k8tography - the Challenges

Day 10 | Jan Photo a Day | Childhood

2012-01-13T04:53:00.000-08:00

I have always adored Merry Go Rounds and horses like this! Reminds me of my childhood.

Join in the Photo Challenge over at fatmumslim - it is loads of fun!

Day 9 | Jan Photo a Day | Daily Routine

2012-01-13T04:50:00.000-08:00

Yes, Showers are a daily routine here! Thankfully!

Join in the Photo Challenge over at fatmumslim - it is loads of fun!

Day 8 | Jan Photo a Day | My Sky

2012-01-13T04:47:00.000-08:00

Taken in Nambour, QLD.

Day 7 | Jan Photo a Day | Favourite

2012-01-13T04:45:00.000-08:00

This is my new favourite DSLR and my favourite Havi's and my favourite toenail colour!

Day 6 | Jan Photo a Day | Makes me smile

2012-01-13T04:43:00.000-08:00

Yes, this middle kid often makes me smile!

Join in the Photo Challenge over at fatmumslim - it is loads of fun!

Day 5 | Jan Photo A Day | Something I Wore

2012-01-13T04:41:00.000-08:00

I love my Haviana's - aren't these special?

Join in the Photo Challenge over at fatmumslim - it is loads of fun!

Day 4 | Jan Photo A Day | Letterbox

2012-01-13T04:38:00.000-08:00

This is not my letterbox. It belongs to my mother in law up in Queensland. We were there on holidays during this part of the challenge.

Join in the Photo Challenge over at fatmumslim - it is loads of fun!

Day 3 | JanPhoto A Day | Something I Adore

2012-01-13T04:36:00.000-08:00

Yes, I do adore him - this is Finn wearing my sunhat.

Join in the Photo Challenge over at fatmumslim - it is loads of fun!

Day 2 | JanPhoto A Day | Breakfast

2012-01-13T04:33:00.000-08:00

Orange Juice. Yum. The breakfast of Champions!

Join in the Photo Challenge over at fatmumslim - it is loads of fun!

Day 1 | Jan Photo a Day | Me

2012-01-13T04:29:00.000-08:00

Self explanatory I do believe!

Join in the Photo Challenge over at fatmumslim - it is loads of fun!

January Photo a Day Challenge 2012 - fatmumslim

2012-01-13T04:23:00.000-08:00

a lovely blogger called Chantelle from fatmumslim has set a wonderful photo challenge. I am a little behind because we have been away on holidays. I have taken the photos - just not posted them. For this month my images will be all from the iPhone.

Photo Challenge {Furry Faces}

2011-12-12T03:04:00.000-08:00

It's furry faces week over at I Heart Faces and I just adore our furry family members! The photo I chose to enter this week is of our divine dog, Finn.

I adore this photo, taken on my iPhone, using the Hipstamatic App. He loves to put his head out of the car window as I drive along. When I looked over and saw this - the Eagles song, Hotel California just entered my brain - you know - sing along with me...

"On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair
Warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air..."

(Whatever colitas are!)

I love that he has his eyes closed - looks as if he is savouring the moment don't you think? Or my driving has scared him witless!

Before any of you ask what breed he is - well he is a Samoyed/Golden Retriever. Not only is he beautiful to look at, he has such a beautiful personality. We all love him so much.

Head on over to I Heart Faces to see more Furry Faces!

I Heart Faces Photo Challenge {Let them be little}

2011-10-24T08:38:00.000-07:00

On my photography journey, I don't really shoot little kids. I mean I would love to but I prefer bigger ones, ones that I can talk to and gee, they might even listen to me once in a while. When I saw this weeks theme, I just thought that I would sit it out. However, in a fit of nostalgia, I did a reminiscing 'sweep' of my hard drives. What a time consumer that was - it was a lovely trip to tell you the truth.

I found this image. She was born on the cusp of the digital age and this is probably one of the oldest digital images I have of her! It was taken on Father's Day 2002 - 9 years ago now.

The little girl in this image is my daughter, Bronte. She is now 13 years old and just started Secondary school this year. In this image, she was still in preschool. It has bought back so many sweet thoughts. Of times flown by. Thoughts filled with joy and also tinged with sadness.

I do hope she has had a nice life so far.

We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today. ~Stacia Tauscher

Pop on over to I Heart Faces and check out the many 'little people'!

I Heart Faces Photo Challenge {A Touch of Sun}

2011-09-19T17:09:00.000-07:00

We are just coming out of winter here in Melbourne, Australia so I thought I would enter in a more Wintery 'Touch of Sun' image. I love to shoot sunflare, in fact, I had tonnes to choose from (well at least a dozen!) and I decided on this. He is my 15 year old son and he had climbed up on top of a huge concrete pipe and lay down in the sun declaring that it was 'really warm up here and why don't you come on up?' errrrrr - no thanks! But I did say stay there and let me take your photo!!

Head on over to the wonder I heart Faces and check out the many sunny images! Don't forget to leave comments - everyone loves a comment!

Cheers

k8 xx

I Heart Faces Photo Challenge {White}

2011-08-29T05:15:00.000-07:00

So, this weeks challenge is white. No black and white photos accepted, photo must clearly show a human face and have white in the image.

Hmmmm - perfect! My just turned 17 year old son decided that he had to have his first shave after months and months of us nagging.

In our small bathroom 4 of us crowded - my husband (chief shaver), said son (shavee), daughter/sister (curious looker-on-er-rer) and me (life recorder).

Such a momentous occasion can not be left to go undocumented so in I squished with the camera and snap! snap! snap! I got loads of images. The image below is the first one I took. I adore the look on his face and I love that I got his dad (chief shaver) in the background looking ready to go!

Head on over to i Heart faces and check out loads of other 'white' images..... please leave comments on participants blogs - it is very exciting to come back and read that others liked (or didnt) your submission!

I Heart FacesPhoto Challenge {Pet Week}

2011-08-22T15:48:00.000-07:00

Meet Finn aka Finnie aka Finnbar aka Handsome aka Hanny Some! He is our Golden Retriever x Samoyed dog that we have had since he was 9 months old. He is now 16 months old and we love him dearly.

I have plenty of photos of him - so many divinely gorgeous ones, lots of funny ones - some of him swimming, jumping you name it - I have it but, even though there did not have to be a human face this week, I just couldn't resist posting this image below.

Here he is with my daughter Bronte. They both have a lovely bond. She loves to carry him around and he loves it too! He is nearly 30 kilos in weight and he hops up onto her back (or front) willingly and easily. She piggy backs him around the house and whilst on her back he loves a good munch on her ponytail! It is such a sight to see - this big polar-bear-like dog being carried around (and enjoying it) like that. I love these two kids!

Want to see loads of cute animals of all types? Head on over to I heart Faces and check them all out!

I Heart Faces {Props}

2011-07-19T17:03:00.000-07:00

This week over at I Heart Faces it is Prop Week.

For this week’s photo challenge we’d like to see how you incorporate a prop into your portrait photo. It can be a simple prop addition or it can be a photo that was taken in a completely stylized session…either way is absolutely fine with us.

I did this stylised shoot with my daughter not too long ago in our back yard. The shoot was Prop Heaven!

I found the fab 70's Beach Umbrella on Roadside Junk along with the red biscuit tin with handles. I strung hearts on our nectarine tree branches, used 3D movie glasses as nerd glasses and the Piano Accordion that we picked up at a market for $2.

