Here & Now ~ July

Loving // School holidays! I was ready for a break and have enjoyed taking each day at a slower pace. I have taken my time over tea and toast at breakfast, enjoyed catch-ups with friends and family, read books, been crafty, watched the whole 327 minutes of the BBC Pride and Prejudice and eaten cake!

Eating // July heralded an invitation to the annual Fire and Flour Day with Jane @ The Shady Baker and Terry. This year we were treated to the chance to get our hands floury again and a long lunch including pastissi, sourdough pita and hand cut pasta made by us, along with goat chops, a cheese platter, homemade dips, olives and sweet treats. Such a wonderful day of eating along with catch ups, new friends and a sharing of ideas and enjoyment of great food.
I am also eating my own backyard eggs! The girls have finally worked it out ;)

Drinking // out of my KeepCup. Did you watch War on Waste on ABC TV if you are in Australia? I have not been able to have a take away coffee since as the guilt about the amount of waste we create from coffee cups alone has been too much to bear. Don't even get me started on cheap clothing and food waste...

Feeling // like I have neglected this space but, I find that it is still here, and it does not judge me for my absence! Nor is it jealous of Instagram, where I spend most of any time I have to devote to such things.

Making // my family wait for me more than I normally do! I have a new camera and have been enjoying playing with it and finding out what it can do. The theory is the same but the feel and the photos are quite different.

Thinking // about my upcoming birthday. It is a 'significant' one but I find that the overwhelming feeling is of gratitude and anticipation of what could still be to come rather than despair at the amount of candles. I remember my parents turning 40 and they seemed much older than I feel now. I am guessing that they had those very same feelings, as did their parents before them! I told my children that age is not important, unless you are a cheese or maybe wine. My son pointed out that if I was milk I would be more concerned!!!

Dreaming // of the adventures to come with my husband. He has completed his pilot license and has become the owner of a most beautiful plane with buckets of vintage style.

How are you passing your time this winter? Are you sitting by the fire with a good book? Spending time with friends or family? Planning a holiday...

Happy July

Kate xx


Linking up with Say! Little Hen for Here & Now

hop to it

Easter has come quickly despite the fact I saw hot cross buns in the shop the week after Christmas!

Easter craft, hat parades, an Instagram feed full of hot cross buns, marshmallow bunnies, weekend plans...

making marshmallow (recipe here)

have you ever wondered about sticky marshmallow, coconut and cameras all together?
A picture tells a thousand words

a balanced diet is important

vintage mould found on Etsy

marshmallow bunny
I am quite proud of this as, like avid bakers who yearn for the perfect loaf, I yearn to create pastries and confectionary! I wonder why?

Easter hat parade...tribute to my hot glue gun!

Do you do anything special at Easter? Are there hat parades, special food you make, family traditions?

Whatever your plan is, I hope you have a wonderful weekend however busy, chocolatey or relaxing it is.

Kate xx




Linking with Trish for Wordless Wednesday 

Last week...

I have been playing the Fat Mum Slim Photo-a-Day game on Instagram for some time now and I love it. My love of photography is part of this and, while I really enjoy it ,I don't profess to be a 'real photographer'. Many of my pictures are taken with my phone and often my DSLR camera is on auto! It's about seeing things around me and the process rather than the mastery for me.

Another part of the enjoyment of this 'game' is that no matter what  my day is like, I have a reason to take time to look at my family, home, work or life in general a little differently. I consciously appreciate the beautiful and the interesting around me.

Last week the FMS prompts were colours and I set myself an extra challenge to find something to photograph that is part of my outback mining town home to share...

 

The Big Red Chair
Red

there are tones of orange everywhere in the outback
This picture was chosen as last week's favourite Pic of the Week by my local ABC as part of the ABC Open Pic of the Week project



Yep, it's a mining town!
Yellow



I love this little church! It makes me want to know its stories!
Green

 

Keep looking up. That's the secret of life - Snoopy
Blue

 

the wildflowers are out, Silverton, NSW
Pink



an artist's car -John Dynon Gallery, Silverton, NSW
Rainbow

 While I love to go and explore new and beautiful places, my place is beautiful too, don't you think?

 

Kate xx

 

 

Linking with Trish over at Wordless Wednesday

 

 

 



Everyday Life Through My Lens

"The world only exists in your eyes. You can make it as big or as small as you want" ~ F. Scott Fitzgerald

I spend a lot  a little bit of time looking at beautiful pictures on Instagram and I seem to follow many photographers, particularly those who travel. I find myself falling into that social media trap of wanting things others have...snow covered mountains, mist-filled woods with deer wandering around, an orchard full of apples, lakes full of artistic reflections. For those of you who have an idea of where I live, you know this is not going to happen! This is not what I see every day.

As some of you will have read, I have recently been on my own adventure, snapping beautiful scenery and documenting things I found awe inspiring. Now that I am home again I have had to have a stern word with myself about my appreciation of home views!

I know that I am very lucky in so many ways, living where I do. I know that others come to visit my home to get a taste of the outback and the vast spaces I have grown up with. I know that what I see all around me is as foreign and exciting to many as a bicycle lined canal or a row of brightly coloured buildings is to me.
 

I am setting myself a challenge! I will stop wishing for views that others have. I will appreciate my everyday life and views, not just in theory but through my lens as well. Look out Instagram...there's some mining town, outback life coming your way.

 



the RFDS is crucial to those living here





red, sandy creek beds, big old trees and occasionally rainwater rushing past

mining town views




an excellent view of the night sky

beautiful colours of the late afternoon

Do you get caught up in thinking your everyday reality is boring?

Drop by my Instagram profile to see how I am doing at everyday appreciation.

Kate xx

Linking with Trish for Wordless Wednesday...because it's almost wordless! :)



My Week of Walls

I love Instagram! I am possibly slightly addicted to it in fact. Photography is an interest of mine and there is something about seeing pictures that other people thought were good, funny, or interesting from all over the country and the world. There are pictures of pets, children, food, flowers, trees, rain, snow, sunrises, sunsets, cloud porn, bicycles views from many locations and I see the Eiffel Tower at least once a day from varying angles. I LOVE it

I have been linking up with a new group of happy snappers called its_my_week who pick a theme each week for photo sharing. This week their theme is walls. At first I was a little unenthusiastic but as I started to look around me I started to notice...

walls in my main street

the local post office

old walls I saw on holidays (Sydney, NSW)

old walls in the middle of nowhere

miners mural on the Workman's Club

mural on the front wall of the train station

our community portrayed in murals

local wildlife murals in a park in my town

walls in my neighbourhood

exciting walls
Bird in the Hand winery, Adelaide Hills (love this wall)

funky 'big city' walls

a wall I see nearly every day as I arrive at work

The thing that I love even more than looking at photos is that when I join in with things like 'My Week of Walls' it opens my eyes to the everyday things around me and the ordinary becomes beautiful, interesting and special.
 
Have a look at any old wall in the next day or so and see if you can see the beauty too.
 
I wonder what the theme will be next week? I can't wait to find out...
 
Kate xx

P.S. Yes, there are a LOT of murals in my town. It is meant to be an artists haven and the proof's on the wall I think