Winter so far

{Instagram photos, @thedaydreaminggirl}

 

Winter so far

has been mild and lovely,

with blue skies,

day trips out to the beach or the fields.

It's been so sunny the blossoms have started,

very early yes, but I am not complaining.

I am keeping my fingers crossed

that the next 2 months of Winter

are just as mild and lovely.

New Work - road trip inspired

{Seek Adventure, print available here}

{You make me smile - print available here}

I am really inspired right now,

we have been out to the coast a few times, 

and there is something about being a passenger in the front seat

that gets my creative juices flowing.

I have pages of little sayings I plan to use on beach photos,

all inspired by conversations and musings in the car.

Here are the first 2 of the new series,

I hope you enjoy them!

x

White Blossoms

Today's blossom.

There will be more,

as each day we go on a blossom hunt.

It really is one of my favourite times of the year.

I love where I live

On our way home from the city, 

in the late dusk of the day, 

we stopped at the top of the hill. 

And took a moment to look at this view. 

The colours breathtaking. 

The sky endless. 

The moon and first star out. 

And down in that valley, is where we live. 

The drive can be a real mission to get to all the city has to offer, 

and to visit all of my best friends and their families, 

but when we see views like this,

the drive is magical. 

 I really do love where I live.

{I posted this on instagram on Saturday,

but wanted to have it here as part of my 'blog journey'}

Autumn

 {all photos instagram}

I am a little late with this post,

a 5 week flu and then stomach bugs 

have slowed us all down over the past few months.

I wanted to capture autumn in this space though,

as we really did have the most amazing season.

So hot, with a dash of snow.

Bright blue skies,

such lovely lingering summer sun,

vibrant orange, red, yellow trees.

There were days we enjoyed ice blocks on the back deck after school

with the kids asking if we could go swimming at the outdoor pool.

Scooter rides, bike rides, our trip to the coast.

All of summer lingering, lingering.

Then we had a cold snap, 

with snow of the hills all around us.  

The first fire of the season lit in the woodburner,

to remind us that summer cannot last forever.

The strongest leaves are still clinging to the trees,

So there is a hint of autumn lining the streets,

as Winter slowly eases in.

 

Thank you Autumn, for such amazing beauty.

Mother's Day

On Mother's Day, my gorgeous little family

surprised me with a picnic adventure to the coast.

Oh how they knew this would make me so happy!

The weather was spectacular.

No wind, when normally the wind comes straight up from Antarctica.

Not even a breeze, much to our little guys dismay,

who had packed his kite.

{The Ocean is Calling, 8x12, available here}

The sun was shining, 

the sky was a brilliant blue.

No clouds.

The ocean perfect shades of pale and turquoise blue.

We climbed to the lighthouse.

We saw penguins, 

and seals.  

The kids ate ice cream in the hot sun,

and we commented on how this has been the longest, hottest Summer,

stretching out through Autumn and so close to Winter.

{Chase Adventure 8x12, available here}

We played in the sand,

and watched the waves.

We saw the snow capped mountains of the South Island.

I took photos, and savoured every minute of it.

 {Be True To Yourself 8x12, available here.}

There is something so simply magnificent about the beach,

and this part of New Zealand.

We are so blessed to live in this beautiful world.

I believe...

I believe

everything happens

for a reason.

Farewell Summer

I realised I never properly farewelled summer. 

So more than half way through Autumn,

here it is,

my farewell to the blue summer skies,

the fields of dried grasses,

the fluffy white clouds drifting lazily up above.

Until we meet again, Summer.

The beach in Autumn

A few more from our day at the beach.

The day she danced in her tutu at the waters edge for me.

And stood and watched for waves.

and she realised....

I have been craving adventure lately,

feeling really restless.

I blame it on the nostalgia that always seems to accompany

the subtle changes from summer to autumn.

And then, this week, our little boy turned 4.

On his birthday morning, sitting on our bed holding a new box of lego,

he looked around at us {his father, mother and sister}, 

and said with the hugest grin -

'I am so happy.'

And, of course, my heart melted.  

It made me realise, that this is what happiness is.

All that is right here in front of me.

It's not in the adventures, it's in the people I am lucky enough to love.

all that matters

New work - 'Celebrating the blues'

 

I've been completely inspired this summer, 

by road trips, the beach, hot summer skies....

capturing these things with my iPhone,

and sharing them over on instagram.

