painting daze...

I reckon that by now, I have pretty well painted most of the inside of our house - no joke.  The almost final hurdle is the room affectionately know as the "school room" thanks to years of homeschooling!    Taking a break from hours of sanding I thought I would grab the camera and take a couple of shots of stuff around the room - just for fun.
The height chart is something I don't really want to paint over just yet - but the dilemma is how to leave it there without making it look like a piece of wall I forgot to paint over...still working that one out.  The door to Elise's bedroom is testimony to how well she keeps it tidy - waahaa!!

spontaneous boonah

Shayna and I jumped in the car and took a detour to Boonah.  The sunset was pathetic so light trails became the next option.  Will need to take another detour out that way soon to this little place called Aratula - blink and it's gone.  But oh my goodness, does it have the best second hand shop/shed around!

how gold is the coast...

a few days break with family to the coast - what is nicer than sun, surf and the beach!

a little surf, a little sun...

...over by Manly is where Kashelle and I will be heading on Saturday to photograph a wedding.  We spent a few hours checking out the area and the conditions.  If it is an overcast day we could have an amazing sky as a backdrop.  Once we discovered the gazillion crabs scuttling along the tidal flats, well there was no stopping Miss T and we got distracted - a bit.

to new zealand and beyond!

finally getting around to editing our new zealand skiing holiday with family and family.   these are a few highlights of the time spent together, but not so much of the snow...the love of skiing surpassed (for once) the love of photography!

the jump....

jayesh clocked up another year of life and to celebrate he courted death!
naa - just joking!
jess shouted (kiwi terminology) him a tandem parachute jump, and mitch was more than happy to come along for the ride
that's one thing crossed off their bucket list
somehow i think they will do it again!

the birthday, the beach and the bump

So charlotte turned 20!! and being a holiday...we went to the beach.  Just for the day.   We probably ended up spending as much time in the cafe across the road as on the beach.  Good food, OK coffee, shelter from the wind and a play area for Tarquin - perfect!

Trying to play Settlers of Catan on a cell phone on the beach was a logistical nightmare - that's when the towels came in handy.   Made sure we captured Kashelle's 17 week baby bump too.

The weather was warm enough, but the wind cooled things down somewhat.  Not much swimming was accomplished but it was a  relaxed and totally fun day nevertheless... 

coromandel road tripping...

I had almost forgot about the photos I took when my mum, my sister and I went around the Coromandel Peninsula  for 3 days to celebrate her 86th birthday!  We had a ball...

On the road to Coromandel - a bit overcast but we were able to catch glimpses of the Hauraki Gulf as we travelled up the coast.  

Hall Hunting!

Last weekend Charissa and I went for a drive - out to Somerset Dam then ended up all over the place.  We even managed to end up in the middle of this vintage hotrod car show - impressive!
Visited Coronation Hall which Shayna had always talked about.  It is a country hall with this country hillbilly feel, and loads of character.  Would scrub up really nicely with lights and decorations and make an awesome wedding reception venue...the only downside being the time it takes to get there. Despite the distance, the drive out there is absolutely picturesque and a smorgasbord of scenic delights.

the birthday!

Tarquin was one year old - back on 11th May!
What a bundle of cuteness she is...and being an Oma for the last year has been pretty special.  Her birthday present was pretty amazing too!