I know it has been months since I blogged. But who has time? Well actually I do but that isn't the point. I just haven't.
But today I have to. Sometimes things happen that I have to get down before I forget them, especially my weird dreams.
I woke up this morning at 5am, hit snooze. Woke up again at 5.10am, hit snooze, then at 5.20am, got out of bed, got the worker up for work and went to lay back down at 5.45am. I was still awake at 6.15am, trying to get back to sleep. Next thing I knew, I was having a conversation with Sam who was washing puppies...
This isn't really that out of the ordinary. Except in my dream, puppies get washed in the dishwasher. Dr Harry was there (he had a sore leg, propped up on a chair) and he was fine with it. Leave them longer, he said, they're not ready yet.
I took a puppy out when they were done and hugged it until it dried. When it was dry...well, this bit is weird but seemed perfectly normal...it was a human baby. With curly blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and just like all the other puppies. So I go to talking with Sam and Dr Harry about the characteristics these babies would display as they got older. Would the dog side be dominant or the human side? We'd got them from the RSPCA so we didn't know much about where they came from. One of them had a tag from the RSPCA. All of a sudden, Dr Harry was gone and instead in his place was Elton John. He was holding the puppy with the tag and asked Sam if she could get more tags from the RSPCA. I laughed and replied they might not give them to Sam, but they'd give them to you!
We all had a chuckle about the benefits of being famous while I held one of the puppy-babies. As we all laughed, there was a movie-style panning of the camera to see the other puppy-babies playing on the floor...and as we laughed and they played the dream faded out and the alarm was blaring again for me to wake up to get the kids to school.
It was going to be an awesome dream, curse that stupid alarm clock!! I think this dream even beats my Bill Cosby-underwater restaurant for sharks-best friend is a furry wallet called bear-dream!
Back in reality though, I am studying hard, trying to keep up with my assessments. Photography is on the backburner since my brother's wedding, as I am concentrating on getting through this semester. It is going to be full on with four subjects, the kids, school, and now my parents moving away (I lose furniture for a little while).
On the upside, my birthday is next week and I am taking myself shopping!
March 18, 2011
June 29, 2010
Momentary madness!
It has been a month since my last blog. Not that I haven't had anything to say, I just didn't say it.
But what a month it has been! Spending my time with the most fabulous person in the world, and the best kids in the world!
On top of that, I got into uni. I am now a student (again) studying the Bachelor of Teaching (Primary). The best part of this is the credits I get for previous studies - 120 points worth, which means I only complete 8 subjects (there is a 9th subject but it has something to do with meeting NSW teaching standards). By this time next year, all going well, I should have a teaching degree!
I haven't been doing much photography though, and I do miss it a little bit. But I have a huge week coming up where I will most likely not put the camera down.
My family and I are off on a trip to Lightning Ridge to fossick for opals and visit old friends (we lived there for two and a half years). It is very exiciting, as it is the first real holiday I have been on since taking my daughters to Melbourne a few years ago. We've had weekend trips since then, but nowhere so far away. It is approximately 11 hours drive so there will be an overnight stay somewhere along the way.
I will have the most wonderful photo opportunities while I am there. Glorious sunsets, beautiful gemstones and the delightful old miners' shacks dotted throughout the town. I will see my old houses, the bore baths, the new additions to the local pool, Amigo's Castle, the bottle houses (houses made out of cement and glass bottles!) and all the open mines and other tourist-y things.
It'll be wonderful! But for now, here are some of my recent shots on a visit with family in Shepparton!
But what a month it has been! Spending my time with the most fabulous person in the world, and the best kids in the world!
On top of that, I got into uni. I am now a student (again) studying the Bachelor of Teaching (Primary). The best part of this is the credits I get for previous studies - 120 points worth, which means I only complete 8 subjects (there is a 9th subject but it has something to do with meeting NSW teaching standards). By this time next year, all going well, I should have a teaching degree!
I haven't been doing much photography though, and I do miss it a little bit. But I have a huge week coming up where I will most likely not put the camera down.
My family and I are off on a trip to Lightning Ridge to fossick for opals and visit old friends (we lived there for two and a half years). It is very exiciting, as it is the first real holiday I have been on since taking my daughters to Melbourne a few years ago. We've had weekend trips since then, but nowhere so far away. It is approximately 11 hours drive so there will be an overnight stay somewhere along the way.
I will have the most wonderful photo opportunities while I am there. Glorious sunsets, beautiful gemstones and the delightful old miners' shacks dotted throughout the town. I will see my old houses, the bore baths, the new additions to the local pool, Amigo's Castle, the bottle houses (houses made out of cement and glass bottles!) and all the open mines and other tourist-y things.
