makingamark - a daily photo

X is for Xanthorrhoea Glauca

2011-12-07T23:00:00.013+00:00

Xanthorrhoea Glauca - the Blue Grass Tree

I'm loving the structures of leaves more and more.....

This is the Blue Grass Tree - Xanthorrhoea Glauca

Xanthorrhoea glauca is a plant that has a special place in the heart of many Australians. This unusual and iconic plant has been a part of Aboriginal history, colonial artworks and a modern day inspiration to landscape architects
Australian National Botanic Gardens - Xanthorrhoea glauca

The name means

Xanthorrhoea – from the Greek xanthos, meaning yellow, and rheo, meaning to flow; referring to the resinglauca – referring to the blue-green to grey, glaucous leaves

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All photographs and text copyright Katherine Tyrrell

W is for Wave near Winslow Homer's home

2011-12-06T23:00:00.002+00:00

Atlantic Wave at Prout's Neck

This particular wave was photographed Scarborough Beach on the eastern seashore of Prout's Neck in Maine - just a hop, skip and a small jump from where Winslow Homer used to live and have a studio. (I was on another one of my "find the place where the artist used to live/work/paint" visits)

This is the blog post about my visit Thursday 21st September: "In the footsteps of Winslow Homer - nearly"

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All photographs and text copyright Katherine Tyrrell

V is for Verbascum

2011-12-05T23:00:00.000+00:00

Verbascum at Great Dixter

Verbascum Olympicum was a great favourite of Christopher Lloyd who created the garden at Great Dixter at Northiam in East Sussex.

I sketched them on one visit - see The Long Border at Great Dixter - they were huge!

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All photographs and text copyright Katherine Tyrrell

U is for USA Flag

2011-12-04T21:00:00.007+00:00

The flag of the United States of America

This USA flag was photographed at the San Diego Maritime Museum in July 2006. I rather like the way the light catches the flag but leaves the white sails of the tall ship several times darker.

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All photographs and text copyright Katherine Tyrrell

T is for Tabasco

2011-12-03T23:00:00.002+00:00

Tabasco

Tabasco - photographed in Fortnum & Mason's Food Hall. They also had some enormous bottles!

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S is for Sweet Chestnut

2011-12-02T23:00:00.000+00:00

Sweet Chestnut

I like the lime green spiky case of the nut of the Sweet Chestnut - it makes them look a little bit exotic.

Did you know that Sweet chestnuts are actually Spanish Chestnuts? I didn't - until I discovered the Woodland Trust's Tree Guide

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R is for Rustic Bread

2011-12-01T19:47:00.000+00:00

Rustica in Provence

There's nothing quite like a nice bit of rustic bread for lunch - or pain de campagne as it's known in France. Especially if it's just been baked by the local boulanger. These came from the boulangerie in Bedoin in June this year.

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Q is for Quercus Ilex

2011-11-30T23:30:00.000+00:00

Quercus Ilex (Holm Oak) either side of Syon Vista at Kew Gardens

Quercus Ilex is also known as the Holm Oak. Syon Vista at Kew Gardens is where I see these on a regular basis as these trees line the Vista between the Palm House and the River Thames.

Syon Vista is one of three vistas at Kew created by landscape designer William Andrews Nesfield during 1845 and 1846.
Kew Gardens

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Q is for Grancaffè & Ristorante Quadri, Venice
Q is for Quiff
Q is for Quinophthalone Yellow
Q is for Quince Jam

All photographs and text copyright Katherine Tyrrell

P is for Pineapple

2011-11-29T18:00:00.001+00:00

Pineapple

Seeing a pineapple growing as it grows in the wild is a wonderful thing.

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O is for Orange Squash

2011-11-28T20:30:00.001+00:00

Orange Squash

There's nothing quite like the orange of Autumn Squash. These were photographed in New Hampshire - fresh from the ground.

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N is for Najac

2011-11-27T23:00:00.001+00:00

Najac - main street and chateau

Najac is one of the Plus Beaux Villages de France - a medieval bastide with an impressive ruined chateau on a nearby hill.

I've driven across France twice to eat at the L'Oustal del Barry, its Michelin 2 star restaurant, and draw its pigeonnier. My very first post on my Travels with a Sketchbook blog recorded the fact that I had sketched the same pigeonnier 10 years apart - in 1994 and 2004.

Map: Najac, Averyron, France - Michelin map reference
Guide: Najac

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M is for Monkfish

2011-11-26T18:00:00.000+00:00

Monkfish at Borough Market

There are some subjects which just beg for a full-frontal, face to face treatment. Like this Scottish Monkfish which I came across in Borough Market - the foodie mecca in Southwark, just south of the River Thames and west of Southwark Bridge.

Monkfish used to be referred to as poor man's lobster - but the prices I see it at suggest nobody poor is going to be spending money on Monkfish!

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L is for Lemaireocereus

2011-11-25T19:27:00.001+00:00

Lemaireocereus

Apparently Lemaireocereus is the genus of the Organ Pipe Cactus. I saw some of these in New Mexico and they are BIG! The cactus can become very tall and typically branches out. The spines are also bigger than most, the flowers are funnel shaped and fruit is ovoid in shape and edible.

