GLORIOUS AUTUMN IN MELBOURNE

We are very lucky in Melbourne to have four distinct seasons, especially for us Ikebanists, and I love all four. But autumn here is so stunning it takes my breath away. I have many deciduous trees and shrubs, which lift my spirits as I watch them changing colours. And raking the leaves on a sunny autumn afternoon would have to be one of my favourite pass times. Unfortunately, due to a shoulder injury, I can only do so a little at a time.

In the photograph, above, I started to rake the leaves from the mature golden elm but then had to stop and hand the job over to my lawn mower man, David. He used his efficient, albeit noisy blower to collect them into a large pile. Before I distribute them into my garden beds as mulch, I will give the grandchildren a chance to play in them. Also, I draw your attention to the state-of-the-art tree house that my neighbour and his son built on this, my favourite of my trees.

AND SO ONTO BOOK 5

In our first lesson after my return, the senior students were set the theme 'Composition Expressing a Movement'. I attended a workshop on this theme in Tokyo. The first sentence in this lesson reads as follows: 'Create a composition by developing its idea from a verb of movement'. We had a great deal of fun thinking up different verbs that we could represent in our arrangements, so much so, that we didn't know when to stop. I'm including only some of tthe work that was produced.

'Bouncing' - Bredenia 

'Drpping'- Lucy 

'Balancing' - Lucy 

'Cascading'- Emily

'Tickling' - Emily

'Excluding' - Vicky

'Curling' - Vicky

'Saluting' - Vicky

I leave you with a freestyle arrangement using my favourite camellia, 'Kamo Hon Ami' and viburnum opulus branches in this cheeky vase.

Bye for now,

Emily