I love the way the whole shoot turned out. I love the colours and the 'retro-ness'. She had fun too! It was painless for her - over in 10 minutes - I have to move fast as far as my kids are concerned with photographing them now. Sad.

The lens I used for this was my Lensbaby 3G (or the Control Freak).

Please head on over and check out the many fab Prop images from all over the world over at I Heart Faces!

I Heart Faces {A Touch of Whimsy}

2011-06-27T07:13:00.000-07:00

This weeks challenge over at I heart Faces is 'a touch of whimsy'.

Whimsy? I know the word, I even use it, but I thought to myself, what does it actually mean?

whim·sy/ˈ(h)wimzē/Noun
1. Playfully quaint or fanciful behaviour or humour.

and how can I show it with my image?

Well, hopefully the image below will answer that question. It is of my very good friend Joyce otherwise known as Joycey.

I took this photo of her at her 80th Birthday party and love the sparkle in her eyes, the cheeky smile and of course, the tiara - a bit of fanciful behaviour AND humour from her. As. Usual.

Head on over to I heart Faces and check out some of the most amazing whimsical images!

I Heart Faces {Bright & Vivid}

2011-06-13T03:36:00.000-07:00

Bright and Vivid is the theme this week over at I Heart Faces. I used to shoot a lot of bright images, not so much now that it is Winter here in Melbourne, Australia so I looked through my hard drive. Here is one of my favourite images - it is of my son out the front of a Beach Box right near where we live - this one is on a little bay called Half Moon Bay.

Fortuitously, there was this matching, broken wave ski right next to the box. Cool eh?

Pop on over to I Heart Faces for many more Bright & Vivid images (which are making me feel all wistful for summer!)

Thanks for stopping by!

I Heart Faces {From a Distance}

2011-06-06T18:47:00.000-07:00

I Heart Faces time! And this week, we don't actually have to show a face! As long as the image has a person in it that's all that counts and the theme is 'from a distance'.

I chose this image that I took with my Lensbaby 3G because I just adore the composition. The boy, sitting on the top of the hill, waiting for .... who knows?

Check out all of the many 'From a distance' images over at i Heart faces. Don't forget to leave comments on as many as possible - we all love it!

I Heart Faces {Best Face Photo from May - People’s Choice Contest}

2011-05-31T08:04:00.000-07:00

I took this just two days ago, an impromptu shoot in our back garden.

It involved one surprisingly willing almost teenager; one 70's retro beach umbrella found on roadside junk and one pair of 3D movie glasses with the lenses popped out.

I used my gorgeous Lensbaby 3G on my Canon 50D - I adore how retro she looks - very Nana Mouskouri! It is even better if you click on the image and see it larger!

Please head on over to I Heart Faces and check out all of the gorgeous faces of May!

PS: Don't forget to leave comments where ever you go - I try to and it is so lovely to see that your images have been viewed.

I Heart Faces Photo Challenge {Pets}

2011-04-25T05:08:00.000-07:00

Pets! One of my very favourite things in the world! We have three pets in this home. Two cats, one named Jasper and the other named Mikki and our new dog (we got him on Valentines Day!) called Finn. We like to also call him Finnbar, Finnie, Finnie Winnie - you get the idea I am sure.

Anyway, Finn is the most handsome dog you have ever seen and that's the complete truth! He knows it and we know it!

However, you are not going to see handsome Finnie in this entry - you are going to see Twisted Finnie. I could have shown you Freaky Finnie, Lazy Finnie, Sleeping Finnie, Pretty Finnie, Smiling Finnie or Swimming Finnie - but no, you got Twisted Finnie today!

PS: If you want to see how divinely gorgeous Finn really is - you can go and have a look at him here at my other blog you will need to scroll down a little though.

and of course - you must go over to I Heart Faces and check out all the pet images - they are gorgeous! Don't forget to leave comments for everyone - we love it xx

I Heart Faces - Photo Challenge {Wind}

2011-04-18T01:16:00.000-07:00

It is school holidays here at the moment and such a divine Autumn day, so I took advantage of my youngest offspring and we did a mini-shoot down at our local beach especially for this challenge.

I used my Canon 50D along with my Lensbaby Control Freak. (Well really it is the 3G but almost the same as the Freak!) I do love that lens system and have been using it more and more in my photography. I was happy with so many of the shots I took but most did not have her face clearly showing. Here is one that did. I just love the movement in the scarf.

Please pop on over and check out all the windy shots over at i heart faces!

Kate xx

I Heart Faces - Photo Challenge {Shadows}

2011-04-10T22:52:00.000-07:00

The theme this week is Shadows. I love shadows and I have a whole stack of images that have shadows but not the good type!

I really love this image of my friend's daughter jumping on the tramp in their back yard - the shadow speaks to me and, in isolation, looks like a gorgeous, twirling ballerina. I focused on the shadow and I think this helps show her movement to the left of the frame. What do you think?

Want more shadow magic? Head on over to i heart faces and check them out! Don't forget to leave some blog love for the entries - everyone loves some comments!

I Heart Faces - 2011 Photo Contest {A Slice of Life}

2011-03-27T04:26:00.000-07:00

"A Slice of Life" is the subject for this weeks i heart faces challenge. In other words, an image that has more of a photo journalistic approach. A candid capture.

The image that I would like to share with you all shows a very typical part of our family life. My husband and my 15 year old son always working together, trying to fix something that they have found. It is all very serious business to these two - this fixing of things. It is generally something that my other son, my daughter and I try to stay well clear of.

I love this image as it shows their intensity and how well they work together. It is typical of their relationship and something that I hope continues to evolve.

Don't forget to head on over to i heart faces and check out some wonderful images. Let people know you have visited their blog by leaving a message too xx

I Heart Faces - 2011 Photo Contest {Sunflare}

2011-03-14T13:51:00.000-07:00

{Sunflare}

This week, over at i heart faces the theme is sunflare. (Click on image to view at better quality)

Sweet, because that is one of my very favourite things to shoot!

I chose this one of my daughter Bee, because I adore the colours, (the chucks!) and her!

Head on over to the i heart faces blog to view some amazing sunflare images!

I Heart Faces - 2011 Photo Contest "anything but a face"

2011-03-01T01:05:00.000-08:00

This week’s theme is “Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes…Anything But A Face!” so here is my entry of my daughter Bronte holding a gorgeous ceramic bird she gave me as a gift.

Head on over to the IHF blog and check out all the fabulous entries this week!

Kate xx

35/365 - Deluge

2011-02-24T14:13:00.000-08:00

35/365/2011

(Canon 50D, Canon 85mm f/1.8 Lens)

Decided to go for a drive around dinner time and thought I would head to Elwood Beach which is probably about 10 mins away in the hope of catching a sunset or something. I caught something and got caught in massive, torrential rain. The rain was soooo hard and visibility was almost zero. I, along with many other drivers, had to pull over to the side of the road and tried to wait it out. It lessened so I drove off the main Beach Road and onto Point Ormond Drive where I too the two purple-toned images through my car window. Long story short - I left home at around 6pm and did not arrive home until after 10.30pm! The flooding was horrendous. Traffic congestion was amazing. But I did manage to take loads and loads of photos! (always an upside!)

34/365 - Waiting for the bus....