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K is for Klimt

2011-11-24T23:10:00.002+00:00

Rosiers sour les arbres by Klimt
Musee D'Orsay

Sadly the Musee d'Orsay no longer allows people to photograph paintings - due to the vast numbers who only looked at the pictures through their cameraphones.

The link underneath the title of Klimt's painting is to the webpage on the Musee d'Orsay website

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K is for Karma

K is for Kew Palace

K is for Kenophobia

K is for Kohlrabi

All photographs and text copyright Katherine Tyrrell

J is for Jacaranda Tree

2011-11-23T23:40:00.006+00:00

Jacaranda Tree

I saw this Jacaranda Tree in Green Street, San Luis Obispo when I drove from San Francisco to San Diego down Highway 1 - the road which follows the coastline of California. The pavement was absolutely covered in violet petals

I loved San Luis Obispo - and it's supposed to be the happiest city in America! Here's where I had my breakfast in SLO - Saturday 29th July: The best breakfast of the trip - at the Big Sky Cafe!

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I is for Indian Summer

2011-11-22T20:21:00.000+00:00

An Indian Summer at Sheffield Park

I thought I'd post a photograph from one of our trips out during the Indian Summer we had this year while it's still a very pleasant - and recent - memory.

I think the hottest day was 30th September when we visited Sheffield Park. It was so hot that we had to keep finding places where we could sit in the shade!

I'll always remember it because I was able to make an observation to my other half that the ratio of chaps (of all ages) wearing shorts to those wearing trousers was 3:1. He took himself off to the sales in the following week and came back and announced he'd bought some shorts!

The photograph is one of the classic vistas at Sheffield Park - a favourite of photographers - and was taken late in the day around about 4.30pm. We'd had a brilliant blue sky and hot sun all day. As you can see the trees are beginning to get their Autumn colours for which these gardens are renowned. We returned - well wrapped up - four weeks later to see the wonderful sights of this garden in Autumn.

This is my blog post about the sketch I did on 30th September 2011 - An Indian Summer (and ice lakes) at Sheffield Park

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H is for Harvest in New Hampshire

2011-11-21T23:00:00.001+00:00

Harvest in New Hampshire

Photographed on top of a hill in New Hampshire in 2006

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G is for Girolles

2011-11-20T23:00:00.000+00:00

Girolles in the Autumn

Mushrooms are such interesting shapes, I saw the most amazing collection of wild mushrooms at the RHS Autumn show - including these Girolles aka Chanterelles. They come from Mrs Tee - who collects and supplies wild mushrooms to both restaurants and foodies! (Mrs Tee's Wild Mushrooms)

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F is for Fennel

2011-11-19T23:30:00.001+00:00

Mature Fennel

Fennel is actually quite difficult to photograph unless you like getting down on your stomach. That's because it's got all those fronds. Most of my photographs are of a sea of frond with a rather small fennel developing nicely. By the time they get big the fennel bulb is very often obscured (see below).

More mature fennel

I like the one at the top because we get the whole thing - a mature bulb, the fronds and the seed heads. It feels like this one has a 'back story'!

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E is for Echinocactus grusonii

2011-11-18T16:00:00.012+00:00

Echinocactus grusonii

I do love cacti! This is Echinocactus grusonii and this is, I think a rather splendid photo of its features. Just look at all those spines!

It has a number of alternative names such as the Golden Barrel Cactus and Mother-in-law's-seat. It's very common as a cultivated cactus but is endangered in the wild (mainly in Mexico) due to over-collection.

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D is for Denmoza

2011-11-17T23:00:00.001+00:00

Denmoza Erythrocephala

This is a cactus from Arizona - which is where I saw my first one. I was hugely intrigued by the crimson spikes sitting in the creamy white pads on the blue green ribbed cylindrical body. But just look at the variation in colour in those spikes!

It's a very weird species. The name of the genus is an anagram of Mendoza and the species seem to vary quite a bit in appearance - and then when you have two which look the same they seem to have two names! Denmoza Erythrocephala also seems to go by the name of Denmoza Rhodacantha.

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C is for Châtaigne

2011-11-16T23:00:00.000+00:00

Châtaigne (chestnuts)

Sticking with my theme of trying to pick seasonal images wherever possible, this a photograph of chestnuts or as they are called in France - and this photograph was taken in a street market in Paris - Châtaigne.

A Châtaigne is a chestnut - the edible version.

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B is for Blue Potato Bush

2011-11-15T20:22:00.000+00:00

Blue Potato Bush (Lycianthes rantonnetii)

What do you mean - you've never heard of the Blue Potato Bush?

Well actually neither had I until my other half and I were rambling around a garden at the beginning of October - and spotted one.

Apparently it's "a species of flowering plant in the family Solanaceae. It is native to Brazil, Bolivia, Argentina and Paraguay."

This is one of those really frustrating photographs where the centre of the photo is perfectly in focus - it just so happens that's set a little bit further back than the flowers and I forgot to do the adjustment!

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A is for Artichoke Flowers

2011-11-14T15:00:00.007+00:00

I saw these vivid artichoke flowers on a stall in the market at St Remy de Provence - and they're so "look at me" they just begged for a photograph!

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Z is for Zonal

2011-11-13T15:00:00.002+00:00

Zonal - Hollyhocks

It's interesting how flowers create different colour zones more often than vegetables.

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