Saturday, April 08, 2006


I had a little holiday today, and took my camera for a drive around town. I've been meaning to photograph the sheds in the railway workshop for years, and decided to finally do it. I love dilapidated buildings, and the last thing I wanted was to find that these old sheds had been spruced up with a coat of paint, or worse still, torn down before I photographed them.

They have a fascinating structure, built as adjoining sheds around a central courtyard. Each of the sheds is slightly wedge shaped, so the perimeter of the building has the appearance of a curve. I couldn't get close enough to take the photos I wanted, as they are strictly off-limits to the public; I wish there was some way to get round government red tape and get inside there.

I love corrugated iron; it's iconically Australian, and weathers into the most delicious red rust colours. These rooflines make great angles and lines, there may be a quilt idea in there someday.

I also went to a local rose garden and took about 50 photos of the roses. So I have a folder full of dilapidated industrial buildings and breath-taking flowers. Worlds apart.

I take the weirdest tourist photos. My family has given up asking to see my holiday snaps. I tend to concentrate on industrial landscapes, especially chimney stacks, and the backs of buildings; tree bark, stones, photos where leaves fill the whole frame, barbed wire, oil drums. On one trip I came home with photos of the lace curtains in a truck stop, the backyard of a pub and someone's laundry. (There was a beautiful marcella quilt in the laundromat waiting to be washed, and the owner let me take pictures of the patterns.)

The photo that made the biggest impression was one I took in a KFC in Iowa. We don't eat things like that in Australia. The people we were with actually ordered the Gizzard Dinner, and John was brave and tried it. We never speak of it; it was too traumatic. (I have a photo of the dinner, but it's not something to spring on people unawares...)

And to make it quilty, this is on my design wall; four Many Trips Around The World blocks. I won't have time to do much more on it before I leave, but I like the colours. I'll be able to work on it in....June!

5 comments:

Darcie 11:05 PM  

Great photos, Keryn. I love the contrast of your corrugated, rusting buildings with the brilliant green plantings.

I can sum up that Iowa KFC lunch special: GA-ROSS! (Bleck!)

Quilts And Pieces 1:11 PM  

Keryn, the buildings are so fun - yes I think they need to become a quilt someday! They are so neat, and with the bright green leaves around them - it would be a stunning quilt!

Ahhhh - we don't have KFC lunch specials like that in Illinois... ehhhh gross.

Cher 12:25 AM  

I really like the colors in your many trips around the world...

mereth 7:09 AM  

I love those sheds, wouldn't it be great to see inside them? There are wonderful round sheds in Peterborough railyards, full of huge dark shadows and broken sightless windows. Lets do an urban ruin tour of Australia, wouldn't that be fun?

tami 12:13 PM  

I bet I would love your vacation photos. They sound much more interesting than the regular touristy sites.

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