2011-02-24T14:06:00.000-08:00

34/365/2011

(Apple iPhone, Hipstamatic Application)

A whole new world, not only High School but Public Transport travel! Here she is waiting for the bus and I think that as I saw her driving away on the bus - I felt more sad than I did seeing my baby off to High School on her first day. It was such a poignant scene. She was nervous and a tad anxious but now she is an old hand! Doesn't take long!

33/365 - First Day of High School

2011-02-24T14:01:00.000-08:00

33/365/2011

(Canon 50D, Canon 85mm f/1.8 Lens)

First day of High School and nerves were around.

The photo on the left was as relaxed as I could get her - in fact, I felt very lucky to get a photo at all!

The photo on the right tells you how she felt when she got home! The school is big compared to her primary school, in fact, there are almost as many kids just in Year 7 that were at her old school! And it is all girls - such a big change and gosh she has coped well with the changes. (touch wood!)

32/365 - Fish & Chips at Port Melbourne

2011-02-24T13:55:00.000-08:00

32/365/2011

(Canon 50D, Canon 85mm f/1.8 Lens)

An outing to Port Melbourne with just the oldest and the youngest. We spent a pleasant time walking around the docks and had fish & chips by the water. Managed to take this image - you wouldn't think that we were in the middle of the city would you?

31/365 Floral Textures....

2011-02-23T15:00:00.000-08:00

31/365/2011

(Canon 50D, Canon 85mm f/1.8 Lens)

A beautiful flower treated to a lovely textural overlay. I was experimenting with textures and am really happy with the outcome.

30/365 Cupcakes, Vintage Scales and old Straw

2011-02-23T14:55:00.000-08:00

30/365/2011

(Canon 50D, Canon 85mm 1.8 Lens)

I love colour and I love vintage. Here you can see my favourite vintage kitchen scales that I picked up at a Trash and Treasure market for oh, about a dollar! I adore them to tell you the truth and collect kitchen scales (sort of!).

These cupcakes I ~~made myself~~ bought from my local supermarket and I also bought the old red/white wax paper straws from eBay. Love them. My kids were surprised that you could actually drink liquid through paper!

29/365 - Mikki Love

2011-02-23T14:45:00.000-08:00

29/365/2011

(Canon 50D, Canon 85mm 1.8 Lens)

Two of my gorgeous boys - Zed, aged 15 and Mikki aged 1.

28/365 Elwood Beach, Victoria

2011-02-23T14:30:00.000-08:00

28/365/2011

(Canon 50D, Tamron 28-75mm Lens)

27/365 - Dinner....

2011-01-27T05:10:00.000-08:00

27/365/2011

(Canon 50D, 50mm 1.8 Lens)

I am also doing another photography challenge this year.

52 Weeks of Lifestyle Photography.

I am struggling a little with this style of photography as it is a genre that I am not used to. I took this one tonight of Samuel and Bronte preparing the vegetables both as part of the 365 and the 52.

I may, or may not, submit it as part of the Lifestyle Challenge! I will see how I go. (if I can get anything ~~better~~ more suitable.)

26/365 - Happy Australia Day!

2011-01-27T04:58:00.000-08:00

26/365/2011

These two storyboards make up my one photo of the day.

January 26, 2011 was Australia Day.

Australia Day means many different things to many people. It can also mean nothing to some and yet others - well it is a Public Holiday.

I am kind of on the fence and whatever your politics - it can mean Family Day. That is how I like to think of it.

Our two eldest sons had invitations out to other celebrations, so Stan and I took Bronte into the city to Kings Domain Gardens where there was lots of activity. She enjoyed the Dog Flyball competition (so did we!). Stan and I really enjoyed the Vintage Car rally - there were hundreds of cars and it was a fabulous photo haven! Bronte did not enjoy this so much.

We all loved the fabulous flyover by the RAAF Roulettes. Just incredible! We liked the many varied and different people we saw in the crowd and particularly enjoyed the Shrine of Remembrance raising of the flag. It was a great day for us and we finished it off with a BBQ at home with our boys.

What did you do?

25/365 - Here's lookin' at ya!

2011-01-27T04:05:00.000-08:00

25/365/2011

(iPhone 3GS using Hipstamatic App)

While out walking the other day, I found these discarded 3-D Glasses with the lenses popped out. I so love the shape of these and it made me think back to when I was younger and the cardboard 3-D glasses that we used. These are so much cooler looking to wear don't you think?

It also got me thinking of all the strange places that you could find such glasses. So I did a series of 7 images showing these in different places....just for fun. This is the first in that series....

24/365 - The Enchanted Maze at Arthur's Seat, Victoria

2011-01-25T05:41:00.000-08:00

24/365/2011

(Canon 50D, 50mm 1.8 Lens)

Yes, I know! Two more images in this post. I don't know why but I just have to! These are my two favourites from the day.

This first one, well I was in the big, beautiful hedge maze and was quickly abandoned by my 15 year old and my 12 year old. I wasn't taking much notice of the twists and turns as I was taking photos all over the place. I remember asking someone if they had found the 'middle' yet and I hear Bronte's voice saying "haven't you found the middle yet mum?" It came from next to me but not. I looked through the hedge and this is what I saw....I laughed and said 'hold it there while I take a photo!' and this is the result. I love it! It took me a while longer to find her as she ran off giggling in search of her brother!

and this image is another favourite.....of many!

23/365 - Good Vibrations!

2011-01-25T05:29:00.000-08:00

23/365/2011

(iPhone 3gs using Hipstamatic App)

I just love a Kombi and this one, well it is the kind that Dreams are made of!

My favourite colours of red and white - I couldn't believe my luck when I saw it in the local car park. I had seen it earlier in the day driving down the road but to see it parked - yippee! I had my iPhone with me so snapped these photos - and it was a double yippee when I saw that they carried two original Malvern Star Dragsters on the back! How totally cool!

I wish I could have hung around to see who the owners were! I wonder what they looked like? Are they relics from the 70's themselves or young hippy-types who love the style and mode of travel?

When I came back passed an hour later, the Kombi was gone...I will never know!

22/365 - "Gullwing" a sweet, hardworking boat...

2011-01-25T05:19:00.000-08:00

22/365/2011

(iPhone 3GS , using Hipstamatic App)

and because yesterday's image was so lame, I get to offer up two today!

Went for an early morning walk along the beach and came across some moored boats. Loved the serenity of the morning and I hope that it is portrayed here.

In the first image, was a sweet and I imagine, hard working little boat called Gullwing and I would say proudly owned by one G. Moylan.

The second image shows two seagulls and a cormorant sharing the same space.

21/365 - Camping Time.....

2011-01-25T05:05:00.000-08:00

21/365/2011

(iPhone 3gs using the Hipstamatic App)

Uninspiring image I know but we went away again on the 21st to a gorgeous seaside town called Rosebud. In fact, we have been holidaying on and off there since Boxing Day as we left our caravan there. It is an easy just under 1 hr drive from home.

The kids and I would stay a few days extra while Stan would come home on the Sunday night. Not an exciting holiday by any means but it was relaxing. The middle and youngest child and I packed up the van today and bought it home. Was a little sad really as it means that the school rush is nearly here! Waaaah!

So, this image was taken late at night with my iPhone. It is of our messy camping table. Sorry - only took two images on this day and this was the best one! lol

20/365 - Waxed Paper Straws, Milk and Books....

2011-01-25T04:46:00.000-08:00

20/365/2011

(Canon 50D, 50mm 1.8 Lens)

I spotted these waxed paper straws on the internet a few weeks ago and thought that I must have them! The seller was also selling these little glass 'milk bottles' so they came to live with us as well.

