finding pink light

Just after 7pm Ben called me outside to photograph a green parrot he'd spotted on our driveway, but by the time I'd grabbed my camera it had disappeared.  It's hard for me not to start looking through the lens once I have it in-hand though! The parrot may have flown away, but I found something equally as special - the pretty light of dusk - and I have to say, it was just delightful. These photos are unedited, which is not usually how I roll. Because I take every photo in RAW, I always tweak in some small (even a teeny weeny tiny) way. But not tonight. I haven't touched any of these...and it feels good actually. Perhaps I've taken another baby step in my photography journey!?

the tern dress

A new dress arrived in the mail today, posted over by Till's grandmother. When Ma saw this dress covered in white birds, she immediately thought of our lovely Norfolk terns. Till and I adore it (if only it could fit me). I asked her to pop it on so I could take a few photos for Ma and she actually obliged! When I looked at her modelling this dress, it was like I was seeing her for the first time! My lens channelled deep into those blue eyes and peered into her soul. I was struck with awe. My wonderful, precious, mysterious daughter. I made her, she's part of me. And she'll be nine in a few months: NINE!

Look at those cheeky freckles and that peachy skin. It's no wonder your Ma calls you Rose Red!

Till didn't stay poised for my camera very long and bounced off quick smart after a few snaps. Feeling warmhearted and sentimental, I wandered off outside with my camera. Sometime later I was pottering around the paddock when this gorgeous thing came around the corner with a monkey pillow draped around her neck (and wearing my boots none the less). It did make me smile!

Along with that divine dress, some lovely needlework came in today's parcel too. A full Show and Tell is coming, but here's just one photo because it stars Miss Till, and well, this is a post about her!

My beautiful, sweet pony-tail swinging, monkey-hugging moppet. You wear your heart on your sleeve and love your family with gusto! 

Always be caring and confident. Your future looks bright dear girl.

Love you Miss Till!!

PS lol, apologies for the fringe cut. Ma says I have to stay away from your fringe with scissors from now on! OK.

swimming with the little fishies

Ben got a new toy...a GoPro camera. Here's a little video he put together of our favourite place in the whole world!!!!!!!! Enjoy.

perfection in the golden hour

A Friday afternoon trip to Cemetery Beach. This is how weekend adventures start!

I got to wander with my camera, in search of a new perspective.

Ben, Till and Ma explored the rock pools, stumbling upon cowrie shells, sea slugs and eels!!!

Harry made friends with the model plane enthusiasts. They were happy to oblige, sharing flying tips and experience.

All of us together in this idyllic place; happy and content.

Perfect times in the warm glow of a mild Autumn afternoon on this remarkable island.

This is Norfolk Island in the golden hour. Absolute perfection.

friday favourite: little angels

my favourite photo taken this week

[inspired by Soulemama]

I'd love it if you'd share yours too...just add a link to your Friday Favourite in the comments below!

Story Magic

“And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it.”
― Roald Dahl

Haepi Madha's Dieh...

...that does of course mean...Happy Mother's Day! in Norfolk.

After a delicious Mother's Day breakfast at our favourite cafe,  we set out with the camera and tripod to capture a family snap shot...or two!

I hope you have all had a memorable day.
God Bless mothers everywhere!

PS There's one more photo here

PPS If you are wondering about the...ahem..."growth" on a certain man's face...well lets just say he's "growing" it to raise money for a local charity! I'm not a fan AT ALL...and sadly I have to put up with Hairy Prickly Ben until August...yes AUGUST!!!! Oh well...it is for a good cause (plus I've taken solidarity with the other wives who are also inflicted with bearded bedfellows).

spur of the moment: breakfast on the beach

Ben left to go fishing before the sun came up, sneaking out while myself and the smalls continued our journey through dream land. Much later we awoke to a spectacular morning, full of sunshine and the promise of adventure. I couldn't bare the idea of being inside for a single second. Bundling up the munchkins I asked them to grab their hats and jump in the car...staying indoors wasn't an option, we were heading out for breakfast! Nothing exciting, just cereal, fresh fruit and yoghurt - everything thrown hastily into a basket. The best experiences often require the least amount of fuss I think. And how about this glorious location....all to ourselves. This is what holidays are about...spur of the moment decisions that lead us to doing things a little out of the ordinary.

