Kate Writes: outback NSW

Sunday, 11 February 2018

Here & Now ~ February 2018

January and February are a time for taking stock, relaxing, spending time with family, birthday celebrations, change and adjustment, new challenges and just hanging by the pool.

Loving// having time with my brother, sister-in-law and nieces and nephew over summer. We have been able to just hang out and enjoy being in each others space.

Eating // sun dried tomatoes. It has been so hot we have been making use of those rays and a sheet of corrugated iron in the back yard. Delicious!

Drinking// a cheeky Bird In Hand Pinot Rose or two. It's my favourite drop :)

Feeling// the winds of change again. My youngest has started high school this week so, as with the nature of life, we are dealing with some adjustments, enjoying new things and wishing for the comfort of the old at the same time.

Making// birthday cakes and celebration dinners. There are a few family birthdays at this time of the year and every milestone should be celebrated!

Thinking// about how much we need rain where I live. It is so dry and the land around is starting to look desolate and dusty.

Dreaming// of autumn sunshine. It has been very hot and, while I love the slower rhythm of summer, I do not love the days where the temperatures soar to over forty degrees celsius.

start the year as you mean to go on!

So here's to a great year. It is certainly off to a good start and I am so pleased to be joining in with 'Here and Now' again with Sarah at Say! Little Hen

I hope you have taken any New Year changes in your stride and that there is cake in your life at the moment too.

Kate xx

Here & Now ~July

here comes the sun

koinobori, a study of wind and Japanese culture

evening winter light

Loving //time to relax, time to enjoy the company of my children and time to catch up

Eating //gingernut biscuits from this recipe book

Drinking //beautiful freshly squeezed orange juice

Wearing //a blanket on my knee

Making //crochet shopping bags from Knit-O-Matic. They can be whipped up quickly and are a truly satisfying project

Thinking //about all things Japanese...while dusting off my passport!

Dreaming //of beautiful outdoor spaces and winter light

Thank you Sarah for your invitation to join in the 'Here & Now' link!

What is happening in your Here & Now?

Kate xx

Here & Now ~ May

Loving // The crisp morning and evening air. It won't be long and we'll be lighting the fire!

Eating // Roast lamb, lovingly grown by my brothers, cooked in our backyard wood oven by my husband, shared with my Mum.

Drinking // Lots of coffee.

Feeling // Extremely grateful to have my very new laptop back from the manufacturer. It kept shutting down for no reason, to the point where I could not get the screen to turn on at all. After a few frustrating phone calls it has been restored to me with no programs or files missing and a new LCD. Phew! You can't imagine how frustrating it is to ask about things on there to be told to back them up before sending it off....ummm...I. CAN'T. TURN. IT. ON!!!

Making // A fresh start with the little gardening plot at preschool...I have some avid snow pea watchers

Thinking // About pretty autumn light and soft colours and how to capture them.

Dreaming // Of curling up by the fire with a clean house, no commitments and a good book.

Another month goes by. Enjoy the little things :)

Kate xx

Linking with Sarah @ Say! Little Hen

a long way from here to there

Milparinka

paintings decorating the bar of the Tibooburra Hotel

our camp

how's the serenity?!

the border fence

my first visit to Queensland...

We went exploring during the school holidays. We packed our tent, our swags and headed north. Tibooburra was our destination as this is essentially in our backyard and we have never been! Three and a half hours, some dirt road, a stop at Milparinka and many property names I recognised from my School of the Air days and we were there.

Wow! Tibooburra and its surroundings embody the essence of 'The Outback'. It's vast, it feels like a long way to anywhere, the colours and the spaces are BIG and it's a little bit quirky!

Once again I am reminded that, while we travel a long way to enjoy some city pursuits, our spot has something special too.

Have you had any adventures lately? What do you like about where you live?

Kate xx

birds of a feather

Birds!

They are elusive, swift, masters of disguise, flighty, beautiful, musical...not easy to photograph. The outback is full of birds.

I love a challenge!

cockatoos having an afternoon siesta

ducks on the river

apostle birds having an early morning argument with each other

hello!

great egret on the Darling River

take off

a very noisy black cockatoo

These are a handful of the beautiful birds I saw and heard on the weekend. Many others played hide and seek or just plain got away!

Do you have a favourite bird? The sound of a kookaburra always make me smile and my heart soars a little when I hear a butcher bird's song.

Kate xx

Linking with Trish for Worldless 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