Keeping With The Times

living, learning, and keeping with the times

Only Dreaming

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texture tuesday, lilacs

 

February 19th. Up north here we are in the grips of winter. Spring arrives on March 20th. That is not to say that on March 20th we will wake up and the trees will be budding, birds will be singing and we’ll be running around in shorts and t-shirts. Most likely there will be a snowstorm.

So this morning I went into my archives and stared lovingly at all my flower photos. These beauties are at least 3 months away…  but dreams can happen at any time and dreaming is what I am doing.

Today is Texture Tuesday at Kim Klassen Cafe. The only requirement is that we use one of the textures from the Downton collection. I chose kk_cora on soft light, white oak on soft light, and sheet music on darker. I played around with the opacity of each layer until I was happy.

Speaking of Downton – we’re catching up on the third season – I’m not going to discuss it because I know others are still catching up too. Wish I could talk….

One more thing – I just found out that one of my recipes has been accepted to Food Gawker!!!! Oh Happy Day! I’ve only been rejected a hundred times… It’s my Roasted Sugar Pumpkin Soup – it will appear sometime today – do check it out!

Here’s my texture recipe (oh, yes, and that sweet font is “I Love What You Do”)

lilac recipe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Creative Inspiration

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pineconecollage

I’m taking a(nother) class with Kim Klassen and this is the result of our first assignment. I was trying to set up a still life with some objects I had gathered up from around the house but no matter what I did – it just wasn’t happening… I was feeling a little frustrated… so when hubby suggested we go for a walk, I grabbed my camera and off we went.

I’m always scanning ditches for wild flowers and any other treasures that Mother Nature serves up – I’ve done it all my life. So of course when I spied these pine cones I braved the scrub and scorpions and went in to retrieve them. When we got home I set them down on a small vintage trunk (a flea market find) and inspiration hit! I was immediately in love with the shapes, and colours and textures.

I also know that in order for me to create, I have to have a connection with what I’m doing. To me these pine cones were not just some pretty things to put in a bowl (which they are)  but they are also a souvenir of our walk together.

A reminder of a warm, sunny day and how truly happy and grateful I am for all my blessings.

 

Texture used: kk_1412

Dining at Davanti

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Hover your mouse over the photo to see the original.

One of the main things we do when we’re “down south” is EAT! And we like to try out new restaurants. Last night we went to a lovely little Italian restaurant in Scottsdale – Davanti Enoteca.

We started with a crunchy bruschette that was like a mini salad on toast – complete with teeny frilly lettuce leaves that tickled my nose…

Then we had mascarpone polenta with ragu… mmmmm delish!

To finish it off we had their focaccia di recco which is a flat foccacia pocket filled with soft cheese served with a glob of honey that is still in the honeycomb – very interesting and very tasty!

This little bench with the potted plants is what greeted us at the door and I knew I had my TT image! And now that I’m working in WordPress – I’ve had to re-learn the mouseover technique. Aaaackk, my brain hurts. Hope it works!

WOOT!! IT WORKS!! THE MOUSEOVER WORKS!!

Oh, and I edited the photo in Lightroom – used several presets and then applied Kim’s “calamity” on overlay.

Thanks for stopping by!

The Art of Tea

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… make sure you heat the teapot first …
… add the tea …

… let steep for five minutes …
… pour into simple cup …
… breathe in the winter spice scent …
… enjoy …

kim klassen texture

… uh oh …

does anyone else see “f art” in there? :)

art-of-tea-01

Ah, yes… we must be able to laugh at ourselves… this is the revised version!

I’m moving my little blog over to WordPress. It should be finished sometime this week. I understand that if you are following me, you will still see me in Google Reader. But if you don’t see me for a while, check me out on Google+ for updates and maybe you can find your way back to my blog and I to yours.

I have a Google+ Followers Gadget on my sidebar (not the same as Google Friend Connect) if you want to follow me there. I follow back!