Natural light and beauty

Sydney is beautiful, it's true. But when I stood on our verandah after coming home I was struck once again how magical Norfolk is. Such a contrast from the congested maze of buildings, roads, railway lines, street lights, factories and concrete (SO much concrete) that makes up suburban sprawl....the view here is raw, untouched and invigorating. A friendly luminous green sea of rolling hills melts into the distant skyline in every direction. Norfolk pines stand straight and proud creating an impressive silhouette against the setting sun. The sky is clean, bright and vast. Scanning the panorama, you can't help but feel lighter and free. There's less distraction here. It's peaceful.

It's good to get away...at times a change of perspective is healthy and necessary. Coming back reminds me there's no place like home. And certainly there's no place on Earth like Norfolk Island!

I love it here.

Fridge Wisdom

The front of our fridge is a shambles. The rest of our house isn't (I'm generalising of course), so we I happily live with a messy fridge door! The other morning I trudged down the stairs in one of those 'I-just-want-to-stay-in-bed' moods, barged up to the fridge (praying some quick effortless sustenance would leap out), and there amongst the notes, photos, magnets, paper clippings and goodness knows what else, was this gorgeous message. Oh my clever wise Harry - everyday you surprise us in more ways than one!

Looking for treasure on a Sunday morning...

Friday Favourite

Man of my dreams!

Here's my favourite photo taken this week (thanks Harry). I'd love it if you'd share your Friday Favourite too, just add a link to yours in the 'comments' below.

Love Notes in Chalk

This message was left on the blackboard outside.
Sweet huh?

Don't you just love the spelling?

Her nest under the window

I know I've posted photos of sleepy Till before, but how could I resist these? Harry had a sleepover at a friends place on Saturday night which meant Till wouldn't sleep downstairs all on her lonesome (and nor would I have expected her too). So she set herself up this cosy little nest in the gable window bay of our bedroom. The tiny space prevented her from stretching her legs out, but as she pointed out "I sleep curled up Mum"! In her awake hours Till is such a confident independent girl, but fast asleep she seems so little and fragile. A few months off turning seven, Till is still our baby!

All is well

Today is a beautiful day.

When I woke this morning, the first sounds to reach my groggy ears were the subtle shuffles of furniture being arranged in the dolls house. Till talks to herself quietly while she plays - it's like listening to music. Next, my nose caught hold of an enticing aroma...cinnamon and fruit wafting up from downstairs. Then the best surprise of all...Harry walked though my bedroom door carrying a plate of freshly toasted and thickly buttered raisin bread - Oh my lucky stars. Ben (our resident early riser) had already returned home from buying the weekly veg supply at the Farmers Markets. He always stops by the bakery and sometimes pops into the butcher as well. Ben does this every Saturday! What would I do without him? Starve most likely.

After breakfast, we spent the morning out and about the place. Our first stop was the local library (and woohoo, they had a copy of The Clan of the Cave Bear - which Mum and Lou have been insisting I'd love and must read). Then we stopped by at one of the best garage sales I've been to in a long time. I came home with many great treasures; two t-shirts, a pair of pants, several never used soy candles, some home-made talc and piano music by the TRUCK load. Plus a few other interesting bits and pieces. A whole box of goodies in fact. On our way home we briefly stopped in at the op shop and found even more goodies; an almost untouched lift-the-flap Usborne book about Rome (well Harry spied this find), a Ralph Lauren 100% cashmere jumper (swoon) and a large piece of  denim fabric just perfect for adding to my sewing stash.

And here we are now. All four of us together in the kitchen, each doing our own thing. Ben is trying out all that new piano music. I could sit and listen to him playing all day. Ben doesn't think he's that great, but really he is. Harry is already half-way through a Horrible Histories book titled 'Dark Knights and Dingy Castles' (a new library book) and Till is reading over old notes she has received from the fairies in our garden. She keeps ducking outside to where they reside, under our fig tree. No doubt she's making some arrangement for them. Oh wait, here she is again. Ah....she's writing them more letters. Is there anyone more devoted to fairies than our Till?

And so it is, that I sit here with an overwhelming sense of contentment. It seems I may have worried a few of you with yesterdays post.  I'm fine. Honestly. Better than fine. I don't regret writing what I did. In doing so, I confronted what was bothering me. The healing power of blogging perhaps?!

I hope your Saturday is turning out to be just as lovely as ours is!

We are just about to head out for picnic!

Words

Beautiful.
Powerful.
Dangerous.
I read so many wonderful words. They shape how I feel, how I react, who I am.
I love words....mostly.