Also in this image are a couple of old books that we have in our shelves, our old steps that we have in the kitchen that is the perfect seat and my kitchen cupboards in the background with their old red handles.

This image reminds me of my childhood. We had to drink plain milk out of glass bottles at primary school as part of a government initiative. More often than not, the milk was warm (as it had been sitting in the sun!) and had a big gluggy plug of cream on top. To this day, I can NOT drink plain milk. Thanks.

The red and white straw is an old love of mine. I remember peeling them undone and having a lovely strip of curly paper.

My 15 year old son drank the milk you see here through the straw. He was, in fact, a little surprised that you could drink liquid through paper and declared that they looked so good that they should be everywhere! I agree!

19/365 - Walt Disney's Old Yeller - A Little Golden Book

2011-01-19T01:05:00.000-08:00

19/365/2011

(Canon 50D, 50mm Lens)

"Nobody knew where Old Yeller came from. He just turned up one day at the Coates's cabin, sniffing and snuffing and wagging his tail. The Coates boys, Arliss and Travis, looked him over. Not that he was much to look at. He was big and clumsy and yellow in colour."

One of my very favourite books as a child was Old Yeller - the Walt Disney version. Bronte found this Little Golden Book a month or so ago at an Op Shop for me and even paid for it herself. I love such finds. What is your favourite book as a child?

18/365 - A Rite of Passage

2011-01-18T15:19:00.000-08:00

18/365/2011

(Canon 50D, 50mm 1.8 Lens)

Where have the years gone? The man/child you see in the above photo is my first born. He turned 16 years old back in August 2010.

Here in Victoria, Australia when you turn 16 you are eligible to get your Learner Driver's Licence. Now, some kids, go there on their 16th birthday and sit the test but other, like my Samuel, well they think about it a bit. He likes public transport.

For his 16th birthday, Bronte gave him the Road Rules Book and the Learner Plates. So here he is with his "L" plate. He passed the WRITTEN test with flying colours! Yay!

I said did he want to drive home - he looked at me as if I had two heads and said no thanks.

Congratulations Samuel - I am very proud of you!

17/365 - Live, Laugh, Love

2011-01-17T00:40:00.000-08:00

17/365/2011

(Canon 50D, 50mm Lens)

My Bronte gave me these sweet wooden signs as part of my Christmas present and I just love them! They go wonderfully with my kitchen which has a lot of red and is retro themed. I want 2011 to be more about the three words you see here. Fingers crossed. xx

16/365 - West Beach Bathers Pavilion St Kilda

2011-01-17T00:33:00.000-08:00

16/365/2011

(Canon 50D, 50mm Lens)

Yesterday, Bronte and I took Saffy on an outing to a different beach than we normally frequent called St. Kilda West Beach. There were loads of dogs there - inadvertently, we had chosen a doggy beach! Yay!

She enjoyed herself as did we - as, after our walk, we lunched at a lovely on-the-beach restaurant called West Beach Bathers Pavilion - highly recommend it! Food was delish and staff were so friendly. A nice surprise!

This photo shows the Saff-ster jumping back up to where we were eating.

15/365 - Dog-sitting is F.U.N.

2011-01-15T03:28:00.000-08:00

15/365/2011

(Canon 50D, 50mm 1.8 Lens)

Meet Saffy the ~~Staffy~~ Miniature Schnauzer. She is our new, albeit temporary, Family Member. She has been here since Tuesday evening and it is now Friday evening.

She is really cute. And brave (if our cat Mikki is not around!) She does what she is told by Mikki - she comes from a household of two cats as well. She knows who is boss. and it. is. not. her.

It has taken us a little while to get used to the barking though. She is very protective of our home and the property. Bark Bark Bark. Bark Bark Bark. Bit tired of that bit really!

I am just putting it out there - she probably loves us MORE than her own family! Just sayin' - and who can blame her!?

14/365 I love these paws.....

2011-01-15T03:20:00.000-08:00

14/365/2011

(Canon 50D, 50mm f1.8 Lens)

These paws belong to our lovely cat Mikki. We all adore him. He adores....himself!

13/365 Rain, Rain, Go Away, come again....in Winter!

2011-01-13T01:48:00.000-08:00

13/365/2011

(Canon 50D, 50mm 1.8 lens)

The last few days have been horrific for some many up in the state of Queensland. Floods have rampaged through small towns and even the 3rd largest Australian city, Brisbane. Horrific.

So, we are way down in the south of Australia, in the wonderful state of Victoria and it is raining BUCKETS here at the moment.

Hence, my photo of the day today....

I took quite a few out there in the rain. Re-loving my 50D now that I have taken Back-Button-Focus off and reverted back to normal! Thanks Jules - your advice was really helpful.

12/365 - I say Vegetable Frittata to you!

2011-01-13T01:25:00.000-08:00

12/365/2011

(Canon 50D 50mm 1.8 lens)

Look at this bit of scrumptiousness! Based on a recipe from the Stephanie Alexander book Kitchen Garden Companion, I added cooked chicken to the layers and instead of Kumara (sweet potato) I added pumpkin.

It was very very yummy. Very. Gosh I am good! (of course you didn't hear the swearing when I couldn't get the thing out in a nice sliced-up way) but everyone in the family loved it. It is one that I will be doing again. And again. And again. Until, like all other meals they like - they get tired of it and want to ~~see~~ ~~eat~~ think of it NO MORE!

11/365 - my two boy/men

2011-01-11T05:30:00.000-08:00

11/365/2011

(Canon 50D, 50mm f/1.8 lens)

The 11th day of the challenge....how exciting! The date is auspicious - 11.01.11 - so for that very reason, I decided that I can post TWO images for today.

The top one is my first born. He is 16 and quite a gentle soul. I think you can tell by the image.

The next image is my second-born. He is the middle child. He is my sensitive soul who also has a very devilish side.

My two boy/men. Who need to learn how to shave soon. Now I must get that on camera!

10/365 - 15 years old...

2011-01-11T05:15:00.000-08:00

10/365/2011

(Canon 50D, 50mm f/1.8)

and he still ~~loves~~ ~~likes~~ makes time to hang out with his sister. Even though 'she is really, really annoying, mum.'

...and I say to him 'and you're not???'

I Heart Faces - 2011 Photo Contest "Smile"

2011-01-11T04:30:00.000-08:00

Over at i heart faces, the theme this week is smile. Every time I look at this image of my daughter - that's what I do - smile. Hope it brings a smile to your face too!

Please head on over to i heart faces for loads of wonderful smiles. Don't forget to leave comments - people (ahem!) love them!

9/365 - Waves at Brighton Beach, Victoria

2011-01-10T04:10:00.000-08:00

9/365/2011

(iPhone 3GS - Hipstamatic App using new film and lens)

Brighton Beach is just 5 minutes drive from our home and I love to go there, look out over the city and take photos. This day it was very windy and wavy (unusual for our tranquil bay beach). You can't see it in this image, but there are kite surfers galore over near the colourful beach huts.

I love the city skyline, I love looking at the beach huts (privately owned and sell in excess of $100,000!)

After I arrived home from taking this picture, Stan took the two youngest for a swim but quickly came back and got the surfboards and body boards! What a cack!

Oh and today you get two photos for one!

8/365 - Fools Window (x3?)