A book, a cup, and a handful of hazelnuts…

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Oh joy! Kim is back! giving us inspiration and cheering us on. One of our little “pushes” this week was to take a photo of a book, a cup and an unusual object.

Now, teabags are not unusual – but I think this one is. And then there are the hazelnuts…

My friend gave me this tea for Christmas. All of these cute little tea bags (boxes) were nested together in another cute little box. I was loathe to open them up and destroy the orderliness of it all. But pretty things are meant to be used, right? No use saving things and then finding them 3 years later at the bottom of the pantry all stale and tasteless.

The cookbook was my Mom’s. It has dozens of yellow newspaper clippings of recipes and there are handwritten notes all over the place. A treasure if there ever was one. What would she think if she could see it here right now, out in cyberspace. I doubt she could have fathomed it.

So this afternoon I had a pleasant little photo shoot, a cup of (very tasty) tea, and a handful of hazelnuts. All is good.

Note:
I’m moving my little blog over to WordPress. It should be finished sometime next week. I understand that if you are following me, you will still see me in Google Reader. But if you don’t see me for a while, check me out on Google+ for updates and maybe you can find your way back to my blog and me to yours.

I have a Google+ Followers Gadget on my sidebar (not the same as Google Friend Connect) if you want to follow me there. I follow back!

Have a wonderful weekend!

“Chaos” by Kim Klassen at soft light.


Bosc Pear Still Life

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Well, here’s my contribution to the Bosc Pear Photography Obsession.

bosc pears, still life, texture

 

Bosc-Pair-Still-Life1

 

Bosc-Pair-Still-Life2jpg

 

At the moment there are no flowers in my garden and although I don’t mind winter, I often find myself at a loss as to what to photograph. So when I came across these lovely pears whilst doing my grocery shopping I became inspired. (I so love it when you can eat your still life when you’re finished with it).

Today is the last day of Texture Tuesday until 2013. I can’t remember why that is so, it just is…

It is also the “Free and Easy Edition” where all you have to do is use any texture of your choice. I used Kim’s “paper and paste” on multiply. I don’t usually go so texture-heavy but of course Bosc Pears cry out for it and when Bosc Pears cry out, I listen.

I’m hoping that the next time you see them, they are in a tart.

Autumn anemone

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kim klassen, texture

As I was out in the yard preparing my flower beds for the long winter ahead, I came across these lovely, willowy anemones peeking out from behind some Creeping Charlie (yes, my garden has deteriorated to the point where that creepy weed has almost taken over).

What a nice surprise – I think I love these more than a dozen long-stemmed roses (but hubby–if you’re reading this–remember, our anniversary is on Friday).

Ahem.

Texture and Word Art by Kim Klassen

 

 

 

Tuesday, Tuesday, can’t trust that day . . .

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texture, kim klassen, barb brookbank, tansy, autumn

Whenever there’s a long weekend I always forget what day it is – Tuesday morning seems like Monday morning . . . you can tell I don’t work Mon-Fri, or have children starting school this week.

So now I have to get twice as much done today and here I am playing with textures.

This photo makes me feel peaceful. It’s simple and uncluttered. I love the soft colours, the late summer light coming in the dining room window, and my favourite antique duck that makes it’s way into most of my seasonal decorating. But before I can really get into my autumn decorating, I have other things to do.

We watched an episode of “Hoarders” on the weekend. I tell you, that show strikes fear in my heart. So I’ve started a pile of stuff that’s destined for Good Will this week. Clothes, decorations that I’ve outgrown, household gadgets – all going to be gone by Tuesday night (or is that Wednesday night)?

I also need to organize my craft room (horrors). It’s a dark little room that I have been avoiding like the plague. But it’s time . . . my stuff has been sitting in there in boxes since early spring.