It'll be wonderful! But for now, here are some of my recent shots on a visit with family in Shepparton!
May 31, 2010
Distractions
I am trying to keep my mind off a few things at the moment. Writing about them isn't really going to help but I will pretend for now...
For starters, I have an annoying ache in my back, legs and ankles. It isn't something I want to go to bed with, so I am staying up late to see if it goes away. Not much sense in tossing and turning and making the pain worse.
I am also trying to keep my mind off my future. There seems to be a lot of work involved at the moment and if I didn't know it was worth it, then I would give up. I am mentally exhausted but must push on for the sake of my sanity and my children!
I thought I had found the light at the end of the tunnel...or rather, the end of the rainbow, when I found the end of the rainbow on the weekend. Mistakenly, I thought it must be a sign that things were looking up but nothing has changed. There are some glorious people in my life and I thank the Gods of love and friendship that I have them, but there are somethings one must do for oneself, and I hate that I lack motivation to force things forward.
Today was a sad day, in some ways. I was invited to take the group photo of the 4th year uni students, the ones I should have been graduating with had I stuck it out in the teaching degree. Seeing them celebrating their last class (for the majority) before they embark on their final placement was both a happy, exciting time, but also a gut-wrenching, time-to-question-my-own-choices kind of moment. Here I am, standing in front of them, looking at them through the camera's eye and I see the future for my kids, the future for many kids, and I could have been a part of that.
Of course, I should mention that I will be getting my teaching degree after all the rigamarole I have been through NOT getting it. It is the only viable option now. But it won't be with the people I studied with for three years. It won't be with a group of the most wonderful people I could have met. It'll be alone, via distance study.
They are wonderful people. Even the lecturers told them so. So many cheeky, bubbly personalities, caring and friendly...and bringing a baby helps too (even the male lecturers were spotted going ga-ga for the babies that came through!). Luckily none of them will end up Collingwood fans though!
The end of the rainbow. No pot of gold, no little man in green handing out potatoes. Not even a magical unicorn offering to whisk me away to Neverland or Hogwarts. Just a pretty picture, where the happy ending is still to come.
For starters, I have an annoying ache in my back, legs and ankles. It isn't something I want to go to bed with, so I am staying up late to see if it goes away. Not much sense in tossing and turning and making the pain worse.
I am also trying to keep my mind off my future. There seems to be a lot of work involved at the moment and if I didn't know it was worth it, then I would give up. I am mentally exhausted but must push on for the sake of my sanity and my children!
I thought I had found the light at the end of the tunnel...or rather, the end of the rainbow, when I found the end of the rainbow on the weekend. Mistakenly, I thought it must be a sign that things were looking up but nothing has changed. There are some glorious people in my life and I thank the Gods of love and friendship that I have them, but there are somethings one must do for oneself, and I hate that I lack motivation to force things forward.
Today was a sad day, in some ways. I was invited to take the group photo of the 4th year uni students, the ones I should have been graduating with had I stuck it out in the teaching degree. Seeing them celebrating their last class (for the majority) before they embark on their final placement was both a happy, exciting time, but also a gut-wrenching, time-to-question-my-own-choices kind of moment. Here I am, standing in front of them, looking at them through the camera's eye and I see the future for my kids, the future for many kids, and I could have been a part of that.
Of course, I should mention that I will be getting my teaching degree after all the rigamarole I have been through NOT getting it. It is the only viable option now. But it won't be with the people I studied with for three years. It won't be with a group of the most wonderful people I could have met. It'll be alone, via distance study.
They are wonderful people. Even the lecturers told them so. So many cheeky, bubbly personalities, caring and friendly...and bringing a baby helps too (even the male lecturers were spotted going ga-ga for the babies that came through!). Luckily none of them will end up Collingwood fans though!
The end of the rainbow. No pot of gold, no little man in green handing out potatoes. Not even a magical unicorn offering to whisk me away to Neverland or Hogwarts. Just a pretty picture, where the happy ending is still to come.
May 17, 2010
Winter walks
Walking is good for your health, or so they say. So far, walking has been good for disturbing my sleep!
In truth, I am really enjoying my walks. My alarm is set for 5:56am, I listen to the news on the radio, and leave the house at 6:15am. It is dark and cold when I leave but when I get home at 6:45am, I am well and truly warmed up and enjoying the morning sun. I haven't been walking every single day. Weekends are off limits...but other than that I haven't missed more than 2 mornings. It has only been 12 walks to date but that is compared to nothing before...
