Archive for 'Personal'
One of the wonderful unexpected joys of moving to Kiama, with its many beautiful beaches and fresh country air, is that our friends love to visit. Rarely a weekend goes by without one of our old Sydney friends copping a squat in our guest room. I think we’ve spent more quality time with the people we love over the last 6 months then since Harry was born 4 years ago!
Another wonderful surprise is that now my Sydney clients are choosing to come to me. Why not escape the hustle and bustle of the city for the weekend, spend some quality time with the kids and get your family photos done when happy and relaxed, away from the stresses of the daily grind?
This gorgeous family from Chatswood, came down for a weekend getaway to Gerroa. We met up early on Sunday morning on an unusually brisk but beautifully sunny morning, I think winter decided to have it’s final last stand. Their boys were bursting with exuberant energy and I was delighted to be able to capture them just being boys… kicking the soccer ball around with Dad, climbing trees, jumping in the sand dunes, doing cartwheels and everyone just enjoying time with each other!
Tash… so pleased to meet you guys! I’ll be in touch very soon with your full gallery xx
A rainy saturday morning stuck inside with two energetic boys? Yes, I admit I relented and allowed unrestrained bed jumping. Of course it ended in tears. But they loved it while it lasted!
I’ve recently been cultivating a new passion. Making handmade quilts. I’ve only made two so far, one for each of my boys… but I see a habit forming here.
The fact that sewing is passion of mine came as a huge shock to me. I spent four years of my catholic convent high school education rebelling against the compulsory “textiles” & ‘home economics” classes we were all corralled into attending. I wanted to learn how to carve wood using a lathe or bend bits of metal into god know what. My peers at the local state schools had equal opportunity to choose carpentry or metalwork, but my all girls school was still stuck in the 1950s! Gosh, it made me so mad and our poor teacher, Miss Butcher, I’m afraid bore the brunt of my teenage “equal opportunities” angst.
Fast forward 15 odd years and I’m standing in a bookshop in Chatswood. I love books and bookshops. I love the smell of them, all that new paper. I love the potential behind every cover and browsing the shelves waiting for my next favourite book to jump out at me. On this day there was one book that just wouldn’t leave me be… I kept picking it up, putting it back down again …. being drawn back to it again shaking my head… no… it can’t be… I’m not interested in quilting… surely not!
It was the colours, the riot of pattern, the beautiful modern design of the quilts. I was spellbound, it ticked all the boxes! 1) The art of matching a diverse colours, patterns and tones to create one beautiful coherent quilt (the creative urge in me). 2) Creating beautiful objects that would be part of our everyday life (the practical virgo in me). 3) Pieces of art that I get to wrap my family up in when they need warmth or comfort (the mother in me). I mean, how awesome is that!
Quilting is a labour intensive activity. Many many hours over several months. I mentally genuflected to my old convent school every time I had to thread my sewing machine, secure a knot or tie off a thread. Miss Butcher (and my parents), you were right to tell me I would appreciate my education in later life. I’m so sorry I ever doubted you!
With hand quilting, it can seem like an insurmountable task when you make that first stitch. It is a job that was only achieved by putting aside a little of my time every night, twenty minutes or even an hour if the kids get to bed early. Tiny increments of applied effort over a long period off time to get the desired result. At times it felt pointless, like it was going to take years to get this thing finished so why bother… is it really worth all this time? But something kept me going back to it. Every night. Maybe only for 10 minutes whilst watching Masterchef until one night, six months down the track, I tied my last knot. I walked to my son’s bedroom and laid the finished quilt, with much satisfaction, lightly on him he slept.
Harry’s quilt is not nearly perfect as a quilting piece goes, in fact it is obviously made by a complete beginner to the art…but, Harry LOVES it and so excited that his Mummy made it just for him. This makes me smile deep inside. I feel joy when I look at it. I felt at peace when I was making it. I feel pride that I kept going at it even when I didn’t really want to do it anymore.
