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The Magic of Sunrise

Posted in Blessings, Creativity, Dreams, Gratitude, Life, Love, Magic, Moon, Motivation, Photography, Soul Growth, Uncategorized, Writing, tagged Amatuer photography, beauty of the day, BEing present, birds caroling the dawn, butcher birds, Camera, dreams, Gratitude, Inner-peace, jasmine, king orchds, kookaburras, life lessons, Living from the heart, Lyme disease, Mindfulness, Mysterious moon, nature, self acceptance, sleepless night, Soul Growth, spring arrives, staghorns, sun's brilliant colours on August 28, 2013| 7 Comments »

The moon hiding behind drifting clouds

“When I set a glass prism on a windowsill and allow the sun to flood through it, a spectrum of colors dances on the floor. What we call “white” is a rainbow of colored rays packed into a small space. The prism sets them free. Love is the white light of emotion.”
― Diane Ackerman, A Natural History of Love

There is no denying that there are good times and not so good. Times when we feel low and it’s hard to break the cycle. We have to work even harder then to find the beauty around us, let it in and find the gratitude to be able to see, to witness and to share in the miracles we often overlook. Last night the moon was playing hide and seek between the cloud layers and looked mysterious, as though she had a seductive veil across her face. I went to bed dream of shimmying goddesses in layers of silk veils dancing around the moon, fairies, elves and magic spinning in the air.

After a restless and sleepless night I heard the birds caroling the new day and decided to venture out onto the back deck. The dew was heavy on the boards and there was still a chill to the air. Here is the vista which opened my eyes.

Here she is, the goddess of the morning, just peeping over the horizon. The beautiful colours at this time of day are so vibrant.

As she quickly climbs the sky, eager to enter her domain the colours become golden, the warmth of her light across the earth.

I couldn’t take my eyes from this beautiful colour, almost sienna but a deep rose-pink also. It really is almost indescribable in its beauty.

The golden hues from the strength of the sun start to drown out the other colours. Her power and majesty are shown clearly for all. The birds were calling loudly, rejoicing in her warmth spreading across the ocean. I love the rose colour spreading towards me from the sun. Goddess of the dawn Greek and Roman

DSCN3618 (Copy)

Too bright to now gaze at directly, this was from my balcony door. Sparkles shining almost like visiting spirits to welcome us after the night and sunbeams dart across the land and sea.

The Kookaburras were loud this morning, singing their distinctive song. This fellow looked pleased he had his perch to himself. There is often a scramble to get somewhere to bask in the sun. You can catch a glimpse of a Rosella streaking past as I took the photo.

Caught in mid song, such a beautiful cheerful way to begin the day. This Butcher Bird banishes any heaviness in the heart with its joyful song.

The scent from this adorable King Orchid was strong on the early breezes. It is huge in the centre of the Poinciana tree. There are more than a dozen flower spikes, each as large as this one in various stages of developing. It is a glorious white colour. I am waiting for my golden-yellow one to bloom, always later than this one.

The birds box nest, already inhabited by the Rosellas. It must be nice to have the large Staghorn around their nest and surrounded by the orchid. What a beautiful way to start the life cycle.

From the other side of the garden the strong and heady scent of the Jasmine was wafting along the breeze. Encircled by natures perfume and the glorious colours of the dawn, I went back inside and fell asleep dreaming of the beauty of spring.

I know that the other side of the world is heading towards their autumn so I hope you enjoy the beginnings of our spring.

“The alchemist was dazed and dumbfounded, as the true meaning of the magic was revealed: *The dead will rise from glade to glen and ancient will be young again*. The dead had, after all, risen. From dead and dry things there was growth, and new life everywhere. And the endlessly long winter had at last turned to spring.
From life to death and back again to life. It was indeed the greatest magic in the world.”
― Lauren Oliver

Blessings for a new day.

Susan x

Full Moons and ‘The Gift’ (owlsandorchids.com)

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Saving the Baby- The Mosquito Way!

