Shootfest

I did NOT want to get out of bed this morning, but I had to go to work, so I hit 'snooze' twice before reluctantly climbing out of bed and fulfilling my duties.

From there, I bought a coffee and visited my boys on The Seat of Knowledge.

Upon my return home, I contemplated climbing back into bed, but opted instead to take the chicken wings, which had been marinating overnight, and put them in the oven to cook for lunch. Then I fed the chookies, checked the water for the chooks and SEB, watered the outdoor plants, hung out some washing, swept the floor and then parked myself in Adoring Husband's recliner to watch some of my recorded TV programs.

I was booked this afternoon for a photo shoot with Rebel Mardi and her family. Her lovely kids arranged to surprise her for a belated 60th birthday present and have some family photos taken. I was very honoured when they asked me to be their photographer.

We were to meet at a prearranged location at 3pm, so I filled the back of my trike with a tripod, monopod, light reflector, camera bag full of my camera with assorted lenses, a bottle of water, a thermos cup full of wine and ice, a towel and then I stopped at the shops to buy two cups of coffee! One to drink immediately and one to bring home so that I can reheat it tomorrow morning. That way, I can have a lazy Sunday morning in bed!

While I was waiting for my coffee, the heavens opened! I couldn't believe how heavy the rain fell and even though it was only a small cloud moving above us, it took it's time and had me very concerned about not having a Plan B!

Eventually, the skies cleared and I headed to the shoot location, where I took a few photos to test the light and checked out the different spots that I had in mind.

There is one small grassy area with tall trees, a bridge over a little creek full of mangroves, a kids park with play equipment and through a small walkway is the beach which has fallen trees and driftwood, a concrete pipe with timber framing which makes it look like a small jetty and a long sandy beach.

Unfortunately, the tide was out, so there was no beautiful blue water as a back drop, but instead, miles of grey, wet, sandy flats. However, our beaches have beautiful golden sands and stretch for hundreds of metres, so we took advantage of that.

Each shot, in each of the spots that I mentioned, took all of two minutes. Rebel Mardi and her family were pretty amazing, incredibly photogenic, and perfect subjects for posing while all smiling at the same time when instructed.

This was the very first photo taken within 5 minutes of them arriving on location ...

I asked each couple to choose a tree and stand on either side of it. Then I asked that they lean across, on the count of three and in their own unique way, give each other a kiss. This is pretty much what I had in mind when I planned the photo, and I had an inkling that 'The Circus Duo' would attempt an acrobatic kiss using the tree as a prop.

This photo epitomises each couple so well and I'm very happy with it.

I've had a quick look at the other shots and I'm really looking forward to editing the remaining photos tomorrow. There are some good ones there!

I had allotted 2.5 hours for the shoot, but I had all the shots that I wanted in less than an hour, so, much to the joy of the family, they spent a good thirty minutes playing with all the circus toys - hula hoops, spinning plates, juggling balls, colourful flowing fans and an acrylic sphere, among other unusual props.

These provided a few good candid shots, as well as a couple of set acrobatic shots to add to the mix.

It was a really fun afternoon. A beautiful, loving and happy family who made a shoot that I was quite nervous about, so easy and enjoyable. It has been a very long time between shoots (about 18 months), so my confidence was low, but I think they helped me find my mojo! Or my phojo!!

Thank you Mardi's family. Big hugs and kisses to you.

Adoring Husband returns home tomorrow. It's been a long four days, and knowing what he's had to endure while in Sydney this trip, I've really missed him and I'm looking forward to getting him home.

So I'm off to bed.

I remember when we first moved here, in 2008, for the first two years, every Saturday night was party time at somebody's house. It was exhausting!! Even though we had a fabulous time, and made some great memories, I'm so glad that Saturdays are now non-events. I love staying home and watching the footy instead of partying.

Nite all.  

Just Quietly

It has been a cold and windy Wintry day, and I had to pedal to work during the coldest part of the morning. I even wore my gloves!

It was so cold, that I returned home and climbed straight back into my bed!

I stayed there til 11am, at which point I figured it was time to go check the mail and buy myself a coffee.

I need to give thanks to two lovely friends.

Thank you Rebel Mardi and Lifesaver for buying and delivering my chookie food today. The girls were very grateful and asked me to pass on a 'cluck bukark' to you!

