tumby 2014 - day 9

Today was the last day of Family Mission. I let the kids wake up of their own accord this morning in case they needed a sleep in. But they bounced out by 8am and ready to jump on the bus by 8.30am. I thought they might have been a bit puffed out after this week, but nope, they're not.

As soon as they were on the bus I headed out on the bay in the tinny to take shots of the foreshore from a different perspective. It didn't take long and the water was perfect. Clean, pristine and nearly glassy.

When I was finished with that I took different photos along the jetty and working out something original. Still working on that one ;)

I was back at the apartment for when the kids came back off the bus for lunch. While they veged for a bit, I went back to the sandbar to search for the lost keys. The tide was out, but not as low as yesterday's. So I was wading around for half an hour or so before finally deciding they are lost forever.

While on the sandbar I was watching three pelicans. So after deciding the keys were a lost cause I ripped back up to the apartment, grabbed my camera, swapped the lens over for a prime, and went back to the sandbar. That was a bit of fun.

The kids and I headed out for VacSwim. As Sean jumped in the car, he said "Here Mum", and handed me my keys. They'd been on the back floor under the seat all this time. I still don't know how I locked the car up with the keys inside on the floor on the backseat, but there you go. Lost is found, thank goodness.

VacSwim was good. The sun was warm, the breeze was gentle and cool and the kids had fun.

Later in the early evening, Laura and William came over for tea and a splash around. While we were on the Sandbar we fed the pelicans from the left over fish bits that Kym had cleaned. The pastel colours in the East rose as the sun set in the West. It truly was glorious.

tumby 2014 - day 8

While the kids were at Mission I visited a dear friend who's going through a really shit patch at the moment. It was good to spend some time with her, help seriously chop back a plant for it to removed and just talked. I haven't wanted to be in her face in the last few weeks but did quietly let her know that I'm always there for her.

After picking up the kids from Family Mission we had lunch with Christina and Claudia at the Ritz. What a view to behold while lunching.

Lunch was followed by kayaking. While taking the kayaks down to the beach I had an altercation with a rock. I came off second best. :-/

We paddled from the sandbar into the channel and round the Marina, before dropping the kids off at the boat ramp. They had had enough paddling and were starting to complain a bit.

Christina and I made our way back to the sandbar when I discovered I had locked the ute but had no keys. Oh no. Where were they??  I had a vague recollection of tossing them on the towels that I was going to pop over the kids legs in the kayaks so they didn't get sunburnt. I recall grabbing the towels and tossing them into one of the kayaks that I carried down when I had my stumble. I put the towels over the kids legs while out in the water next to the sandbar. So the keys could be in the rocks, on the sand or in the water.

With 4 of us looking and a wonderful bloke from one of the shacks coming over the sandbar as he could see we were looking for something, the keys were declared lost. The tide was rising and the sandbar was going under in the water. Thankfully I had a spare key in my handbag back at the apartment and Kym has one as well, so I wasn't too stressed. But in reflection I realized that I had not the faintest clue what the other keys were for.

I hope to go back to the sand bar tomorrow on low tide to have another look. You just never know.

The evening was Family Mission's 'family concert' where all the parents etc come to see the production the kids put on. Annie was narrator for her group.

By the time we were back from that the kids were absolutely puffed so it didn't take much to get them to bed.

I had a head's up from a very awesome starman that there was good to great chance of aurora tonight. So as soon as the kids were in bed, I was out on the jetty shooting the blue hour and waiting to see if the aurora would pop up on my sensor. After a while I starting playing around with the fisheye to bend the lines to get some awesome effects. I haven't worked those shots yet, but I'm seriously excited by them. Alas no aurora, and by midnight I was starting to fade, so it was off of to bed for me.

tumby 2014 day - 7

While the kids were at Mission I smoked up the keyboard on post production of images. I've been adding a few to the "East Coast of Eyre Peninsula" album on my Facebook page. Scroll down to the bottom for the latest ones.

After Mission and lunch we went to the library to exchange our books before hitting the waves with the boards up out in front of the hospital. This end of the town is breezy than the southern end and has the waves.

So while the kids were catching the waves, I was out there with them with the camera in hand, getting shots of them from the front, alongside and of them heading into the beach on their boards. What a lot of fun that was. I seem to always be in the water up to my belly button with the camera. I don't plan too, I just seem too. I don't care about what clothes I'm wearing. My philosophy regarding clothes, both mine and the kids, is "it doesn't matter, it'll wash".