Posted in Cameras, Gratutude, Life, Photography, Uncategorized, tagged Banded rail, Bird Watching, bird watching, Camera, Dengue fever, Essential oil, Insect, itches and scatching, local bird life, Local birdlife, Mosquito, Pheasant Coucal, photos, summer showers on March 12, 2013| 1 Comment »

image from clipart.com

“I am part of the sun as my eye is part of me. That I am part of the earth my feet know perfectly, and my blood is part of the sea. There is not any part of me that is alone and absolute except my mind, and we shall find that the mind has no existence by itself, it is only the glitter of the sun on the surfaces of the water.” D. H. Lawrence

There is something quite inexplicable about the reaction one has to such a small insect as the mosquito. I know it is responsible for some nasty illnesses, Dengue fever, Ross River fever and others. So to say the sight of one small mosquito can send me into a state almost akin to hysteria, is in itself, almost laughable. Unfortunately it is also true!

You can imagine my horror the other day, when, on looking down at my feet, I saw not one, not two, but a veritable impenetrable cloud of these voracious little monsters all over my feet and lower legs! TOO LATE! I stomped, I shook my legs, I swatted, all to no avail. As soon as I dislodged them they attacked once more.

After a very undignified waddle (think of a dog with something on his feet, shaking each paw as he tries, in an ungainly fashion to walk along, and you have an approximate picture of how I must have looked). Hilarious!

Back inside the house I inspected the damage. My feet and legs were already swelling with innumerable lumps, legacy of these little critters. I itched and I knew scratching was the worst thing I could do. (Impossible to avoid in your sleep!) I headed for my emergency first aid and liberally doused the entire area with lavender essential oil. Phew! As the itch and the urge to scratch slowly dissipated I examined the pictures I had been engrossed in taking which led to my predicament.

image from fineartamerica.com – OUCH does not come close.

The history first! Last night, just before a shower of rain and close to dusk I had been looking out my bedroom window to see what the weather might be doing. I thought I saw a lizard disappearing into the garden. I thought it strange since it was cool and miserable, not the sort if weather our resident water dragon enjoyed. He much preferred the sunny edge of our swimming pool.

A few seconds later this tiny, fluffy little ball scooted along the fence line and up to the pool shed, promptly turned and scuttled back. Back and forth he went without pause for five minutes. He was obviously ‘lost’ or ‘ stuck’ in there and couldn’t find his way out. I called to my husband ( just to make sure I wasn’t seeing things, especially anything nasty) before we went to see what we could do for the little fellow. However, apart from a quick photo to see what we had found, the heavens opened, the sky turned dark and the corner where he was hiding became totally impenetrable.

Baby Buff Banded Rail at dusk

Beating a hasty retreat (undignified and thoroughly vampirised by the mosquitoes), we decided we would have to wait until morning, fully expecting him to find his way out of the garden at the other end where we made sure the gate was open. Once it was light enough to see properly we checked and could see nothing from the house, so down we went. There he was huddled in the angle of the wall where the shed and pump house meet. As soon as he saw us he fluffed his feathery down and began his march to and fro once more. He had obviously become too disoriented to find his way out.

I headed for the gate to make sure he didn’t go past it and into the far corner (one dead-end for another), whilst my husband played sheep dog and walked towards our baby banded rail. Last year we saw one of these little birds avoiding magpies as he ran for shelter under the bridge across our pond. It looks as though he returned and we now have a little family in our back garden. Yippee!

The little fellow was obviously used to seeing us move around since he wasn’t frightened to see us. He trotted along, shepherded by my husband until he neared the gate. I managed to get a few photos (they are quick little birds), and then he hopped through between two posts in the fence and headed for the shrubbery around the pool. He promptly made himself at home ferreting out the insects. After watching for a few minutes we left him alone, sure that he would be soon reunited with mum and dad.

