Birthday Eve Dinner at 589

Yesterday we headed up to 589, commonly known as Glasshouse Mountains Lookout or Forestry Lookout 589 for Birthday Eve BBQ Tea for Grandad who turned 88 today.

I made a pavlova for dessert, my first! I then ate a whole lot of pavlova for dessert. Pavlova isn’t exactly the most friendly dessert for a 1 day shy of 88 diabetic….

Eating a BBQ dinner.
Birthday Dinner

I got a chance to play with my GNDs taking this shot of the soon to set sun.
Forestry Lookout 589, 28/366

Prior to heading up to 589 we did the usual lazing round the farm on an arvo, reading, watching the birds, photographing etc etc.
There were a few birds that were having a ball splashing their tail feathers in the water and of course making for a good photo.
Splish Splash

And of course a Galah.
Galah

Christmas Morning Tea

Morning Tea

Morning Tea on Christmas Day is always a sugar filled event; rum balls, apricot balls, vanilla rings, lebkuchen, loftkökurs. Then a touch of savoury with pineapple dip and salmon dip.

It is also a time for all of Grandmum’s good china to come out. I think Grandmum would roll over in her proverbial grave if we used anything but the good china (proverbial because she was cremated). The glasses are one of the most treasured pieces in the good cupboard, my aunt brought them back from Venice many years ago, it does feel quite refined drinking lemonade out of those glasses 😀

12mm + flash + The Farm = photo goodness

I think it is well established that I likelove wide angle ultra wide angle. In fact I have had thoughts of renaming this blog to life at 12mm and only posting photos that were taken at that focal length. My tag line on the photo board is “go wide young padawan, go wide”. I have recently discovered the beauty in using a flash during the day time to overpower the ambient light, combining that with 12mm well I just can’t stop taking photos.

Some people dislike (hate is just too strong a word to use about 12mm) the distortion that 12mm can bring, my mother is one of them. Some people love it.

Of course the 12mm really comes into its own at The Farm, green grass as far as the eye can see just works so well at 12 mmm.
Aunty Margaret and Uncle Reg were up from Tasmania as they had been to Norfolk Island with Grandad the week before.

And yes there are photos of Matthew. Perhaps you thought he didn’t exist, my little brother who threatens bodily harm if I rise my camera near him. Well at 12mm there is not much I can do about him been in the frame. One photo is very much just of him. He was standing behind me. I knew this. I carefully swung my camera round on my shoulder to change a few settings, swung it back round onto my back, pressed that shutter button and hoped like 12mm that I got the shot. That shot is the first shot here.

sneaky photo
King of the Castle porshe, gardenia, family, 12mm. clover 3 generations Mum and Grandad Mum and Gardenias Avocado Father and daughter Pabbi and Grandad Family and garden

Lazy Sunday

I need to stop going off on tangents. I sit down to do one thing and end up 45mins later somewhere else and having barely touched what I sat down to start.

Last Sunday was a Sunday. Not one of those Sundays but one of those Sundays. Sundays where we spend the arvo at the Farm. Sundays where we get out of the car and a minute later are sprawled out on Grandad’s bed talking about the week, what we have seen in the paper today or of course just plotting world domination plotting world domination with Grandad

Lazy Sundays

Those Sundays are also about going for a walk. Though this Sunday it started raining so we went back inside to read instead. I caught up on my National Geographics. Matthew slept. Pabbi read/slept/just lazed around.
Day Lilly
Pabbi, Dad, Papa, Father