By the time the kids had enough of the waves it wasn't worth our while heading back to the apartment before the VacSwim, so we lounged under the shade of the foreshore trees on the lawn and read our books until it was time to start.

Both of their groups went out on boards, so having that bit of play beforehand really paid dividends.

The kids were rather shattered after their lessons, so we just veged for the evening. We even had Cousin It stay for tea :)

And that's a wrap.

tumby 2014 - day 6

Had an amazing blast from the past this morning. After dropping Sean off to Mission and taking Annie to Lincoln for an appointment I made a stop at a Tumby Bay business and there was my old Holden Rodeo Ute. No doubt about it, the number plate hasn't changed nor has the pin stripping. It's traveled around a bit, from Clare to Kangaroo Island and now to Tumby Bay. I had a great yarn to the bloke who now owns it and found out where its been since we sold it.

Whilst in Lincoln I swapped my mobile phone server back to Telstra. The Optus tower system is so fragile. If one tower goes down (as it did with 2 lightning strikes in December) there is only a four hour battery back up, then all the towers go down as they are interlinked. (Again, as it did in December). This really disturbed me. What if in the event of a fire a tower was taken out? I would have no mobile coverage at all in such a crucial time. We are aiming to remove our home phone line in the not too distant future as we just don't use it anymore so mobile phone signal gets even more crucial. The range of service just wasn't quite up to par as Telstra's in the Tumby Hills, on the way down to Lincoln, even on our way round to Adelaide. I kept comparing Kym's signal strength as I left him on the Telstra service to compare to the Optus service. Without a signal I might as well have a house brick in my hand. I was on a monthly contract with Optus so could step out without penalty, so I elected to do so. I still get frustrated with Telstra too as our tower in Cummins can and does under perform on occasion, but its better than no signal at all I guess.

We ripped around Lincoln for the appointment and picked up Annie's new board. I've sold the orange one in the banner pic and have a second 6' 6" for the kids. I had a yarn to who teaches surf school in Lincoln and the grommets learn on this board too. Sweet.

Back to Tumby in time for a quick chill out and down to Vac Swim.

It was the perfect day to get the boards out on the waves, although a bit chilly in the breeze.

The silly buggas still requested their ice cream after swim. Doh.

Its going to be warmer from here on to down right stinking hot after the weekend. Yay.

 Late in the afternoon we had a visitor land just out front.

I cooked up a roast for tea and headed out for sunset.

tumby 2014 - day 5

Today was the start of our busy week with Family Mission in the mornings and Vac Swim Surf and Survive in the afternoons. So earlier nights to bed for the kiddos this week.

I took the kids round to registrar them at Mission and organise the bus for them, then popped around to the grocery shop. As it was still reasonably breezy this morning, I spent the time on post production of images.

These are a couple of those shots from Surf Fleet Cove.

After the kids came back to the apartment we had lunch, chilled out and headed to the beach for Vac Swim. Thankfully the breeze had died down a bit and swung around so it was quite pleasant.

We had a chilled out late arvo with Scrabble and snitzels for tea. According to the weather man its only going to get better from here on. yay.

tumby 2014 day 4

Today was a breezy day everywhere on the EP. Kym took the kids to shooting at the Lincoln club and I had my first child free day since school ended.

So I had a lovely day in. I put in a fair amount of time working on photos and just chilled.

The troops came back early evening, steak for tea and early night for them. They have Family Mission tomorrow morning and Vac Swim starts in the afternoon.

And its still supposed to be breezy. :-/

tumby 2014 day 3

Another sleep in by the kids. No one stirred until 8.30am. That's nearly a record. So after a leisurely breakfast of pancakes we rode the bikes around to the library to stock up on books.

Both the kids are fluent readers, and to keep up with their book supply we will be going to the local library here a lot. The lady at the desk has remembered us from the last couple of summers and knew our names just like that, even though we haven't been there since January last year so I was just a little bit flattered that she remembered us at all. :)

By the time we rode back Kym had turned up (at last). He dropped his gear and took the kids around to a friends place to do a couple of repair jobs on the Engel and drop off the smoker box.