Surprising, this experience has given me even more faith to persist in my other great passion in life, my photography and running this small business of mine. My manta in this slow winter season… tiny increments of effort applied daily over time will get the desired result : )
I have THOUSANDS of images of these boys. Almost every time we venture out at weekends or our adventures during the week either Paul or I will bring our camera. I love shooting my kids. Unfortunately 95% of of these shots never see the light of day as editing, proofing and posting is such a labour intensive process and my client shoots always come first when the time comes to sit in front of the computer.
This morning I was challenged by a friend to do something today that is always on your “someday” list but you never get around to : )
Being a parent is not always exactly as I imagined in my head all those years I spent wishing for it. It is hard work and often a thankless task! Yesterday however was one of those days that make all that hard work seem effortless and worthwhile. As I wrote on my facebook status last night:
Beautiful blue sky peaceful autumn day, morning spent cleaning the house, afternoon spent playing outside under the autumn trees, impromptu photo shoot with my very own darling boys, donuts from the berry donut van followed by delicious Sunday roast dinner, glass of red as watch Masterchef… satisfied sigh as I shuffle off to bed!
My challenge this morning was not to let these images languish unloved on my harddrive. They are too precious xx
At the moment i’m wavering between “the fist pump” of joy at the achievement of getting to this point in one piece; and breaking down in sobbing tears that my last baby is really really no longer a baby anymore.
Finn is such a beautiful cheeky character and he fills my days with equal measures of laughter and ‘steaming from the ears’ frustration at his TWO’ness.
I truly love him with my whole heart. It is wonderful to stop for a few minutes each day and appreciate how blessed we are to have this happy healthy kid as part of our lives. A good time to do this might be when I walk into the family room and find his latest artwork all over the walls; or his breakfast catapulted over his disgruntled brother; or the time he (helped by his cheeky brother) launched himself out of their bedroom window and the first I know about it is a little knock at the front door (thankfully we live in single storey house). This practice of gratitude just about stops me from totally losing the plot!
We were so fortunate to have chance to spend a leisurely Christmas holiday with my parents-in-law at the most divine farmhouse just outside of Berry. There was a creek running past the house, chickens running amok laying the most beautiful fresh eggs and the hugest, best maintained vegetable garden I’ve ever clapped eyes on; with fresh strawberries, raspberries, bountiful rocket and more tomatoes then you could eat in a month!
The kids, as I’m sure you can imagine, were in heaven. Loving adults all around giving them lots of nourishing attention, chickens to feed, eggs to harvest and strawberries to snack on!
We had a double celebration last week when my sister turned 30 and her beautiful man asked her to marry him
: ) : )
We spent the week down in Kiama with my folks and had many happy days lounging by the pool and hanging out at the beach! I’m so in love with the locations in his part of the world…and the wow light…and capturing the people I love, oh my goodness…a happy and fulfilled photographer here!
Just how gorgeous are these two. Congratulations guys… can’t wait for the wedding fun!
xx
My dear boy got my genes and has been blessed with a beautiful pair of red “super sight” glasses!
I took these snaps just before he battled me to the ground with his sword and then rescued me right back :)
I adore this kid.
Catching up with some personal blogging. The kids, Paul and I spent a lovely father’s day hanging with our extended family in Bronte beach. On the way home we decided to have a picnic lunch at Centennial Park and I couldn’t resist a few snaps of the boys with their dad. Their absolute favourite game at the moment is full on boy wrestling – almost always instigated by our baby, Finn! HARD to photograph though with all that rolling around : )
My spring sessions are ideal for capturing moments like these between siblings… only 2 spots left for the september sessions!
If I could imagine a perfect weekend it would probably include the following: peace & quite, time out from the kids, a morning latte, ample reading material, relaxing tunes, a hammock, trees and birdsong, a cold beer, no internet or phone reception, delicious food, a roasting fire and time to “just be” with my love. That would be my perfect weekend. My dearest Paul knows me inside out and back to front. Look what he organised for my birthday… Thank-you…it was AWE-some!
Thanks so much North for sharing with us your idylic piece of paradise. It really is the ulimate escape!
xx
