Supermoon 2012

Well turns out the moon was pretty close to the earth today. A case of 'Moonageddon' or perigee-syzygy. It sure contributed to my Superinsomnia last night.

The moon is still big and bright and I just caught a few magical glimpses of it before the rain came. The weekend has been relatively disastrous and Mr Moon has managed to put a smile on my face. So yep all is forgiven :)

Clouds

Halo

Not so round, are we?

watching

Here's hoping that I'll sleep better tonight.

♥

Photo excursion - Sculpture by the Sea 2012

Yay! Made it to Sculpture by the Sea at Cottesloe beach yesterday...lugged a macro lense with me because I wanted a different, narrowed take on the sculptures. 

Check out the Sculpture by the Sea website to get the big picture :)

♥ 

Happy

2011 has been quite the challenge, in fact the last few years have been a struggle on many fronts. I admit that I'm lacking direction, I don't know what it is I really want for the future and how to get there. Trouble with me is that I want to do and learn so much, all at the same time, with resources (aka money) I don't have. I want the humanly impossible and it has rendered me immobile.

Yesterday someone said to me, "You seem to have so many burdens in your life. Your house is a burden. Your work is a burden. Your relationships are a burden. Your self is a burden. There is not a single thing that brings you happiness."

Harsh I know, but it was said by someone who genuinely cares about my wellbeing, with the intention of possibly jolting me into some sort of action. Well the skies didn't open up with revelation nor did I get an immediate dose of get-up-and-go. Instead I got defensive and insisted that there were MANY things that I'm VERY happy about (even though I knew that that wasn't at all the point and I'm merely distracting myself from the issue at hand).

I've been feeling teary and down in the dumps since, so I decided to list just a handful of things that make me happy. This is a slice of pretty that I can revisit when I need to remember the painful but necessary conversation last night. 
When I need to get some focus.
When I need motivation.
When I need a kick up the bum.

My happiness:

unconditional love from Miles

my creativity in arts and music

having a coffee a day

this boatshed (yeah, common knowledge)

books and bookshops

Thanks to my parents' sacrifice and hard work, and being born on the cusp of Gen X and Y, I've had a blessed life. I have all my limbs intact and senses complete.
I mustn't let my life go to waste. I have so much potential!

“May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful, and don't forget to make some art -- write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself.”

-Neil Gaiman

♥

Weeding fail

So I was supposed to be weeding my jungle of a backyard...



but I got happily sidetracked. 
I found goodies between the pavers





had plenty of dandelion seeds to set free



succulents to savour



and had a rolling-stone-gathers-no-moss moment.



I also found 2 love birds



and one very inquisitive cat!



I'll weed tomorrow. Promise. For reals.

♥

Morning on the beach

So I'm housesitting and totally loving it. The guest bed is a lush cloud so a little sleep-in is a must on this gorgeous Sunday morning. 

I hop out of bed only because I'm ravenous and have been looking forward to breakfast at John Street Cafe in Cottesloe. After the vegetarian lot and a coffee, I head down the street towards the beach.

John St

Cottesloe beach

It's super sunny and it's really comforting in that sense, but I have to remind myself that it is the middle of winter and I hug myself against the chill as I stroll towards the groyne. I sit on the rocks for a while and stare at the blue green ocean and there's no where else I'd rather be. 

Seagulls swoosh past, waves crash around me and 2 dolphins swim past.

Taking the scenic route back to the car, I revel in the sand squishing between my toes and manage to get seaweed on my jeans. Good look :)

obligatory footprint shot

Vitamin D and happiness levels are back up and I think I'm ready for the working week ahead.

♥

Photo excursion - Chittering Valley

It's a public holiday and a perfectly sunny winter's day. The breeze is constant and the temperature is in the high teens.
This is just a snippet of Chittering Valley, an hour's drive north of Perth. 

Blue skies and crunchy gravel

Smokey...loving the smell of wood fires

Vineyards. farms and orchards galore

yellow-y olive-y brown grey greens

Epic clouds and cows

pretty prints

Rundown rusticness

Trigger happy, as usual. Photo credit: mattyp

I marvel at windmills, look out for lego-like tractors in the distance, spot some horses and catch a glimpse of an emu.

♥

You never forget how to ride a bicycle

April has just flown by. Hang on...we're in April? 
Where has the time gone? 

I must've either been:
(a) extremely busy
(b) an awesome procrastinator
(c) having fun
(d) all of the above, or
(e) none of the above

The answer is more likely to be (b).

But I prefer (c).

Mum loves seeing the water

Going back in time

Feels like I should be wearing a head scarf and huge sunnies a la Audrey Hepburn

Camera in hand, I'm relying on dad to keep us upright and dry :)

Mum and sis going way too fast

Quad-cycle

Fun. Brought to you by About Bike Hire.

Yeah, DEFINITELY prefer (c).

♥