Jacaranda {Family Photos}

Every year during Jacaranda season (about 6 weeks long) I declare I want a family photo under one.

See pasts year offerings here : 2014 , 2013 , 2011 , 2010 ,  2009

Every year time flies and its a half hearted effort, there's no professional photographer and bam the flowers are gone.

This year was mounting up to be the same.

We have many jacaranda's in our streets but most would require the photographer to stand on a very busy road risking their life and there is alot of visual clutter (buildings, electricity lines and poles, signs, carparks, roads etc) but I wanted those photos!

Amid a bit of groaning I convinced the family to go to a nearby area with a few.

Last Christmas we gifted our second daughter a camera. Along with a tripod she made an excellent photographer and lined us up for these shots. Thanks to whomever invented timer button!
Then she came home edited them aswell. It was a great idea to put her in charge.

Family Photographs have never been so easy!

OH except for the midges, the stinky dead possum, lots of prickles and bindis, a swooping magpie, impromptu toilet trips (with no toilet!), and the sun being on the wrong side for most of the jacaranda's (think silhouette/black effect - not the gorgeous purple we wanted) But we survived!!

 

the funky industrial wall was too good to pass up. I think we ended up with more photos there :)

The second Shift

Sometimes I fantasize about going out between the hours of 2:30-7pm

Umm Really....


I feel so blessed to have been a stay at home mum for many years.

Now I feel blessed to have been able to find part time school hours employment the past few years.

But sometimes I feel I miss that whole other day that's contained within each day.

Like a Whole 5 hours!


Occasionally, very occasionally I get to experience it...


and its WONDERFUL!


Seriously the things one can do! Oh my, am I missing out!


I had a chance a month or so ago to be out alone in the afternoon on my way to setting up a dinner and I got to see a sunset. A gorgeous sunset, watching people out walking, exercising. People are actually out?! and not at home!  A cleansing feeling to the end of day. Gee it was nice.
{why does my house have to be downhill, with no views, facing mainly walls?}

Once on my birthday we started with breakfast at a cafe, sight seeing, walking, city cat, musuems, lunch, walking, shopping, art gallery, dinner, movie. That day felt like it went FOREVER. Didn't have to cut it short by 2pm to start to head home for school pick up.

This holidays I got another glimpse of that feeling when heading to the beach at 2pm. Relaxing, swimming, meeting with family. Then slowly thinking about heading back doing our thing.
Watching the sunset as we drive.


It's surely a blessing to have routine. To have a wonderful home to head home to. To be able to rest from school and work. To have afternoon tea and to start homework. To have baths and to eat dinner and read books and head to bed.


But sometimes that routine feels like it equals a part time job. Which it does.
A job that's been going for 15 years.


Sometimes I dream of doing things and going places between 2 -7pm

One Day I'll get my second shift.