Despite still itching away, but smelling sweetly of lavender, I’m thoroughly pleased to see so many of last years visitors back again this year. We have a family of ducks, plus several other pairs, the masked plovers, our mystery birds, who we think may be a Pheasant Coucal (if anyone knows what he is I would love to know), the Purple Swamp Hens, plus our Banded Rails. This doesn’t forget the Crows nesting in the gum tree, Rosella and Sulphur crested cockatoos,Kookaburras and Swallows. The Pee Wees and Magpies are quite at home and one of them loves leaving presents on my bathroom window. Still, all things considered I feel really privileged that so many have returned this year. I just wish those pesky mosquitoes didn’t enjoy my blood quite so much!

We are fortunate to be able to see a small part of our local bird life with so much ease. The rain which has caused so many problems for so many has made our small corner a haven for the birds. Now if only my photography skills were a match for their beauty!

Here is what all the itching and scratching was about – and worth it! Isn’t he beautiful?

Baby Buff banded Rail, safely finding his way back to his parents.

However, the mosquitoes have had the ‘pint and a half’ so they can visit someone else from now on! Despite “loving all our creatures”, I’m afraid this one gets short shrift from me… days later I’m still itchy and scratchy due to being very allergic to even these tiny critters. Avoidance is the better part of valor from now on.

image from snailstales.blogspot.com

Here’s the link to my mystery bird.

Birdwatchers ahoy! (owlsandorchids.com)

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Cycle of life from my window in pictures

Posted in Blogging, Cameras, Life lessons, Motivation, Photography, Soul Growth, tagged acceptance, Amatuer photography, Australia Day, BEing present, Bush Fires, Camera, coping skills, Emergency service, Floods, Friendship, Gratitude, Inner-peace, Life, Living from the heart, Mindfulness, Motivational, Natural Disasters, New South Wales, Photography, Queensland, unconditional love, Victoria on January 30, 2013| 1 Comment »

It’s been a chaotic and tragic Australia Day here in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. We are now in full “get back to normal” phase, thanks to all the hard working Emergency Services personnel and the hundreds or thousands of volunteers. I’m laying here in my bed looking at a limited view of the scenery and wishing I could do more than offer my prayers in my meditations. I have to be grateful I’m not underfoot and need to be rescued!

Green and healthy hibiscus, new yellow buds already

The jungle of vines tangled with the palms from my first floor bedroom window. I have the strangest view at times since I’m so high off the ground. Like this bud outside my window, 25 feet off the ground yet looking so fragile.

Dead palm fronds stuck in trees waiting to fall

Dead palm fronds are hung up by neighbouring trees, just waiting for the right moment to fall. They sound like a mini explosion as they hit the ground. Too high to remove we have to wait on nature to take a hand.

Smallest of our palm trees itching reach of the house

You can see how tall the palm trees are. These are the smallest of those near the house. At their feet you can just make out the fallen fronds we have yet to clear away. These two came down last night.

Fronds on the ground without hitting anything

The little billabong/ dam filled after the rain.

The small dam/ billabong filled overnight with the rain. It’s hard to see with all the weeds which had taken over. It looks so picturesque at present. All the dead palm fronds have been cleared away.

Fragile lilies under the awning in full flower

Hiding in safety, my fragile lilies are flowering beautifully after the fresh rain. Nothing is better than sweet rain for them.

Pale green orchid rescued before the downpour.

Even more fragile my small green orchid. I’ve been watching the buds form all week so my husband made a rescue dash to bring it inside to flower for me.

Everything looks peaceful and lush.

Red hibiscus bud framed by dead palm fronds.

the entwined limbs of all the plants show off their different hues. Life blossoms around us, even 25 feet in the air! This red hibiscus bud would be 35 feet high yetis surrounded by dead palm fronds waiting to shake loose. The long cane it waves to and fro on will whip it out of the way as the fronds come down. Fragile yet strong, amazing isn’t it?

Heartcentred

So from my home to yours, I wish everyone love and peace. I pray everyone finds a safe harbour in the storms. I look forward to seeing everyone well and happy as soon as possible.

