Day 14 in a Year of my Life

Oops, I forgot to put the correct title to my last two posts!  Ah well ... catch-up time.

Another short one tonight.

I am oh so grateful to witness this for the second year in a row and hope to experience it for many years to come.  This, apparently, is the 7th year in a row that these Tawnies have nested in the same tree.

I am so in love with these gorgeous little creatures.

They are so curious and inquisitive, that as I walk around the tree to find different angles to photograph them, they shuffle across the nest and around Mum and lean over the nest to watch me.

Just as I go to photograph one of them, the other pops his/her head into the picture.

They had me giggling this morning as I tried to trick them and their cute little faces would appear from nowhere.

**swoon**

So this is what I am grateful for today and I will miss them so much when I go away for two weeks!

Nite all.

Holiday? What holiday?

Well, we have the car, but it's still not ready!

It still requires weather shields, a roof rack, a reversing camera and the correct tow bar - and probably other things that escape me right now.

Hopefully, we will be on our way by Tuesday or Wednesday next week!

Right now I'm tired and simply want to share one thing with you ...

Surely EVERYBODY knows and loves Rick!

Nite all.

To Quote 'Price is Right' ...

IT'S A NEWWWW CARRRRR!!!!!

... and here is my rant that I posted in facebook.  It doesn't even contain all of the facts or all of my complaints, but you get the idea.

WARNING - RANT BEGINS HERE

If you want to buy a new car, DON'T go through Fraser Coast Auto Centre in Hervey Bay.

The contract had 27th October as delivery date. Have been promised two different dates since then. Fourth promised date was yesterday. Caught the bus into town today and spent 7 hours waiting for them to finish adding everything. The guy guaranteed that it would be ready (because there is only one bus back home, so if we didn't take it, we would be stuck in town). Car wasn't ready and we took it anyway at 5pm.

They've put the wrong tow bar on it. Still no weather shields or roof rack or reversing camera, among other things.

I've lost count of the number of lies that the salesman has told. I've lost count of the number of phone calls that haven't been returned and the number of 'let me call you back in 5 minutes' calls that never eventuated.

The car still has to go back tomorrow to get everything else fitted (what do you reckon the chances are that we still don't get satisfaction?).

Our holiday was supposed to start today. pffft.

... BUT DON'T GET ME STARTED!!!

Thank you for listening :D



I've sent Suzuki a long detailed message via their facebook page, but I could only do it privately, not publicly.  Waiting for their response.

I don't generally like to use my blog as a soapbox.  This is usually my happy place!  But I announced that I would use all means at my fingertips to spread the word and that includes all social networking sites, blogs, emails etc etc etc.

End Rant

On a happier note, I met a lovely girl from Frankfurt today!

On an impulse, during my arduous wait for the car, I decided to have a pedicure.

In the seat beside mine, was a lovely girl who was visiting Australia, for the first time, from Frankfurt in Germany.

She has already been here for a month and has visited Sydney (disappointing for her) and Melbourne (a pleasant surprise for her) and she is heading to Cairns tonight on the bus and plans to go as far as Cape Tribulation.

I really enjoyed talking to her and she explained how 'quiet' Australia is with it's vast size and small population of 23 million people, compared to Germany, which is just a bit larger than Australia's state of Victoria, and has a population of 82 million!

That is a fact that's difficult to comprehend!

She talked about how lucky our country is.  The beautiful landscapes, the amazing food, the friendly, happy people, the wide open spaces, the healthy lifestyle, the great public transport system that takes us outside of metropolitan areas, our freedom and our work ethic.

So, today, I am grateful to be living in Australia, the lucky country.

Nite all.

Day 11 in a Year of my Life

This will be a short post tonight.

I start my day by the river every morning at the Seat of Knowledge with my boys.

They are always happy and smiling and ready for a laugh.  It's my favourite way to start the day, before I go riding off with my camera looking for photographic opportunities.

Today I am grateful for my happy smiling boys who help me start my day with a smile.

Nite all.

Day 10 in a Year in my Life

Food.  I'm not sure if I'm classed as a foodie, just because I love food.  There may be a more derogatory term for it lol.

My favourite food is seafood, in particular, prawns and crabs.  Unfortunately, I have developed an allergy to some fish and also to my absolute favourite, Tasmanian scallops, so I have to be careful when ordering seafood in restaurants.

I am also gluten intolerant, and now I miss some other favourite foods, such as freshly baked bread, apple pies, battered fish from the local cafe, Tim Tams among many more.

You'll notice that they are all fairly unhealthy foods, so it's probably a good thing that I can no longer eat them.

I love fresh tropical fruits like mangoes, peaches, pineapples and pawpaw.  Any fruit 'in season' is pretty delicious.

I love trying different restaurants and eating quality meals made with love by talented chefs who love what they do.  My son-in-law is one of those :D and you can feel the love in his delicious creations.

I love sharing a good meal with friends and family, whether it be a barbecue in the back yard, a picnic at the park, a dinner party at a friend's house, a gathering at a cafe/restaurant or a lady's day at a bistro.

I love to eat Adoring Husband's cooking, because not only is he a good cook, but his presentation skills are pretty darned fabulous too.

I love to share nibbly platters with visitors that overflow with cheeses and deli meats and fresh fruit and pates and dips and crackers.  Always nice with beer and wine.

I love delicious desserts.  Sweet, spongy, creamy, fruity, sugary, chocolaty, cold or hot yummy desserts.

