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Tag Archives: South Africa

Snow White Barberton Daisies

Posted on October 11, 2014 by Vanessa Lee Thomas 5 comments

Life is fleeting as I was reminded this week when my Mum passed away. If my mothers life taught me anything it was to live without fear of living or dying as then we never see and experience the beauty that life holds.

Being in another country is not easy when you lose a loved one and a local friend was kind enough to bring me some beautiful white Barberton Daisies aka Gerberas – a South African favourite. Gerbera daisies can mean innocence, purity, and cheerfulness and were just the right flower to connect me to home.

The Gerbera daisy was discovered in 1884 near Barberton, South Africa, by Scotsman Robert Jameson. The scientific name of the flower is Gerbera jamesonii and reflects its discoverer but the meaning of its common name derives from German naturalist Traugott Gerber.

Photo 1: Snow White Barberton Daisy

Photo 2: White and wonderful Gerbera

Photo 3: Peace and Purity

Photo 4: Softness and light

Photo 5: Petal layers

Photo 6: Macro

Photo 7: Spreading petals of light

Images of Flora

Photos behind the SA flag collage

Posted on April 30, 2014 by Vanessa Lee Thomas 4 comments

I recently posted a collage of photos making up the South African flag to celebrate Freedom Day and someone has asked me about the images I used – so here they are for those who are interested. I tried to use flowers that reminded me of SA so there are white hydrangeas, yellow gazanias and a red protea. The only blue flower image I had that is common in SA was the Chrysanthemum. Apple trees grew in the yard at my childhood home so I used them for the green. The black and white image of the hand in the black section is my son’s taken while we played with a torch during Earth hour while the rest of the house was in darkness. This process got me into the experiment with gradients as I needed to colour match the photos and the flag.

Photo 1: Red Protea

Photo 2: White Hydrangeas

Photo 3: Blue Chrysanthemum

Photo 4: Green apples

Photo 5: Yellow Gazanias

Photo 6: Shadow hand in black and white

Photo 7: The final SA Flag collage image

Images of Flora

Happy Freedom Day South Africa!

Posted on April 28, 2014 by Vanessa Lee Thomas 6 comments

The 27 April is Freedom Day in South Africa and is marked with a public holiday. On this day in 1994, the first democratic and non-racial national election was held in the country. Today marks it’s 20th anniversary.

It was a highly emotional event for many as for the first time, everyone aged over 18, of any race, was allowed to vote. The ANC (African National Congress) was voted into power and Nelson Mandela became the first democratically elected President of South Africa on 10th May and a new national flag was introduced.

Freedom Day is celebrated with great enthusiasm by all South Africans and tributes are paid to all those who sacrificed their lives to gain liberation. South Africa still has its struggles but it has a beautiful heart and its people are lovingly known as the Rainbow Nation.

Photo 1: South African Flag collage