Ugh

Texture:
kk_stampedright1

5 Fact Friday and what I love

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texture, kim klassen
  1. I love wreaths and I make new wreaths for every season. This year I made a tansy wreath. We have tons of tansy growing in our ditches and even though it is classified as a noxious weed – I love it! It’s so bright and cheery and it dries quite nicely (and smells sweet too).
  2. I made another very different kind of wreath to put inside for my autumn decorating (soon to be revealed) (I love it).
  3. I love autumn. OK, I said it. As soon as September 1st rolls around, I roll out the carpet for fall. It feels like a new beginning to me – even more than a new year.
  4. I love to get up early – excited to start a new, creative day.
  5. Oh, and I love decorative birdhouses – I’m amassing quite a collection . . . I saw a red one the other day at the Country Pumpkin and I wanted it but I didn’t get it. I’m trying not to buy things impulsively. I’ve become a slave to the “if you don’t get it now – it’ might not be there later”. Well, this may be true but I’m experimenting to see if my world falls apart if I don’t get something. I am going to go back next week and look at it. If it’s still there and it’s still calling my name- I may get it.
We are heading into our September long weekend. Looks like the weather is going to be quite nice. We have some work that needs to be done around the yard, but I’m guessing that we are going to be spending some time out on the lake too. I’m also hoping to make some loaves from the zucchini we got last weekend at the U-Pick. That’s another thing I love – fall baking.
Have a happy, happy weekend everyone!
I’m linking up to 5 Fact Friday over at Reflection of You. Why don’t you join us?
Texture on photo:
stampedright1 by Kim Klassen

Texture Tuesday – Free and Easy Edition

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Today is the Free and Easy Edition over at Kim Klassen Cafe. It’s also the guest-host day. Sylvia from Cosiness has the honour and it’s not hard to see why. You should hop over to have a look at her work – it’s gorgeous!

texture, sunflowers

Last Saturday we finally made our annual trip to the market gardens. We came home with potatoes, carrots, beets, corn, and sunflowers – 20 sunflowers for $10.00! A simple, guilt-free pleasure.

On the way to the gardens we followed some signs to a garage sale. The house was pretty secluded so there weren’t too many people around. First thing I spied was a set of three old suitcases. Cream coloured leather with a rusty trim. They were in fabulous condition – inside and out and were only $25.00!

Oh, I wanted them – I wanted them bad . . .

But . . . I am amassing quite a pile of photo props and my closets and storerooms are overflowing. This is driving my hubby crazy. He wasn’t in the mood to cart home three suitcases that to him looked like junk (would that I had discovered these suitcases on my own) . . .

After a few minutes I listened to him and my inner voice telling me that I really do have too much stuff. So I walked away. It wasn’t easy. In some ways I regret it – in other ways I don’t. I have lots of props that I haven’t even used yet – just sitting on the shelves making me feel guilty.

So I comforted myself with sunflowers. It is a beauteous bouquet – huge and wild and bright. And I don’t have to find a spot to store them when autumn is over . . .

I went bold today – I used one layer of Kim’s ‘heartfelt’ on multiply.

Texture Tuesday – The Dream It Edition

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We just returned from a road trip through Saskatchewan. Hubby and I are both from that beautiful province and we still have family there.

I simply love taking this road trip in the summer. Especially in August when the sun is hot, the sky is blue and the fields are starting to ripen.

I can’t begin to describe the light – it is hazy, soft, and it spreads right through my soul, stirring up memories like birds in the sky.

texture tuesday

Texture-Tuesday-Dream-It-1

When travellers pass through across our great plain,
They all view our home, they all say the same:
“It’s simple and flat!” They’ve not learned to see,
The particular beauty that’s now part of me.
David Bouchard
 

Top photo processed using one layer of ‘Dream It” by Kim Klassen

Texture Tuesday – The Look Down Edition

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Oh man, this quote resonates with me . . . Lately that’s how I’ve been feeling. Staring down getting older . . . and at the same time, miraculously, I have never felt more inspired in my life. So much to do. So little time.