I love morning teas with hot quality coffees, lattes or cappuccinos.  Even a nice pot of tea.  No more cakes, pastries or tarts for me, but there are some delicious gluten free accompaniments available now.

When Adoring Husband goes away for a few days, I like to lock myself in my house with bags of junk food.  Crisps, blocks of chocolate, lollies, ice creams etc.  I can go a whole day without eating one healthy morsel!

I love pavlova.  I make a mean pavlova.

I love Sunday roast.  Lamb is my favourite, but pork with a crunchy crackling will win me too.

I love mashed potato with raw onion chopped finely and added to it.  Gravy poured over the top is also delicious.

I love a good salsa made with avocado, tomato, cucumber, onion, capsicum and lemon juice.

When I'm sick, I love a home-made spicy creamy chicken and roasted vegetable soup.  I make a mean spicy creamy chicken and roasted vegetable soup.  I like to make it when my friends are sick too.

I love chicken and vegetable stir fries with noodles.

I love Adoring Husband's mixed salads with roasted pine nuts.

I love popcorn at the movies.

I love to make freshly squeezed fruit juice for breakfast.

So, today, I am grateful that I have all types of food available to me, ranging from fresh healthy organic goodness to the most disgusting junk food.  I am grateful that I can afford this extravagance.  I am grateful that the food I eat keeps me healthy and strong (most of the time).

Nite all.

Day 9 in a Year of my Life

I love the ocean!  I love rivers.  I love lakes.  I love water.

Tidal waters are my favourite.

Being near water, fills me with energy and hope and motivation.

For 22 yrs, I lived 6 hours from the ocean.  I didn't like it.

Whenever I had holidays that brought me to the coast, I could feel the energy building in me, as I got closer to the water.

It was a physical feeling of happiness and light.

It wasn't just about being on holidays, because we all know that holidays bring you happiness and light!!  It was about being close to the ocean.  I need to be close to water.  Close enough to see it every day.

When I travel inland, I can physically feel the energy slowly seeping out of my body.

I love the smell of the fresh salt sea air as it blows in my hair and over my skin.

I love the contrasting blues of the sky and the deep oceanic waters on a clear sunny day.

I love the soft sound of rippling waves rushing over the sandy beach, as well as the sound of full pipeline waves crashing one after the other, hard on the shore.

I love the feel of soft sand between my toes and also the feel of my feet sinking into the sand as the waves wash around my ankles.

I love collecting shells as I stroll along the beach.

I love the sound of seagulls calling out as they fight for morsels that wash on shore.

I love the sight and sound of the long beach grasses blowing in the wind along the sand dunes.

I love the sound of dogs barking as they race along the beach in front of their owners chasing sticks or balls or birds.

I love climbing over the rocks and exploring rock pools at low tide.

I love watching the colonies of soldier crabs scamper over the flats and then tunnel silently into the sand when they sense danger.

I love to see young people sitting in groups on their beach towels, listening to music, drinking their sodas, laughing and soaking up the vitamin D.

I love to see families on the beach, flying kites, building sand castles, doing cartwheels, writing messages in the sand with sticks and being 'together'.

I love to see old couples sitting in their fold up chairs, with coffee flasks beside them, and wearing big hats as they sit with their fishing rods placed strategically in rod holders in front of them.

I love to see young couples waking up in their panel vans or combi vans on the beach front, climbing out and stretching as they lift their faces to the morning sunlight.

I love to see joggers and walkers leaving their footprints in the sand as the dawn light creeps over the horizon.

I love the sight of a storm building over the ocean as the dark clouds loom and the thunder rolls across the sea.

I love to sit on the bench seat overlooking the beach and watch the world go by.

The list goes on and on.

So today, I am grateful to be living in a beachside community, close enough to the water that I can reach the beach in a 5 minute trike ride and enjoy all that it has to offer.

Nite all.



  

Day 8 in a Year of my Life

If someone had told me, ten years ago, that I would be a keen bird watcher in my future, I would have laughed in their face!

My first pet was a budgie named Sooty (my dog and my cat were also named Sooty).

Later, when I was about 5 or 6, I had a pet galah that roamed freely around the house and was trained to do it's 'business' on the toilet seat.  I don't remember his name.

When my kids were little, we briefly had a pet Peach Face, but it didn't last very long.

It's not that I didn't like birds.  They just didn't interest me really.

Since I found photography, I've become a bit passionate about birds.  They are beautiful creatures and I love all types, from the tiny little Honey Eaters, to the colourful Bee Eaters and Fairy Wrens, to the bigger raptors such as Owls, Kites and Eagles.

Even plain old boring ducks pique my interest, and I love to photograph any bird that I can get close to.

The last twelve to eighteen months has been a real learning curve for me with birds and I love that I have a few people in my flickr group who are keen bird watchers and whom I can call upon to learn more about the birds that I sometimes find.

Last year I was told about the Tawny Frogmouths who had been nesting for 6 yrs in a row in the same tree in our town, so I went looking for them and found three chicks in the nest.

This is last years photo ...

... and this year, there appears to be just one chick ...

I didn't even realise it had hatched because it blends in with it's mother's/father's feathers until it opens it's eyes.  I've been watching and waiting for weeks and missed it altogether, because the nest is quite high in the tree, so it's difficult to see much.

This little fellow seems quite curious and he leans over the nest to watch me below.

I've named him 'Pookie'.

So today, I am grateful for all of the wonderful and beautiful birdlife that Mother Nature has to offer and for the education I've received in the past 18 months as I've discovered new birds in my photographic travels.

It just goes to show, it's never too late to learn.

Nite all.