weary

This one looks like a book cover with the blue binding ;o)

The 'chomp' out of the side of the paper was inspired by one of Karen Dutschke's LOs from long ago. It's been stuck in my mind ever since.  

Tin Pin from GG & Loui. 

showtime

Completed this one a couple of days ago. Annie loves it. Had a bit of fun flicking paint and Glimmermist on this one.

The florals came from the Mothers Days gifts that the kids made at school. (Funny how they know my favourite colour hahaha)

Since it has a banner/flags/pennants (whatever you want to call them), I'll send it over to Sue's challenge on the E2C blog

Menindee Lakes

While up in Broken Hill during April for the MIL's 70th, Kym and I had a couple of day trips to Menindee Lakes. With the New South Wales rains running down the River Darling, the Lakes were actually filling while we were there.

First trip was also with Kym's sister and her partner. They escaped the 'Dragons Lair' each day too.  ;O)
We scouted "Sunset Strip". Its a popular spot with shacks, a boat ramp and, if your standing in the wrong spot, big 3 Corner Jack prickles

We took the kids to a spot in Menindee to the Lakes' edge for a quick look. Whilst there a Vic fella kindly gave a fishing rod to the kids to catch a Carp. Carp are crap fish. They have taken over the River systems, and when you catch one, you are not allowed to return it back to the River. So this means wherever people are fishing, the banks are covered in smelly rotting fish. And lots of them. That's not so pleasant, let me tell you.

Anyway, back to this Vic fella. What a wonderful kind gesture. And the kids loved it.

There were a lot of photographic opportunities as well. And the sky was awesome that day!!!!

We headed to Copi Hollow and relaxed on the lawns of the Powerboat Club. It's a very serene spot. We lunched at the Menindee Lakes Pub, checked out one of the River's Weirs and generally rubbernecked around.

Lake Menindee Weir no 1.

Crappy Carp

The second day when Kym, the kids and I returned was to Sunset Strip at Lake Menindee. One of Kym's good shooting mates has a shack there, and had an eski of yabbies ready to tuck into.

On the way there, we stopped at Stephen's Creek for me to get some shots. It ran flood waters last month, so the sand was clean and the trees had greened up.

There was another spot I had Kym stop for a landscape shot with an awesome leading line moving thru the undulating hills. I've been told since that this spot was used to film a section of the Mad Max II  (thanks Paul!!)

We, and the mate's family set up camp at the lakes' edge for the day. The kids fished, kyaked, swam, fished, played and had an awesome time. I took some shots of them before heading out for some 'photographic time for me'.

Incidentally, this was the same day, that back at home, it was the first match of Footy and Netty. It was cold, windy, wet and miserable. It was so nice to know that the break of season was happening at home, while we were swanning around in the warm country.    ;O)

 

Long exposure. Lake Menindee

Lake Menindee's Main Weir. Long exposure.

I drove around a bit scoping a place for a sunset shoot. I came back to this spot only just in time. Broken Hill works in SA time, and Menindee works in NSW timezone, even tho they are both in NSW. So the sunset was half an hour earlier than I thought. I waded out into the water with the tripod for this shot. I even had a Carp kiss my toe while there. And I also watched the water rise above the little mud bank in front of me. Little bits of bark and leaves became lodged for a short time, and then the rising water washed the bank clean and then it disappeared under. Great to know I was at the right spot at the right time.

Just for interest's sake, I poked in a stick on the water's edge when I got there to see how fast it's rising. In 30 minutes, it was up 2 inches. That's a phenomenal amount of water making its way into the Lake, considering the size of it.

gift

Retreat LO no 8. 

Sean loves to give flowers. All sorts of flowers. So I couldn't resist a snap of him holding Canola flowers towards the camera.

memories

I traced Sean's hands when he was just 3 and half years old. And drew with pencil his name so he could go over it with texta.

bit of an awwwwwww LO this one.

;O)

chopped

The inspo behind this LO came from the round packaging that I pulled back out of the bin and repurposed it. I knew I had a lock of hair that I saved from my big 'chop' back in August 2010.

I went back into my blog and copy pasted the journaling. Here. This is why I blog. Its my go to reference and such a wonderful resource for jogging my memories. 

tooth

Sean lost his first tooth the other day at school. Apparently he wasn't at all fussed or upset by the whole business. Super proud is a better description.

So with tongue clenched between his 'remaining' teeth, he wrote a letter to Miss Tooth Fairy to ask if he may be able to keep the tooth when she came to visit so that his Mum could scrap it.

Happy Mum moment.

e2c table 10

the girls from Table 10.  Amy, Lou, Shmee, Belinda, Trish and Mel.

We all just 'clicked'!!!!

Shmee.

team netta

I scrapped this one about a week ago. I've been collecting permissions to be able to post it here on my blog and on Facebook. So thank you to each and every Mum.

 :O)

The actual photo dips in the middle and either end is raised. It happend as a result of a happy accident. In fact I was so happy with the effect I did another LO with the same effect.

And before someone points it out to me, I have a typo. The coach on the left is Abbi, not Paige. I wasn't able to check with Annie as she was fast asleep when I was pulling this one together. And Tatum's name doesn't have a 'n'.

My bad.

:O(

The layering effect.

Lake Eyre Trip in August

HI guys.