With love and gratitude. Susan

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A Memorable Year in Photos

Posted in Christmas, Creativity, Family, Love, Photography, Reading, Writing, tagged acceptance, Barn Owl, BEing present, Bird Watching, bird watching, Blogging, Camera, Ceremonies, Christmas, Coping Skills, Family, Friendship, friendship, full moon, Gratitude, gratitude, happiness, holidays, inner peace, Life, life, Living from the heart, Local wildlife, Love, Marriage, memories, Mindfulness, Motivational, nature, New Beginnings, new beginnings, New Year, New Year's Eve, outdoors, Photography, Soul Growth, soul growth, soul mates, special occasion, Tawny Frogmouth, unconditional love on December 30, 2012| 1 Comment »

They “year” began with New Years Eve at Ray’s parents in Moruya. A beautiful day and night set the tone for the year to come. It was a wonderful few days, seeing the sights – a finding a great little crystal shop. Needless to say I came home with bags of crystals. (We drove or it wouldn’t have been possible).

A Tawny Frogmouth let himself be known early on and has been a visitor ever since. We have at least four different owls living in the area, from a Powerful Owl, the Frogmouth and what looks like a Barn Owl, plus a very reclusive one we hear often but haven’t managed to get a good photo of yet.

Owls being my favourite birds, it was a real blessing seeing one so soon after we moved into our new home.

Presented to the guests, husband and wife

May was a brilliant month, and after months of preparation our wedding went off superbly. Here we are presented for the first time as Mr and Mrs Jamieson, can you tell how happy we were – and are. I’ve restrained myself to one photo, it’s hard to know which ones to use and there are so many!

Couldn’t pass the day up without showing off how fabulous my son and daughter looked on the day either.

One of my favourite gifts came from my husband shortly before we were to go away, a Nikon 150 camera. It is fantastic and even an amateur like me can get some marvellous shots. Most of all it made it super easy to have something to remember all the marvellous things which happened throughout the year. A few lessons and I might make a reasonable photographer!

The Little Blowhole at Kiama, dodging salt spray to get a good picture.

We had been so busy during the year that we hadn’t had a break – even after the wedding, so we spent a glorious week at Kiama, exploring the area and having a well-earned rest. The Blowholes were in fine form and we saw lots of whales passing by. Here’s the best picture we managed to get of the whales passing.

Occasionally I wished for a super zoom on my camera so I could get more photos – they really are beautiful creatures.

Humpback passing Kiama whilst we were there.

I found Nicole’s blog and became motivated to get back on track with my spiritual growth. It has been a wonderful year of rediscovery and discovery of new exciting things.

Thanks to Nicole we had a fantastic ceremony provided for the Blue Moon in August. This was taken just after the “Releasing Ceremony” and the crystals were in the bowls of water. The next night we had a “Becoming Ceremony” which finalised the entire ritual. It was an awesome feeling and really made us feel great. My blogging journey began shortly after this. Reading and writing have always been passions, now they are intertwined beautifully.

With lots of work in between we went back to Moruya to celebrate my father in law’s 80th birthday bash in October. It was a beautiful day and night – in fact they outdid the younger guests. It seems stamina comes with age! The cake was superb, it was only spoiled by the fact we couldn’t bring any home with us!

On the way home we stopped at Coffs Harbour for the night and the next day were greeted by this beautiful water dragon on the decking near the water feature. He was so tame he let us get really close. Obviously very used to all the visitors, he’s probably quite the model by now! See he even gave us a good pose for the camera.

Back home we were back hard at work but love to take a walk around the garden at the end of the day. Here the neighbours horse came over to say hello and was really friendly. My first ‘kiss’ from a horse – strangely enough it was a special moment for me and I’m blessed Ray got the photo and so filled with gratitude that the horse was so friendly.

I’d love to know the identity of this little fellow but just love his colouring.

We have lots of honey eaters visiting with the flowering trees. Some like this fellow seem totally oblivious to our presence and let us snap away merrily as he feeds. His colouring is ‘electric’!

We were graced by a family of kookaburra who came down several times a day to take a dip in our pool as the weather became hotter. They made lots of noise but it was worth it. Occasionally there would be a line up of all the different birds waiting to take a dip. It was really funny watching them take off one by one and then ruffling their feathers out as they waited their next turn.