I have a lot of creative pursuits on the go. Combine that with all the new stuff I’m trying to learn and sometimes I end up feeling paralyzed. Then I thought about this quote by Julia Cameron:

Art is not about thinking something up.
It is the opposite — getting something down.

I totally love that.

Texture and brush by Kim Klassen
Be Still on soft light
Polaroid frame by fuzzimo

kimklassencafe

Texture Tuesday – The Not Necessarily Textured Edition

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I was in my office/sitting room this morning doing a few yoga stretches when I spied a rainbow! A photo opportunity not to be missed – I don’t often see rainbows in the morning.

So I walked down our path and out onto the dock and captured this with my iPod. I’m doing pretty good with my instagram project – taking a photo a day . . . and sometimes more than one.

This past weekend we experienced a pretty big storm – rain, wind, and hail (so sad).

uh oh . . .
it came down so hard for about 6 or 7 minutes and then was over . . .
grapes . . .
end result . . .

. . . but what can you do? I was strangely unmoved at first. Then upset . . . then when I thought about the farmers and their crops, I got over it.

I’m going to dump whats left of my flowers and wait patiently for the ‘mums’ to arrive in the stores. Then I’ll grab 4 big pots and all will be well.

Today is a day to post any image you want at Texture Tuesday – absolutely anything goes – just a bit of fun!

My Guest Post at Kim Klassen dot Com

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When Kim said she was going to start having a guest host on the last Tuesday of every month and asked us to submit a photo I have to admit my heart did a little flutter. How exciting would that be? I knew I had to give it a try. No risk, no reward.

But what to do . . . where does one even start . . . it began to feel a little daunting. There is a ton of talent ‘out there’.

I thought about the pretty, wispy, fine grass I had seen growing alongside our dock and how it had captured my attention and imagination. I now absolutely knew what I wanted to do. I rummaged up my garden shears and headed down to the lake.

Hover your cursor over this image to see the “before” photo

 

I only needed a few stems since the very nature of the grass calls for simplicity. I arranged it in an old Watkins jar, added a couple of other old glass jars and a hard, round, smooth rock for contrast. I don’t remember where that rock came from . . . I must have picked it up on one of my long walks – and how happy I am that I have it!

I feel so honoured to be featured today and it’s a dream come true for me. Kim is so generous – she shares her textures, her knowledge and now, her blog space – simply amazing! Thank you, Kim!

Lastly, Kim taught us how to do the ‘mouseover’ in ‘Behind the Scenes – a creative guide to blogging your passion‘ by Kim Klassen and Xanthe Berkeley. I assure you, it’s a class you won’t want to miss.

Texture: Sunkissed
Font : DJB Gimme Space by Darcy Baldwin
Shot at .8m with my Nikon 40mm fixed focal length lens – max aperture of f/2.8

A bit about my processing is included with my guest post over at Kim Klassen dot Com.

Thanks so much for dropping by!

to see beauty quote, kim klassen guest post, barb brookbank, keeping with the times, texture, still life

 

Not Necessarily Texture Tuesday – Anything Goes Edition

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When I got up this morning and checked on a project that I was hoping would get published, I was disappointed to see that it hadn’t been. I had jumped in with both feet and was fully expecting to see it. . . but it wasn’t there. I checked three times.

So I sent an e-mail to see what happened and why wasn’t it published. I think I at least deserve an explanation. I haven’t heard back.

Then I grabbed my coffee and checked in on Texture Tuesday with Kim Klassen. Today there are no rules – you just post whatever you want.

So I set up a little photo shoot of my peonies – they are bursting out all over the place in my garden. Pink ones and white ones. My house is full of them. So beautiful. So fragrant.

texture, peony

 

peony

 

peony

I edited them in Photoshop – adjusting exposure, white balance, and contrast. I added a blur here and there and then a white overlay. I’m never completely happy with the way I photograph peonies – I think it’s because I just can’t capture how I feel about them. I wish I could send their heavenly scent out into blogland – then I’d be happy!

