PREPARATION

Day 31 / 365



I felt a sad twinge in my heart today as I got all the school supplies ready for the beginning of the year.  Especially sad that my little one is starting kindy and will be leaving me for the first time.  My oldest as per usual does not want to know about it, he loves to learn and does well at school but would still prefer not to have to go. We have one more day left together, weekends will become so much more precious now.

EIGHT

Day 30 / 365

Today you turned eight.  Funny, caring, sensitive, fun, imaginative.  You love lego but equally you love to play barbies with your sister. Eight years ago you came into our lives as the miracle we had wanted for so long.  Where has the time gone?

You didn't want a party so we went bowling with your best friend and then went out for dinner.  You all giggled yourselves silly in the car on the way home - Happy Birthday

OPPOSITES

Day 29 / 365



The challenge for this weeks project 52 was opposites.  I managed to get 2 opposites in one - black/white and left/right.

(For those wondering, I am also doing a project 52 which is a photo a week.  We are given a theme to base our images on)

EVENING GLOW

Day 28 / 365

Summer holidays are nearing the end so a good friend and I took the kids to have fish and chips on the beach tonight.  It has been a scorching hot day and the beach gave us some relief from the heat.  Not the best sunset image, I think I need to work on that but I did keep the horizon straight!

SUMMER HEAT

Day 27 / 365



Well not much to say about this really but today it's HOT!  Sorry to all those who are in the middle of winter and snowed in :)

SPECIAL MOMENTS

Day 26 / 365



You.  Me.  Your brother was out for the afternoon until bedtime, it was just us.  We went out, we played Barbies, we coloured pictures, we wrapped your brothers birthday presents and we just hung out together.  Moments to be treasured because all too soon it won't be so cool to hang out with mum.  Thank you for a lovely afternoon.

SWEET TREATS

Day 25 / 365



They insisted going back to the lolly shop which wasn't open yesterday when we went and this is what they got.  I think it will take them a lifetime to eat but made a good prop for my photo today.

VINTAGE

Day 24 / 365

This weeks project 52 subject was vintage.  My original idea for vintage didn't work out as I couldn't get the props I wanted so I had to make do with processing the images in a vintage style.  I quite like it and doing these I realise I've missed doing portraits.  

TOGETHERNESS

Day 23 / 365



You wouldn't know it but these two had been bickering all morning so we got out of the house and went to an amazing park full of mazes.  I had lots of photos to choose from but when I saw this one it made me realise that for all the times they fight there are much more times like the one above.  They are the best of friends, she loves him with all her heart even when he hides around corners just to scare her and make her scream, he pretends not to care but you can tell he can't live without her.  They are best buddies and of all the photos I took today this one has captured them so perfectly.

CREATIVITY

Day 22 / 365



Today the kids got creative and made soccer fields out of styrofoam sheets.  They painted them, added players and goal posts.  Miss A decided she wanted a muddy pitch so she added brown mud!....and I got to clean up!

FREE-WHEELING

Day 21 / 365



This morning was cooler and cloudy, just perfect for a bike ride.

Max got a new bike as an early birthday present and because it is a lot bigger than his old one he needed some practise to ride it.  We went out this morning along a track devoid of cars and only the odd human to dodge, so he could give it a test run.  They enjoyed the fresh air and he was well and truly up to speed by the time we came home.

MOVIE TIME

Day 20 / 365



I like to take the children to either see a movie or a live show during the holidays.  Today it was the movies to see Yogi Bear.  Quite a funny movie and the kids seemed to enjoy themselves.

SUMMER EVENINGS

Day 19 / 365

I think I could have done better with this photo but the steaks weren't going to wait for a technically correct exposure or composition!!

I love summer, it represents bbq's and salads for dinner.  Bbq's are especially good for the fact that its Mikes domain to cook the meat not mine and all I have to make is a salad.  The kids also love eating outside for a change.



THE CAFE

Day 18 / 365

His imagination and creativity amaze me sometimes.  My son made this this morning while I was out.  It is a cafe complete with drinks shelf, counter, cash register, chashier, serving area, table and chairs with a radio, bus stop, rubbish bin, street lamp and bench seat.  Lego is a wonderful invention which not only allows children to create and play it also teaches them planning and design.  I love that he not only plays with the many sets he has but that he also makes up his own designs.