2011-01-10T03:56:00.000-08:00

8/365/2011

(iPhone 3GS with Hipstamatic App)

Yes, lucky me - hit the jackpot - I have 3 of them. 'Nuff said!

7/365 - I can see clearly now (not!)

2011-01-09T18:11:00.000-08:00

7/365/2011

(Canon 50D, Sigma 10-20mm Wide Angle Lens)

Still in Rosebud and at sunset. I was taking photos of the sunset when I had to push my sunglasses to the top of my head. When I did that, I realised that the sunset looked much more spectacular through my sunglasses than without. So, along came this brilliant idea - put the sunglasses on the camera! Why not? Well, one reason not to - it is basically impossible. Cameras do not have ears. They have a nose but no ears. Difficult.

Son #2 (Zed) held them in front of the camera. He held them crookedly (very very difficult to get good, free help these days!) so I held them in front of the camera and took the photo. Perfect! (of course!)

Love how this turned out with a bit of over processing and cropping. One of my favourite images this year!

6/365 - Sing with me "Puts a rose in every cheek!"

2011-01-09T17:59:00.000-08:00

6/365/2011

(iphone 3gs with Hipstamatic App)

Camping in Rosebud in reality is staying in our caravan on the property of Stan's Aunty and Uncle.

His Uncle was the local Doctor in Rosebud for many years and at 90 years of age he is of course, retired. He and his wife live in the 'top' house where they have a lovely ocean view.

The old Doctor's surgery (another house) is down the hill on the adjacent property. We camp in between and use the surgery bathroom, kitchen and toilet. Often Stan's cousin Moira is there and stays in the surgery house and it is always lovely to catch up with her. She is one of my favourite people! She comes up from Melbourne (an hrs drive) to look after her lovely mum and her dad.

This photo represents two amazing icons in Australia.

First is the washing line called a Hill's Hoist. (we still have one in our very own back yard - they are the source of much fun for children - seeing them swing around and even climbing up the top - although ours are banned now as they are too big and would bend the arms!)

The next icon is Vegemite. A truly unique Australian delicacy! Funny thing is, I am about the only one in our family that likes it.

Spread thinly on buttered bread or toast = yum!

5/365 - Geronimo Geranium

2011-01-09T17:49:00.000-08:00

5/365/2011

(taken using my iPhone 3GS and the Hipstamatic App)

Camping at Rosebud, Victoria. This almost weedy flower, the Geranium, begged me every day to take its photo - oh yes it did! So I did. and I love how it turned out. Very much.

I call this Geronimo Geranium. No reason for that - just because I can!

4/365 - Scrabble - the game of Champions not champignons!

2011-01-09T17:22:00.000-08:00

4/365/2011

(taken with my iPhone 3GS using the Hipstamatic Application)

Scrabble is great on holidays. And it is great now that the children are older and can actually PLAY.

No more pretending to be bad at it so that they can win. Nope.

Each player is on their own now and I love to vanquish the weak! (insert evil laugh!)

3/365 - Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Speak No Evil....

2011-01-09T16:58:00.000-08:00

3/365/2011

(Canon 50D, Sigma 10-20mm Wide Angle Lens)

These gorgeous young people were made by....me! (and my husband Stan, of course!) That is my darling Samuel on the left - he is 16. Zachary is in the middle - he is 15 and Bronte on the end - she is 12.

This was taken at Pt. Nepean on the Mornington Peninsula. The last time we were there, well Bronte didn't even exist and the boys were probably 2 and 3 years old.

Fact about my three children - they love wearing Threadless T-Shirts from the USA. They devour the site, mark ones they like and when the USD $10.00 sales come up - I order up big! In this photo - Samuel and Bronte are wearing Threadless - Zed is wearing his favourite food!

So, do you think my offspring look alike?

2/365 - Bronte speaks like she has a plum in her mouth....

2011-01-09T06:17:00.000-08:00

2/365/2011

(taken with my iPhone & the Hipstamatic App)

This is my 12 year old daughter, Bronte. Pronounced BRON-tee. Her middle name is Patricia - after my mum.

2011 is a special year for Bronte because in just a few short weeks, she starts HIGH SCHOOL. Yes, I know I don't look old enough to have THREE children at high school but hey, I can't help it can I?!!

It is a Girls School and she will need to catch a bus and then a train. For the last 7 years, I have driven her to school. This will be a big, big change for her. And me.

I hope it is the beginning of a marvellous adventure for her!

Oh and the plum? We were out walking and there was a wonderful plum tree laden with fruit. We took a few to nibble on so here she is - Miss Eliza DoLittle!

New Start for the NEW YEAR

2011-01-09T06:06:00.000-08:00

Happy 2011 everyone!

(better late than never eh?)

Well I am up for a challenge or two this year and one of them is a 365 Challenge. Last year I lasted oh - 2 months I think. This year, I hope to go longer than that.

The rules that I have made for myself are:

1. The image can be taken with any kind of camera - be it my 50D, my Pentax or my phone.
(I am betting that most will be from my phone!)

2. The image does not have to be 'great'
(that way I take pressure off myself to 'perform' and hopefully I will get images that I love)

So - here is my first image of the Year.....

1/365/2011

Taken with my iPhone 3 and the Hipstamatic Application.

Here is my husband, Stan. He is half Polish and half Scottish. That is a rare and very unusual blend. The half that you see here is his Polish half. They love to grow vegetables. Here we have potatoes, carrots, zucchini, tomatoes, broadbeans (yuck!) and more.

The brick structure is the garage. Did you know that a garage such as this is NOT for parking the car in there? Oh no! It is for tools and motorbikes and a Vespa scooter (or 3) and also a lovely old VW Karmann Ghia that is still to be restored to her former glory.

Stan is a typical Polish/Scottish kind of guy = hard worker. He makes lists of everything he has to do. If it is not ON the list - it needs to be added before it can be considered. He makes a new list every Friday at work. He then begins to get things done. I need to do more of this in 2011.

I Heart Faces Photo Contest: Best Face Photo of 2010

2011-01-03T22:28:00.000-08:00

I saw this challenge and as I have vowed to participate more this year, decided to enter the above image. It is one I took of a friends daughter in 2010 and an image that I have always loved. Love the shadows, love the light, love the colours and the windblown hair.

Happy 2011 everyone!

Don't forget to check out everyone's entries!

a before and after image

2010-12-19T15:33:00.000-08:00

Top image is the original - totally blown out but I can see what I like....

Week 37 over at i heart faces - Vroom! Vroom!

2010-09-13T15:33:00.000-07:00

What a great challenge! The theme is Vroom Vroom over at i heart faces.

My photo features my daughter Bronte and my favourite car, the Volkswagen Karmann Ghia. We have one of these beauties in our garage. Still waiting to be restored to her former glory. Never mind that my husband and I bought her many many years ago and he was going to restore her for my 30th birthday. Shhhh - don't tell anyone but I am now 47!

What happened to that idea? Well, life happened actually! Children happened. And much more. So, now my 14 year old thinks that he would love it. Good luck with that! Our garage would be so naked without her after so many years!

I did this shoot at the end of our street. It was fun. Luckily we live in a quiet area as it looked very strange with both of us lying on the road. Hope you enjoy!

Don't forget to pop over to i heart faces to see all the other fab Vroom Vroom entries!

Week 33 • Got To Wear Shades Photo Challenge at i heart faces

2010-08-16T22:13:00.000-07:00

Another wonderful Challenge over at i heart faces that I couldn't resist! This time it is a 'got to wear shades' photo. Love this challenge today as here in Melbourne, Australia it is pretty cold and this makes me think of Summer that is just around the corner!

