Key Elements For Any Good Journey

For a child a journey is an adventure, full of anticipation and excitement for what new and interesting things they will see, the people they may meet and the events that occur. These are the 3 key aspects that make a journey memorable. These are the things that will have them talk about the journey for years to come.

Journeys are like chapters in the book about our lives. Everybody should have at least one journey to reminisce joyfully over. Oh and what about those mishaps you have on the way, well they're an extra bonus that make your story all the more interesting.

Welcome to my garden

In mid 2006 I moved into my new home. The lack of garden was just awful clay soil, large rocks and many broken and scattered bricks and roof tiles the builders had failed to clean up.

Almost 4 years on and most of my garden is now established. Every grain of soil, every piece of mulch, every plant and been added to this garden with my own hands. Although some plants have come from the nursery most have come from cuttings, I have grown or taken from my mum’s house.

Over time I have hauled in 7 cubic metres of soil and 9 cubic metres of mulch, my only tools an old wheel borrow, a garden shovel and a worn out pair of gardening gloves. It gives me great satisfaction to know that I have done this myself … far more satisfaction then if I had landscaper gardener to do the job for me.

My yard may not be the biggest or the most extravagant but more importantly it is a part of me and it is a garden of love and pride. It makes sitting on the deck sipping a cup of tea all the more sweeter.

Fresh Seafood

If you love fresh seafood then Tasmania is the place to visit.

I'll leave the oysters for anyone that wants them but the 2 rainbow trout in the front are mine!

Fresh & Delicious

Self Realisation

I’ve been watching you all from the sidelines this year.
Been busy and getting busier.
The summer holidays are over
Now 3 weeks into the school year
Back to Dancing and Swimming
Soccer starts next month
Then there’s work and Camera Club commitments
No wonder why I always feel exhausted
To top it off I’m up to the wee hours blogging
As it’s the only spare time I have.
They say the camera len sees everything
Well it certainly saw the bags under my eyes
Did the camera make them look 10 times worse?
Or are they really that bad in real life and I just never noticed.
When people comment to me (often) that I look tired are they
Politely saying “geez you have some whopper bags under your eyes”
Photoshop and some black and white processing has fix the issue in the image
But some more serious measures are needed to fix the issue in real life.

D is for Donation

February 7th 2009 the hottest day in history where the mercury hit 47C / 116.6 F, was also one of the worst days in Australian History. Now known, as Black Saturday. The devastating bush fire swept through Towns to Melbourne’s north, killing 173 people. This was a fierce fire that spread so quickly due to wind conditions, some people just never stood a chance.

This Christmas please remember where possible give to any needing Charity. I take this time of year to bag up clothes that no longer fit, some the kids have only worn once or twice, I also go through toys the children no longer play with or grown out of that are still in good condition and then take them to the Salvos.

Remain Calm

It’s only paint

It will wash off ……

Please, just DON’T touch the walls.

Blood pressure rising. Breathe in breathe out, remind myself it’s only paint. It’s only paint. It’s only paint. What's the worst that can happen.

Calm is a state of mind. Sometimes it better to think what's the worst that can happen and then let go of your fear. However, I never said doing this was easy and I myself struggle with the concept from time to time.

Have You a Good Luck Birdie?

Someone, somewhere once told me a bird in your tree brings good luck. Ever since then, this little birdie has perched its self ¾ up my Christmas Tree. That’s where you’ll find him each year. He sits and he watches and protects all that is Christmas in our house. I can't help but smile when I walk passed the tree and catch a glimpse of him in all his yellow merriness.

Home Made by Me

I picked this topic as I know so many of you ladies are so very talented and I thought it would be a cool way of show casing the beautiful things that are crafted with our hands and our imaginations. I personally believe I am only good at 2 things…. Photography and Cooking, so combining these 2 things is quiet enjoyable for me. I am currently in the process of putting together a family recipe book. This book is a works in progress and every time I cook a family recipe I take photos and add it to the book. When completed I will print a number of copies for this book, some to be stored away for my children and my niece so our traditions can be carried on to the next generation. I thought I’d share 2 very simple recipes even for the non cook which are great for entertaining.

PIZZA PINWHEELS

Ingredients:

2 sheets of ready made Puff Pastry
100 - 200 grams of Shredded Ham
Cream Cheese Spread
Pizza Sauce
100 -200 grams grated tasty Cheese
1 egg (beaten)

Method:

1. Spread thawed pastry with cream cheese mixture.
2. Lightly cover with pizza sauce.
3. Sprinkle shredded ham and grated cheese over top.
4. Roll the sheet of pastry up
5. Cut roll of pastry at half inch intervals
6. Place on baking tray
7. Glaze with beaten egg mixture. Bake for 10 minutes in hot oven 200 Celsius (400F) until golden in colour.

MINI QUICHES

Ingredients:

Short Crust Pastry
½ cup milk
½ cup cream
4 eggs
tablespoon flour
sprinkle nutmeg
Cheese
And any combination of:
Ham or Bacon
Sautéed onion
Tomato
Zucchini
Mushroom

Method:

1. Grease pie, lasagna dish or muffin pan for mini quiches
2. Line pan with short crust pastry
3. Beat eggs milk and cream together
4. Add flour and nutmeg
5. Sprinkle bottom of pan with cheese and desired toppings
6. Pour over egg mixture
7. Bake in moderate over 180 Celsius (350F) until golden on top (about 20 minutes)

Look Up @ Home

“I’m the house with the green roof, you can’t miss it”.….. I include this sentence in my set of directions for anyone coming to my house for the first time. Although my roof wasn't always meant to be this colour.