When they were back we had lunch and hooked up the boat

to go for a tiddly pomp out in the bay. And also to blow the cobwebs out of the motor ;)

It was lovely to get out and have the wind in the hair. I took the camera out with us (of course) but I haven't got around to getting them off the memory card yet. (tomorrow's job). We are also having Annie more hands on with driving, launching, starting and retrieving the boat and the rules on the water for when she goes for her permit.

I've also scoped a few spots of the foreshore while out on the water to frame up for photos. I'll take the boat out on a calm morning so I can get to where I want without frustrating Kym.

When we got back to shore I took Annie and all our thongs down to the beach. Our family supply of thongs has gone from this many (taken 22.12.2013)

to this. (This pile is less one pair of Sean's and two pairs of Kym's).  Annie's cousins gave her a bunch of outgrown ones while we were over in Adelaide. And the best thing is that she and I are now the same size so I can borrow some of them. Cool huh!

We had a leisurely evening of Scrabble and Mary Poppins. And another late night for the kids. Gotta love holidays.

tumby 2014 day 2

After many late nights over the last couple of weeks, this morning was a sleep in. Whether it was the sea air or just plain puffed out, the kids and I didn't wake to about 9. We lounged around a bit before getting up.

We popped down to the shop to grab some groceries, back to the apartment to unpack them then we zipped over to home to pick up the rest of the stuff I didn't have room for the day before. Mostly frozen and fridge supplies, plus a few things I realized that I hadn't packed the day before.

Kym came home the night before from a job site and had packed up the boat, the bikes and his stuff before trundling over. He didn't arrive for ages and I was starting to stew a bit. The kids haven't really seen him for days and he didn't seem in any rush to have time with us. So when he finally got here, I spoke my mind. As a result, rather than resolving and moving on, he took off back to the farm. So its still just me and the kids with all the gear.

No matter. Tis pretty normal, unfortunately. So the three of us headed off on a bike ride,

before having our chops for tea and a game of scrabble after. Annie came in with a cracker word right at the last and took the lead.

At night I'm processing the last month's worth of photos, blogging and trying not to yawn tooooooo much.

Think I'll hit the hay.

tumby 2014 day 1

Lucky Lucky us. We were able to come to our holiday home a day earlier than our original booking. So with no hesitation we are here.

Kym's away on a job site so I packed up me and the kids with all our paraphernalia. I'll head back for a bit tomorrow when Kym's about packed and ready (the boat and whatever he needs) and I'll do the run around to make sure things are turned off, turned on, unplugged, locked and drawn. As well as our esky of freezer goods. (couldn't quite fit that today)

And then we arrived.

Unpacked, settled in and out for snitzel night at the Red Roof.   Just need summer to arrive. This was the view coming over the hill at the tower.

The kids and I've been on countdown to get here over the last couple of weeks. And its so cool to get here before we got to one sleep left :)

my one little word for 2014

I've been thinking about my one little word for 2014. After lots of consideration to what it relevant to me I've settled on the word.............    'no'

To say no is actually a positive thing for me.

That's its ok to say no and not feel guilty.

To not feel so overwhelmed like I did during part of this year because I didn't have the courage to say no. I was so busy that I let a lot of little things slide by the wayside as I simply didn't have the time to focus on them. I felt like I greyed out for awhile so I could keep functioning.

So with a deep breathe of courage I aim to say 'no' on the occasion.

And that's a good thing.

:D

kids suprise day

On that stinky hot Thursday last week I took the kids away for a surprise day. Sean had a medical appointment in Adelaide that I knew of well in advance, so I was able to book on sale flight tickets. On impulse I booked Annie a flight as well.

Plan A was to have the day in Adelaide with Paige, but the tragic death of her brother very recently changed that plan. 

The kids had no idea that I had even planned a day away with them. It was a total suprise for them. They were woken up a bit earlier than normal, told to get dressed, and carry a back pack. That last gave the game away that something was up. Thats when the excitment level went up a cog.

So off we went. I mentioned to them that we were heading up to Lock when were actually heading in the opposite direction. It wasnt until we came over the hill from White Flat did they twig our day out might have something to do with a flight somewhere.

As I had checked in online and we had no luggage we were able to waltz straight thru into the terminal.  Still the kids didn't know where or what we were up to. I was really enjoying the fun of dragging out the suprise that little bit longer. 

