R Is For Repair

Putting All The Pieces Back Together

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

I’ve always enjoyed fixing things. But, lest you get the wrong impression, let me assure you that I am not your normal handyman. I’m not good with power tools, I’m not gifted when it comes to dealing with hammers and nails and wrenches and chainsaws.

But if you’ve broken something, bring it round and chances are I’ll be able to put it together again. The Authorbloglets, from the time they were very little, had supreme faith in my ability to painstakingly glue things back together again.

Some years ago, one of them dropped a very large novelty ceramic Tweety Bird cup. Dropped it on the tiles, that is. There were shards of the cup everywhere.

But the Authorbloglet implored me to try. Just to try. It didn’t matter if I failed, but surely I could attempt it?


So of course I did. And solving the hundred-piece jigsaw became irresistible. Piece by piece, I managed to put it all back together again. It still sits somewhere at Casa Authorblog as testimony to my patience. Maybe it all stems from childhood hours spent putting together intricate little pieces in my aeromodelling days.

But my true test came on a scorching January morning during our recent summer of the bushfires. I was up early and at my desk in the study when I heard a strange sound. Something had fallen. Something fairly heavy. But I could not identify what it was.

I walked around the house and then realised a crystal candlestick had been knocked over by a lace curtain billowing in the morning breeze.

The nether regions of the candlestick were intact. But the top was, as they say in the classics, history.

But if ya have a little time to spare and ya have the right mindset, there’s no knowing what ya can successfully repair next. And the same approach applies to life itself.


For the home of ABC Wednesday, go to Mrs Nesbitt's Place.

The Tiniest Christmas Tree

And The Biggest, Warmest Wish To Each Of You

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Standing no more than an inch tall, this piece of Swarovski crystal is the smallest Christmas tree in our home. As it is already December 25 here in Australia, and we've just got home from Midnight Mass, I'd just like to wish all my readers a wonderful Christmas. From every single member of the McMahon clan, to everyone in your family, may you have a precious Christmas and one to cherish forever.

Eider Town

Lucky It Wasn't My Swan Song



This was just one of those shots where I had my camera in my hand and I was on a mission to take a very specific shot elsewhere. Then, as I walked past, I looked at this little figure of a swan in a display cabinet and a tiny light went on in my brain. This shot simply had to be taken first, before anything else.

The light was soft and muted. The quality of the reflection was good but not overpowering. The delicate, graceful arch of the swan's neck caught my attention. So I concentrated on that facet of the "creature" and decided to completely ignore the beautiful wings on the ornament itself.

But this was the interesting part of my task. By concentrating on the neck and choosing my angle with care, I was still able to depict the wings in the reflection.

I kept the frame really tight, to emphasise the curve of the long neck. And if you look really carefully, you'll see not one but three reflections - the obvious one behind the swan and then the two others beneath.

Here's an interesting afterthought - the muted light makes the swan look as if it has been fashioned from mercury. Do you agree?

Check out the rules at Camera Critters or go to Misty Dawn.

Narrow Minded

Can We Wax Lyrical About Candles?

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

With this week's Photo Hunt theme being "Narrow", I thought I'd have a huge selection of choices. There was a narrow slippery slide, a narrow pathway, and a great shot of the narrowest lane in beautiful Quebec City. But I wanted to shoot something specially for the theme. I walked into our lounge to open the window on a hot afternoon this week - and there was my theme.

Allow me to present the narrow opening on top of a candlestand. They're interestingly crafted, whether they're in wood, metal, alloy or crystal. You see, they have to fit a universal candle size and they have to fit absolutely snug, so that each candle is held exactly perpendicular to the ground. If the opening is slightly wider than it should be (even by a millimetre) the candle will lean over, dripping wax untidily. That's precisely why you'll notice something that is common to most candlestands - the actual opening that holds the candle is generally a little wider up the top than it is at the bottom, so that the candle is held tightly in place.


You've probably noticed that the first three shots in this sequence have a lot of interesting inter-reflection within the angular segments of the crystal surface. It's also intriguing that there is a lovely pastel blue tinge to the background. This comes from a lace curtain about a metre and a half (not quite five feet) away from the candle stand. This window looks out onto a wide south-east aspect, so the light was really soft at the time. As it was late afternoon, the harsh light was on the other side of the house.

If you're wondering whether I moved the candlestand to get the best light or the best reflection, the answer is no. I shoot objects where I see them. It's not my style to move them to a different spot or even a different room to get a better effect or to make use of better light. I didn't use a special filter and as you probably know by now, I never digitally enhance my shots.


This last shot was taken completely on a whim, to get a different angle and a different background. The candlestands are placed on a glass-topped mahogany table. By shooting the object from above and to the side, I was able to get an unusual aspect, with some reflection in the bottom left-hand quadrant and the dark brown background of the beautiful, smooth mahogany.

VERSE AND WORSE: Enter the fun Loony Limerick Competition.

BLOGGERS INTERVIEWED: Starting tomorrow, a new weekly series, called The Sunday Roast. There will be an interview with a different blogger each week.