Busy Busy weekend

Flying in for a quick update. Had an incredibly busy but amazing weekend. Started with a photography tour/workshop on Saturday morning with a professional photographer. It was very full on, very intense, and very amazing. I loved every second although was exhausted at the end. I will upload some of the shots when I have a chance to review them.

The afternoon was spent shopping with friends which is always amazing. I bought a fabulous handbag.

Sunday was shopping (again), Tupperware and dinner with friends. I am exhausted, but happy.

To top it off I finally got sent a copy of the photos from the Steve Parish talks from last month. Here is my favourite.

xox

Personal Photo Challenge 1/5

It is spring, so expect a lot of flowers for the time being. :)

Personal Photo Challenge 1/4

I was inside getting ready for work this morning and I heard some birds in the gum tree out the front. I grabbed my camera (with my new lens) and ran out to see what we had. Several Sulphur Crested Cockatoos were sitting high up in the tree.

Personal Photo Challenge 1/3

Personal Photo Challenge 1/2

I went out with my Mum taking photos today. We found a beautiful rose garden, went to a very old cemetery, and to the beach. These are the best shots.

Personal Photo Challenge 1/1

An online photo group I have recently joined has a monthly themed challenge. This month is "Small".

And yes, I did eat the rest of the block to get this pic. The things I will do for my art... :)

xox

Movies and Challenges

Last night Ross, Sarah and I went to see....

O... M... G.....

I am a fidgeter during movies. Drives Ross absolutely nuts. But I did not move a muscle during this movie. My butt was so numb at the end from staying perfectly still, and of course being so tense. If you like scary moves, check it out. If you get scared easily, don't do it... LOL

I am setting myself a photography challenge. A lot of people do the 365 Day Project, which is where you take a photo every day for a year. I have tried this several times and realised that my life just does not allow for this. At least once a week I will have a day where I leave home at 7 and don't get home till 11 that night, and barely have a chance to breathe during that time. So this does not work.

But I do want to challenge and extend myself. So here is what I am going to do. 5 days a week (at a minimum), for the next 52 weeks, I will find 15-20 minutes a day to get out there with my camera. Any type of shot (not snapshots though as this is about improving my skills). Week 1 starts tomorrow. I may not post the pics each day, but I will try and get them up at least once a week. Hopefully as the weeks go by I will start to see an improvement in what I am putting out there.

I am also looking to join a local camera club. I am in a photography meetup group where we get out with our cameras every month or so, but that is quite a casual group, with no real teaching involved. This is an organised camera club that have competitions, guest speakers, workshops etc. A place where I can hopefully really grow my skills. I went to one this week and am checking out another one next week so I can decide where I want to end up.

Am off to a friends for a "de-stress" night tonight (read - alcohol fuelled entertainment). Am really needing it right now.

xox

I ate some fish and I liked it....

First things first though. I bought a new car...

I love it! It drives like a dream and is so easy to maneuver. It is awesome. :)

Friday night Ross and I stayed in a fancy hotel in the city. It was awesome. We got the Deluxe Spa Suite. The weird thing though...

Yep, the spa was in the main room... LOL A bit weird but it was fun. It was only the 2 of us after all. :)

For dinner we decided to take the plunge and order a fish dish. We couldn't decide between the Atlantic Salmon and the barramundi..

So we ordered both and shared. :) And Oh. My. God! They were absolutely divine! We have been missing out! LOL Seriously, some of the best fish ever. So soft and succulent. And the good news is, neither one of us felt sick afterwards.

Of course, we had dessert as well.

Pecan pie for me and lemon cheesecake for Ross. This we didn't share because I don't like cheesecake. :)

I have spent today taking photos to turn into Xmas cards. I got a couple that turned out well. It was a really fun morning taking all the shots. I have just finished editing and will head down to drop them at the camera shop to get printed shortly. Will have them on the FB page by the end of the week for anyone interested.

Nothing more to report. Happy Sunday everyone!

xox

Interesting

I was reading a new friends blog today - Dan's Dabbles - and found a saying that really struck a chord with me....

Ahh... The elusive no fear question. The one we are all too afraid to answer, and sometimes too afraid to ask....

The weird thing is, I read this not expecting the question, and the answer came right to me. Instantly. But it is a scary answer and one I am not sure I am ready to do anything about.

How strange is it that when I think about these things, I can not come up with an answer, but when I am randomly confronted with a question the answer is right there, staring me in the face....

xox

New Stuff, Music, Hexies, Study - Random Ramblings

I have been on a bit of a spending spree lately. New underwater camera. New lens for my Olympus. New car! Well, I don't have the car yet. I am picking it up on Thursday. I was meant to get it tomorrow, but the Sales man called today and said he got it serviced today and the clutch is on its way out, so they are going to replace it before I pick it up. YAY for an honest used car sales man! :) I bought a 2005 Hyundai Elantra. I balked a bit at spending that amount of money, but the car is fantastic and should last us many many years. I will post a pic when I pick up the car.

Yesterday I went to see my favourite local band - Spiral Dance - at a local pub. We had a fabulous afternoon. Great music. Great venue. Great company. Ended up at a Vegetarian restaurant in the city for dinner which was absolutely fantastic.

My hexie flowers, that as long time readers will know I have been working on for around 16 months, are finally finished! I laid them out (and forgot to take a photo) and have now started adding the green hexies to join them. Once I have a few together I will put a pic up for you.

And lastly my studies. How have they been going? Not too great I am afraid. I seem to have lost my motivation. I am nearly 2 months behind where I should be which is freaking me out quite a bit. But I think (read - hope) I am ready to get back into it. I am going to do one subject at a time so I can focus, and I will apply for a 3 month extension at the end if I need it. The main problem is that I want to do a 6 month photography course, which would be amazing, but I know I need to concentrate on what I am doing as this is what is going to get me away from where I currently am. Yes, it is hard. But I just have to knuckle down, suck it up, and get it done!

xox

And now to completely contradict myself...

On Monday I talked about being 2 years meat-free and how I was happy with that choice.  And I am. But lately I have wanted to eat seafood. Just occasionally. So I have been thinking about becoming Pescatarian - which is a meat-free diet excluding fish and seafood.

There are a few reasons:
 - I do not believe fish ever made me ill
 - I feel that there are a lot of nutrients in fish that are difficult to get from a plant based diet
 - To be honest, it would make eating out a whole lot easier
 - I really feel a strong craving for fish

I always said when that if I ever got strong cravings for meat then I would look at eating some. Since I have not done this for "ethical" reasons there is no real need for me to avoid fish if it does not make me ill.

I am still thinking about this, but I am definitely considering the re-introduction of fish and seafood. I will keep you posted.

xox