Category Archives: Photography

The Challenge of the Sea

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I had set myself a goal. Swim through as much of winter as I could. As long as I got further into the year than I did last year, I would be happy. If I managed to get to Spring? Ah yes, that would be a cracker of an achievement indeed.

Each year that I’ve set this goal, I’ve gone just a little bit more, a little further into the depths of winter. Solstice, no problem. July done and dusted, and then August? I danced the joyous awkward dance of someone with freezing numb wet feet.

Now if I could get to August, surely I could get to September swimming in the cool water oceans wilds?

Surely.

With a determined glint in the eye, and so I did. I swam through winter and straight into spring, and now that I’ve done it once, a precedent has been set. The challenge has been marked. This is something that I’m not sure I would have been able to do if I hadn’t been doing my sunrise swimmers project.

Having this connection to these wonderful people I think has helped me find something that I wasn’t even aware I was looking for.

Loving Spring

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Loving…

Noticing the tomato plants, poke their head up again, after a brief winters sleep.

Stopping to actually chew food rather than gulp. Who knew that could be so enjoyable.

And adventures.

New adventures. While this space will keep quietly ticking on over, I’ll also be over on insta, hopefully giving a sneaky peak into a few other things that are also happening.

Loving…

The soft scent of spring in the air, the air not as cold. Growing surprise jasmine that along with wild freesias, completely infiltrates the house with its soft fragrance.

New blossoms growing from sleepy branches.

And bees, so many bees. Get the morning light right, stand still and watch the whole garden come alive with tiny buzz of busy insects.

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[“Often life’s pleasures pass us by simply because we don’t take a moment to focus on them… Make a point of noticing everyday something that uplifts your spirit or tickles your heart… Stop to breathe in the joy of this moment and then tell someone about it. Share your joy and revel in it. When your joy is savoured, and then shared, it is magnified…” ROBIN GRILLE]

In the garden…

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In the garden…

thoughts are slowed,

and breath is deeper.

Gentle hands brush past fragrant lavenders,

winter light catches on petals,

highlighting a beauty that often goes unnoticed.

With a kind sun warming your back,

there is a pause,

external noises muffled to the internal slowing beat

A soft sigh,

thoughts not as worrying, concerns not as pressing, what to do next,

definitely not as important,

out here, in the garden. 

 

Winter solstice

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Winter solstice sunrise swim.

An early morning, when you question your sanity briefly, while taking off your two jackets, looped woollen scarf and gloves.

To submerge your exposed white body in water that threatens to take your entire breath away.

Hold tight you got this one.

Exhale and in.

(And of course it was worth it. Every. Single. Time.)

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For the fellow sea lovers out there. Take a peek at this truly beautiful little film. Divine.

 

Thoughts of raindrops falling

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There’s a quiet peacefulness to your waking

Rhythmic raindrops create a steady beat on the roof.

It’s dark outside, with hints of grey. Just enough to show the puddles pooling in a long since saturated ground.

Thoughts dance briefly over the seedlings you planted three days ago, wondering at their willingness to grow through soggy adversity.

You scrunch your eyes tight to the predictable incoming thought parade.

The mental list of to do’s can surely wait. Just now, here in the early morning grey, this is dedicated gentle think time. Just like the raindrops that continue to fall outside, so to will the thoughts. Speeding up as the day cracks open.

But not yet, not now. It’s still early, and listening to those raindrops falling outside is the only required thought.

 

 

It’s all pretty exciting really

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It’s 5.15am and your alarm goes off.

Outside is dark. Stars still stand defiantly in the night sky as sunrise isn’t for another good hour and a quarter yet. You stumble into your swim suit, add another 6 layers over the top and silently tip toe out of the house, bundled up like a marshmallow woman. It is after all 7C out.

The trick is don’t let the cold sneak in. Don’t let it.

The stars are still there as you arrive. Looking our over the flood lit pool, and watching the wind whip up over the tops of the waves, you question yourself briefly. Although these days, the why no longer comes into it, it’s just something you do.

You wait patiently for the sun to arrive.

Swimming at sunrise at Merewether Ocean Baths throughout the year isn’t something that appeals to the masses (especially during these winter months), and yet to a select group of people this is the secret to a well lived life.

For over a year now I’ve been documenting these sunrise people, a visual story culminating in an exhibition scheduled for early next year. Over the next six months I will be sharing snippets of these ocean lovers, the magic of sunrise and a tiny part of the process in what it takes to create a body of work for exhibiting.

I hope you’ll jump on board for the journey, it’s a really exciting one that I’m tickled pink to be able to share.

In other news, there is a new website of mine if you are keen for a peek, and if you are still keen as a bean in finding out a few more super fascinating facts about me, I was kindly invited over for a lovely chat at Duckfeet on their Duckfeatures series.

Hope your week to come is good one dear people.

Loving…revolution, sunflowers and birthdays

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sunflower-cityhippyfarmgirl

Loving…Sunflowers

Seeing these beauties pop up in places I’d forgotten I’d planted makes the heart happy in ways that other flowers simply don’t. While I have a soft spot for marigolds, zinnias, lavendar, nasturtium, cosmos and calendula… Sunflowers have a little extra something about them. (They also have smaller unpredictable life span, as I never quite know when a cockatoo is going to make off with one of the heads. Cheeky buggers.)

Loving…birthdays

Planning small celebrations for the smallest who is no longer so very small. She’s been birthed and has grown a whole handful of years within these blog pages. Getting to celebrate her life makes this mama’s heart sing.

Loving… Revolution

I had initially posted this on instagram in a moment of heat fuelled utter frustration which was then redirected into energy….I still stand by these words and I loved reading people’s responses to it.

Plant a tree, build a garden, seek more knowledge, share your knowledge, find your tribe where people there think you are wonderful, explore other communities, know your farmers, stop and think, dare to dream, don’t sit quietly in the corner because you were told to, stand up for things that are important, stand beside the person who dares to say, no we don’t want this. Stand beside the person who says YES we do want this. Spend a few extra minutes, hours, days, weeks, months in your life to make a difference. Of course it helps. It does it always does.

Care about things. Everyone has a voice, make it heard where it matters. Whether it be through the written word, through art, creativity, through actions, poetry, an added body in a finding momentum crowd. To be quiet or noisy can be equally effective. Ripples or waves, go good people go. We can all be game changers.

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[“Often life’s pleasures pass us by simply because we don’t take a moment to focus on them… Make a point of noticing everyday something that uplifts your spirit or tickles your heart… Stop to breathe in the joy of this moment and then tell someone about it. Share your joy and revel in it. When your joy is savoured, and then shared, it is magnified…” ROBIN GRILLE]

What are you loving at the moment?

New Shoes…New Doors

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cityhippyfarmgirl

I’m not entirely sure how it happened.

Maybe I turned my head? Blinked longer than I should have, and there she went. Grew up and went right out the door with a backpack on her back. Shiny black shoes on her feet and more bubbles of excitement than any other regular given day.

New doors are opening, others simply have quietly shut.

It’s a big one for both of us, so I’m taking it in. Taking it all in.

The last baby bird just went to school.