MOTHER NATURE

Day 59 / 365



Mother nature had something to say today and she was not going to be ignored.  After weeks of hot, humid weather the rain clouds rolled in today.  Just as the children came out from school the raindrops started......we got soaked but it didn't matter, it cooled us down.  Mother nature wasn't quite finished though and unleashed wildness for the next 30 minutes.  Trees came down, roofs were torn off and roads flooded.  It hailed, it rained and it blew and then when all was said and done she left us a rainbow.

BUILDING

Day 58 / 365



" Peace is a daily, a weekly, a monthly process, gradually changing opinions, slowly eroding old barriers, quietly building new structures".  (JFK)

WATERFIGHTS

Day 57 / 365



What do you do when you are in the middle of a heatwave and the temperature has been around 40 degrees for days on end.  They are hot and sick of being inside..........!

You send them outside with water pistols, super soakers and a bucket of water balloons and sit back and capture the action.  They were having so much fun I told them they could stay out until it got dark.  They then willingly picked up all the broken water balloons off the back lawn.  I love these action shots and how they tell the story of how much fun they had.  Moments like these make childhood memories.

38 DEGREES CELSIUS

Day 56 / 365



+ 54% Humidity........makes for a very hot and uncomfortable day.  Icy poles were a short term relief but you had to eat them fast.  I think standing in the freezer would have been a better option.

FAIRY TALES

Day 55 / 365



What is it about fairy tales that children love.  Personally I find them quite sad and depressing what with people dying, and being quite evil to each other but this has become a bedtime favourite for Miss A.  As much as I try to hide these books and direct her to something more bedtime friendly she insists on having me read these.  

CIRCLES

Day 54 / 365

This weeks project 52 theme is circles.  There were sooo many options for this one but getting a ripple effect from water was one of the first ideas that I thought of.  I read up on a tutorial for this and decided to give it a go.  Well firstly it is a little more technical than it looks and I think I'll give it another go sometime because I wasn't all that happy with my results.  All that aside it was actually quite fun experimenting with colours etc and I find with every shoot I  I learn a little more about something.

FAVOURITES

Day 53 / 365



Not the most interesting photo I know but it is everyday ordinariness!  I don't watch a lot of t.v but I do have a few favourites at the moment that I like to watch so I thought I'd add them to the blog.

PURCHASES

Day 52 / 365



Look what arrived today..........!

MAGIC

Day 51 / 365



Today she wanted to be a fairy.  I walked by her bedroom and she was sitting quietly in the corner.  I asked her what she was doing and she replied "I'm thinking of what to wish for".  She got this 'magical wishing stone' from the forest fairies on her 4th birthday and she was wishing for more barbie dolls.   Being the sweet soul she is she put in a few wishes for her brother too for more lego!

FRAGRANCE

Day 50 / 365

'The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence.  When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers'.   (Thich Nhat Hanh)

I love fragrant flowers and these Gardenias have the most gorgeous scent.  In the evenings once the heat of the day has subsided you can smell them as soon as you walk outside.

SWIRLS

Day 49 / 365



Having bought some lollipops to use as props for the kids I decided it would be a lot less mess and tooth decay to actually make my own out of clay.  I made these from Sculpey Clay and they were super quick to make and came out quite colourful.

THE BAG!

Day 48 / 365

Yay it finally arrived from the US.  My new camera bag that doesn't really look like a camera bag.  Now I won't have to lug around a heavy backpack with all my stuff in it.  This bag is much more user friendly and fits the camera and a couple of lenses plus room for a phone and purse etc. Thanks to Janine King Designs you can see their bags  here .

HER FEET MOVED...

Day 47 / 365

'Her feet moved like small creatures over the floor, quiet and unconcerned with anything but the business of dancing'.

This afternoon was insanely HOT!  After a long day at school they just wanted to sit quietly and watch t.v.  She still had the energy though to dance to Angelina Bellerina.