Here is Zed wearing a pair of his uncles old shades....Such a cool looking dude don't you think?

Head on over to i heart faces to see some super shade shots!

Week 29 • Over My Head Photo Challenge i heart faces

2010-07-20T08:10:00.000-07:00

This week over at i heart faces, the challed is 'over my head'. Here's a shot I took of Bee, obviously breaking the law and standing in a 'no standing' zone!

Edited to add: A No Standing sign such as this is not actually for pedestrians like Bee but for cars. If there is a No Standing sign, it means that you are not allowed to stop your vehicle or park in that area. Do you have this kind of signage in your part of the world?

Please head on over to i heart faces and check out all the shots that go 'over my head'!

My amazing 'girls' weekend & lunch dining experience....

2010-07-11T06:20:00.000-07:00

This weekend was fabulous. I went away with 7 women to Point Londsale - a gorgeous seaside town here in Victoria.

It was a last minute decision to go and I am so so glad I did. Some of these women I have known for 11 or so years - a couple were just new to me. I went with the expectation of having a 'rest' from my family and maybe a laugh or two. Can I just say, I don't believe I have talked or laughed so much since oh another weekend away I had a few years ago now Sydney with a completely different group of women who were equally as fun. What is it about women and freedom I wonder?

Anyway, we rented a most gorgeous house in Point Lonsdale called Illoura. It was stunning!

Friday night, we stayed up chatting, giggling, guffawing, drinking until about 2.30am. Saturday morning some of the women made a gorgeous hot breakfast then we all went out to explore the town. Some went to a Day Spa and others (like me) wandered the town, had coffee and shoppped.

Back to the house and we prepared dinner - I had already prepared a Chicken Curry, another woman cooked us Tandoori Chicken and Spinach Pizzas. We had Vegetable Curry and rotis. We were stuffed full by the end but not too stuffed that we couldn't enjoy the delicious Apple Crumble and icecream that another friend made.

We laughed and shared.

We left our lovely rental home and on the way back to the real world stopped at a superb restaurant called Loam. An amazing and wonderful dining experience.

Loam is not a 'normal' restaurant where the menu has a list of meals from which you choose. In fact, the 'menu' is a list of ingredients. The waiter, instead of asking you what you want, asks you to look at the list and tell what you don't want to eat. I opted to not have Roe, Beef Tongue, Mussels and Squab.

Our wonderful waiter told us to treat this as a dining experience and as if we were going to dine at a friends place - you get a surprise in what you are served. Great idea!

We had delicious sour dough bread supplied by Zeally Bay Sourdough from a local town, Torquay, accompanied by burnt, twice whipped home made butter. So, so delicious!

First up was fresh, whole radish served with coffee 'soil'. The coffee 'soil' was made up of coffee grounds, sugar and salt I think. Certainly something I would never ever select to order but it really was amazingly delicious!!! Who woulda thunk it? lol

Next was a selection of fresh pine mushrooms. Lightly sauteed with fresh garden silverbeet laid on a bed of pine needle yoghurt. Can you imagine? Again, no way I would order such an item but so tasty.

Next, all but two of us had Veal Rump, Spinach, Pearl Onion, Wakame and Black Garlic. I loved loved loved this!

Two of the others had the Beef Tongue, garlic puree, tomato and quinoa and they said it was delicious but I was having none of that! (It did look so yummy though)

Finally, dessert - Quince Parfait and oh my goodness!

Ingredients were Quince, Honey, Lemon, Spices such as ginger, coriander, nutmeg and cinnamon. So unusual yet absolutely sublime! Crunchy, home made honeycomb - yum!

We finished our meal, 3 hours later. The service was amazing. The food was stunning. It was a terrific experience.

So, I arrived back home after 6pm - a wonderful, fun and food filled weekend. Tired but relaxed.

Facebook: July Challenge - Deterioration: first 6 submissions

2010-07-06T02:58:00.000-07:00

The theme for July is DETERIORATION - meaning: anything that has worsened in condition or quality over time. Some examples you might like to consider are - rusted items, objects needing repair, abandoned buildings/cars or even old age!!!

I have joined in the above challenge and it means that I have to take one photo a day to represent the above.

Below are my first 6 days submissions:

1. My daughter's bicycle that sometimes gets left out in the rain...

2. Our upright piano that lives on our patio....the ivory is lifting off the keys but gosh, it still sounds great!

3. An old bottle collection that sits out in the unused cubby house

4. Old Wheel Barrow sitting in our backyard - rusting away but still gets used.

5. Tarpaulin Shelter that has frayed to shreds - this is meant to be protecting a couple of lawnmowers. I think our cats had something to do with the way this looks!

6. An old fence experiment around our little vegetable patch. When our dog was very young she was a super digger. She would dig everywhere, we couldn't stop her and she most loved to dig in the lovely soft dirt amongst our vegetables. My engineer husband came up with the idea of mildly electrifying the top wire of the fence. So he attached a car battery to the wires. He failed to take into account that in order for it to shock, she needed to touch it with her nose as her fur acted as a marvellous insulation. Needless to say she continued to dig and there was no shock to be had!

(Side Note: Our gorgeous dog Kiah, lived to the ripe old age of 15 and this fence was installed before she turned 1 - she passed away in 2007 so that means this is around 17 years old!)

Week 26 - "Pets" over at I Heart Faces

2010-06-28T08:12:00.000-07:00

Well, looks like I am on a roll! I posted an entry in I Heart Faces last week and now another this week - don't faint now!

Pets, (read any kind of animal), is the feature this time and while ~~you~~ I know that we have the most gorgeous looking cat in. the. whole. wide. world. I am sure that there will be many ~~almost~~ as cute moggies entered - so I have decided to enter this shot I took about a month ago at the Melbourne Zoo.

Mr. Gorilla (as he will now be known as he is a massive beast and deserves a LARGE amount of respect) was just lounging in the winter sun with his foot up against the glass window, eyes closed, arms folded. I'm sure he was saying that he was bored of us and that we were of no consequence. That's how I felt anyway.

You really do need to click on this image to view it larger - the detail in his foot is just wonderful - plus you also get to see the lovely scratches and scrapes on the glass in their full glory.

After you have finished viewing here, please head on over to the I Heart Faces Blog and share your commenting love - we all love to get comments - plus you will get to see some seriously gorgeous and funny animals and some seriously gorgeous and talented photogs!

ahem - here I am - back to I Heart Faces week 25

2010-06-21T07:02:00.000-07:00

I have lost my photo mojo or as some say my phojo.

Lots of things have been happening over the past few months besides the fact that I treated myself to an iPhone and have been taking most of my photos with that using the Hipstamatic App (see how cool I can be using the word app? ;P )

Anyway, my fav photography blog, i heart faces has the theme of TEEN this week so, after prompting from my gorgeous friend Hayley from over at Heller Ritz Photography, I took my one teen left (the other is on a school camp to the centre of Australia!!) and shot him! lol

When I asked this said teen, my 14 year old Zed, if I could please take photos of him over at our park because the theme this week is teen - do you know what he said? He said 'just take a photo of me here, lying on the couch because that is what us teens do'

Well yes, it is exactly what he is good at but it is not what I wanted! and I only had 10 minutes of that divine late afternoon golden sun left and I was having none of his teenage silliness! I got my own way and in the end it wasn't painful for him or for me. I love him for being so un-teenlike and doing this for me - he truly is a gorgeous boy inside and out.

