June 2010

Not so many photographs taken during June.

With the ending of tropical summer and the start of the rainy season, the weather started to take on an autumnal feeling, at least when one looked out of the window. Stepping outside into the heat and humidity quickly brought back that tropical feeling.

May 2010

Cicada hunting

It may seem like I've been neglecting the project but in reality it's just the blog that hasn't been getting the attention.

through May i spent time trying to get photos of the cicadas in the acacia trees. As a result I have a lot of close-up photos of acacia trees.

Cicadas became the big feature of the month as they really started to sing. so much so that sometimes I wondered if I had tinnitus.

April 2010

A little delayed in posting this.

April has been about the summer weather. Summer comes early here running from approximately the vernal equinox to the June solstice. And that means hot weather and intense sun. Sun of an intensity I've not experienced anywhere else. This shot is actually from one of the rare cloudy days, which gave me half a chance to actually capture the sun.

Interlude: an Easter break

Two weeks back home in the UK. A return like that makes one realise the things missed. The weather, mostly. Tropical weather doesn't really agree with me. And seasons. It's easy to miss seasons in a country that doesn't seem to have them. It was nice to catch signs of spring - bare trees leaving and the blossoming return of flower. and variation in temperature. As cold as 4C, as warm as 16C. All in 2 weeks. Colder than the Philippines, for sure, but as much variation as a whole year.

March 2010

A simple subject - the evening light coming through the hallway curtains as projected onto the wall. As the evening draws in, there are a whole range of these interesting shadow patterns cast on various walls and surfaces in the house. It is a reflection of the particular quality of light that seems to abound here at this time. Something like late evening light in a n European summer, except much earlier in the year and at an earlier time of day - this was shot at about 4pm.

A new view of light

It may seem I've been neglecting this series but in fact I've just been neglecting blogging in general. march was a pretty quiet month, photographically. What has happened, though, is the slightly longer days have meant a move in the sun's position and a whole new sort of light around the place. just that extra half hour or so each end of the day seems to make quite a difference. Here are a few from around the place.

February 2010

Life in the village.

For February a good part of my time has been getting to know how life in the village works. Utilities, services, driving etc. Small practicalities. This one picture of one corner brings so much of that daily life into a single frame.

Immediate surroundings

After unpacking the boxes, it's been time to put effort into exploring the neighbourhood. The daily run to work follows a fairly short path which gives some hints as to the activities that go on every day. I shall need to spend some time exploring that more.

It also gives something of a view of the places people live, and how they make them their own.

January 2010

January has all been about moving house, coming from the outside and stepping through the door to settle into a new life.

Creating a home

After the process of unpacking comes the task on creating a home, putting my personal stamp on the place that makes it feel like mine. urniture was arranged, pictures went up, spaces got cleared and organised.

Endless trips to the hardware store for stuff, especially electrical as I move from 50Hz to 60Hz. Small details that are essential to live comfortably. One of the things that seems to happen with this much moving is the recreation of many of the same circumstances as before - a taste of the familiar in unfamiliar surroundings. Furniture arranged similarly, the same pictures on the walls, in the same rooms.

And yet among all that, the space is very different - now 2 storeys, more rooms, hard floors. A house rather than an apartment. Air conditioning in place of heating.

Deep in moving

This is a post for January, delayed due to the fact I was deep in unpacking boxes for much of the month. Moving - a time-consuming exercise in discovering your past. the boxes had a tag line on them: "Mobility made easy". A great lie in this game. there is nothing easy about international mobility. It takes months of your life and many hours of time spent packing, unpacking, organising and arranging. And here I am several weeks later and I'm still not completely unpacked.


But I now have the house turned into a home, and that's a step forward.