URBAN DECAY

Day 17 / 365

I have heard people mention a haunt called the 'The Mansion' and it is barely more than 5 minutes drive from my home.  We discovered it a few days ago but I didn't have my camera with me.  Today however me made a special trip there and were not disappointed.  This place is awesome beyond words.  It is (or should I say was) as the nickname suggests a mansion that has been left and is now in total ruin.  Fires have been lit hence the roof falling in, walls smashed, and everything that was ever anything has been ripped from its insides.  Such a sad end to what was obviously once a beautiful home.  It is overlooking a lake and has an enormous pool which on any given weekend you can find youths using it to skateboard in.

What happened to such a home?  There are many rumours but nothing concrete that I know of.  Some would say it was repossessed by a bank and after many years was then sold to a property developer.....some say the family's young child drowned in the lake and they never went back.........some say they were rich horse trainers who were offered a lot of money to sell and sold...........some say it is haunted.  Whatever happend it is terribly sad for it to end up like this.......a gold mine for photographers and grafitti-ists.  I don't condone people putting grafitti on walls but I will be honest and say that some of this art is awesome and while going through the many photos I took I think you could spend all day looking and photographing it and still not see it all! 

SELF PORTRAIT

Day 16 / 365

This is my second attempt at getting this shot.  I don't generally like photos of myself and am my own worst critic but I wanted to try this particular shot and am quite happy with the results.

RED

15 / 365

This is my entry for a project 52 which has themes each week to photograph.  This week is red and I was having trouble choosing what I would do when I spotted these radishes that had been picked out of our vege garden, I knew I just had to photograph them.

BEACH MONSTERS

Day 14 / 365

This scary beach monster was spotted on the foreshore.

SERENITY

Day 13 / 365



The gentle breeze, the smell of salt water, the warmth of the sun and the rhythmic lapping of the water......  peace and tranquility!

SUNSET GLOW

Day 12 / 365

We have just spent a few days away near the beach so I'm trying to catch up with my blog entries.  I did manage a photo a day while away so am still on track!

You just cannot beat the gorgeous light of the sun setting in the sky.  It bathes everything in such a beautiful light that even an ordinary snapshot will look good.  I know why photographers love this light and that of sunrise, however I wasn't quite up to the 4am start to catch the sunrise!

IMAGINARY JOURNEYS

Day 11 / 365

I love that he can now read on his own, I love that he can take himself on a journey of discovery and imaginings within a book, I love that he loves to read but I hate that it is another sign of him growing up too fast!

MUSIC

Day 10 / 365

We got this as a family xmas present.  I love it and could easily play it for hours...

"A painter paints pictures on canvas, a musician paints their pictures on silence"

IN HIS ELEMENT

Day 9 / 365

There is NO such thing as 'too much lego'...

YESTERDAY WE SAID GOODBYE...

Day 8 / 365

May you now be free to run in the sunshine forever....we miss you xx

GIRLY STUFF

Day 7 / 365

In every little girl lies a goddess.

PASTIMES

Day 6 / 365

I love the challenge of these puzzles and often print one off the web, find a quiet corner and give my brain a workout.

Today our world was cleansed......

Day 5 / 365



Today our world was cleansed by rain.  After many days of hot, humid weather it was a welcome change.  Rain awakens the senses...you can smell it, feel it, hear it, see it.  It brightens and freshens the landscape.

MMMMMMM

Day 4 / 365

Not a lot of introduction needed here!  This was a xmas gift for my son but thats definately not his fingers stealing the lollies!!

CURLS

Day 3 / 365

My daughter is blessed with the most gorgeous curls.  I have been meaning to photograph them for a while before she is old enough to want to change them or cut them off!  This image didn't quite turn out how I wanted and isn't 'technically' very correct but I still like it.

Yumminess

Day 2 / 365

Today we made banana and choc chip muffins.  I often make muffins and freeze them so that we have a snack to take out if we go somewhere.  The kids love them and they are reasonably healthy!

Project 365

Project 365 is a project where you take a photo a day for 365 days.  At the end of the year I will have memories of my year in pictures.

Day 1 / 365

I can't think of a better way to start this project than with a new camera in hand.  This baby arrived a couple of days ago with an 85mm 1.8 lens and I think I'm going to love the combination.  It's going to take me a while to get used to it but one of the reason for doing the 365 project is to get me used to shooting with a new camera and shooting anything and everything.