I am seriously in LOVE with camera on the iPhone,

having it with me to capture these things,

it's just well, magic.

And so I re-created 6 of my favourite

instagram photos from this summer...

they are grainy and hazy, 

like the bright blue sky in the heat of the day.

The words are all how I felt on the day each photo was taken.

I have added them to Society6 as iPhone cases, prints, canvases, 

totes and cushions.  oh my!

I will also be adding them to Etsy later this week.

I think the cushions just might find their way

to the couch on our deck.....to remind us all 

just how amazing summer is.

 

2/52 {north/south divide}

Week 2 of our 52 week iPhone project.

So loving the contrast in seasons!

You can find more of Laura's gorgeous work here - 

blog - www.oohprettyshinyphotography.blogspot.com

etsy - http://www.etsy.com/shop/oohprettyshiny
facebook - http://www.facebook.com/love.laugh.believe.photography

instagram - @oohprettyshiny

The Blues

There is something so magical about the beach.

It really does soothe my soul.

I first created a 'you soothe my soul' photo years ago,

So it felt good to add the words to a new photo,

(thanks iPhone and instagram!)

as at the moment I am loving the blues.

Pale blues of hot summer hazy evenings,

and the bright blues of the morning and early afternoon sky.

Blues. 

 I'm all about blues right now.

Why I love where I live #5

Why I love where I live....

the sky

the clouds

the trees

the birds at twilight.

I have been adding new country prints,

available here.

Why I love where I live #4

Why I love where I live #4.

The stunning views every time we drive over the hill to the city.

The sky, the hills, the country colours,

are quite simply, 

breathtaking.

I hope you are enjoying the final days of 2012.

Oh won't you fly....

oh won't you fly, 

fly away with me, 

to where we can feel the gentle ocean breeze...

and the sun on our skin...

to where we feel alive...

Wandering

We used to go wandering the neighbourhood for cats and dogs.
Now we see alapacas...sheep....horses...goats.....cats....birds.....dogs....cows.....
The kids are loving it. 
Last night we feed the alpacas and the sheep, and watched huge flocks of birds fly overhead as the sun set behind the snow capped hills. 
How life has changed. 
We are loving it. 

The first morning of the next chapter

When I think of New Zealand, the first words that pop into my head are 'beautiful', 'blue' and 'green'.  This country is so beautiful, and yes being my home, I have always been aware of that.  Every time I flew in from overseas the scenery took my breath away.  But this time, it was different.  Knowing we are here for good, not for a short trip to catch up with as many family and friends as we can cram into a short period of time, but to set up our home, well, it feels like I am looking at it all through a fresh set of eyes.  And the first thing that struck me was just how ruggedly beautiful the land is.  If you fly into Wellington over the top of the South Island, and are lucky enough to see the vast snow capped mountain ranges, the islands of the Sounds, and the green hills of the Wellington region, you will know what I am talking about.

Waking up to this view on our first morning here, the first morning of this next chapter in our lives, with such vibrant blue and green, well, you know I had to do....take a polaroid of course.  :)

Moving - in a daze

I am in a daze.  A hazy blurry fog.  We are moving to New Zealand.  And I am oh so excited.  And oh so scared.  I am from New Zealand, and it has always been in the back of our minds to move to be closer to my family and friends, for our kids to grow up in a tight knit community.  As many of you will know, without family or close friends in the same city, raising little ones (and also trying to nurture a small business!), is hard work.  But we kept putting it off, as we really do love Melbourne.  It's where we fell in love, where our children were born, where my dreams started to fly.... But after our trip in April, we both felt that the time is right, to swap the big city we love, for the country that we also love.  We have big dreams for our little family....most involving a back yard, bikes and a trampoline for the kids, a vegie garden, and kiwi accents...and for me - a studio, fields of wild flowers, and vintage props for my little business to grow.....

I know we are in for an emotional roller coaster, I think that is why everything feels so hazy.  I feel a bit like the red balloon in the polaroid, caught in a dream.....

So the Sisters' Market this Saturday (June 12) will be my final Australian market.  I will be keeping Etsy and Madeit open until mid July, then will be closing for a 3-4 week break while we move (I will post final dates when I have it all sorted).  If any of you are in Melbourne, I'd love to see you on Saturday. To say hello, and good bye.