HOLLY AND RUFUS
Our pups are beach bums. They love running along a beach and seeing what is in the water. They really love meeting their fur friends on the beach too. It is a pity that so many beaches are closed to dogs. Councils have made it hard for the majority of dog owners due the the sheer laziness of the minority. People are the problem, not dogs. I clean the beach when I am there of our dog’s poops and the rubbish that people leave behind. It makes me sad to get to a beach and turn away because it isn’t dog friendly.
JUNIPER THE WONDER BUS
We bought Juniper as a school bus. She was filled with banana skins and peanuts. Not one piece of chewing gum under the seats! How bizarre. I had her all figured out in my mind. In hindsight, a shower would have been great but my claustrophobia would never have allowed me to be in a small space with the door closed. I had a few must haves. Number 1, a king sized bed. Holly and Rufus sleep with us and Pete hates them touching him. A king sized bed gives plenty of room for them to snuggle with me and gives him plenty of space on his side of the bed. Number 2, I needed an air conditioner. I am so sensitive to heat and cold. Number 3, I needed power for the Thermomix. Oh and the most important thing, I needed a composting toilet. I hate going to a public toilet. I would only poop in a public toilet if it was an emergency. I love her so much and can’t believe we own her. She will take us on many adventures in the years ahead. She spells freedom to me.
THE DAY THE SELLER DELIVERED HER TO US.
THE DAY PETE SAW HER ARRIVE. HE WAS DROWNING IN HOUSE RENOVATIONS STILL. I CALL THIS THE OH SHIT MOMENT.
I SAW THAT LOOK A LOT WHEN I HAD ANOTHER IDEA TO SHARE.
ALL PACKED UP FOR HER FIRST BIG TRIP.
THE FIRST BIG TRIP NSW/QLD
Well that trip didn’t end how we thought. It was the biggest rollercoaster trip of my life. I have never had my emotions so up and down in all of my life in a 3 week period. I have taken so long to share the images. It was too painful to look until Juniper was back home with us after being towed home by RACV. Get Total Care or the equivalent if you are travelling. We drove as far north as Mudjimba, Sunshine Coast, Qld. Stopped at lots of gorgeous places along the way. Sadly the trip in the bus ended in Wollongong. Luckily for us though was that we had family there that could help us out. Thanks Adam and Ashy for the park, Nathan for the car and Kak for the hugs. Enough of reliving it. I am posting photos. I didn’t take a lot of photos while I was away.
A MIX OF COASTAL PHOTOS
I am finding it hard to keep my images together in groups. My desk is a mess with post it notes with images and where they are. I give up. I will just have a mix of images from everywhere until I can stop looking at old hard drives. Eventually it will just be a normal blog. I am trying to work out how to fix a 21 inch computer on a wall. I think it will go at the end of my side of the bed. Luckily I am 5ft tall and don’t use that much of the bed. The new iMacs are a lot thinner than my old mac too.
BEACH LIFE
I am going through old hard drives to get my favourites off and on here. We are going to go on the road soon and I will not have the space to bring old hard drives. I am going to look at putting a 21in IMac on the wall and swivel out so I can still edit on a computer and not a laptop. I have a MacBook pro and I hate it. Oh I look forward to this new life. Meeting new people and not knowing what the day will be like. I know it will come with ups and downs…I just hope it is more ups than downs. hope to know more soon. We are in a holding pattern at the moment and we know once it will be a race to pack up our life. I can’t wait to sit at the beach everyday taking photos of the ocean. Letting the pups free range as much as we can. Pete and I have been going from one thing to the next for 31 years. It will be nice just to go with the flow.
MONTANA, USA
I have been to the US 10 times. I love it so much. The countryside is so amazing. I don’t know why people are so scared of Australia. There are so many things to kill them in the woods. I have lots of amazing friends in the US. I don’t know if I will ever go back again. I have been to see my friend Jean three times and she has come to me twice, once in Scotland and once in Australia. The only thing I fear is not seeing my friends again.
BIG WAVES AND A BIG TEMP
The temperature was up today. I didn’t notice until I went out the second time. This morning I took Holly and Rufus out to see their doggy friends at the beach. They got to have 30 mins running with the big dogs and Rufus had a swim. Pete got home and we grabbed a burger on the way to have at the beach. What a sight. I really miss the 70-200mm lens. One day I will get it again. I shared my burger with Holly and Ru and the dog in the first picture.
Bells Beach - Rip Curl Pro
The day was Brennan’s birthday. I think he was 16. It was a great day. I almost didn’t go and am glad Pete waited until my headache calmed down. I was still really sick but for a while I was able to get lost in photographing people. These are a few of my favourites. I love shooting at beaches. It is truly my happy place.
BALI, APRIL 2018
The first time I went to Bali, I did it under duress. Wow what a place. I felt the Bali magic!!!
PARIS, NICE AND AIX-EN-PROVENCE, FRANCE 2017
One day I was talking to Chris (Pete’s cousin Mike’s wife and one of my beautiful friends) and I was casually looking at flight to Paris. They were cheap!!! I was about to turn 50!!! A quick run up to the shed to Pete to get the green light and we had flights booked!!!! It was a beautiful trip. We had a day and a bit in Paris looking around. We then boarded the train to Nice to meet up with Mike and Chris before heading to Aix to see Alison, Giselle, Jack and Nico. I also got to see where my great great grandfather grew up. He lived in Antibes. I went to Grasse where his father or grandfather grew up too. It was truly the best trip. If only I could jump on a plane to see them all again.
BALI, NOV/DEC 2018
I will be adding places I have been that I had on my last blog. This was the time Pete and I went to Bali and stayed at Hotel Komune. Love that place!!!!!! Now after loading all of the photos……I miss Bali!!!!!! I will share photos of the trip I took with my friends from the US soon.
KILCUNDA, VIC
I would love to say it is a hidden gem on the Bass Coast but that would be a lie. The little town has been filled with holiday makers enjoying the beach and the cafe across the road. It is a great spot with beautiful little rock pools to explore. The pups love it there and we took Grace and Eve there on Wednesday and Thursday. Absolute heaven.
I LOVE THE AUSTRALIAN COAST
When I am feeling stressed out, you will find me at the coast with my camera around my neck seeing what I can find to photograph. I will share a few of my favourites. I have so many more. Should make a coffee table book for myself…..but I will continue to procrastinate about that no doubt.
WHAT A TRIP
Pete and I left Wonthaggi on the 22 Nov, my 53rd birthday. We got to Leongatha. About 30 mins up the road. Poor Juniper felt really hot. I called RACV and the mechanic came. Assured us all was well. It wasn’t. So….we had a trip filled with anxiety which ended in Juniper being towed home. If I can give anyone with a vehicle some advice it would be to have RACV Total Care or the equivalent and know your vehicle and the part numbers. It was the biggest rollercoaster of a holiday. I was sad to leave the bus but glad to be able to get home before I fell apart. Thankfully we had help from our wonderful family in Warilla. It sure softened the blows. I found it hard to take photos like I normally would have. I only have a handful of this trip. I am sure the next trip with be full of images. It didn’t stop me wanted to go on a big trip either. I usually get attached to my vehicles and this one is no different. We talk about getting a bigger bus but I really don’t know if I could ever sell Juniper the wonder bus. - this image was at Lennox Head.
BLOG POST NUMBER ONE….LET’S SEE HOW IT GOES.
I decided to cancel my old blog a while ago. I really regret that decision. I miss seeing my travel photos in blog form. I hope you enjoy seeing my blog if you stumble upon it. It will be images of my travels.
