Once again, slackness comes to mind

Slackness is a word that comes to mind when I compare my plan to post and actual posts. Each time I plan to become more “regular”, sometimes it works, more so not so much.

As history would predict, here are the last two weeks of photos.

Sunlight on Sandstone, 227/365.
Sunlight on Sandstone, 227/365

I have had one hell of a week this week. A week that has me questioning my morals in ignoring immoral behaviour of others. A week of trying to decide when to rock the boat and when to keep my mouth shut. One of those weeks that really drains everything out of you. After work yesterday I headed down to the mall to unwind in the library, enjoy the music on the mall and just wander around.

The view from my chair in the library.
From my seat above

Swing, Swing, Slide, 226/365.
Swing, Swing, Slide, 226/365
The playground in our park.

Chocolate from Melbourne, 225/365.
Chocolate from Melbourne, 225/365
It is a bit of a tradition at work that if anyone goes to Sydney, Melbourne or Adelaide they will bring back some Haigh’s.

The long view, 224/365.
Back door to front door, 224/365
One of the many things I adore about this is house is the central hallway. Standing at the back door you look straight out the front door and vice-versa.

That time of the fortnight, time to restock the pantry drawer and fridge.
Groceries

BBall, 223/365.
BBall, 223/365
I don’t play Basket Ball and don’t think I have ever managed to land a ball through the hoop but with a Basket Ball stadium round the corner, it plays a part in my life.

Sex on Wheels, 222/365.
Sex on Wheels, 222/365
One of the cars that my Uncle owns, a car that whilst supposedly crap to drive, I would quite happily own it. Oh to drive it round the streets of this town!

Old Curtains, 221/365.
Old Curtains, 221/365
Why are these old curtains? Because soon I will have new curtains up. They are just about finished and then my room will look quite lovely.

I ♥ this skirt! 220/365.
I ♥ this skirt! 220/365
Is this not one of the most adorable skirts you have seen?
I’ve looked at this skirt a few times in Alannah Hill but never tried it on (you can also get it with black ribbon instead of red). Last Friday I had time to spare waiting for Georgie and I just couldn’t resist trying it on. I adored it! Not about to shell out nearly $300 for a skirt though… Here is to hoping that it appears on the sales rack….

Dan Sultan, 219/365.
Dan Sultan, 219/365
Went to see Dan Sultan with a mate from work and his partner. We had a ball. Man oh Man that man can move his lower body!

Here I rest, rest one one leg, 218/365.
One leg, 218/365
Mr or Ms Ibis chilling outside work.

The view from a window, 217/365.
The view from a window, 217/365
I was watching the light on the house next door and then looked at my louvres and thought mmmm improvised tripod. Photo taken with camera sitting on open louvres.

Even Wars Have Laws, 212/365.
Campaign Against Landmines, 212/365
This was quite a sight to see outside work on Monday morning. Like everyone else I work with our first thought upon seeing the children with guns was it was a protest against us, however it was actually part of a Red Cross campaign (link 1, link 2). It was quite effective, it bucketed that afternoon though so all the cardboard would have turned to mush.

Collection, 211/365.
Collection, 211/365
I love the sewing room at the farm, shelves filled with wood turned by Grandad and crafty bits from Grandmum.

and what better way to close this off than with a video?
[youtube KP-nVpOLW88]

Getting Easier

One of the best things I have done this year is to buy my little camera. So handy to be able to pull a camera out of my bag and take a photo.

11:00, late, tired. 30/365
Monday nights can be quite late nights for me it all depends on what happens at SES, if we have training off site it will be a late night. I like to be in bed by 10, then I can easily get up at 6.
11:00, late, tired. 30/365

Construction City, 31/365
I took and RDO on Tuesday to go out and visit a friend and her new baby. With all the road and tunnel building that is happening in Brisbane at the moment thy skyline is dominated by cranes and the like.
Construction City, 31/365

Ready to Fly, 32/365
Every day is a day closer to Bali and I picked up my passport last week and can now leave the country 😀
Ready to Fly, 32/365

Today it is not a happy face, 33/365
You may remember the photo I took on day 5, well on this day when I was coming back from the orthodontist it was not a happy face. I don’t think I have ever seen it as an unhappy face before. I wonder what happened to make it be switched to an unhappy face.
Today it is not a happy face, 33/365