MORNING TEA

Day 46 / 365



There seems to be a bit of a food theme going on here....I met up with some lovely mums today for a morning tea get together.  It gave me an opportunity to make these cheesecake bites which seemed easy in theory......actually they tasted better than they looked. 

VALENTINE

Day 45 / 365



Well seeing as its Valentines day I had to try something special.  Happy Valentines day everyone.

Five

Day 44 / 365

This weeks project 52 challenge was 'five'.  It was a bit of a challenge to come up with something a little more creative than 5 fingers....

DINING OUT

Day 43 / 365



Tonight we went out for dinner to a restaurant fairly close to home.  The food was yummy and we sat outside where we could watch the kids play in a small playground.  They had a great time and we managed to relax a little and enjoy our meals while they played.

LITTLE MOMENTS

Day 42 / 365

Just like the advertisement says, every now and then I buy my own little moment.  Not that I win much but I did notice this one had the word 'project' in it so maybe it will be lucky!

SUNRISE

Day 41 / 365



'I've always liked the time before dawn because there is no-one around to remind me who I am supposed to be so its easier to remember who I am'    (storypeople)

I love this quote so I decided to add my own photograph to it.  I have wanted to do a sunrise shoot for a while and finally organised to do it this morning.  I didn't have to get up too insanely early to catch it.  It was beautiful out there, the air was crisp, the colours gorgeous and only the birds for company.  Everyone should make an attempt to do this once in a while - it will uplift you.

SPIRITED

Day 40 / 365

"Mummy why are you taking a photo of that....why don't you take a photo of something beautiful?"  "Like you?" I replied............well this is one of the many facial expressions she gave me.  This was her 'surprised' look.  It is so her.  Tough, caring, joyful, spirited, sweet and sometimes challenging but I wouldn't change a thing.

Oh and confession time.......I actually took this photo yesterday but couldn't pass up the chance to post it. 

CHOCOLATE

Day 39 / 365



' All I really need is love but a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt'.

Mike and Max shared this cake today for their birthdays.  Max insisted on me buying a chocolate one rather than making one - that may say something about my baking abilities!

SUNLIGHT

Day 38 / 365

"Those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life"  (Rachel Carson)

Late afternoon as I'm in the kitchen cooking dinner I can look out the window and see the two large trees in our garden.  I love the way the sunlight filters through the leaves as it sets in the sky and the little birds chirp as they flit in and out of the branches. 

MERMAIDS

Day 37 / 365

I have wanted to get one of these bath shots for a while and when Miss A wanted to have a bath this morning to play with her new barbie mermaid it gave me the perfect opportunity.

LEARNING

Day 36 / 365



She came to me yesterday asking for help to write all the words on a little alphabet game she was given.  She listened to the words as she pressed the buttons then copied the letters down onto her paper.  I hope I never stop being amazed by them.

WHITE

Day 35 / 365

 The theme this week for project 52 was white.  I had a few ideas but really liked the simple clean lines of this.

ONE MANS' TRASH.....

Day 34 / 365

I picked up this little treasure for free today........it may well be a replica but with a bit of a tidy up it will make a great prop.  Can't wait to try it out.

TODAY MY HEART WENT TO SCHOOL

Day 33 / 365

" It is your resistance to what is that causes your suffering"  (Buddha)

Today was the first day back at school after summer holidays and a day that symbolised big changes.  My 'baby' girl started school today, it was the first time in her life she was away from me for any length of time and the first time in 8 years that I have had a day without either one of my children.  I kept reminding myself of the quote and although I knew that this day would come and to resist it would be fruitless it was still heartwrenching to say goodbye and walk away.  I was so happy to have them both back at the end of the day, excited and happy to tell me about their day at school.

BAKING

Day 32 / 365

In preparation for school returning tomorrow we did some baking and I had my usual kitchen hand helping me.  She loves to help bake just like her brother did.........