I had the pleasure of visiting beautiful Larrakia Country a few weeks ago. It was a stunning, humbling, cup-filling week spent connecting with nature and some of my nearest and dearest.
I couldn’t possibly capture everything I adored about Darwin in one post, but these are some highlights.
Fogg Dam
Litchfield National Park
Tiwi Islands
Kangaroo Island was devastated by the bushfires in 2019 and 2020. When we visited in 2022, it was mind-blowing to witness the regeneration of the national parks and wildlife. It is very humbling to see how nature can come back from almost any disaster.
The Remarkable Rocks were such a striking visualisation of the power of the ocean and the wind. Like enormous, angry waves of stone, they tower on the edge of the ocean, appearing precarious and steadfast at the same time.
I can’t wait to come back in a few years and see how things have changed once more.
We visited Broken Hill for four fabulous days in Summer. It was beautiful and vast and eerily quiet! Wherever we looked we could see one of three things: deep red Earth, heat rising from the ground, and playful, joyful art in the most unexpected of places.
A Gosford based sculptor by the name of Lawrence Beck held a Symposium to add sculpture to Broken Hill’s art scene. A group of artists travelled to the Living Desert State Park, along with tonnes and tonnes of sandstone!
Each of the artists has their own unique story, as do each of their sculptures. Standing proud on-top of the hill, they almost blend into the landscape, while undeniably holding their own powerful presence.
“There are some days when I think I’m going to die from an overdose of satisfaction.”
Salvador Dali
Whirlwind weekend in Adelaide! How lucky we were to squeeze this in a few weeks ago. I’ve never visited South Australia before, and to be honest, it’s reputation hasn’t always been particularly glowing. I suppose the benefit of bad reviews (albeit completely unfair) is the joy of being pleasantly surprised to be proven VERY wrong! Bloody loved it. “Could-see-myself-living-here” vibes. Now that we have family there, I’m looking forward to exploring SA a lot more!
CRFT Wines
First stop was this gorgeous winery in the Adelaide Hills – CRFT Wines. Unlike any cellar door I’ve ever visited, it was warm, cosy, relaxed and wonderfully inviting. Comfy arm chairs, a wood fire, records and plenty of plants! Not to mention, very generous pours for a tasting! I truly could have stayed here all day.
We spoke with the owner, and found that he had previously owned one of our favourite restaurants near home in Sydney. Weird coincidence, and possibly why I took such a liking to this place.
Special mention to our chauffeur extraordinaire, Andrew! The real MVP
Botanic Gardens
An afternoon walk around the Adelaide Botanic Gardens proved to be pretty special. It was a beautiful day, and a great way to recover after too much wine the day before!
The Bicentennial Conservatory was particularly striking – from both inside and outside.
Henley Beach
We went to Henley Beach at sunset, and it did not disappoint. Coming from the East coast, it’s always a thrill to watch the sun set over the ocean.
Highlight: we made friends with a super-chill seal who was frolicking below the jetty, just enjoying the last rays of the day.
d’Arenberg
Our final stop before heading home was the d’Arenberg Cube in McLaren Vale. What an epic experience! You enter the cube on the ground floor, which is wall-to-wall whacky and interactive art installations.
Make your way up the colourful staircase to level 2, where there is currently a Salvador Dali exhibition. There were bronze sculptures and graphic artworks available to view and to buy. We decided to pass on purchasing a sculpture with the hope of buying a car instead.
Upstairs was the cellar door, where we tasted some beautiful wines with a stunning view over the vineyard.
We had the most amazing time and I know there is so much still to see. Can’t wait to come back!
Only thing I am testing positive for is Pasta or Cheese.
Joe Lauzon
We moved our olive tree inside into a gorgeous new pot, and all of a sudden we live in Italy! I am obsessed.
To celebrate, we cooked an Italian feast and had some friends over. (Yes, we celebrated a tree. It’s 2020 and we need to celebrate the little things!) I adored our trip around Italy last year, and I’m so grateful we were able to get over there before the whole world locked down. I can’t wait until we can visit again one day. Until then, home-cooked ragu will have to do!
Mamma mia! Stick a fork in me, I’m done.
If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is “thank you”, it will be enough.