When we landed in Adelaide, instead of walking around the way we normally do to enter the terminal after deplaning, we went straight in a door at the front of the terminal and up the depature ramp. Why that isn't done all the time I don't know. It was starting to warm up significantly by 10am so I was glad to have quick access to inside the terminal.

We caught a taxi straight to Sean's medical appointment to sit inside and enjoy the aircon. We were about 45 mins early but fortunately for us, they slipped us straight in. He's results were so encouraging. From 25 to 50% improvement in that frequency range is significant improvement. Our twice daily commitment is paying off.

From the medical appointment I called a taxi to meet us on a corner so we were on the correct side of the road to go to our next place. Thank goodness for shade as it was very warm. We waited and waited and waited. And all taxis that were going past were full. Lucky for us after about 25 minutes a taxi pulled over to let a lady out right in front of us so we were able to grab that one round to North Terrace.

I was laughing along with the driver as we were talking 'in code' so as to not give the game away. Luckily enough he figured out what I meant by David Jones and 3rd floor. 

As it was so bloody hot there really wasn't a lot of people out and about and for that I am thankful as I don't do crowds very well at all. We grabbed a spot of lunch and made our way up the escalators. You can really tell the country kids who get a kick out of going up and down escalators. :)

And then we arrived

The new system of the virtual lineup to see Father Christmas works a treat. You register yourself at the desk and when there's about 15 minutes before its your turn you get a text to return back to the cave and line up. Saves waiting with the kids in a line for ages. Especially those with difficult children or with special needs. 

I wasn't able to use my camera during the Father Christmas bit but could I use it otherwise everywhere else. The cave is a lot smaller than I remember. I guess I'm just a lot taller than I was then, and it was no where near as crowded as I remembered from when I was little.

From the cave we took a walk in the Mall to Typo, Smiggles and to Photographic Wholesalers, which has moved in with Diamonds on Rundall Street. Then taxied back to the airport to relax in the aircon before our flight back home.

The joy on the kids faces was so worth the flights and my braving the (as it turned out not so crowded) crowds. 

shmee (sneak peek)

My last magazine photography/scrapbooking commitment done and dusted for next year, unless something else comes up (wink wink)

I found this last LO the hardest to get started and pull together compared to the others. I've changed my style and not used water colours or mists. Its clean, simple and linear. And its about me. Nearly all the LO's I do are about the kids, and on the occasion the DH.

Not often I let go of inhibitions and get in front of the camera. Sean wants the camera in his hands more and more often and I love that!!! So nowadays after I've photographed the kids, one of them, usually Sean, photographs me. And I'm getting better at being in front of the lens.

mucking about with christmas lights.

Thank you Sandra for posting the idea on my wall. mwah.

ryan

r.i.p. Ryan.
you will live long in my heart.
x

runaways.... sneak peek

I can't reveal this one just yet as its for a magazine brief, but here's a bit of a sneaky...

The whole LO revolved around the lace bow

i solemnly swear that I am up to no good

I soon as I saw this silhouette cut file, I knew I had the perfect photo for it. Lots of water colouring, masking, heat embossing, a few bits and pieces of embellies and a scattering of sequins tops it off. And a little bit of wise wisdom to remember.

oz travels

Back in 2010 when he was 87 years young, Grumpa (term of affection) took himself in his campervan for an epic solo trip for months to places around Australia.

He's had the wanderlust in his blood since his 60's when he retired. This year he's turned 90 and he's not yet planning on slowing down. Bless him.

h2o (teaser)

Lately I've been busy writing articles for a magazine and scrapping layouts to support those articles.

I can show a teaser photo but not much more than that. All will be revealed early new year.

:D

wheat

It pays to slow down, look around, cast your eyes above and below. Enjoy the little things in life. Smell the roses. Go down a road less traveled. Spend some time on yourself. And be thankful for all you have in your life.

slippery when wet

This layout is what scrapbooking is really about. Its memory keeping. There's a lot of journaling on this layout to keep the memory alive, and precious little embellishing. I've repurposed the police tape the was saved for just such a purpose.

To read the journaling easier, click here. Its the original blog post from back in 2010.  (and this is exactly why I blog so I can recall all the details when I get around to scrapping the story).