We were surprised and pleased to find another water dragon sunning himself at home. When he was in the pool area I “chased” him around the pool – from the upstairs balcony, to get some photos of him. It was so funny seeing me trying to run around to capture a good shot. As soon as I had him in focus he would take off again after some other tidbit he’d spied.

Christmas seemed to arrive so quickly. It was a special time for us – the first one as a married couple (old-fashioned isn’t it?) and getting the decorating done together with the family coming down to celebrate Christmas Day together. We were grateful we could all be together and Ray and I felt blessed that our family could get together when so many couldn’t.

The last full moon of the year, December 2012. Even with the inclement weather we were able to get some beautiful photos of the moon through the trees and the weather remained fine for our ceremony. The meditation from Nicole was a beautiful way to complete a wonderful year.

As always we are mindful that not everyone has been as fortunate as ourselves. Like most people we have had our ups and downs. At times it felt as though the downs were holding mired in one place for far too long, but 2013 will be a wonderful year – for everyone. Throughout 2012 we have tried to remain mindful of what has been happening for us, being present at the important events was easy, how could we not. Being present when things were tough was harder, but we managed and it felt very heart centered in being able to do that. Ill health has been a drag but I’m hoping that with a new move, hopefully to a place with some space around it will give me the right atmosphere to get on top of things. Country life seems to beckon.

For myself, the unconditional love I have been so grateful to find with Ray has made this a wonderful, love filled year. Heart centered and soul centered, we have felt the growing and stretching of our soul growth throughout the good times and the hard times. We have also felt, and been awed by the presence of spirit, our loved ones who are no longer with us – in the flesh at least. It has made each special occasion that little bit more extraordinary and that is something I am incredibly grateful for.

The records for 2013 are now about to begin!

” Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year. “ Ralph Waldo Emerson

HAPPY 2013 EVERYONE. Blessings and stay safe.

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Time to start the holiday.

Posted in Cameras, tagged Amatuer photography, BEing present, Camera, Gratitude, gratitude, happiness, inner peace, Inner-peace, life lessons, memories, Photography, Vacations. on October 16, 2012| Leave a Comment »

“A vacation is like love – anticipated with pleasure, experienced with discomfort, and remembered with nostalgia.” ~Author Unknown

View from our window at Sea Whispers, overlooking the bay at Kiama.

Our room at Sea Whispers. The windows overlook the bay.

From the time we finally arrived, late, since we stopped briefly in Berry for a coffee, it has been an oasis of peace and quiet – apart from the Rosella which makes a racket in the early morning. Other than that we have been blessed with glorious weather, plenty of rest and unbelievable scenery.

Ray rediscovered the Rock Pool where he and his cousin Doug had played with salmon many years before.

Memories from the past at the Rock Pool, Kiama. It used to have huge salmon swimming in it and the children used to try to tickle the salmon, long gone now, but the Rock Pool remains.

We spent time dodging the spray from the Little Blowhole. It’s nice and refreshing but not so easy to photograph dodging salt spray! It does look great though.

The Little Blowhole at Kiama, dodging salt spray to get a good picture.

Terrific waves and tide for the Little Blowhole.

We were welcomed into Kiama by a pod of whales breaching. My little camera is great but still a little small for catching a good picture of the whales. Another try tomorrow because I placed my request for a visit from them again – when I have the tripod set up! It reminded me of BEing in the moment and gratitude for seeing these beautiful creatures at all. I am BEing blessed.

Time for a drive around Kiama and a lovely meal at the Kiama Leagues Club before dropping into that gorgeous bed for some well-earned rest. Life is simply wonderful. Holidays are like that, aren’t they? They remind us to make our everyday life as mindful as possible so we don’t miss out on the little things we can be grateful for.

Ray, relaxed and ready to rest tonight and explore tomorrow..

“Life is full of surprises and serendipity. Being open to unexpected turns in the road is an important part of success. If you try to plan every step, you may miss those wonderful twists and turns. Just find your next adventure-do it well, enjoy it-and then, not now, think about what comes next.”