Thank you also, to The Blonde Bombshell for offering your taxi services to me for when Knight in Shining Armour arrives in the big silver bird in just over a week. I appreciate your kindness.

My sister, Squirt, shared this video on Facebook today and it brought a big smile to my face. I reckon, with a bit of practise, Adoring Husband and I would be able to do this dance together. I might have to lose about 10kg to be light enough for him to lift me for that end move though! He also might need to do some weight training lol.



... and it's good night from me.

Nite all.

Movie Marathon

There is a Twilight movie marathon on Foxtel tonight. I am onto the fourth movie of five, but I doubt that I'll stay up to watch the final one.

I am in total relaxation mode tonight, so this blog post will be short.

I'm adding the links to the ABC's Catalyst shows about gut health. I put the links here last year, but they have just been replayed on the ABC, and I believe they are worth reposting here.

Gut Reaction: Part 1

Gut Reaction: Part 2

I hope you learn something from them. I picked up on a few things that I missed last year when I watched it. Adoring Husband even watched them with me!

Nite all.

Almost a Bradman

RIP Nellie Smithurst 1917 - 2016

We received the phone call at 12.30am advising us that our Nellie had passed away.

I didn't meet Nellie until she had already displayed signs of dementia, so I wasn't able to get to know her the way I'd have liked.

There are so many questions that I would have loved to ask her. About her life. About Adoring Husband and his childhood.

The only information that I have, is what AH has told me about her. We've spent a lot of time poring over old photographs with AH sharing the details that he could remember, of Nellie's early life in England and as a young woman when she first arrived in Australia.

It seems to me, from the many and varied stories that AH has shared, that Nellie was a strong woman, who stood up for herself and demanded what was rightfully hers, so that she could provide a stable life for her son.

Her life, as for most of us, was not so easy and she was dealt some nasty cards. Her husband left her, and took with him, one of their adopted sons, leaving AH with Nellie. That was during an era where there was no pension available and the stigma attached to the title 'single mother', put women in a class that was looked down upon in the community.

She had to make do with a very small weekly allowance that was paid to her by her X-husband. I can only imagine how she must have struggled to get by.

During her very long life, she watched all of her family members and friends pass on, so that in the end, there was only her. That must have been a lonely feeling.

She was a strong, robust woman, who lived alone until the ripe old age of 93, when sadly, after an 'episode', we had to admit her into the nursing home just around the corner from her house. I believe that being so close to her street, made the transition easier for her.

What I DO know, for certain, is that she did an amazing job raising Adoring Husband on her own, because he is the most honest, hard working, generous, warm and loving person I know, with a heart of pure gold. These values are even more amazing considering the many hardships that they endured together.

This is the last pic taken of Nellie, with AH's phone.

She is frail and unlike herself. I prefer to remember her wide eyed radiant smile that she used to greet us with, when we visited her, as if we were her entire world.

I hope she has awakened in her next world, with all of her wonderful faculties, feeling physically strong and surrounded by all of her loved ones, in the happiest of peaceful surroundings.

That's how I imagine the end to be.

Nellie didn't quite reach 100. She was 99 and 5 months. That's almost the Don Bradman batting average!

It was her time and may she now rest in peace.

Nite all.

Groovy Grooming

I had a late start to my day - what else is new?

Adoring Husband had SES duties today, so I decided to groom one of the psychotic dogs. My plan of spending a little time grooming Colli every week, never came to fruition, so of course she was in dire need of a full groom.

It took me about 40 minutes to trim her torso and legs with scissors. All of that fur filled a plastic grocery bag, but then she wouldn't let me near her face, so I took her to the laundry tub and saturated her head so that I could easily clean the muck around her eyes and then snip the fur all around her head, face and neck. That took another 40 minutes.

Even though she hates every minute of her grooming (as do I), Colli always smiles widely when it's over and runs around like a loopy creature on speed. Once she's dry, she struts around like she's Lady Muck showing off her new 'do'. I'm sure that all dog owners can relate to this description because I'm pretty certain that all canines display these crazy traits!

I don't even have 'before' and 'after' shots!

By the time I cleaned up the aftermath of such a grooming, it was lunch time, so I made my paleo version of Nachos. Sweet potato chips to replace the corn chips, mashed avocado, spaghetti bolognese mince (which I already had in the freezer) and just for Adoring Husband, some grated parmesan cheese over the top. No sour cream.

