Flash Bang! -

Tuesday night

Everyday this last week we’ve had big lightening and thunderstorms. Big enough to turn off the computer quickly so that a big bang won’t fry the machine. Can’t get much work done when the computer’s off, but that’s living in the tropics for you.

Well, today we had another big storm and it was banging away while I was cooking lunch (yes, amazing that I was cooking, eh?). I needed some hot water for the pasta - I learned a new trick from my friend Pierre to heat the water in the electric kettle rather than in a pot on the stove. Boils much faster in the kettle. So, that’s what I did, or thought I did. I didn’t see the kettle light go on and so I turned it on again and it flipped off. Checking the metal part of the kettle to see if it was hot, I touched it with two of my fingers and WHAM! A bolt of electricity ran up my arm to the top of my head and down to my knees. Knocked me back! I yelped and stood there for a moment as it hurt. Hurt badly.

Lipton turned off the kettle at the wall and finished cooking lunch while I sat down and tried to screw my head back on.

Since then, and it’s now 8PM, I’ve had a blinding headache. I took my migraine med but it did nothing. I tried to take a nap, still nothing. By tomorrow I’ll be fine (I am fine!) and I’ll call in the electrician to fix whatever went wrong.

Neither Lipton nor I can remember if there was a loud clap of thunder at the time I got zapped, so I’m not sure it was the storm – perhaps just something faulty with the kettle. I’m sticking to gas until the electrician gets here!

The dastardly kettle!

The plug - will have to have an

electrician out to solve this problem.

Check out our Sri Lankan wedding photography, travel photography, portrait photography, female photographers, commercial photography at our website at: http://www.shadetreeSL.com

© ShadeTree Productions

The Noisy Ati Kukula

Every year around the time of the Sinhala New Year comes a Whoop Oop Oop from the neighboring trees. It’s a loud birdcall of the Ati Kukula and this morning four of them were going at it and Whoop Oop Oop’ing it up. So loud that their calls woke me up.

I’ve seen this bird in my garden and I usually get Toby to chase it away. I had a nest of baby birds and my old house and an Ati Kukula snuck up and ate them! I’m not a fan of this bird, but I did learn that they eat snakes, and so if they are stalking around on the ground, I’ll let them be, but if they are in the trees where the other birds nest, I send out Toby!

They have red eyes and walk in a stalking manner. I’ve never seen it do its famous call, but I find them quite creepy.

As I write there are two of them calling to each other in the tree by my bedroom window. I wish I could get a sound bite for the blog. One time I was talking to my granddaughter in the US on my mobile and she heard the Ati Kukula whooping it up in the background. Made her miss the Sri Lanka she came to visit one year.

As for me, I could have used a bit more sleep this morning, instead of waking up to the Ati Kukulas calling to each other!

I've not gotten a photo of the New Years noise maker, so I took an image off the web and a video off youtube.

Web photo of the Ati Kukula

Below is a youtube video of it stalking around.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_w3g-4r1Ls

Check out our Sri Lankan wedding photography, travel photography, portrait photography, female photographers, commercial photography at our website at: http://www.shadetreeSL.com

© ShadeTree Productions

Old or New?

Years ago, while walking around Galle Fort (in Southern Sri Lanka), I saw this lovely old hotel and took a photo from the outside. Wanting to see more of the New Orient Hotel, I walked into its dusty, dark interior.

‘You can’t come in,’ a man said to me from out of the darkness.

Never one to stop taking a photo because I’m told to, I started taking pictures. Also, by that time, I knew that Sri Lankans were just too polite to confront and really kick me out. I was banking on this man to be too polite.

It was difficult to get a good shot because of the darkness, but I did my best. I wanted to wander around some, but the man wasn’t going to be pushed that far, so I was happy with just the lobby area.

The hotel has since been bought by the Aman conglomerate and totally redone and renamed to the Amangalla Hotel. I’ve captured a newer view of it off the web, for you to see the difference.

A view of the side of the hotel.

From the front.

The lobby where I was stopped by the Man.

The porch in the front.

From the street.

A photo from the web of the now very expensive

Amangalle Hotel - the former New Orient Hotel.

Check out our Sri Lankan wedding photography, travel photography, portrait photography, female photographers, commercial photography at our website at: http://www.shadetreeSL.com

© ShadeTree Productions

Sizzlin’ Hot n’ Happy!

Yesterday Lipton did a portrait shoot for the famous lead singer of the band Flame, and ex-DJ for Real Radio, Raajnie Anne Jayamanne. She’s one of our favorite subjects. A real sizzler!

Although portraits are my all-time favorite shoots, I kept out of the way because Anne and Lipton have a special chemistry on camera and so, I let them go at it! I should have been working on LucysBuzz but I was too busy editing photos and got caught up in that vortex of details.

For the last month, Lipton has been working on short videos of people dancing to the Pharrell Williams song ‘Happy’. It’s been such fun and Anne definitely wanted to join in and do a ‘Happy Dance!’ I’ve done two and they are addictive – I want Lipton to showcase ME! But alas, it’s going to showcase everyone and anyone. It’ll go up on our Facebook page as soon as it’s done! Watch this space.

Until then you can check out these still shots of Anne dancing, and some from Lipton’s portrait shoot with her!

Lipton's photos of super sexy Anne!

Lipton dancing the Happy Dance.

Toby's wondering what's going on!

Going for it!

The pair of Happy Dancers!

Lipton filming Anne.

Go girl!

Dancing in 5" heels!

Wonder what the neighbours thought!

That's a wrap!

Call to book your own photo shoot: 0777 387734

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Check out our Sri Lankan wedding photography, travel photography, portrait photography, female photographers, commercial photography at our website at: http://www.shadetreeSL.com

© ShadeTree Productions