Meister Eckhart
This is a pretty simple post. I’ve been busy packing and moving, and haven’t ventured beyond the house to take many interesting shots lately. What I have been doing is feeling extremely privileged and extremely grateful for the life that has fallen into my hands. We have just moved interstate into an AMAZING new home, I have landed an AMAZING new job, we are living amongst nature but we are so close to everything that we need. I literally can’t believe we get to live here. I was initially a little reluctant to move so far away from all of my friends and family, to a city in which I had never lived or worked – but I chose to take the opportunity for a fresh start, and this absolute palace is a very tasty little deal-sweetener!
I would not even have the freedom to live independently without the hard work and sacrifice of my parents, and their parents before them. With everything going on in the world at the moment, it can be quite overwhelming to try and comprehend how I managed to be born into such a relatively easy life. I have been so lucky. I don’t take it for granted for a second.
Here are just a few of my favourite vantage points from our new abode. From here, it’s pretty easy to look up and feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude.
don’t water down your
April Green
uniqueness
for anyone.
be like a wildflower —
passionate and
unforgettable.
(grow in places they never expected)
I spent the public holiday on a beautiful walk with a beautiful friend! I’m so grateful for any opportunity to be outside among nature. I can physically feel my shoulders drop and my jaw relax in places like this. Today, it was excruciatingly hot (like…suffocating, crushing heat), but the Riverside Walk in the Lane Cove National Park was a welcome relief, with dappled shade and greenery galore to keep us cool. We are so lucky to have places like this so close to home.
We saw enough cockatoos and lizards on our travels to last us many years. They all seemed to be out enjoying the sunshine – some more happy to share the track than others! We found a spot to park ourselves beside the river while we rehydrated. We decided that on a day like today, sitting in the shade and watching people kayak was a much better option than BEING in a kayak.
How gorgeous are these teeny-tiny daisies?! They are delicate and wild and free, and oh so pretty. One day I will have a garden full of them. Don’t they just make you believe in fairies and magic? The wonderful poetry of April Green draws a lot of inspiration from wildflowers, and since becoming acquainted with her work I have drawn many parallels myself. There’s just something about wildflowers that helps me to see the value of imperfection – rambling and stubborn, adding a unique beauty to their surroundings. We could all learn a lot from wildflowers!
I got a new lens! The Sony FE 2.8/90 MACRO G OSS is a beautiful piece of machinery. Let me start by saying that I am by no means an expert, nor am I remotely qualified to be reviewing photographic equipment! I’m just a rookie who is having a lot of fun playing around with macro photography for the first time.
This lens is built solidly, to put it lightly. The focus ring feels very durable, made entirely of metal, it rotates really smoothly, and can be snapped forward and backward to switch between auto and manual focus modes. It ranges from 1:1 – 1:10 magnification ratio which makes it super versatile, and includes in-lens image stabilisation, which really comes in handy in that 1:1 range. For a lens that looks and feels so robust, it is extremely lightweight and easy to operate without having to remove your eye from the viewfinder. As I said, I am in no position to compare this to any other macro lens, but from my limited experience it’s a 10/10!
Traditionally, macro photography is used in nature shoots on subjects like insects and flowers, because it can capture the tiniest of details in extreme close-up. I had a bit of a go at this in my backyard, and was pretty impressed with the result. I found that the depth of field is SO narrow that it can be really hard to get an entire insect in focus. I had to use quite a high aperture to achieve this, which created a bit of an issue for lighting. Luckily, being outside in the middle of the day, I managed to find enough light just by approaching from another angle.
I don’t mind the narrow depth of field when it comes to flowers – I think it creates a really interesting sequence of pictures, showcasing different parts of the flower side by side. Competing with an intermittent breeze, I also managed to get some accidental abstract shots which I really like! It’s usually the unplanned shots that I end up loving the most!
While flowers and insects can create some interesting shots, it doesn’t leave a whole lot of room for creative expression. I am far more interested in capturing the intricate details of everyday objects and presenting them in a way that we don’t normally see them. Again, lighting is probably the most significant challenge I faced. I have found that I need to be working at high shutter speeds to limit camera shake, as well as high aperture to maintain a wider depth of field. I needed to use an off-camera flash to introduce enough light into the shot. For a lot of the images, it was a struggle to create natural looking light – this will be my next challenge!