OK, wait a minute. I just heard what I said. “If I could send . . . then I’d be happy” . . .

I suddenly remembered a video Kim showed us in the “Behind the Scenes” class. The man said over and over again that if you are expecting a certain outcome, you will be disappointed – every time. He went on to explain why, and what to do about it.

Back to my unpublished project. I did my best. I submitted it to the universe and was expecting a certain outcome – and was disappointed. I can see what’s happening here . . . I think I had better go and watch that video again . . .

kimklassencafe

Photo Art Friday at Flowers by LeAnne

Texture Tuesday – the Posie Edition

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Last Sunday evening after a busy weekend spent with family, I was feeling the same way I always do after everyone leaves . . . a bit lost. I had vacuumed up every crumb, cleaned the kitchen and washed a few towels when I suddenly decided I’d had enough of that – the rest of the house could wait . . . until when? who knows . . .

I was tired and I knew I couldn’t sit down at the computer and attempt to work on a project. But a stroll around the yard seemed quite inviting. I picked up my camera and went outside with just one lens (my 18-55mm), no tripod, no expectations.

It had rained and these pansies stopped me in my tracks – I hadn’t even got off the deck before I was snapping away. I was happy that I hadn’t brought my tripod – I could just try to capture what I was seeing/feeling and not worry about ‘setting up’.

pansy

pansy

pansy

I had to crouch and twist to avoid a cluttered background, my hands were shaking a bit, and I had to use a relatively slow shutter speed since it was quite cloudy.

I don’t know, these just make me feel happy. I’m so glad I let the house go . . .

Texture: iAm by Kim Klassen

Country living

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My lilacs are in full bloom. Heavenly. That about describes a lilac . . . and fleeting, that’s another way to describe them. They are positively humming with bees this year, plus we’ve seen two Hummingbird Clearwings hanging around them (a most fascinating moth).

lilac

Every year I cut a few lilacs and bring them in, put them in vases and try to photograph them. Let me tell you I have taken dozens (maybe a hundred) shots but have never like a single one of them. Until now. It’s not just Kim Klassen’s textures (which are magical) but I love the composition of this one – a single stem, an old jar, a rock and some florets that ‘fell’ off . . .

I love the text (Kim taught us a little secret from her ‘Beyond Layers’ class on how to achieve that look) but ‘country living’ is just what popped into my head so I went with it.

There is one other thing. One pretty important thing here in this image. Something I am over the top excited about. The backdrop.

I finally painted an old hoosier that I’ve had for at least 15 years (maybe 20 years the way time is flying). Hubby’s parents gave it to us – it was brown with a bright orange interior. As you can see it is now a lovely shade of off-white.

Oh my! I had a fun time painting it – no delicate job this one! Slap it on and don’t worry – what’s a few paint drips? Let it dry for about a week and lightly sand the edges. Love love love it!!

Today I couldn’t post the before and afters . . . I didn’t want to spoil the magic of my lilacs. I’ll show you the transformation later . . .

Linking up to Kim Klassen’s “Beyond Layers”.

{Texture Tuesday} Light Edition

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This week’s prompt is ‘light’. I took these photos during a photography class. The sun was setting and I was playing around with a lens from their store. In the short time that we had to ‘play’, these turned out to be my favourites. Happy TT!!

kk_providence at soft light

{Texture Tuesday} Free and Easy Edition

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It’s been a while since I participated in Texture Tuesday but when I went to bed last night I decided to lay there and go over some magazines for inspiration before I went to sleep.

I’ve heard that an idea will come to you in the morning if you try this. And, well, actually, it worked! On two levels. One was this photo. I had set the gerbera daisy on my night stand just to enjoy but I guess it whispered ‘Texture Tuesday’ to my subconscious mind while I slept.