Bed time, 34/365
Looking at this photo on day 43, it is hard to believe that when this photo was taken I was sleeping under a doona, blanket and a quilt, now I just have the doona.
Bed time, 34/365

abandoned, 35/365
This photo makes me laugh, for a few days, there was this pram abandoned in the park across the lane. There was a blanket it in but that was it. It moved round the park a bit as I guess the basketball kids played with it. Whenever someone walked past they would go nearer to check that there was no baby in it. The day after I took this photo the pram was taken by someone.
abandoned, 35/365

Sweet Potato Tree, 36/365
Sundays are farm days and last Sunday I spent some time under the custard apple tree digging up sweet potatoes.
Sweet Potato Tree, 36/365

Sandal Toes, 37/365
The start of the days getting hotter. I remember coming home and just grabbing a glass of water and kicking back on the deck.
Sandal Toes, 37/365

Waiter, there is a flower in my tea, 38/365
At work I have a Bodum YoYo tea cup which I just love. One of the teas I am drinking the most at the moment is called Japanese Lime, which has these cute little daisies that unfurl and float about as the tea infuses.
Waiter, there is a flower in my tea, 38/365

A Story waiting to be told, 39/365
Georgie was in in town last week and we met up for breakfast on Wednesday at the Hotel Orient. I was a little early so I went for a stroll down to the river. The sun was blinding!
A Story waiting to be told, 39/365

These feet dance

My Ballet Feet, 28/365

I’m sure I’m not the only person who has held dreams or desires close to their heart for a long time. I’ve been intrigued and drawn to ballet for I don’t know how long. Through high school I was so self-conscious of my self and trying to do what I thought other people thought I should do or shouldn’t do, that I didn’t even think about taking up dance. I would watch dance movies over and over, I would close my bedroom door, look in the mirror and move my legs and arms around in semi-graceful attempts at some sort of dance but I would never ever do anything like that in front of other people or even voice the idea of doing such a thing.

About two months ago, the QPAC newsletter mentioned this place called 2Ballerinas and adult dance classes. I went to the website and read it many times over. The studios are just up and over the hill from us, the price was very reasonable, it was only ten weeks, the teaching staff have an incredible background. What did I have to loose? I ummed and I ahhhed. I mentioned it to a few people but that was it. Until I felt comfortable I wasn’t going to broadcast it.

I went to my first class clutching my new ballet slippers, totally unsure of what I was going to face. I met some new people and with both excitement and anxiety I took my place at the barre. As the last few weeks have progressed, I have gradually become more confident in what I do. Sure I spend half the class going “what the?” but then after repeating steps and movements over and over and counting in my head I start to get it.

After class on Saturday I felt fantastic. It had been a relatively challenging class and I was physically drained but I felt so good. Now if you ask me what I’m doing on Saturday, I’ll tell you I have dance class. This week I’m also going to start classes with another dance studio on Wednesday nights. I can’t wait 😀 Now I dance.

29 days and still going!!!

Photos from Days 21-29.
I’ve been to the farm, to work, to play, to the airport, to my parents, to my home and many places more!

Crazy Duck in the Roma St Parklands, 29/365
This morning it was Brown Owls and whilst in the park waiting for the others to arrive I was visited by this bird.
Crazy Duck in the Roma St Parklands, 29/365

Seam Sealing the tent, T-20hrs before departing for Mongolia, 28/365
This morning Mum and her two sisters along with three or four others headed off to Mongolia for the next three and a bit weeks.
seam sealing the tent, T-20hrs before departing for Mongolia, 28/365

Waiting for the future to come, 27/365
Sitting on a bench in Adelaide St, waiting before I went into see the prosthodontist.
Waiting for the future to come, 27/365

Not our pick-up, 26/365
Thursday night, Mum and I went to pick Susan up from the airport. These two drivers waited and waited and waited for their pick-ups to come out of the gate.
Not our pick-up, 26/365

All done at last! 25/365
Ekka Wednesday. Oh so lovely to have a mid-week public holiday. I spent the morning cracking pecans, I finally finished my allotment of pecans from Granddad.
All done at last! 25/365

Oh Yeah Transformable Tomas, 24/365
A few weeks ago Karl, sent me a link to this picture. I couldn’t get over how cool it looked. A look at ebay a few days later, a little $$ later and I now have my own Transformable Tomas.
Oh Yeah Transformable Tomas, 24/365