My roof was meant to be a Charcoal colour but in what I thought was a cruel twist of fait, I was denied this colour by rule of my estate and a fellow neighbour when building.

I chose to go back to the drawing board and redesign my colour scheme. Looking up at my roof now I’m happy with my choice. It stands out in a good way among the many black, grey and red roofs around me and green is far more energy efficient too.

Sometimes when things don’t go as planned it is because they weren’t meant to be. Everything will work out in the end if you have the right “Look Up” sort of attitude.

To Be Or Not To Be Simple

Why do I make posting for a simplicity theme not so simple? Do I choose follow the masses and post about the simple beauties in life. As there are many that have not yet been shared with you all, or do I follow my heart and post what I feel.

Well …..the choice is simple, my heart always wins.

This is a competition photo. Each month I enter a Set Subject Competition. This month the subject was “Lamps and Lanterns”. An accredited judge’s critiques all the in images in the competition. After listing to judge’s comments for the passed 2 years I know that simplicity makes the best photos. A judge will always say get in close, avoid distracting backgrounds and most importantly have a single theme running through your photo so the viewer knows exactly what the image is about and where to look in the image.

This photo won first place in my competition and allow me to take out the highest aggregate score of the year in this Set Subject Comp. I think I might even get a trophy on awards night but that’s not to early December.

So my message is simple, simplify you life and your photos.

4 Seasons In One Day

There is a song written about the weather in my hometown. Melbourne weather is known to be extremely unpredictable. Never leave your cardigan behind even if it’s 45 / 113 degrees when you leave home.

Four seasons in one day
Lying in the depths of your imagination
Worlds above and worlds below
The sun shines on the black clouds hanging over the domain
Even when you’re feeling warm
The temperature could drop away
Like four seasons in one day
Smiling as the shit comes down
You can tell a man from what he has to say
Everything gets turned around
And I will risk my neck again, again
You can take me where you will
Up the creek and through the mill
All the things you cant explain
Four seasons in one day
Blood dries up
Like rain, like rain
Fills my cup
Like four seasons in one day
It doesn’t pay to make predictions
Sleeping on an unmade bed
Finding out wherever there is comfort there is pain
Only one step away
Like four seasons in one day
Blood dries up
Like rain, like rain
Fills my cup
Like four seasons in one day

Lyrics by Crowded House

Lemon Ice Tea

Why don’t you join me in this marvelous spring weather we are having. I’ll be waiting for you on my back deck with lemon ice teas for everyone. We can sip ice tea together and enjoy the afternoon sun and a chat.

Tea or coffee, hot or cold always best served with friendship.

Orange, The Colour Choice of Aliens

I can still hear the blood curdling screams and see the sheer looks of terror on the faces of the people being pushed out of their windows and into the rocket ship. I quickly snapped a shot of this orange haired alien then, single handily defeated the aliens with a weapon otherwise know as a tripod to the human race, resorting the peace and saving the world.

The peaceful night sleep you experienced was thanks to my superior skills of handling a tripod, allowing me to infiltrate the Aliens plans with easy.

Don’t bother looking for this story on your local news network. The government has already stepped in and operation cover up “Orange Alien” is already in place.

My picture is all the evidence you need to believe my story is true. No need to thank me either as I am sure you all would have acted in same manner if put in this situation.

Out of Focus at the G

Now any photography book will tell you a landscape photo should be in focus from foreground to the background. That is exactly how this photo started out but something was missing. I took the photo of Melbourne, Australia (my home town) looking over the Princes Bridge to the Iconic MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground). The footy was on that day and the shadow of the light towers gently spread into the Yarra River. This view is enough to warm any Melbournians heart and make one homesick even if at home. The Footy belongs to Melbourne, it was ours before it became a National game. It was born here at this very ground a Mecca to Australian Rules Football, and it is sacred turf to many.

I softly blurred the background in this shot to help create the mood I was looking for, the mood I felt when I took the shot. I challenged the rules of phorogrpahy, I broke them and it worked.

It seems fitting that I post it now considering that come Saturday 100,000 people will pack into MCG to watch the Grand Final game. Made even more special because the 2 teams batteling it out are both Victorian, footy is back where it belongs and so Geelong (The Cats) and St Kilda (The Saints) face off to win the premiership flag.

Saturdays game is telecast around the world but may be on in the wee hours of Friday night / Saturday morning for you due to the time difference. If you happen to see the game barrack for the team in RED, WHITE and BLACK, The Saints!!! They are my team. They have only ever won 1 grand final way back in 1966 before I was born.

Footy is in the blood of this town and even if you don’t follow the football you will on Saturday.

Go Sainters!!!!

Today I Saw

Today I saw a girl in her new petti skirt that dreams of becoming a princess.

Today I saw a girl who will stop and pose for photos not only for me but also for other tourists that like her petti skirt.

Today I saw a girl that loves flowers and wants to be a florist when she grows up.

Today I saw a girl with a kind heart, who when owns her own florist will have a free basket of flowers to offer to any young children who enter her shop.

Today I saw a happy girl at a local flower farm.

Today the girl I show to you … is my daughter.

No longer of Use

A vacant block is breeding ground to all things unwanted and abandoned.

The fait of the old, worn out and broken and no longer wanted is delivered on empty building blocks. This could be any town anywhere. Find an empty block and you will discovered the abandoned. Generally the abandoned has served his master well, but we live in a disposable society where it is cheaper and more convenient to buy new than fix the old. A correct burial for the unwanted costs and so, in the dead of night they are dumped and forgotten about. Becoming someone else’s problem to dispose of correctly.

This old wheel burrow’s only friend is a brown car seat.