream, raspberry coulis
him: spiced wild pear with iced white chocolate parfait (‘effing delicious’ he says)

the final petit fours of hazelnut and honeycomb were to die for.

the staff were friendly and seemed to be enjoying themselves and the setting was great; however i was a little disappointed with the portion sizes based on other meals i’ve eaten for the same price.

the bottle of wine we shared was light and delicious, though the staff were not at all knowledgeable about the wine list when questioned.

of all the pop-up dining experiences we’ve had, i think we struck it most lucky with our dining companions this time around. three fabulously interesting women shared our table and we swapped travel tales and culinary adventures. thanks Anastasia, Karina & Annabelle, for making our evening so delightful.

What is now?
- Now is night.
What is this?
- This is a tree.
If I turn around the tree vanishes
- Now is still now. This is still this. Here is still here.
How do you know?
- Because I’m still me.
Really? Are you sure?

From The Cookbook Collector, by Allegra Goodman

our neighbour. seen most mornings on the roof of our conservatory, looking down on us with meh.

+++

1. enquire within upon everything is the title of a book i found in a secondhand book store. of course i bought it.
2. i love this rube goldberg postcard writing suitcase set: melvin the magical mixed media machine (found via colossal)
3. london pop-up restaurants are a way to charm me. i’ve just booked us into the wild food kitchen for dinner
4. this pasta with garlicky broccoli rabe recipe is so fast and tasty i’ve made it twice this week (with slight modifications)
5. my weekend begins with a float. then lots of plans to meet up with friends and take myself outside for a nice long walk.

what are your weekend plans?

at the london coffee festival – this past weekend, brick lane.

i have 3 rolls of expired (in 1970!) film in my fridge and have plans for it now…

one roll is going to go straight into an old box brownie (that travelled with me to squam to do hula’s ttv class) and one roll i’m going to re-spool on to a 120 spool and put it in a holga. the third will go in whichever one gives me the best (if any) results.

on a recent trip to edinburgh, i found this beauty (a kodak baby brownie special) in a vintage shop. it takes 127 film – not something i just pop down to the local camera store for (or take a roll in for processing).

thanks to the power of the internets, i have found a place in the uk that sells 127 film. i’ve found another company called plastic magpie (i love them for their name alone) who also sell film (but sadly don’t have what i need) that will carefully process it for me.

am i gonna?
yes i’m gonna.

any of you still have film cameras you use regularly? tried any expired film? will you share your results?

i had burrowed so far down in the bed during the night that my feet were hanging over the end. i don’t know why i think of this now.

horror – about the amount of work not done yesterday. wondering how on earth i’m going to keep up. surely, someone will catch me out, trip me up at work and speak the words aloud that i currently feel deep “she’s a fraud everyone! she has no idea what she’s doing!”

…yet it doesn’t come.

this tuesday has me dreaming of faraway places and a photo project to complete before i turn 40 in august. i am excited. and gently chiding myself for dreaming up yet another project before i have finished the current ones.

i’m grateful it’s not monday – i shudder to think of a repeat of yesterday, though dinner last night was nice, and the lovely Amanda has generously gifted me her holga.
it’s not wednesday either – that middle of the week day that i’ve started using to do some study
it’s not limited edition – there’s one every week and it’s always in the same place. there is some comfort to be taken in that i suppose
i’ve got no films to collect, no amazing literary predictions to make, no announcements, no secret plans that need revealing… this too brings me a quiet sort of delight.

there’s just the cycle home (in what looks like rain) and some baking to do for anzac day. I need to phone my sister to say happy birthday.

what’s seducing you?

+ roll in a day +

give me an opportunity to play and i’ll usually take it
give me an opportunity to play and make photographs and i’ll always be taking it

the lovely jeanine asked if i wanted to do roll in a day with her and of course i said yes. i love doing stuff with her (in case you hadn’t already figured that out!)

i borrowed her holga as i’ve never used one before and wanted to try it out.
using something without the slr was a challenge and my framing was out for the whole roll. the compositions show more in the lower portions of all the photographs than i would have liked – something to remember if i play with this camera again… compose through the viewfinder, then move the camera up slightly!

i forgot to roll the film on after making the first photograph (a film reproduction of this one made with my iPhone), so ended up with a double exposure and one of the photographs didn’t turn out at all, as i suspected it wouldn’t – it was taken indoors and was far too dark for the wee camera to interpret. anything taken through a window, or inside just didn’t have enough light.

still, the results were good enough that i’d like to do this again.

anyone got a holga lying around anywhere they no longer use?
… i’d happily take it off your hands!