Condoleeza Rice

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A Living Journal

Posted in Identity, Love, tagged Camera, Ceremonies, Friendship, full moon, Gratitude, gratitude, happiness, Journals, journals, Life, life, Love, Marriage, Photo, Self Development, special occasion on October 2, 2012| Leave a Comment »

“Sometime in your life you will go on a journey.
It will be the longest journey you have ever taken.
It is the journey to find yourself.”
Katherine Sharp Simple Abundance

magic journal

image courtesy of ancientchildren.com

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Theres no denying, the path to self discovery is full of half filled journals. Each one begun with zeal and promise and oft-times left forgotten under the press of other, more important matters. The funny thing about journals is that they aren’t a new thing. Writing in a journal has been an occupation which has been around for hundreds of years. The main difference is that they were often called diaries back then. Many a fair Victorian lady could be seen writing in her diary, her thoughts, her hopes, her dreams and it was a perfectly acceptable, indeed, it was a recommended pastime for a young lady. They even date back to Roman times and were called a ‘diurnal’.

So why have they achieved so much prominence now? My personal view is that many people have taken the route to self discovery and recognised the value of keeping a journal. It allows you to order your thoughts, identify recurring patterns of behaviour or thoughts and allows you to express those inner most desires we often don’t wish to share with anyone else. They also allow you a path to self discovery and improvement. Recently I completed a 30 day Gratitude Challenge wherein I kept a journal, (a Gratitude Journal) for thirty days. We looked at the things in our daily lives for which we were grateful. When viewed from a different perspective it is amazing to find how many things each day we can be grateful for. With the right degree of coaching (suggestions on how to look at the every day things in a different light), it is incredibly easy to find many incidental things we are grateful for, the sunny day instead of rain, the rainy day to water the garden and bring on our plants, the beautiful moon shining down on us, the help of a stranger as we struggle with our shopping, the smile from a waitress as she brings our order, the love and understanding from a husband or wife, the smile and hug from a child. The list becomes endless when you look with different eyes at the world around us.

ladybug lavendar

image courtesy of inside919.ning.com

However, we, my husband and I, have had so much fun doing the Gratitude Challenge that we decided to repeat it again. We are finding more and more things we are grateful for and we are finding ourselves happier each day as we fill in our journal. We are also happier with each other because we have more things we are grateful for about each other! A wonderful bonus! So we decided it would be even more fun to combine our journal with a personal history. We had already decided to make a travel journal, recording each outing, however big or small, one picture to act as a memory trigger and writing about the activities and what we had appreciated about them. In essence, what we were grateful for as a result of our experiences.

On thinking about what we planned we decided to get a large two ring binder, not a small one since we plan on putting lots into this, and called it a “Living Journal” because it was something we were going to continue to add to throughout our lives. It would be a record of our journey, with gratitude, throughout all the countries and places we visited and recorded in our “Living Journal.” Sounds great! It couldn’t be any old two ring binder though. We wanted to make it something special from the outset to match the intent we had for it.

So we went out and wandered through the craft areas of one of the local shops and gathered the supplies we thought would make this something extra special. We came home with styrofoam and wadding to make it nicely padded. We found two different types of material to decorate it with, plus some ‘rope binding’ to divide the segments. We also have some glitter stickers and butterflies to finish off the dressing. We made a start this evening, getting the foam glued to the folder – and melting some in the process. We learned to be grateful it wasn’t glued to the board we rested it on! We played around with the material deciding which pictures we might like in each ‘quadrant’ (there will be four sections front and back but not squared off or totally symmetrical since life isn’t boxed up so neatly), and how it would be finished off with the other adornments. I have a feeling we may decide to add to it but that’s part of the fun.

hand decorated journals
image courtesy of liesel.typepad.com

We already have a couple of small outings planned and a slightly longer holiday plus a big eightieth birthday party to attend. Dare I say it, we are almost excited to be able to start filling our journal! The wonderful thing about it is that we can simply add the pages as we like, until it is filled and then we can begin another! We can use coloured or plain paper. We can each write what we like to add to the photo memory and add anything else which was special at that time. Perhaps an entry ticket somewhere or an information leaflet. The list is only limited by our imagination and what we are grateful for.

