Twelve Years Young

I have so many images of you.

Yet, I look at this one and wonder.

Wonder and worry.

What will the next few years bring for

You

Me

Will you still listen?

Will you still love

me?

I fear what I don’t know.

But for now

I love that you are filled with wonder

and love

and joy.

whoops not gnome, home!

When I look at this photo of my three children – I think of gnomes, home – oh you know what I mean!

A fun photo that I just wanted to share.

Hope you like it.

xx

I have been doing the online course of Sheye Rosemeyer’s as mentioned in a previous post.

This week, for task two, we had to randomly choose three words from a list of ten words and come up with a creative shoot.

The three words that I selected from a hat were:

Yellow, Water and Shadow.

I had limited time to organise myself as I was away for the weekend and the task was due tonight (Monday night). So, when Bee finished school today, I asked her if she would do ‘just a little shoot’ down at Brighton Beach.

Here is the diptych I came up with…

In the first image, I really like the reflection of Bronte on the right wall and in the second image I love the Conver All-Stars and the sunflare.

Other images I toyed with submitting were…

It wasn’t set up – she just picked up my lens while I was putting the 50mm on the camera. She is curious and inquisitive. I did notice something strange about what she was doing though.

I am left-handed. So is she. So, out of 5 of us – 2 of us are lefties and the only 2 girls – yay! However, I notice that she does a lot of things right-handed as well. She is a lot more ambi-dextrous than me.

For instance, in this photo, she is holding the lens in her left hand (naturally) but is using her right eye to look through it. To me this is not natural because in many cases, you will find that lefties look through view finders and telescopes etc with their left eye. Not a big deal I know but I always notice these things.

She eats right handed, kicks left footed, throws the basketball and netball left-handed but bounces the basketball with her right hand. She is one confused lefty! lol

Whereas, my totally right handed boy, Sam, eats left handed. I just find these kinds of things interesting. Not earth shattering but interesting.

In my family, there are 5 children. I am the youngest and the only lefty. My mum and dad were right handed as were all of their family etc. I am an aberration! lol However, one of my brother’s has two children and they are both lefties and I think (but am not totally sure) that his wife and her family are all righties.

Any lefties in your family?

Driving along New Street, Brighton, here in Victoria I was looking at St. Andrews Church and saw the most beautiful light hitting the doorway.

I stopped the car suddenly, almost tossed Bronte out of the car and said ‘sit there! quick! the light is just about to go!’

Poor kid – she was a bit lot reluctant as she had just been to physio and we were on our way home. She said “I’m not dressed right” “You look fine!”

Snap, snap, snap. She had had enough but I did get a few that I was happy with. What do you all think?

isn’t it?

Well, if you are my daughter – yes, that is what it is all about.

Last year, I was lucky and won first prize in a raffle – a limosine ride to school for my daughter and some of her friends. Well, we finally used it on Bronte’s birthday on Friday!

Can you hear the squealing? I couldn’t believe how excited these girls were! They loved every minute of it.

Here is a storyboard – first couple of shots are of Bronte in the morning with her new Birthday Glasses – sadly they are no longer with us – and then the all important Limo ride.

As they took off around the corner, all we could hear were squeals of joy and doof doof music!

Taken from Urban Dictionary

I belong to a great Aussie photo forum that has just started out. Filled with lovely people of all ages who takes photos of all styles. Amazing really to see soooo many different styles and ideas. I love to be there because I love to learn abount all aspects of photography, from lifestyle portraiture {my personal fave genre} to hdr to scenic to product photography – you name it – someone will try it.

Such a diverse group from whom I have learnt a lot.

Well, there is a monthly challenge – the first one is the word ‘photoholic’ and below is my interpretation…

I have been thinking of how to tackle this for a week or so. I had quite a few different ideas and the finished product turned out better than I hoped planned.

To reflect that I have been into photography for many years – started really in the late 70′s – I wanted to incorporate my original film SLR camera – the gorgeously, now retro, Pentax ME Super. Then I thought that I would put my new-fangled ultra wide angled Pentax lens on the front of it (isn’t she beautiful?). Ferretted out some old photos that I took, along with old slides both Agfa and Kodachrome. Fortunately, I  inherited snaffled my dad’s slide collection after he passed away. Then I added to this mix an old Kodak slide projector that I found on hard rubbish just a week ago! My gosh it is a gorgeous piece of equipment. I do still have dad’s old Hanimex projector but this one is so retro-swish that I couldn’t resist. Finally, a bottle of Smirnoff Vodka – my favourite alcoholic drink – trying to represent the late nights spent processing.

So, do you think this works? I would be interested in {any} replies!

it isn’t.

Another year has been. Mother’s Day is {bittersweet} for me.

Really, I do love it. I have 3 children who love me and love to shower me with affection for the WHOLE day. Sometimes {if I’m really lucky} they might not even argue for the whole. day. Can you believe that?

Showered with breakfast and gifts especially chosen – really it is almost better than a birthday!

But when I really think about Mother’s Day, I get sad. Sad that another year has gone by without my mum. It’s been nearly 12 years now and you know what? It doesn’t get any easier – it just gets different.

I look at my children and see what I would love to share with mum. She would have loved to know them as they are now. They were only young when she left. Well, Bronte was born 17 days after mum passed away – so it is even sadder that they never met.

Mum would have been so happy and proud to know my children. I know I am. {when the arguing stops that is!}

Thank you my 3 gorgeous off-spring (and Stan my husband) for a super delightful day.

xxx

So, here’s wishing that everyone reading this had a lovely, love-filled day!

Photo is of Stan and Bronte – Father and Daughter – on my special day. Love this because it is them.

And here are some photos of my 3 today – not technically perfect by any means but favourites because they show them as they are….

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!

When I called to Bronte to bring Dobbin over she asked why are you calling them Dobbin? I told her that Dobbin is a common name for horses but then I wondered “why” and “is it really?”. So I looked it up….

Anyway, so here are Dobbin and Dobbin. Lovely finds I think and I am sure they bought a lot of pleasure in their time.

This is Wooden Dobbin and little boy.

This is my youngest, Bronte. I love this photo! Pity she is wearing her school uniform though. Look how big she is on Dobbin and doesn’t it look like they have been life-long friends? When in reality they have known each other just a few days.

Finally, here is my 15 year old Sam on Wooden Dobbin and Bronte on Fabric Dobbin. Cute shots huh?

cat in the whole wide world.

His name is Mikki. He is such a sweetheart and he loves to eat. We have had him since he was about a week old and he is now 8 months.

He sleeps on our bed at night – weirdly on my side. My legs have no room to move.

Crazily I try not to disturb him while he is snoozing – never mind that there is a lot less room for Stan and I! Silly me.

But look at him. Isn’t he beautiful?