I did a few more mundane chores before spending some time in my new workspace .. it felt like a million years since I was there last! I listened to Taylor Swift and researched some more stuff on chalk painting, which I hope to find time to practise tomorrow.

There WILL be 'before' and 'after' photos!

Nite all.

Festive Fun

Ya gotta be quick!

Of course, before we could head to the Multicultural Festival, we had to stop for coffee, so the car's clock displayed 7am as we drove out of town.

There was no traffic and we had a clear run through.

We were the second car to park in the closest car park to the main street of Childers. This is how it looked when we arrived ...

... and this is how it looked when we left. It was completely full and the gates were locked to all entering vehicles.

It was about 7.45am when we walked to the main street, which, every year is closed off to traffic and becomes the temporary home to hundreds of street stalls. I didn't take any other photos, because I was too involved in seeking out that which required my complete attention!

Other than the stall holders, there was barely a soul to be seen, so Adoring Husband and I had the perfect opportunity to see everything without fighting the crowds.

I bought an oil infuser pendant.

I bought another beautiful pendant, which I absolutely love, made with a silver spoon, the inner workings of an old clock and some kind of clear resin.

I bought an aqua pottery fish with a giant mouth - it's purpose is to burn mosquito coils (but I won't be using it for that) - it will sit on one of my new white side tables.

I bought an infinite scarf that can be twisted and shaped to become a bolero - that's the purpose for which I bought it, but now I have to go into the shop's Facebook page to learn how to twist and shape it, because even though the lovely lady showed me how to do it, I cannot, for the life of me, figure it out from memory!

I bought two fermented drinks, quite a bit stronger than the drinks that I buy regularly through FROG or Go Natural. The stall was owned by the 'Bottoms Up Colonic Clinic' in Bundaberg and they were selling jars of fermented vegetables and two different types of kombucha fermented drinks. These are strong enough that 1/4 cup per day is the recommended daily intake.

Their Facebook page is advertising the inaugural 'Colon Hydrotherapy & Gut Health 2016 Conference' which is being held on the Gold Coast at the end of August.

I absolutely would have booked my spot at this conference, except the dates fall at the very worst possible time for me. I would miss the last two days of Bubble's and Knight in Shining Armour's visit AND it is four days before I leave to babysit Chicklet for 3 weeks.

At the moment, I'm completely obsessed with the concept of gut health and the effect it has on the body, from the brain, the immune system, all of our organs and even our personality. The fact that mainstream media and the medical industry are finally taking notice of current scientific studies means something, and I am intrigued.

I can only hope that the conference is a huge success, so that they organise another one for next year, because I'll definitely be signing up for that one!

We found the one stall that we were searching for and stocked up on our curry mixes.

There was great music playing at the usual location where the bandstand was constructed. It's the one thing we didn't do this year, that we usually do ... sit down and enjoy the musical entertainment.

There was an Asian food stall there selling gluten free dumplings and rice paper rolls, among other things, so Adoring Husband and I filled our bellies with these delicious goodies and then went back for seconds before we left for home.

By 10.30am, it was difficult to even move through the swarming crowds. The queue for the loo was fifteen deep. The food stalls were beginning to draw queues. It was impossible to see the products in each stall. People were blocking the walkways. The seating for each of the stage shows were filling up fast.

It was time for us to get the hell out of there.

We drove out of our car park and made our way onto the highway, to discover the biggest line of traffic coming into town. It stretched further than the eye could see. Probably 2-3 kms of cars moving at at snail's pace, either trying to get through town to head north, or attempting to find a park, so that they could attend the festival.

I have never seen so many cars. They were parked at least two deep on both sides of the road for kilometres. Crowds of people were making the long hike towards town.

Our side of the road, southbound out of Childers, was completely clear as we drove past the hundreds of cars going in the opposite direction. By the time we got home, unpacked the car and put away our purchases, it was 11.30am and we were sitting down on our couch wondering what to do for lunch!

I realised that I hadn't made up the dog food, so that was my chore for the next couple of hours, while AH mowed the lawn and whipper snipped the edges.

So, all in all, it was a very productive and fun day for us!

I'm not sure how I will spend my Monday, but I'm off to bed now, before the stroke of midnight!

Nite all.