Sunday, April 29, 2012

The colours of autumn!


In my quest for yellow subjects for this week's photo challenge I shot some lovely autumn shots! While they didn't make the short list for project 52 I thought that they were worthy of a small blog! Dn't you love the colours of autumn!


Project 52: Week 17

yel·low [yel-oh] noun, adjective, yel·low·er, yel·low·est, verb

noun

  • a color like that of egg yolk, ripe lemons, etc.; 
  • the primary color between green and orange in the visible spectrum, an effect of light with a wavelength between 570 and 590 nm.
  • the yolk of an egg. 
  • a yellow pigment or dye.
 I LOVE yellow! That made this weeks challenge so enjoyable!!! We have had an overcast and rainy week in Perth so photographing yellow has made things seem all the more brighter!

In third place is "raindrops on roses". This is from a very quick series of photos taken as we headed out on a walk this morning, I am pleased I got them!

In second place is the sunflowers! I love the detail on the green spiky bits (if you click on the photo you will be able to see a bigger version), this was taken with my macro lens.
In first place is "tea anyone"???
Next week's theme is "toys"!

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

The week that was...

Last Monday all was well in our place- work was going well, Ethan was absolutely loving daycare, we purchased a new house and started packing. Ethan had a runny nose but that was it. Things were really awesome....

Then illness hit our place.  Wednesday morning we woke up to what sounded like a chainsaw! It was Ethan's breathing and he sounded terrible. As it was really early we bundled Ethan off to the children's hospital here where he was diagnosed with croup and given steroids.

Over the day Ethan seemed to improve, although he was very irritable and grumpy (not like our little boy at all). Not that you can tell that he was grumpy or unwell here!
Unfortunately over the weekend things deteriorated again and Ethan was running a temperature in the mid to high 39s. We were managing it with panadol and nurofen but three days later the fever was still there (as well as the "rattly" breathing).

Last night things just got a bit much and we decided he needed to be seen again. Perth is extremely lucky to have a locum service that gets bulk milled to medicare (meaning the Doctor comes to us after hours, and we don't pay a thing). Who could ask for more really- being able to feed and bath Ethan as well as get him to have some sleep while waiting for the doctor to come to us! We didn't have to wait long at all, a little under 2 hours! Very impressive!

He diagnosed croup still and gave us another two doses of steroids with the instructions to see someone if his rattly breathing didn't abate.

This morning Ethan seemed pretty chirpy so we bundled him off to daycare (in the hope that Jason and I could get some sleep as we have both come down with a nasty sore throat- think swallowing razor blades). 2.5 hours later we got the call from daycare as Ethan had a nasty bout of diarrhea as well as the rattle in his throat.

We decided then and there to take him back to the Children's hospital as it is better to be safe than sorry. Thankfully they have ruled out pneumonia, croup and any other infections at this stage. They think that he has what his mummy and daddy have! I can tell you that if he feels like I do then he will be pretty miserable!

So bed rest for all (not much chance of that with hurricane Ethan around) and a quiet weekend!

So I have been at my new job for just 2.5 short weeks and I have been off sick a number of times now (for both me and Ethan)...

Even though Ethan was unwell over the weekend we still managed to get to the park where Ethan fed the duck for the first time! He enjoyed that a lot and I am sure we will be back there a number of times over the coming few years!


Project 52: Week 16

soft [sawft, soft] soft·er, soft·est, noun, adverb, interjection

  • yielding readily to touch or pressure; easily penetrated, divided, or changed in shape; not hard or stiff: a soft pillow.
  • relatively deficient in hardness, as metal or wood.
  • smooth and agreeable to the touch; not rough or coarse: a soft fabric; soft skin.
  • producing agreeable sensations; pleasant or comfortable: soft slumber. low or subdued in sound; gentle and melodious: soft music; a soft voice.
I struggled a little bit with the theme soft, I had some great ideas which required using the soft light at dawn and dusk, but the photos didn't work out as I imagined they would. That on top of a topsy turvy week with Ethan (I'll write about this in another post) I just didn't "feel" this theme. I guess the packing, daycare and new job is all getting on top of me and I am struggling to devote enough time to this project. I will persevere though, in the hope our lives will settle down soon, wishful thinking huh!

In third place is Mr Bunny (in honor of Ethan being born in the year of the rabbit).
 In second place is:
 In first:
Stay tuned for next week, the theme is yellow!

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Project 52: Week 15

 fam·i·ly[fam-uh-lee, fam-lee] plural fam·i·lies


  • a basic social unit consisting of parents and their children, considered as a group, whether dwelling together or not: the traditional family.
  • a social unit consisting of one or more adults together with the children they care for: a single-parent family.
  • the children of one person or one couple collectively: We want a large family.
  • the spouse and children of one person: We're taking the family on vacation next week.
  • any group of persons closely related by blood, as parents, children, uncles, aunts, and cousins: to marry into a socially prominent family.
  • all those persons considered as descendants of a common progenitor.
This week was a tough week. Most of our family is either over East or in New Zealand so I had a challenge on my hands as to how I was going to interpret this weeks theme. I didn't really want to attempt a portrait of Jason, Ethan and myself. Its hard enough getting good photos of Ethan and Jason, without making it a self timer shot and running into it at the last minute. The theme didn't necessarily mean that I had to take photos of "my" family either, but I really didn't put myself in the situation to take photos of other families either. There were plenty of family day out events planned in Perth this weekend where I would have had ample opportunity to take photos, but we needed to take the time to pack up our house in order to shift in a couple of weeks time. So after all that, I got two quick photos worth publishing. Not the best week, but this is a learning experience and a way to ensure that I use my camera regularly.
 
