Dog, Cat and Bird!

I think I photograph my children so much that I sorely neglect the "other" members of my family!
So to cut a long winded apology short, I decided to give them their own studio photo shoot.
To say it was interesting is the understatement of the year. ( not that we are that far in yet...) Anyway, I did manage to get a few nice shots... Let me introduce you to them...

This is Holly, our dog. She like to lean on us, and loves to give us that pleading look which demands hugs, pats and kisses. Her bark is much, much worse than her bite,. That said, she is a little bit protective of her family, so we know that she is there for us in much the same way as we are for her.

This is our cat, Mr stinky. He is getting old and I adore his snuggles. It seams that as he gets older, the more he requires pats and love. I don't mind. I know that the day will come when he passes on from this life, and i think it will break my heart for quite a while. 

Oh, and why the name Mr Stinky?  When he was a little puss, he came to us in quite a sorry state. Of course, we fixed him all up, but at the time he had a serious problem with gas! 

This is Sonic, our Galah. He is a little bit nutty... ok... alot! He worries me the most of all our pets. I don't think he is very happy in a cage, and we are working towards getting a big aviary for him, in which he can have a bird mate, instead of a human one, and enjoy his life a little bit more. 

Fluffing his feathers.

Charlotte's Web!

In our garden there lives a very special spider. We have named her Charlotte.

This is her web.

“You have been my friend. That in itself is a tremendous thing. I wove my webs for you because I liked you. After all, what's a life, anyway? We're born, we live a little while, we die. A spider's life can't help being something of a mess, with all this trapping and eating flies. By helping you, perhaps I was trying to lift up my life a trifle. Heaven knows anyone's life can stand a little of that.” 
― E.B. White, Charlotte's Web

And this is she...

Seth & Michelle Part 1!

Seth and Michelle are engaged! So exciting!

Lots of planning and lots of fun days ahead.

For their engagement shoot, Michelle wanted a vintageish style of edit, and I think the action I have created for the images is fast becoming one of my favourites!

First stop, my secret little bit of forest near Hahndorf, South Australia!

Reflections

Every person is unique, and all it takes is a simple smile and a kind word to suddenly close the distance. A small and genuine effort to extend yourself, even when it is difficult and takes you out of your comfort zone.  
Kindness is one of the most affordable things one can accumulate. It's richness is everlasting, fulfilling and can make us blossom and grow. You don't need to have a religion or belief system to understand this most fundamental and basic action of human spirit.

Sometimes I think I am too forthright and bombastic with my approach. I am not always gentle with the way I say things. I just blurt it all out without considering how it may come across to another person. 

Something to work on. Always something to work on.

To become softer, kinder and gentler.

Things my soft, sweet and spiky roses can teach me.

The Studio Part 1

For quite a few months my husband and i have been hard at work, building our little studio, at the bottom half of our garden.  When we built our home, 12 years ago, we could only afford the bare minimum. So, instead of lots of small rooms, we chose to have big living rooms and forgo a fourth bedroom. I love our house, as it is a tudor and I always wanted a roof with high peaks!

But, as friends come to visit, I get more regular work as a photographer and our children grow, we found we need a little extra living space!  It still has a way to go, and I don't see us finishing within the next month or more. BUT I thought I would share our little ( BIG ) project; The wooden "china" house. ( since I imported it from there! ) 

Getting the base flooring in first.

the walls go up very very quickly. Almost like a lego kit!

Windows and doors in!

Starting to paint. Oh my goodness, the amount of paint I have gone through!!

Middle truss up!

Beams going in...

First part of the roof going on! I had to paint the underside first, because it would be quite hard to 

do after it was put up, without getting paint everywhere on the floor!

Getting there!

We have had to add treatment to the timber.

In Australia we get white ants, and they could devour the entire house within a month!

 Painting, painting... argh!!!

My girl, looking out! 

Glass panes are in!

And tiling the roof! This is actually relatively easy, just time consuming and messy!

All tidy inside, and painted!

 Installing our little kitchenette...

Because it is supposed to be a "simple" studio, we chose to use large tiles for the bench tops. This was so much cheaper and I think they look nice! A little kitchen will be useful, especially when 

I use the space for photography.

The little post and rail is up. You will just have to watch this space for the rest of our build!

Sweet little Fella.

I was just so happy to be able to spend the day with this little man. So squishy, small and new, it's hard to believe that only 6 days earlier he had been in his mummy's tummy!

He was perfect. He gave me back my faith in my skills as an infant photographer, and he slept, 

quite literally, like a baby!

So many sweet shots of him, I can't help but share lots of them with you!

 And my little girl got a little snuggle in at the end!