Goin' Off Safaris have contacted me to help organise a Photographic trip to Lake Eyre on August 24-26th 2012. It's not a teaching trip, more of an opportuntiy to get some great shots from both air and the ground.

see below for all the details and contact Goin' Off Safari's to book your spot. (Let me know if you're on board too)

We need a confirmed team of 10 for this trip to happen.

I'm so excited by the possibilities, esp with the lastest reports of Lake Eyre once again filling at the moment.

www.goinoffsafaris.com.au

email:  info@goinoffsafaris.com.au

respite

2009....

the back story.... Teagan stayed over last night to give the kids some company. Lets face it, being stuck at home with a gammy legged Mum is so not fun. So Teagancame to stay. And thank goodness she did.

I had a crappy day yesterday with my knee, that ended up needing xrays today. But during the night I was crook. After about 3am I managed to get some sleep. I woke up about 8am, helped the kids with their breakfasts and asked Miss T if she would very much mind if I went back to bed for a quick nap. I was really feeling like a washed out dishrag. After talking with her Mum about today's plans and getting the ok for Teagan watching the kids, I had a little snooze.

I woke up human. I felt so much better. At least the tummy had settled. The kids made me a get well message made from daises on the front lawn. I damn near cried.

posted with permission :O)

shmee knee

I'm so enjoying scrapping atm. The pressure of photography for families and landscapes has backed off a bit, so I'm making the most of that advantage.

Mind you, I've still a backlog of processing to do (Grand Canyon trip is only one of the folders needing my attention on the computer, but I'll get there).

Annie took this shot for me

ouchies

boys will be boys.

:O)

tomato soup

A punch with so many uses.

I'm thinking of it being used on a 7x7 inch floral piece of paper to line a teacup and saucer for 'Australia's biggest morning tea'

just an idea ;o)

you can find the W R Memory Keepers Lucky 8 Tatted Doily Punch at Scrap Therapy. You can the other choices of Lucky 8 punches here.

ramblers

Inspired by Karen Dutschke  :O)  (at least as far as using paint on the background page lol)

This is nearly a copy of a LO that I completed last night. I can't show you that particular one yet ;O)

It's a bit hard to see but the photo is not flat. It dips in the middle and the two end sit up much higher

Have a great weekend.

t

some study I used to know......

Just found this little gem.  Watch it, its fantastic!!!!

"Some study I used to know"

broken hill

We went up to Broken Hill as a family last month for the MIL (aka Dragon) 70th Birthday.

With the recent downpours of rain up there, the landscape is looking the best I've ever seen it. Kym hasn't seen it look so good in 20 years in his opinion.

So of course I took the camera up with me.

We spent the first part of the trip with my brother in Port Augusta. He's recently brought up his yacht from a marina in Adelaide. When you go over the bridge at Pt Augusta and you see a yellow hulled yacht sitting on its mooring, that's the 'Glory B'.

We all had a couple of hours on the yacht heading down the channel and looked at the power stations from the rear. You don't get to see this angle unless you work there or from the water.

I had a specific photo in mind for a specific purpose and I had borrowed a specific lens for it. The library is having a photo comp to promote literacy atm, and they want images of people reading bookings in any location, during any activity.

We stayed with them overnight, before heading up to the Hill. As soon as we arrived in Broken Hill, I dropped off Kym with the kids at his Mum's and headed up the Living Desert Sculptures. The light was right, and the sky was happening. The Dragon can wait.

Bajo El Sol Jaguar Sculpture at Broken Hill. The description of the sculpture is 'Use of the sun and the moon depicts duality and Night is represented by the star Venus. The mouth of the Jaguar takes the sun at night to protect it. Day is represented by the circle created by the sun.

 If you look carefully you can see a man watching the sun sink below the horizon, heralding the close of the day.

Glorious Autumn evening light looking over the plains from the Living Desert Sculptures. 
Broken Hill. New South Wales. Australia.

Bajo El Sol Jaguar Sculpture at Broken Hill. Glowing in the very last light of an Autumn Day

We spent 3 days out and about Broken Hill, which translates to 3 day trips away from the Dragon's Lair. She and I don't get along  T ALL(had you noticed lol). Kym and one of his sisters had all three days away from her too :-/

I had a day with the 4 kids (mine and 2 nieces) and I took them on the Honeymoon Mine Underground Tour. On the way out there, I stopped for the occasional shot.

Young feral camel.

Feral bull camel

So green at the moment. The saturated colours are what inspired Pro Hart with his paintings.

Honeymoon mine (topside)

Seeing that I had 4 kids under my wing, I left the camera topside while we had the underground tour.

Sean was the youngest on the tour and was often shown as an example of how Honeymoon was mined by 8-10 year old boys as well as men back then.

There was a gentleman with the same camera as mine who took a few shots of the interesting pieces and areas of the mine as well as of Sean holding the spike in a demo. I very kindly asked the man, handing him my business card for contact details, if he would mind forwarding on any shots of Sean my way. Within the week he sent them. Bless him.

It was a reasonably warm day, so by the time we were back in town, the kids wanted to go to the community pool. I hadn't packed bathers for the kids and they were outgrowing theirs anyway, so I found some at Big W on the end of season rack, and off we went to the pool.

We all had dinner out as a large family group that night.

Day 2 daytrip was out to Menindee Lakes with Kym's sister and partner. That's another post with images for later.

Day 3 daytrip. Kym, the kids and I went back to Menindee Lakes for the day. I wanted the day to shoot and Kym was catching up with a mate and a mess of yabbies. Post with pics later.

The next day we came home.