Vegan

photography

Snow covered surf…? Wild Weekly Photo Challenge: Now

stanley & bear

Summer is all about sunshine, surf and bronzed bodies. And when you live on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, summer is also about wild weather, tropical storms and cyclones.

In the last 24 hours my home has seen torrential rains, gail force winds and a coast line that now resembles a winter wonderland. Massive swells carry metres of foam across roads, delighting both locals and tourists alike.

Mother Nature in all her fury can certainly create the unique and beautiful, allowing those to take in the moment as it is now…

Winter wonderland?
Surf lifesavers
Wild storms
Snow and the surfies
Alexandra Headland main road covered in foam
Snow covered surf

I’m participating in the online adventure travel and photography magazine <a href=”http://www.LetsBeWild.com&#8221; target=”_blank”>LetsBeWild.com’s</a><a href=”http://www.letsbewild.com/photo-challenge/&#8221; target=”_blank”> Wild Weekly Photo Challenge for bloggers</a>This week’s Challenge is: <a href=”http://www.letsbewild.com/photo-challenge/wild-weekly-photo-challenge-16-now/&#8221; target=”_blank”>Now!</a>

life, photography

Wild Weekly Photo Challenge: People in nature

stanley & bear

If we look, we see the remnants of moments shared with nature. Sometimes those moments are placed gently upon the earth without disturbance. Whilst sometimes the imprint remains long after we have departed…

A declaration?

I’m participating in the online adventure travel and photography magazine <a href=”http://www.LetsBeWild.com&#8221; target=”_blank”>LetsBeWild.com’s</a><a href=”http://www.letsbewild.com/photo-challenge/&#8221; target=”_blank”> Wild Weekly Photo Challenge for bloggers</a>This week’s Challenge is: <a href=”http://www.letsbewild.com/photo-challenge/wild-weekly-photo-challenge-15-people-in-nature/&#8221; target=”_blank”>People in Nature!</a>

life, photography

Weekly Photo Challenge: Beyond

stanley & bear

What lies beyond your own space? Different faces, places, sights and sounds. This weeks Photo Challenge was apt for me as I have been travelling of late, gone beyond my own space and whilst there found beautiful faces, spaces, sights and sounds that lay far beyond my own.
Here are a few…

what lies beyond his infectious smile...?
what lies beyond his infectious smile…?
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Beyond the tunnel, what is their destination?
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Beyond the beach?
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What lies beyond this hug,,, a happy future perhaps?
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Beyond his thoughts…?
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Beyond her pensive stare… A wish, contentment?
photography

Home…

stanley & bear

Image
Pangkor Island, Malaysia

I’ve been away.

Away exploring another land, another culture, another way of life. It was beautiful, exciting and challenging and shared with a dear friend. Yet I missed something I had never missed before.

I realised I needn’t look further afield to find beautiful, exciting and challenging. I had that.

And that is where I am now and I find myself smiling. For I am where I need to be. And it was here all along.

Home…

Image
Sunshine Coast, Queensland

dogs, life, photography

taking the time…

stanley & bear

Photo 20
It’s a dog’s life…

On a warm summer morning, with Stanley snoozing beside me, I’m taking the time to read some of the wonderful, informative and creative blogs here on WordPress: something I’ve not had time to do of late.

On reading, I remember why I should take the time.

WordPress a positive place, full of inspiration and a place that allows connection with so many  people from many different backgrounds and people who I don’t know at all. But on reading, I feel as if I do.

It’s refreshing somehow…

Mooloolaba17©jenhammer
Mooloolaba Beach….

Reading Edith’s write up on A sense of place has me thinking about my own place and how we often don’t see what is around us on a daily basis. I know I don’t sometimes.

Maybe I simply need to open my eyes a little wider as it’s become too familiar. Something it never was during my flying years when I was somewhat of a transient resident, filtering in and out, without seeing.

I’m heading to Malaysia next week to backpack through the highlands with a dear friend.

Maybe on my return my eyes will be wider and I will take the time to see…

life

Snapshots of Life…

stanley & bear

I’ve not had much time to devote to WordPress of late for I’ve begun a new chapter or maybe I could say, snapshot of my life. After many, many years serving the masses in a silver tube, I’ve hung up my wings and entered the world of ESL teaching. And with that has come study, and lots of it. This teaching gig is tough, in some ways tougher than doing my journalism degree. Or maybe I’m just out of sync with study – need to retrain the brain.

Max & Rob: Lake Annecy 2008

But I did take some time yesterday to look at some snapshots, some snapshots of my life. I smiled, I laughed and I cried as I reminisced over special times with special people.

Have you ever stopped to look at the ‘snapshots’ of your life? Looked at images that evoked memories?

My snapshots?

My beautiful children, my amazing family, my incredible friends… I have been lucky to have lived an amazing life so far: travelled to incredible places, experienced irreplaceable moments and loved by beautiful people. Near front row seats at the World Cup, cocktails on a rooftop bar in Capetown, shaking hands with famous people who made a difference, safaris in Africa, white xmas’s,European holidays with my fabulous niece and sons and being able to say I love you to those I love.

Sometimes we think life can deal us a cruel hand: sometimes it does, but look closely at the snapshots, you’ll see that life is what it is: beautiful, sad, funny, frustrating, but mostly, it’s full of love.

To the amazing people who have made my lifes’ snapshots so far, so incredibly beautiful – Merry Christmas to you all and most of all, stay safe, stay happy and stay smiling for your snapshots… xoxo

life, photography

Travel Theme: Liquid

stanley & bear

It’s getting hot. Really hot. And with the heat comes time spent in the pool.

Yesterday, with the mercury touching 32C the boys and I (oh and his Lordship aka Stanley) spent the afternoon by the pool.

When I logged onto WP and saw Ailsa’s theme for this week, the few shots I took yesterday were fitting.

For those of you in the Northern Hemisphere, I imagine your yesterday’s were somewhat different.

Shutter not quite fast enough, but cool nonetheless…
Getting the hair just right 😉
Wrestling…pool style!
Max…
Shutter just not quite fast enough, but cool all the same…
life, photography

After the storm…

stanley & bear

Living in a sub-tropical climate, severe thunderstorms can be commonplace during the summer months. Last night Mother Nature gave a performance indicative of this time of year.

Photo courtesy Sunshine Coast Daily

Massive claps of thunder shook my house, bolts of lightening turned night into day.

Torrential rain swept fallen palm fronds, branches and leaves along swollen gutters.

Then came the morning.

Droplets of rain glistened in the early morning light, insects reconstructed broken homes and foraged for food amongst the now thriving and rain drenched landscape.

Nature: Ferocious. Unpredictable. Magnificent.

Photo courtesy Sunshine Coast Daily