Catherdal Square flowers, 23/365
This is by no means the best photo but every time I walk past this flower bed, I wonder if anyone stops and picks a few flowers? The flower bed is at chest height and it looks so tempting.
Catherdal Square flowers, 23/365

Squished, Dry Cane Toad, 22/365
We were going to pick up the avocados and passion fruit and I noticed this squished dried out cane toad and just had to a little photo 🙂
Squished, Dry Cane Toad, 22/365

Oh little bird in the yard, 21/365
I don’t mind the birds when they stay in the yard, like this one here. When they cross the border of the deck and try to come into the house though, that I don’t like.
Oh little bird in the yard, 21/365

a second attempt.

I have a new toy tool to add to my toytool box. On Sunday I picked up a Pansonic Lumix TZ7. I’ve been wanting a compact camera for a while now and the opportunity arose for me to pick it up for a very good price ($535) as a local white goods retailer was offering a cost +3% sale for emergency and corrective services staff/volunteers. From what I have done with it so far I am really impressed. Earlier in the week I had called them to see what cameras they stocked as I was looking at a few Canon compacts as well as a few Panasonic compacts, they advised they no longer stock Canon cameras, cut my choices in half 🙂 To help in my decision I made a spreadsheet up which I looked over a hundred times before Sunday Morning. It doesn’t have any manual modes, it doesn’t have raw files but it is just about exactly what I wanted.

camera choices

Now I have a camera that fits in my pocket, in all my handbags, takes pretty darn good videos and macros. Very fun. It is so fun and easy that I have decided to have another crack at doing a 365 project. Last year I tried and ended up doing 75 days and I often struggled to get a unique photo. Looking at those photos now I love them so much. As you may have realised I have been in a bit of a vortex the last few/many months. I have struggled to take photos that I like or more to the point found it hard to take photos. I would have my camera with me and know the photo I wanted to take but just not get that photo as hard as I tried. The last nine months have been quite an adventure with work, life and everything else. Enough is enough and step by step, things are getting back on track.

Back to the topic at hand. I present my first 3 photos for 365 in 09/10.
1/366.
My very first photo with my new camera.
That ain't a 5D, 1/366

2/366.
July brings on the start of the Strawberry season 🙂
Breakfast 2/365

3/366.
Today I had my lunch outside. I’ve not done that in a very long time! I took my salad, my crochet and enjoyed my 30 mins 🙂
Lunch, outside, sun! 3/365

till tomorrow.
HP

PS.
Can I just say how much I love this.

Sunday comes about but once a week

“Sunday clears away the rust of the whole week.”
Joseph Addison

Sundays are nice days, out of Saturday and Sunday I think I like Sunday the most. Sundays are not so frantically filled as Saturdays. Sundays are about delighting in the littler things. Wiping the kitchen benches down and taking a moment to pause and smile at those clean surfaces. Ripping out 70% of the crochet you had done that day because you discovered a mistake which you know you could never ignore. Whipping up a very fast treat baked treat for Brown Owls. Sitting on your bed and just listening to James Morrison. Finding the basket for my bike that fits my criteria the most, now to get it painted white. This was my Sunday

This is my current wip, that I started this morning at Brown Owls. A granny square with larger than life dimensions, no idea yet as to how large it will get but thought is that it needs to be snuggable, so I’m thinking it will need at least 7 skeins. I am using Noro Taiyo in colour 11, which I just adore, it feels so lovely.

This arvo after I had done another row or two, I was looking at it closely and realised that on one side I had managed to get two extra clusters, gah. I thought about ways to reduce it but ended up ripping it apart till I had only three rounds completed…. I’ve done about seven rounds now and it looks much better than it did before.

On the way to becoming a very big granny square On the way to becoming a very big granny square

Yesterday I made my book case curtains and today I borrowed the drill and put it up. It looks so pretty! I love the fabric. I had a fun time using the hemmer foot.
Curtains!

This is what I took for morno’s at Brown Owls, a pear and hazelnut torta which is a recipe by Belinda Jeffery in the May 2009 issue of Delicious. It took me about 10 minutes this morning to put it together and then it was in the oven for about 30 mins and ready to go. I am going to make it again in the near future but playing with different nuts and fruit.
pear and hazelnut torta pear and hazelnut torta