choice

life...that is todays prompt over at beyond layers

i recently went to bali for a holiday. it was much needed. for us all.

i was so tired before i left. so busy with being busy. it was good to stop. 

i've been caught up in the when. and the what. and the i need to do this & i need to do that. that i needed to stop & just be in the now.

i think that i live in the now. but sometimes it's like i'm in a small wind vortex standing still. with everything swirling around me. all these choices to make and i can't decide which thing to do first or next. take a breath. right? slowing down is something i havn't been doing too well.

and that's what i think i decided when i was away. to slow it all down. i am a big believer that life is a series of choices. it is what we choose for today that decides our ending. no matter what point in our lives. it could be something life changing or something very small. i have made lots of choices in my life. some good. some bad. but thats how i learnt that life is about choice. it doesn't matter when or which or how. what matters is love and life and enjoying the now. so today my choice is to slow down. to get my rest. to enjoy the process. and do things at a manageable pace. so i am able to enjoy love & life, now.

how about you? do you ever feel like this?

the monthly mosaic - may

the monthly mosaic {may}

themes: intelligence & loyalty

colour: bright green

we spent the majority of this month in Bali. here are a few of my favorite greens

*the palm trees & rice fields in ubud

*green vegetable dish to accompany our seafood dinner at Jimbaran Bay

*lotus flowers found around the streets in Tuban

*enjoying an afternoon Bintang

*a pond at our resort in ubud

*admiring the leafy details

*the best garbage bin ever :)

How was your May?

dont forget to join in on the linky below & we now have a blog button to share, grab the code from below

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/themondaymosaic/" target="_blank"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/- H0vI2F0V0mI/T5bYTPsL9mI/AAAAAAAAAow/3_zWbDTSza0/s400/the-monthly-mosaic-psjpweb.jpg" alt="http://www.flickr.com/groups/themondaymosaic/" width="125" height="125" /></a>

black & white iphoneography

Recently I started Picture Black & White with Tracey Clark. With limited time, I opted to try & use my phone for this project. It's quick & easy (somewhat lazy) but it's also a fun challenge to try something new. I have been noticing that a lot of the images I am taking have more of an abstract quality to them than I would normally photograph. I'm really enjoying exploring this type of photography.  The images below are based on some of the following themes..Line, Shape, Repetition & Pattern. As the year progresses, I'm learning more & more that I love to get creative with photos. For me, it is definately part of the process that I really enjoy. It's interesting to see how an image can be transformed from something very basic into a completely new look. There are so many great photo apps to try, these are a few of the ones I've been having fun with for this project. Camera+, Wood Camera, Instagram, VSCO & LemeLeme. If you love to take photos with your phone, go have a look & get creative with some of your images. If you're on instagram you can find some great b&w inspiration at the 'picture black & white' group tag #picturebw or have a look over here. 

1. Lining Up #pictureblackandwhite, 2. Shaping up #picturebw #mymugshot #shot4shot, 3. black & white repetition #picturebw, 4. pattern #picturebw

1. lining up no 2 #picturebw, 2. think we could be getting our arses whooped at training today! Shaping up! {literally} #picturebw, 3. repetition stripes & raised brows #picturebw, 4. Playing with line, shape, repetition #picturebw

Happy Mothers Day

{these few things}

she knows love. she has dignity. she lacks greed. 

she has respect. and deserves more. 

she likes to venture. and to be home. 

she is neat. she is playful. she is warm. she is loved. 

she lives honest. someone you can trust. 

a friend to many. always a worker. never idle. 

proud & careful with the things she has. 

never wanting for more. always giving. 

and showing love. she is so much more.

 than these few things

she is my mother. 

i pray she is happy. i pray she is healthy

i pray her life is full. and long

i love you mum

happy mothers day x

the central coasts

i think i'm a pretty lucky person to live on the central coast. it's a beautiful place. gorgeous beaches. lakes. rainforests. national parks. waterfronts. shops. cafes. restaurants. popular with tourists. i grew up here. as a kid my days were spent at the beach. the pool. riding bikes with friends. exploring. going to movies. the shops. fishing. rollerskating. markets. it is the kind of lifestyle that some people dream of. today i love to explore that same coast with my camera. to be able to see my baby grow up here too. that is something pretty special. 

recently i connected online with another blogger Tamara. it just so happened that she was also from the central coast. only her central coast is in california. we shared on our blogs. followed our days on instagram. and realised we had a few things in common. we joked about having a central coast instagram collaboration. and then thought hey lets make something more of this. we are now both excited to share. a central coast connection. a collaborative bi-monthly photo blog. connecting two coasts. we hope you will join in. and connect with us too. 

barriers

i'm not entirely sure what it is about this image that speaks to my heart this month for the april photo heart connection but i know that it is about barriers...

as my daughter played in an unfamiliar park this day..she explored all the different ways around the swings, the slippery dips & the stairs..she was excited, joyful & sometimes afraid but she had so much fun looking for new & different ways to find her way around..i think that this image is trying to tell me that whatever obstacles there are in life & our endeavours there is always a way around a barrier..you just have take choose a path or a route to overcome it & whichever way you choose there may be an alternative that could take more time..or less..it could be exciting or scary..but it will be just as fun all the same..

this month i'm participating in the photo heart connection from Kat Eye Studio
be sure to head over & check them out