Still Here

It's right on midnight and the world has not ended.

Here is a small collection of what was doing the rounds of facebook today.

Now I can be convinced that even though the world has not ended, it is the end of hatred and anger and the beginning of love and light :D

Nite all.

Day 54 in a Year of my Life

An uneventful day.

I still haven't gone over my recap of 2012.

I thought I would wait until after tomorrow, since it's supposed to be the end of the world, according to the ancient Mayans.

It's 1am.  I'm off to bed.

Some more photos from my early flickr days ...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rqqzy/6305638826/in/photostream/lightbox/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rqqzy/6294406034/in/photostream/lightbox/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rqqzy/6327049083/in/photostream/lightbox/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rqqzy/6351629117/in/photostream/lightbox/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rqqzy/6361061225/in/photostream/lightbox/

Today I'm grateful for lunch dates - one of which, I have tomorrow, with one of my favourite people.  Lazy lovely lunches with friends.

Nite all.

Day 53 in a Year of my Life

Just thought I'd share some of my old photos that are currently stored on flickr.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rqqzy/6091087647/in/photostream/lightbox/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rqqzy/6126435543/in/photostream/lightbox/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rqqzy/6141614123/in/photostream/lightbox/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rqqzy/6174278843/in/photostream/lightbox/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rqqzy/6260679232/in/photostream/lightbox/

I know that one of these goes all the way back to 2008!!

It was a lazy day today.  I spent my morning at the Seat of Knowledge and I got my hair done at the hairdressers after I missed last weeks appointment!

We ordered our seafood for Christmas day.

Adoring Husband and I napped on the couch this afternoon - quite uncomfortable really lol.

Today, I am grateful for lazy days that allow us to wind down, relax and rejuvenate.  It has been a busy busy year and we are now officially in hibernation - in preparation for what the new year has in store for us.

Tomorrow I will work on a post to recap 2012 I think!

Nite all.

Day 52 in a Year of my Life

I had a lovely morning, seeing my boys for the first time in a week and then morning tea with the girls and catching up.

Before I went home, I decided to go visit the tree where the Tawnies were before I left.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rqqzy/8283391016/in/photostream/lightbox/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rqqzy/8282364145/in/photostream/lightbox/

I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw three together on one branch and as I scanned the other trees looking for the fourth one, I discovered not one, but TWO in another tree!

I was so excited and talked to the birds, and all but one of the them looked right at me as I snapped and chatted away.

I'll go earlier in the morning for better light and hope that they're in clear view for some more happy snaps tomorrow!

Today I am grateful for nature's surprises - just when you least expect them!

Nite all.

Days 49, 50 and 51 of a Year in my Life

Well, what a great weekend!

Absolutely exhausting with hours of walking and photography and silly pranks and driving and eating and drinking and meeting new people and laughing and basically enjoying ourselves.

The five girls that I shared accommodation with were fantastic fun and easy to get along with.

We walked for over 5 hours on Saturday night getting our many and varied night lights shots.

Luckily, I decided to empty my clothes out of my little suitcase with wheels and put my camera bag in it.  Then I wheeled the bag all over the city.  I would NEVER have been able to carry my camera bag around for that long.  It weighs 10 kgs!

So here is the view from our motel room and a few of my night shots...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rqqzy/8280872002/in/photostream/lightbox/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rqqzy/8279815347/in/photostream/lightbox/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rqqzy/8279815953/in/photostream/lightbox/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rqqzy/8279816341/in/photostream/lightbox/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rqqzy/8280874776/in/photostream/lightbox/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rqqzy/8280875250/in/photostream/lightbox/

We ended our night with a few glasses of champagne and some debriefing.  Some giggles.  Some D&Ms.  It was well after midnight when we all turned out the lights.

The Nikonian was a very cheeky monkey after we all went to bed, trying to steal my toes in the dark and then pretending to be a ghost in the night and THEN taking a photo of me sleeping and drooling on my pillow and posting it on Facebook!!!

She knows that she should be very afraid.  **Expect me when you least expect me**

The next morning we all ate a hearty breakfast and wandered around the markets for a little while before leaving Brisbane and heading north toward Woody Point.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rqqzy/8280873650/in/photostream/lightbox/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rqqzy/8280872666/in/photostream/lightbox/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rqqzy/8279814347/in/photostream/lightbox/

I loved the jetty there and would really like to go back for a sunrise or sunset shot with better light.  These were taken in the middle of the day.

Everybody sat under a shady tree near the shipwreck for an hour or so, killing time so that we didn't arrive at Bribie too early for our Christmas gathering.

I, for the umpteenth time, had to go searching for a toilet (I have an app for that!)

We drove to Bribie Island, headed over to the surf side, but it was quite busy and we couldn't find a place to park quickly.  Since we were responsible for finding a place to set up for the party, we returned to the other side of the island to search for a good spot.

Because it was such a beautiful day, all the tables and sheds were full of people.  Luckily, one of the newer members had already arrived and found a table.  They also found 'us' and we gathered all our gear and joined them.

Gradually, about 30 members of our group arrived in dribs and drabs.  We met lots of newbies and caught up with other more established members.  We discussed cameras and various photos that we had taken during the year.

We talked about how we discovered The Master's course and what we got out of it.  How we discovered photography and why we love it.

We wandered around and took photos of the Tawny Frogmouths in the tree, the sunset, the Glasshouse mountains across the waterway and anything else that looked interesting.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rqqzy/8280874092/in/photostream/lightbox/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rqqzy/8280874390/in/photostream/lightbox/

I drank too much wine for the second time this year and both times, funnily enough, have been in The Master's presence .. I do hope he doesn't think badly of me!

We didn't leave Bribie til after 7pm and we didn't arrive home until almost 11pm.  I collapsed on top of our bed and that's where I stayed until 8.30 this morning.

Absolutely exhausted but it was so worth it.  I had a ball and I can't wait til our next gathering.

Today, I am grateful for that happy exhaustion, when you have pushed yourself to keep up with everyone and filled every minute with experiences that create happy memories to last a lifetime.

That was my weekend :D

Now I am climbing into bed at almost 1am.

Nite all.