“She did not stand alone, but what stood behind her, the most potent moral force in her life, was the love of her father.”
Harper Lee
Happy Fathers’ Day!
I consider myself pretty lucky to have been blessed with a wonderful father.
His role in my life was the builder-up-er. He had big expectations and held me to a high standard, but he never failed to tell me he was proud of me – even for the smallest of achievements. I think I can speak similarly for my siblings. While he always pushed us to do better and be better; he made a big deal out of our success, he bragged about us to his friends, and he constantly showered us with love, laughter and support.
I like to think he played this role for many of our peers as well. He was known in our extended family and among friends as the “career advisor”. At any social event, he would speak to us all about our strengths and our interests, and then suggest a possible career path for us. It was a fun game at the time, and we would all laugh about the ridiculous job titles he would come up with. Now when I think back on those conversations, I realise that he was letting us know that we were capable, he saw our potential, and he believed in us.
He lived in a way that encouraged us to be passionate about what we do. He taught us by example that there was certainly a place for hard work, but there was no reason you shouldn’t have fun in the process. He was full of crazy ideas, and he was constantly planning exciting adventures for us. It’s thanks to him that we have had so many amazing experiences as a family, which have become beautiful memories that we can cherish forever.
He was the solid foundation in our lives that empowered us, made us feel safe and filled us with confidence. When he passed away so suddenly, the floor was ripped out from underneath us. This unwavering, invincible figure had suddenly been stripped of his power, and what seemed solid before didn’t feel so solid any more.
I will always miss him dearly. Life goes on, but it’s just not the same. It’s certainly never as good. It’s not as fun, it’s not as exciting, it’s not as spirited, it’s not as carefree. However, I like to think he fulfilled his job as a father – even though his time may have been cut short. He built us up so that we could live with confidence and independence, and made sure we knew that we could do anything if we worked hard enough. He fostered a sense of humour in us that has helped us stay sane through some pretty traumatic times. Most importantly, he made us feel unconditionally loved, respected and valued – ALL THE TIME. Even when we misbehaved. Even when we had differences in opinion. Even when we were ratbag teenagers. The way I see it, that’s what dads are for…so he did good! All the while working incessantly to support his family, bring his passion projects to life, and brighten the lives of those around him.
My privilege is not lost on me. I know there are so many whose fathers are not a positive force in their lives. I also have so many loving, supportive, gentle and encouraging men in my life – it would be ignorant of me to pretend that I lost all fatherly figures when my Dad died. I am forever grateful to all of these men for showing me what it means to be a man of good character – a good father, brother, husband, uncle, grandfather and friend.
One of his favourite places in the world was Manly Beach, and it is now a place we love to visit and remember him. What a beautiful gift it is to have such a stunning backdrop to bring our family together.
“Because my cup doth overflow
with the beauty of the days gone by.”
~ Van Morrison
“Don’t shoot what it looks like. Shoot what it feels like.”
David Alan Harvey
Ingredients for a tasty margarita:
– tequila
– cointreau
– lime
– simple syrup
– salt
Ingredients for a ~wild margarita party~ :
– tequila
– cointreau
– lime
– simple syrup
– salt
– SPARKLERS!
Excuse me, but HOW FUN IS LIGHT PAINTING?!
By this stage we’re all aware that I’ve been enjoying a cocktail or two during the pandemic. While the lockdown laws have eased a bit in Sydney, we’ve still been taking social distancing pretty seriously. It’s a necessary evil – but it hasn’t exactly been doing wonders for my photography! I’ve had to get a bit creative in order to keep getting interesting shots within our limited radius. The brief I set for myself this time was to capture the feeling of something, rather than just a snapshot of how it looks to the naked eye.
I’ve been meaning to play around with light painting for a long time now, and the thought struck me while I was preparing my beloved evening marg. I literally had so much fun shooting this that I almost forgot to drink it…if you don’t know me personally, you should know THAT IS A BIG DEAL. Don’t worry, I came to my senses eventually.
Name a better visual representation of the world’s tastiest cocktail…I’ll wait.
I also played around with some alternative light sources using long exposure. I just love the way that lighting can completely change the mood of a shot, and can be used in so many creative ways. Prepare your eyes for LOTS more light painting parties – I’m officially obsessed.