I have noticed some things about the environment I live in on these walks. It is fascinating to see what goes on before the majority of people are awake. The sounds are different, the smells are different and everything looks different.
With every breath forms a cloud of fog and the cold air almost hurts to breath in again. The sound of my footsteps on the footpath are the loudest sounds until I reach the main road where there is rarely a car to disrupt my progress. There is one sound I hear that worries me every day...It is the buzzing of electricity as I pass by one particularly loud electricity pole. It is probably something I should tell someone about...It cannot be heard over the noise the day makes.
One morning I smelled raisin bread toasting as I passed one house, and another smelled of freshly burning wood. It was the first wood fire I have smelled and the only one so far. Then there is the smell of exhaust fumes as I walk past the service station. There is always cars parked there, engines running, as their owners slip in to buy coffee or cigarettes or whatever their need is. I imagine they leave their heaters running.
I find it oddly amusing that at such an early hour, so many people seem to be in a hurry. There isn't enough time in the day for anything, apparently.
I have contemplated taking my camera with me on these walks, but the weight of it would be cumbersome, and having to stop to take a photo every five steps would defeat the purpose of the walk. Sunrise is beautiful, each and every morning. The streets glow pink and orange and I feel as though I am walking towards the new day, fresh, awake - alive.
But every day that I walk, I am fighting off aches and pains. The impact on my knees and my body isn't pleasant but I ignore it because I need to stay active.
I need to teach my body and my mind that it needs to cope with at least that amount of activity every day. When I start working, I want to get through the day without feeling as though I have run a marathon!!
Not that I have a job yet.....
Here is a little something I took recently with my iPhone. I thank then inventors of camera phones every day, because if I don't have my real camera with me, I always have my phone!
In truth, I am really enjoying my walks. My alarm is set for 5:56am, I listen to the news on the radio, and leave the house at 6:15am. It is dark and cold when I leave but when I get home at 6:45am, I am well and truly warmed up and enjoying the morning sun. I haven't been walking every single day. Weekends are off limits...but other than that I haven't missed more than 2 mornings. It has only been 12 walks to date but that is compared to nothing before...
I have noticed some things about the environment I live in on these walks. It is fascinating to see what goes on before the majority of people are awake. The sounds are different, the smells are different and everything looks different.
With every breath forms a cloud of fog and the cold air almost hurts to breath in again. The sound of my footsteps on the footpath are the loudest sounds until I reach the main road where there is rarely a car to disrupt my progress. There is one sound I hear that worries me every day...It is the buzzing of electricity as I pass by one particularly loud electricity pole. It is probably something I should tell someone about...It cannot be heard over the noise the day makes.
One morning I smelled raisin bread toasting as I passed one house, and another smelled of freshly burning wood. It was the first wood fire I have smelled and the only one so far. Then there is the smell of exhaust fumes as I walk past the service station. There is always cars parked there, engines running, as their owners slip in to buy coffee or cigarettes or whatever their need is. I imagine they leave their heaters running.
I find it oddly amusing that at such an early hour, so many people seem to be in a hurry. There isn't enough time in the day for anything, apparently.
I have contemplated taking my camera with me on these walks, but the weight of it would be cumbersome, and having to stop to take a photo every five steps would defeat the purpose of the walk. Sunrise is beautiful, each and every morning. The streets glow pink and orange and I feel as though I am walking towards the new day, fresh, awake - alive.
But every day that I walk, I am fighting off aches and pains. The impact on my knees and my body isn't pleasant but I ignore it because I need to stay active.
I need to teach my body and my mind that it needs to cope with at least that amount of activity every day. When I start working, I want to get through the day without feeling as though I have run a marathon!!
Not that I have a job yet.....
Here is a little something I took recently with my iPhone. I thank then inventors of camera phones every day, because if I don't have my real camera with me, I always have my phone!
April 25, 2010
Lest We Forget
Lest We Forget
Sweet whisper of the autumn breeze
Soft hushing of the autumn leaves
Marching west towards the setting autumn sun
Hope unspoken, creeps away
Veiled in the shadows of the ending day
Cast by the setting autumn sun
Keeping time, sticking together,
Marching on, into the nether
To spend eternity with the setting autumn sun
Sweet whisper over empty grave
Soft hushing over ground unpaved
Lest we forget the setting autumn sun
Kelly Davis (2008)
April 18, 2010
Take a moment!
I haven't written a blog for almost a month! Not that I haven't thought about it, and I have been reading other blogs. I just haven't taken the time to get anything down. I've had a busy couple of weeks - a fantastic Easter weekend camping with good friends and family.