Sometimes I think I have a gift for choosing the wrong words. Blurting them out without thinking. It's a family trait. We are a pretty outspoken bunch - sometimes pushing each other off the soap box just to get our say. Oh, together we "solve" all the world's problems, so these (sometimes passionate) discussions are not always a bad thing.  And they usually end in laughter.

But words. 

Simple little words. 

Once spoken, they can never be taken back.

I cherish certain words and phrases. I read quotes and messages for inspiration. It doesn't matter how many times I hear the words 'I Love You! - I'll never grow weary of them. Some people are masterful with words. They have a gift I envy.

But words.
Dam those words.
They can be so cutting, so unforgiving.

Sometimes it's just plain hard to find the right words. I'm not very good at backing down and as for apologising, well I may as well be hiking up Mt Everest dragging an elephant - yep, the act of saying sorry feels THAT impossible for me sometimes. And they are just words. What's the big deal, right?

I have words rolling around in my head at the moment. They hurt.

Words. Spoken. 

Intended for me....perhaps indirectly, but pointedly all the same. And not of the feel-good variety to be honest. They drift away, forgotten for a day, but like pieces of rubbish wrestling in the tide they keep washing to shore. They've been niggling like a stone stuck in my bike tire; I know the rock will dislodge eventually, but it's probably best if I just pull up and rip it out myself.

So that's what I'm trying to do. I'm pouring the toxic words down the drain. We hear words we don't like, that's life. It's what we do with them that matters. I'm learning to sift through, to find those words which empower me, make me feel good. I'm throwing the rest away. Especially when there are so many fabulous words to focus on instead!

The shoes of my loved-ones. This photo captures a funny moment (I might share it one day).

 PS Sometimes we just need to get words off our chest. I feel a bit better now.

It started with a musical

"What's the story morning glory? What's the word hummingbird?"

Ben and I met on this day exactly 17 years ago - we were just eighteen years old. But what does this have to do with the musical Bye Bye Birdie....well let me explain.

My sister had a smallish chorus part in our local amateur theatrical society's production Bye Bye Birdie.  Ben's cousins, who happened to live across the paddock from my family (and whom I attended the same school with) were also participants in the a fore mentioned show. On the night of the final performance, I went along to watch my sister in her big starring moment, as any lovely older supportive sister would.   Ben had travelled 3 and a half hours from his home town to see his cousins perform also.  After the performance there was a cast party, for which my sister insisted I attend.  Ben's cousins also insisted he join them for the revelries. Was there match-making afoot - you better believe it.  My sister takes full credit for the introductions which went something like this..."Michelle, meet Ben" swiftly followed by "Ben, meet Michelle". Hmm, powerful words, what a natural born cupid you are Lou! From that moment on I can tell you nothing of the events at the party, who was there or what went on. I had eyes for only one person and obviously the feeling was mutual.  At the end of the night when Ben took me by the hand I knew in that moment we'd be seeing each other again! Was the fact that we lived almost 300 kilometres apart a consideration? Certainly not. No, it wasn't a deterrent in the least.

You don't really need someone to complete you...

you only need someone to accept you completely! - source unknown

And here Ben and I are now, 17 years later, a lot older and certainly wiser. We've achieved so much together; thirteen years of marriage so far, two great kids and adventures too numerous to mention. Not a day goes by where I don't think how lucky we are. To find someone on your wave-length is precious. I'm thankful Ben and I agree on many things, most of the time! As a couple, our ideals and decisions haven't always suited or been easily understood by those connected to us.  Life isn't perfect, it's messy, unpredictable and complicated. What gets us though is the comfort we share in our mutual convictions, always knowing we have each others full support and understanding. At the end of the day when my head hits the pillow, I sleep soundly, secure in the knowledge that the man beside will always back me to the hilt.

The memory of our first meeting is etched on my heart forever (always with the soundtrack of Conrad Birdie singing One Last Kiss...). Those first impressions are as clear to me now, as though we met just yesterday.

 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

What a fabulous 17 year journey! Goodness we have a long way to go yet, but it's going to be great. I can't say I'm looking forward to growing old, but knowing Ben and I are moving in the same direction together makes it seem all the more bearable!

Light the way

Till still leaves food, trinkets and flowers for the fairies that reside under our fig tree. Recently she insisted we hang a lamp in the tree for them, to guide them in the night of course. Certainly our fairies are well cared for!

{This Moment} :: Clean Hair

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A *single* photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Inspired by SouleMama

*I've broken the rules this week. But these photos combined tell a story - how could I pick one!