Now I’m off to bed to dream about decorating my journal, my “Living Journal” and, since I feel I may want to decorate others now I have begun one, I’ll dream of the other also. I may take lessons in how to make them really decorative and the wonderful things about it is that we can look back on it later and have the memories as fresh as the day they happened. Lots of work and happy memories. A “Living Journal” – what a great idea Ray.

happy couple in europe
image courtesy of dexknows.com

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“The heart of marriage is memories; and if the two of you happen to have the same ones and can savor your reruns, then your marriage is a gift from the gods.”
Bill Cosby

handmade journals

image courtesy of jonnabarnett.blogspot.com

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Unexpected bumps in the night.

Posted in Cameras, tagged Amatuer photography, bumps in the night, Camera, frustration, Local birdlife, photos, possums, spoonbill on September 7, 2012| Leave a Comment »

“From goulies and ghosties and long-leggedy beasties
And things that go bump in the night
Good Lord, deliver us!” recorded in The Cornish and West Country Litany, 1926.

I’m still in recovery mode from my little medical procedure. As promised it’s not ‘quite’ as painful as before but I wouldn’t like to put a wager on it. Aside from the fact that the entire neck is bruised from it’s assault by sharp objects and I’m sure you can feel it too.

Last night we decided to have a somewhat early night. It is a misnomer of the grandest proportions since by the time we’ve checked emails, turned off computer, locked up, turned off lights and finally hit the bathroom for showers it’s not that early any longer. The problems begin with the emails, there is always one, if not more, to discuss or reply to and things snowball from there. The solution, of course, is to turn off the computer before we leave it and not go back to it. Easy! It is also the penalty of working from home. There is always the thought that something ‘vitally’ important may arrive late that we ‘must’ be prepared for the next day. I’m working on it!
nose to the grindstone

courtesy of neesay.wordpress.com

After wobbling my way through the last minute computer turn off and shower (not together thankfully), I was thinking longingly of laying my aching head on my pillow when my husband laughingly reported we had a couple of possums in the nearby tree. It actually sounded like a meeting place of mating possums. The noise, whilst not overly loud, was constant, and seemed to come from every branch of the tree. A torchlit search finally found several culprits, doing what possums do, and we left them to their – own devices.

However, there was a small interlude before that happened. I recently received a beautiful burgundy Nikon P150 camera and I was hopeful of getting one of the possums (at rest) on film so to speak. Check lighting, check, check exposure, check, check shutter speed, check, you get the idea, it was almost a game of the blind leading the blind. So, before they could move and I lost any chance of getting their presence immortalized I made a dash for the balcony door.
screen door funny

courtesy of annacbowling.blogspot.com

That’s right, I walked right into and through the closed screen door, the one my dear husband had so carefully closed behind me after I ran inside to grab that beautiful camera! Being one of the “you beaut” Crimsafe doors I bounced back into the room whilst the door flew outwards at a great rate. OUCH! Dignity and pride bruised and battered, not to say anything about my aching neck. I guess that’s what happens when you interrupt nature at work.

brush tail possum

Image of brush tail possum courtesy of whyology.blogspot.com

Fortunately we were able to see the funny side to this. With a backdrop of ‘hissing’ from the amorous possums Ray managed to get the door back on track, I massaged my bruised nose and toes, and contemplated the advisability of trying to take a photo.

“Fools rush in where angels fear to tread” Alexander Pope; an essay on criticism in 1709.

Dignity dented but intact, door replaced fully intact, possums still occupied, definitely intact, time to try for a photo. I remembered to open the offending door this time and we took up position on the balcony. Here we are twelve feet off the ground, Ray leaning way out over the railing to get some light on ‘the subjects’ whilst I, of much shorter stature than Ray, try to lean precariously over the rail to get the camera somewhere in the vicinity of the possums.