There haven't been many opportunities for shoots, I've kept pretty quiet in that regard, but I have done a little writing.
However, I took five of my favourite children to the park recently and figured there wouldn't be a better time to bring the camera along. Spontaneous shoots do seem to work much better than sittings, I guess because there is less pressure on getting the perfect shot.
Here are a few of my favourites, from Easter and our trip to the park.
There haven't been many opportunities for shoots, I've kept pretty quiet in that regard, but I have done a little writing.
However, I took five of my favourite children to the park recently and figured there wouldn't be a better time to bring the camera along. Spontaneous shoots do seem to work much better than sittings, I guess because there is less pressure on getting the perfect shot.
Here are a few of my favourites, from Easter and our trip to the park.
March 31, 2010
The Spirit in Us All
I think somewhere, deep inside everyone, is a little spark. It is a little spark that lights up all on its own. The spark is inconsistent. It is unpredictable. But what it brings to life is wonderful, amazing and beautiful.
That little spark lit up in my daughter Ashlie today at the school athletics carnival. She's no runner, but she went in every race. She had also tried out for the other events at school and made it into the high jump finals for junior girls. I recalled the swimming miracle, where she turned from non-swimmer to squad training in less than 6 months. But I never expected something like that to happen again!
High jump is such an obscure event, for school athletics. I remember my school carnivals - one jump, I'm out, oh well, sit down. Today, Ashlie kept clearing the bar. The height was put up, she cleared it. Other girls had their three attempts, Ashlie cleared it. She had to repeat two heights but made them on each 2nd attempt. I remember one of the mums saying it didn't matter, as Ashlie would do no worse than fourth - they started with nine or ten girls.
Then suddenly it was down to Ashlie and April. I was stunned! The height was around the 90 or so centimetre mark I think, and Ashlie used her three attempts but it was too much. April added another height change but finished at that.
Oh how we marvel over our surprise little champion. She gets so much enjoyment from just participating, and that's all I ask of her, but her delighted little face, such pure joy in her eyes, it is moments like that that I live to see!
Georgia on the other hand doesn't have the same simplistic joy with competing. She's hard to define. Bad loser (very sensitive) yet she often behaves as though she is competitive.
Watching her today in her races just made me smile. Rather than racing to win, she spent the whole race looking over at her friend, who looked back at her, and they giggled, tying for last. If you ask them, they would tell you they ran their hardest but smile guiltily if you mention the talking along the way. Georgia only cried twice today. Once when someone was mean to her. And once because she didn't think she should talk to a girl who was in a different house team.
Most importantly though is that Georgia did have fun and she doesn't mention either of those emotional outbursts when talking about her day. I can't wait to see what she does next year when competition becomes a little more serious for her age group!
That little spark lit up in my daughter Ashlie today at the school athletics carnival. She's no runner, but she went in every race. She had also tried out for the other events at school and made it into the high jump finals for junior girls. I recalled the swimming miracle, where she turned from non-swimmer to squad training in less than 6 months. But I never expected something like that to happen again!
High jump is such an obscure event, for school athletics. I remember my school carnivals - one jump, I'm out, oh well, sit down. Today, Ashlie kept clearing the bar. The height was put up, she cleared it. Other girls had their three attempts, Ashlie cleared it. She had to repeat two heights but made them on each 2nd attempt. I remember one of the mums saying it didn't matter, as Ashlie would do no worse than fourth - they started with nine or ten girls.
Then suddenly it was down to Ashlie and April. I was stunned! The height was around the 90 or so centimetre mark I think, and Ashlie used her three attempts but it was too much. April added another height change but finished at that.
Oh how we marvel over our surprise little champion. She gets so much enjoyment from just participating, and that's all I ask of her, but her delighted little face, such pure joy in her eyes, it is moments like that that I live to see!
Georgia on the other hand doesn't have the same simplistic joy with competing. She's hard to define. Bad loser (very sensitive) yet she often behaves as though she is competitive.
Watching her today in her races just made me smile. Rather than racing to win, she spent the whole race looking over at her friend, who looked back at her, and they giggled, tying for last. If you ask them, they would tell you they ran their hardest but smile guiltily if you mention the talking along the way. Georgia only cried twice today. Once when someone was mean to her. And once because she didn't think she should talk to a girl who was in a different house team.
Most importantly though is that Georgia did have fun and she doesn't mention either of those emotional outbursts when talking about her day. I can't wait to see what she does next year when competition becomes a little more serious for her age group!
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