(you can click on the image to view the larger version - you know you want to!)

Don't forget to head on over to iheartfaces and check out all of the wonderful teens there are!

Dobbin Squared!

2010-05-03T17:25:00.000-07:00

Walking around my neighbourhood the other day, I found these two rocking horses on the nature strip as it is Hard Rubbish Collection time. These two, having served their purpose for who knows how long, were abandoned on the side of the road. I saw a photo opportunity!

So Dobbin and Dobbin came home to our place. They sat outside on our patio for a few weeks. Then, late yesterday afternoon - the light was beautiful!

I quickly organised my oldest and youngest children to carry them over the road to 'our' park and started to take photos.

While snapping away, a little boy, aged about 4, came over and just hopped on Wooden Dobbin. How cute is that? See the photo down below.

Then, of course, Sam and Bronte got in the act - now that is cute right there. Big kids on little rocking horses. Sad in a way too as it shows just how grown they are now. So, here are my photographic offerings. Hope you enjoy!

Week 17 - “Smiles” at i heart faces

2010-04-26T01:46:00.000-07:00

Another great challenge over at i heart faces for Week 17 - this time the theme is Smiles.

Well, fortunately I have tonnes of smiling shots - the hardest part was choosing which to use. Then I remembered this one that I took of my very good friend Simone's two sons.

I love these boys. They have been through a lot over the past two years and have not had a lot to smile about.

You see, Simone, at the age of 41, was diagnosed with breast cancer. I will never forget the day that she found out. It almost blew my mind and turned her whole family's (and my family) lives upside down.

These two boys had to deal with stuff that boys of 11 and 14 should never, ever have to deal with. Hard enough for us adults let alone kids.

Thankfully, they have all come through the other side - not unscathed - but there is now laughter being heard from them all again.

When I took this shot, they were uncontrollable in their giggling - so while not a technically perfect shot - when I see this I see so so much.

I see love, laughter, good times, bad times, weakness, strength, knowledge, bewilderment, fear and courage. I see life and light.

Processed using the following actions:

Totally Rad Actions - P.O.S. Lens, Dirty Lovin Texture, Dirty & Used Up Texture - all tweaked to my liking.

Eye Candy Actions by Sheye Rosemeyer - Toy Camera - twisted and tweaked.

Don't forget to pop over to i heart faces - it is sure to bring a smile to your dial!

i heart faces - week 16 - "Collages"

2010-04-19T07:21:00.000-07:00

So, I did this shoot with my oldest and youngest some time ago. It was the first time I tried to do a themed shoot and I really like quite a few of the images. Like 99% of my work - it never really sees daylight but I have always liked this series. I should try and do another I think.

When I saw that the theme for this week over at i heart faces was 'collages' I almost gave a little squeal.

Firstly I thought - yippee I can use my moirai compositor (as I love it!) and secondly, I thought this was an ideal time to share some work of mine that I class as a little different from what I would normally share.

Would love to hear what you guys think of this 'themed' shoot.

Head on over to i heart faces and check out the most amazing array of collages that you've ever seen! Don't forget to leave people some blog love - we all love it!

PS (don't forget to click on the image to see it in full size - oh so much better that way!)

I am on roll - 2 posts in one day - ridiculous!

2010-04-15T05:43:00.000-07:00

actually 3 posts - 2 over at my k8tography blog and 1 here....(technically 2 here but 1 is the same here and over there) have I confused you yet?

I took some photos the other day - well I take photos every day - but I took these on the famous Beach Road in Hampton Victoria. I was after a silhouette but it didn't work - story of my life!

This is a gorgeous bronze statue that is on the beach front. Love the texture and the toes! Oh, and of course the sunflare.

Any thoughts from you all?

(don't forget to click on on the image - twice- to see it larger - it is so much better)

I wanted to share a little something here

2010-04-15T02:16:00.000-07:00

something that I am excited about.

My new DVD Packaging!

What do you think?

Wow - I came 3rd in i heart faces 'dramatic black and white'

2010-04-05T03:34:00.000-07:00

last week and have just found out! From memory, I think there were over 1000 entries so isn't it just fab?

This is the photo that I entered.

I am so excited - thank you to the lovely Tara Whitney!

I know I am a bit late with this excitement but we have just arrived home from 5 days of camping without electricity, without deecent toilets and without showers (eeewww). Had a lovely time away though and coming home to this news has made it all the better.

(Besides the fact that my washing machine just 10 minutes ago completely overflowed and flooded our back room!)

Anyway, just wanted to share my news - check out all of the other winners here.

Oh, and I hope you all had a lovely Easter!

{Week 13} Dramatic Black & White over at i heart faces

2010-03-28T17:34:00.000-07:00

I don't often 'do' black and white. Not sure why, maybe because I love light and colour - seeing as there is plenty of that available where I live here in Melbourne. But this shot below that I took last month, well, I love it as black and white.

A little question - how old do you think the subject in the image is?

Don't forget to head on over to the wonderful i heart faces so you can check out the all of the fabulous dramatic black and white images from so many talented people!

Oh and guess who is judging this week? The super talented Tara Whitney - how exciting!

Week 12 - "Focusing on Angles" over at i heart faces

2010-03-22T05:57:00.000-07:00

Before I show you my entry - I just wanted to let you all know how excited I was to find out that I was i heart faces 'fan of the week' last week! How cool is that?

I have found i heart faces so very inspiring - thank you all who enter week after week.

This week is all about focusing on angles. Here is a shot I took of Bronte when she was upside down and I was standing over her kind of and then I flipped the shot around 180 degrees during processing. I really like this finished shot.

Head on over to the wonderful i heart faces to see everyone's weird and wonderful angle shots!

Week 11 - “Bundled Up” Photo Challenge

2010-03-15T01:38:00.000-07:00

Over at i heart faces, it is week 11 and ...

For this week's theme we are going to try to celebrate the cold weather that many of have been experiencing (we need to find the good in the freezing temps, right?) ummm, not for us. Lately it has been around 30 degrees Celsius which I think is around 85F!

This week's photo should be all about snow, the cold, being bundled up, etc. Any way that you can show off the concept of cold and being "bundled up" will work for us.

Now, obviously they hadn't really thought of us over here in Australia where we have just had Summer and are moving into Autumn. The only snow shots I have are from when my oldest turned 9 and he is 15 years old now! So, I have done the next best thing...trawled through my hard drives and found this image of my daughter and her friend (with the blue eyes!) from last year.

We were at a lovely little seaside town called Inverloch and decided to go fishing at the beach on a windy, winter's day. I remember that the wind was so icy, I set the keen kids up with their fishing gear and then I went and sat in the car and read the paper! Good mum that I am.

Here they had on waterproof coats that are lined, two hoody tops on underneath - really what we call 'rugged up'! (I have overlayed a rain texture on top although it did rain while we were there!)

Don't forget to head on over to http://iheartfaces.blogspot.com/ and check out all of the wonderful snowy, freezing, bundled up shots!

A favourite image that I took recently....

2010-03-14T17:16:00.000-07:00

{13/3} Lane's End

2010-03-14T16:38:00.000-07:00

Lane's End. Cycling along Beach Road in Melbourne is a very very contentious issue as often, on weekends, cyclists ride in 'packs' of 20 or more and up to 5 abreast. Other road users find this dangerous and tiresome.