I can report, quite definitely, that I need more lessons on how to operate my camera. It may not be my deficiencies at all but an impossible ask under the circumstances. Several blank shots plus several orange blurs were all I got for twisting myself, pretzel like over the railing, this after trying to rearrange myself as I torpedoed through a screen door. It has not been my finest hour!

I am consoling myself with the knowledge that I caught a beautiful shot of a spoonbill feeding in our pond the other day. Sometimes you simply have to take your awards where you find them.

spoonbill

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The trials and tribulations of an amatuer photographer

Posted in Cameras, Photography, tagged Amatuer photography, Back yard birds, birds, Camera, frustration, Local birdlife, Photo, Photography on August 24, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Nikon P150 I recently received a beautiful surprise, a terrific burgundy Nikon P510 with a marvelous zoom lens for close up shots. I should explain that I had a perfectly good “point and shoot” camera which I had used as I travelled throughout the Middle East and Switzerland,taking some memorable pictures which I am quite proud of. So the appearance of this new camera was more than just a little surprise.

It’s strange how much emphasis we attach to certain things when faced by a sudden change. I was thrilled by my first solo overseas holiday so it would have been amazing if I was unhappy with any photos I took at that time. I’m still really pleased with my trusty “point and shoot”, mainly because I didn’t have to think about focus, light and balance. Truthfully I wouldn’t have had the time to do all that and grab a photo, often on the fly. It served me very well and I can recognise everything I took a photo of. Not bad I thought.

So what happened to change the status quo with my trusty “point and shoot”? We moved house, again,but this time we have almost a quarter of an acre with a giant blue gum, an over abundance of palm trees and a gorgeous little pond. This pond has been the reason for the new camera. Each day since we moved here we have a variety of wildlife which comes to visit. Mainly birds, and, so I was told, the hardest of all to get good photos of. Why, you may ask? It’s really quite simple, they move and fast! They wont take directions and head off just at the critical moment when you have finally set the light, focus and scene…. hence the frustration.

Yesterday we took the sane step of getting the salesman to come out and give us a lesson on the basics, at least to get us started with the camera. For a week I’ve been “playing around” with it, getting familiar with the zoom, and trying to get a few close-ups…. I have some adorable orchids which are a mass of flowers and duly deserve to be preserved in digital format. Not such a big ask I thought.

First we went outside… the lighting was just right and we went to get some good shots of the resident bird life – only there wasn’t any to be seen! Not to worry, we can pick a spot, any old mass of flotsam around the fenceline and aim and shoot. Just practising our light exposure and so on – really good fun. Not at all! Have you ever tried describing exactly the same clump of rubbish attached to a piece of wire on a fence to try yo aim at? It isn’t very easy, especially when you admit to being geographically challenged as I am. This means that north, south, east and west are not the best way to advice me to point towards. I’ll inevitably end up facing the wrong way! Next to the big cut off trunk in the corner of the next paddock, came the final piece of advice. Gret! I found it and away I went. Not bad considering the frustration of trying to find it in the first place.

The good news was that by the time I had managed to take this one photo of a piece of rubbish some of the birds had heard my unspoken plea and arrived to have their wonderful selves immortalised en camera.

Purple swamp hen It may not look much but when you’ve been standing, arms akimbo and the tremble has begun to shake the camera around like a flea looking for a meal on a hot summer’s day, you begin to appreciate how difficult it is to get a bird to play ball with you! The hysterial laughter s I tried to get a bird in flight was just the tonic we all needed. The blur was indistinguishable and deleted after the laughter subside. Next, in came the pair of wood ducks we think are nesting near the creek. They are so flighty I almost stopped breathing so I woudn’t scare them away. However, the instructions continued and I managed to capture this….

Wood duck in back yard

Okay, it’s not much for a first effort, but I was rather pleased with it all the same. I’ll take what comes along my way and practise some more and who knows… perhaps I’ll be able to photograph the moon like I want to next week. Now wouldn’t that be something!

Just to show how much I blurred it all… here is one of the best shots I missed

Blurry birds, courtesy of hypergurl.com I’m told it can be much worse, I know it can because I did it later.