Diversifying

A couple of years ago the land around this mazet was a vineyard, like so much of the land in this area. There are still vines as far as the eye can see wherever you go here, but more land is being used for other crops like the wheat here, and more commonly olive trees are being planted, a sensible move given the risks involved in monoculture. I like the way the mallow plant has invaded the new crop too. And the nearby wine domain is now part of Emmaus, a wonderful project giving work to the homeless and recycling old furniture and other bric-a-brac. We were lucky this morning, finding a nice old door and mirror for our new bathroom and a table for the garden.

This image also represents diversifying for me too, a departure from detail and especially from balconies. Barrioboy asked me yesterday what attracts me to balconies, something no one has asked me before, although I've asked myself this question. First, there are a lot of them around here - I could blip them for years and never run out! But I think what I most want to photograph is the ways that light, shade and texture interact and the shapes formed for just seconds at a time by shadows before the light moves on and the shapes change. This morning the sky was cloudy, the air heavy and thunder threatening, so it was a chance for me to follow one of my new year resolutions and to try something a bit different.