I was happy with this capture as I was really after a nice bit of sunflare and happily a cyclist popped into the frame! Yay me! lol

{12/3} shiny

2010-03-14T16:32:00.000-07:00

Shiny, golden afternoon light. Love it. Love it so much.

So, the March Challenge is Signs. I know you can't read this one but I couldn't resist the light and texture. Plus, a friend kindly pointed out - it does have my initial 'K' on there (I swear I didn't do it officer!)

{12/3} New Street Old Gates

2010-03-14T16:28:00.000-07:00

These are the New Street train gates in Brighton, Victoria.

The New Street railway gates are of historical significance for their rarity as the last remaining functioning hand operated railway gates in the state.

There has been a big furore about these as there was an accident - a train hit the partially opened gate. As a consequence, they are currently not in operation which means that cars can't access the famous Beach Road from here.

There is still a guy on duty though as he has to monitor the pedestrian gates....

{11/3} notes

2010-03-14T16:22:00.000-07:00

This notebook is on the dashboard of my car. It is upside down because I am a left hander and need it to open 'back to front' for quick easy access. Snapped this while I was driving out to Berwick (big drive!) Love the window reflection where it says 'notes' up the very top in reverse. Of course, I totally meant that!

{10/3} coin laundry

2010-03-14T16:19:00.000-07:00

One of my favourite songs at the moment is a song by Australian Indie Pop Artist, Lisa Mitchell called 'Coin Laundry'. Love the song and love a nice old looking coin laundry too! This is about a kilometre from my home.

{9/3} "no! no! no! Thank Q!"

2010-03-08T19:36:00.000-08:00

Snapped this through the car window- spotted the number plate and thought "cute". Wasn't until I uploaded the shot into Photoshop that I saw there was a Geelong Cats sticker involved. Means that the ThankQ was thanking the AFL footy team, Geelong. Not really into footy....

{8/3} Yes, we do!

2010-03-08T19:33:00.000-08:00

Well I was feeling a little risque when I saw this!

{7/3}

2010-03-08T19:30:00.000-08:00

It was a long weekend here in Victoria so our whole family decided to take a 2.5hr drive to see Stan's uncle in a gorgeous little seaside town called Inverloch.

{6/3}

2010-03-08T19:27:00.000-08:00

While stuck in traffic for FOUR hours on Saturday in the middle of Melbourne, I snapped this. "Own the Moment".

Well, I WAS trying to own the moment but flood waters, hail, police, ambulances, fire engines, drenched pedestrians and rain would not let me!

{5/3} Not far away.....

2010-03-08T19:19:00.000-08:00

{4/3} I need some of this.....

2010-03-04T02:00:00.000-08:00

I find that I often need Inspiration in all aspects of my life and I also often need inspired communication! Now more of that around here would go a long way!

{3/3} I don't get this sign....

2010-03-04T01:58:00.000-08:00

Found this on the side of a community rubbish bin. I kind of don't get it. Well, I get the Jesus Saves part. I get that the guy(?) is a hockey player - a goalie in fact - I don't get the two together. Well, I get that goalies save goals. And Jesus saves souls?? lol Anyone care to explain?

Used an Ish texture over the top of the shot as it was very very booooring!

{2/3} We love food

2010-03-02T04:57:00.000-08:00

March Challenge - Signs. We love food - oh yes we do!

"Hilarious Outtakes" Photo Challenge - i heart faces

2010-03-01T06:37:00.000-08:00

Yay! How fun! This week, we are allowed up to FIVE photos and boy it has been fun going through the hard drive(s)!

1. Here is Bronte being her normal self. We were at a beachside cafe and she went outside and pressed her ever so sweet face against the 'plastic' windows. Nice.

2. Check out Zachary! He put on a cute little duck beak and some seriously geeky plastic glasses just to amuse his two little cousins!

3. Hmmm. Don't they look alike? Father and daughter wearing a friends wigs....scary huh?

4. Everyone in our family has to wear the Birthday Hat on their special day. This, of course, gives all wearers permission to be silly!

5. I was doing a sweet little mini-shoot with Bronte. I looked in the viewfinder to see THIS! I cracked up!

Hope these have all given you a giggle! Please head on over to i heart faces and get loads more laughs!

Cheers

{1/3} Oooh!

2010-03-01T04:50:00.000-08:00

8/2010 “Hands-On Fun” Photo Challenge! over at I Heart Faces

2010-02-21T20:18:00.000-08:00

It's been a little while since I have entered a challenge but this one - I just could not resist!

I call this "Old Timer playing the Old Timer".

This is my friend Joyce who also happens to be our neighbour. She turns EIGHTY years old this Thursday.

She is not like any 80 year old you have ever met. She is vibrant. She is funny. She is modern(ish) and she loves us.

We have this ex-Pianola on our back Patio. It is ex because all of the pianola mechanisms have been removed leaving it to operate just as a piano. It has a real honky tonk tone.

Joyce is a gifted musician. She can't read a note, plays by ear. She plays the piano, the piano accordion and the mouth organ. She volunteers her time 4 days a week to play for all of the old people in the retirement and nursing homes. Many of those old people are younger than her. She loves that.

The hands you see here playing the piano have been in our lives for just over 20 years...they are hands who have raised 5 kids of her own on. her. own.

For many amazing hand photos - head on over to i heart faces and check them out!

{Super Princess} Ava Rosemeyer

2010-02-04T17:13:00.001-08:00

February the 5th, 2007, my life was deeply affected by a tragedy.

A beautiful 3 year old super princess died. Here name is Ava Rosemeyer.

Her passing touched my heart and soul deeply.

I 'knew' her through her mum, Sheye via an online forum where we got to know eachother and each others families through our mutual addictive love of gorgeous children's clothing.

Ava loved the colour pink. Ava loved dancing. Ava loved.

We were all devastated to read of Ava's passing. The most beautiful and spirited little girl, gone.

Our friend, Sheye and her family found themselves in the most horrible place any parent could ever be.

Read their story here

Today marks the 3rd anniversary of Ava's leaving. Each year this day is remembered by thousands of people all over the world.

Each day, I think of Ava and her mum, dad, brothers and sister. Of her grandparents and of all that knew her. Each day, I am touched by her memory and her spirit.

This song, as written by Ben Harper but sung by Damien Leith, always reminds me of Ava.

Gorgeous song for a gorgeous girl.

Waiting on an angel
one to carry me home
hope you come to see me soon
cause I don't want to go alone
I don't wanna go alone

Now angel won't you come by me
angel hear my plea
take my hand lift me up
so that I can fly with thee
so that I can fly with thee

And I'm waiting on an angel
and I know it won't be long
to find myself in a resting place
in my angel's arms
in my angel's arms

So speak kind to a stranger
cause you'll never know
it just might be an angel come
knockin' at your door
knockin' at your door

And I'm waiting on an angel
and I know it won't be long
to find myself in a resting place
in my angel's arms
in my angel's arms

Waiting on an angel
one to carry me home
hope you come to see me soon
cause I don't wanna go alone
I don't wanna go alone
don't wanna go
I don't wanna go alone

{2010} 32/365

2010-02-01T12:58:00.000-08:00

Red Phone

For the month of February, for my daily photo, I have decided to add a twist into the challenge. Every day of this month, I have to take a photo with the Red PMG phone in the image! Let's see how I manage...