The other was an idea for a tutorial that I need to get working on. I don’t have trouble writing the tutorial – it’s coming up with the the subject – that is the hard part. I’d say that this little exercise worked for me. It’s not easy to create, create, create. It doesn’t happen at the drop of a hat. I have to work at it, every day, all day. And now it looks like all night . . .

Kim Klassen Textures:
kk_grungedup – overlay
kk_grungedup_2  – soft light

Beyond Layers – back on track . . .

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Today I dared to take a peek at my Kim Klassen inbox . . . it has been filling up and I have been ignoring it! Blasphemous! Just because life happens to get busy it does not mean that I should be putting this class on the back burner!

I hardly knew where to start (18 unopened e-mails) but I remembered the advice that Kim gave to us at the beginning of the class which was, if we get behind, we are to simply pick up at the most recent point. Whew! that was good advice, Kim! It got me going!

I totally loved this video tutorial and played around making frames for quite a while – so many secrets revealed! After going over the lesson I suddenly felt inspired to take photos of some of the pussy willows that I have around so I could practice. I feel as if I might be getting back on track . . .

 

Sunshine Dreams

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My Storyboard for the ‘Beyond Layers’ class. Kim graciously gave us a template and suggested we document our lives at the moment. Well, lately my life consists of a lot of baking! Weird – I know. Isn’t January supposed to be the month of dieting? But I’ve been trying to bring brightness into my world and, well, you can’t get any brighter than these Meyer lemons! So, I had to do something with them and baking a yummy lemon loaf was in order. Even the egg yolks are bright and sunny. Oatmeal muffins are good for you,right? and tulips – well, no explanation needed there.

 

Six Word Memoir

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Kim Klassen’s assignment this week was to write a six word memoir a la ‘Smith Mag‘. How fun and enlightening to write a six-word sentence to describe yourself. You might want to check it out. I’ve heard it may be a bit addictive. Hmmmm, I have another six word memoir I may post later . . .

Texture used today was ‘not too shabby’ on soft light. It softened this photo slightly and surprisingly cleared up the banding that was in the sky. I took this shot two summers ago when there were a lot of forest fires burning in the area. It was about 5:00 pm and the sun was a bright orange dot. For some reason this scene gives me an organized, peaceful feeling – much like a list does!

All my life I have made lists. Even lists of what I need to clean. If I don’t write something down it isn’t going to get done. So I have lists everywhere – if I can’t put my hands on one list I start another one. I’m not sure, are three lists better than one?

Texture Tuesday – The Number Two eDition

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“I did not have three thousand pairs of shoes, I had one thousand and sixty.”
Imelda Marcos

I photographed these shoes at this garage sale early in the spring. For some reason I was really drawn to them. Who wore them? Where did they wear them? I liked the way they were just sitting there among the books and old tins – just like they were in an attic.

For Texture Tuesday where the theme today is ‘Two”
I used one layer of “not too shabby” on saturation, two layers of “scratched magic’ on screen, and two layers of ‘sweettart’ on soft light. All by Kim Klassen

Texture Tuesday – The Gratitude e-Dition

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Our farmers had a good year this year. The crops were beautiful and our September was warm and dry. So now, the grain is safely in, the straw has been baled and all there is left to do is . . . wait . . . wait and be thankful for the abundant harvest.

Joining in at Kim Klassen Cafe where the theme today is ‘Thankful’

oops, unfortunately I lost my recipe – I flattened the file and moved things around and forgot to capture it . . . it happens.

Spring is bursting out!

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I just can’t seem to get enough of pussy willows! These have burst open and I love the airy, spidery look they have to them. ahhh spring . . . I picked them because I wanted to create an e-card for an instructor and friend at Digital Scrapper and this is what I came up with. I used Kim Klassen’s textures; serendipity, silence, and sweet treat, and I’m sharing this with Texture Tuesdays at Kim Klassen Cafe.