Summer School Shout Out

Summer School 2010 is over.  I am relieved, I am sad, I am sooooo glad I went.  My class of 13 people and our tutor Don were great.  We had a great mix 4 men ranging from about 70 something to a 3rd year law student and 9 women ranging from 17 to about 60 something.  What a mixed bunch we were, but we all got on pretty well and they are all so talented.  I was just inspired by the young ones creativity and also by our eldest members willingness to try, and he created some of the most wonderful shots too.

I'm not afraid of my camera anymore, I finally know how to use some of those buttons and dials, I know how to layer in photoshop, finally, and I think I can take a better photo in trying situations now than I could 10 days ago.  I challenged myself and I succeeded so all in all a good outcome I think.  The photos above are 4 of the 5 I displayed on the final day, they were taken and edited by me.  I don't necessarilly love them, but they are an indication of most of what we learned.  I also did a portrait which I love but we aren't allowed to post it on the net, for the sake of the model.  On Friday night we had a blast we went bare foot lawn bowling, so much fun especially since most of us can't bowl to save ourselves, laughed our heads off though. 

Now I am getting into organising the accommodation for in between the tours and after etc., as May will be here sooner than I think.  I will post a few more pics in the coming days, missed you all.

Food Glorious Food

Jaffa on spoon

Pavlova an Aussie speciality

Really busy at school still, today we went to a restaurant and took photos of the food.  We also ate it oh it was an effort, truly it was.  (read I was starving and it was delicious no effort at all really)  The photo of the jaffa on the spoon will be one that I use in our display at the end of the school.  I like it finally one I like, such a darn perfectionist.  This is fun but I am very busy so until tomorrow, Bon Appetite...................

Julia and Julie

We went to see Julia and Julie on Friday night, I know it didn't get rave reviews, but I really enjoyed it and so did Adrian.  I loved the way Meryl Streep spoke and if Julia Child was really like that what a hoot it would have been to have met her.  I loved the way Julie set the task and for the entire year kept at it, even when the poor chicken hit the floor and the stuffing fell out, even when the Beef stew (I can't spell borgnone) burnt, even when the lobster tried to jump out of the pot.  I just loved it.  And good on Julia for defying the system in France back in the day and having a go.  I know that I defeat myself so many times, because I am afraid to have a go in an environment that I'm not comfortable in. For instance I would have chucked it in when the room was full of men, firstly who could actually cook already and secondly who could cut onions. That was funny!  I don't even know how to hold a knife like that.  A friend said to me the other day, don't talk yourself out of it you haven't even started.  I know that's what I do all the time.  I don't like to fail and I don't like to be uncomfortable.  So this week to challenge myself,  I have joined the local Photography club, eek!! and I have enrolled at the McGregor Summer School in a Photography course for people of intermediate skill.  Umm I have no idea if I would qualify for intermediate level, but I just want to go and so I am hoping to pick up enough camera knowledge in the next two months to firmly plant me in the intermediate level.  I laugh as I write that because I just spent an hour trying to put a frame on this picture in Adobe Elements 7 and couldn't so good luck to the tutor he's going to need it.   

I can adjust the levels, the colour, contrast, lighting etc but I got a book a while ago on fancying up your blog and I thought it would be easy and help me go from bland to glam and of course as is the way with computers, software and techniques it never is.  The directions she gives are for the programmes I have too and still they don't work arghhhh!!!! I get so annoyed and I have so much to do today I just can't sit here all day and fiddle which makes me more annoyed cause I would like to.  So a deep breathe Kim, calm down and settle petal.  Oh and on to something a little more Julia and Julie..... we bought the Master Chef Master class DVD on Friday and so we are going to do the classes hopefully once a week and I will do my own little blog on that.  Whether I become another Julia or Julie for that matter, is yet to be seen and the odds are I won't, but I think it will be fun. Talking of cooking classes, last Tuesday night Ade and I went to a Lebanese cooking class.  A local coffee shop/cafe holds cooking classes once a month and I have wanted to go for a while now and have never gotten around to it.  The lady who runs the shop is Lebanese and this time that's the style she chose to cook.  Well in my mind I was going to be cutting, chopping, slicing, frying, braising, sauteeing, etc., etc you get the idea, but no we stood and watched.  I was really ticked off.  There were about 30 people in the tiny, space and because most of the dishes took hours of slow cooking she had done a lot of it during the day.  So $160 dollars later I still don't know how to cook Lebanese food.  I learnt how to crush garlic with the knife and make my own paste out of that, but thats about it. Oh and I found out I don't really like Lebanese food much either. Sooooo annoying.  So the DVD sounds good to me at least I get to do something. 

Don't you just love cherry and peach blossoms in Spring !!?