In second place is...
A family of shoes!!

 In first place is...
The love that created our own wee family starts here/.
Stay tuned for next week, the theme is soft (and I already have some ideas brewing!). 

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Homeowners again!!

So a few weeks ago I mentioned that we were going through a stressful and busy time! The bits you all know about were getting my wisdom teeth out, Ethan going to day care and me going back to work. The extra stressors were me starting a new job (which you all now know about) and buying a house (which I can now tell the world about).

We looked at this house back when Jason's parents were last visiting. We put an offer on it that day as it met what we were looking for:
  • nicely renovated, 
  • section big enough to put a pool in and still have enough grass/play area for Ethan, 
  • off street parking for Betty,
  • relatively close to town, East Perth and Subiaco- which is where Jason and I work  (all 5 - 6km away); and
  • on the bus route to my work. 
The added bonuses are:
  • that it is opposite Ethan's daycare so we only have to walk across the road in the morning to drop him off, saving valuable commuting time and allowing us to maximise our time with Ethan each day (which is very important for us); and
  • the section is zoned for duplex so in 10 years time (and following the high density housing plan) our land is going to be very valuable.

The downside (all houses have a downside) is that it is on a busier road than we would ideally have liked. But as you can see in the pictures there is a nice tall brick fence with foliage on the inside to minimise any traffic noise.
SOLD!!!!
The house itself is a 3 bedroom plus study brick and tile house, built in the 30s or 40s. As I mentioned above there is enough space for a pool (which we hope to install before Christmas this year). All these pictures are from the real estate agent so are not our furniture, but I wanted to give you all an idea of what it looks like.
Outside play area, space for a pool and alfresco dining.
As with all houses of this era we have nice Jarrah wood floors, high ceilings and a picture rail. The lounge also has an inbuilt gas fire (which you wouldn't think is really necessary somewhere in Perth, but I am sure as we become more acclimatised we will use more and more).
Lounge (complete with gas fire and ducted reverse cycle air conditioning).
The dining room and kitchen are very nicely renovated. The kitchen is not huge but they have made good use of the space that they have. The bathroom is functional but we will look to spruce up in the next year or so.
Kitchen, dining and bathroom.
 The main bedroom is a nice big room!
Main bedroom.
I don't have pictures of the second and third bedrooms, the study (a lovely big room) or the laundry. But once we move in I will be able to post these.

So the next 17 days (which is all the time we have until settlement and possession) will be very busy. One lesson I have learned thus far is that it isn't a good idea to sort the DVDs and CDs out with a curious 10.5 month old "helping".

Finally, we are hosting Christmas in Perth this year for anyone who wants to join us! First in first served for the spare bedroom!

Saturday, April 14, 2012

A visit to the farm!

 Jason and I are committed to giving Ethan as many experiences and opportunities as we possibly can. This means we try and do activities each weekend. It can be a visit to the beach, park or library. Last weekend it was a visit to the Swan Valley Cuddly Animal Farm. The farm provides children with the opportunity to experience the joy of getting 'close and personal' with lots of friendly farmyard animals.

There are lots of things to do.......
  • Talk to the Animals -  Alpacas, llamas, Red Deer, ponies, miniature donkeys,
    a mini mule, Red Kangaroo, Emus, lambs, sheep, Milking Goats, Billy Goats, baby goats, a Scottish Highland Steer, calves, piglets, rabbits, guinea pigs, chickens, hens, roosters, ducklings, ducks, geese, a Fox and JJ the old farm dog.
  • You can bottle feed the lambs, kids, piglets and calves  (although Ethan was a little bit young for this).
  • Nurse a chick, duckling, bunny or guinea pig 
  • Bucket feed the rabbits, guinea pigs and anything with feathers 
  • Pony rides
  • Tractor/Train rides (Ethan LOVED his train ride!)
 And playing on the tractor with Dad!
On the way home we stopped in to the ice cream cafe where we discovered Ethan likes the cone more than the ice cream!!

Thursday, April 12, 2012

We love the beach!!

Jason and I love the beach and it was really hard in the beginning when Ethan was scared of being there and all he ever did was eat the sand. But after a few visits Ethan has started to enjoy being there! It's taken a few visits but we are getting there! The turning point came when we spent a bit of time getting Ethan into his normal swimming routine (as we would at his lessons) but then we had a swim at the beach! He really enjoyed that swim and I think he is way more comfortable at the beach now!

Unfortunately it is now too cold to keep swimming at the beach, but we will keep visiting over the winter so that once summer comes we can really enjoy the stunning beaches that are on offer in Perth!
Ethan has finally decided to play in the sand more than eat the sand! He did really well climbing the sand dunes on the weekend!
 I think that the beach can provide some stunning photo opportunities as well! So while Jason and Ethan play, I can take photos to my heart's content!


Project 52: Week 14

mo·tion[moh-shuhn] noun



  • the action or process of moving or of changing place or position; movement.
  • power of movement, as of a living body.
  • the manner of moving the body in walking; gait.
  • a bodily movement or change of posture; gesture. a proposal formally made to a deliberative assembly: to make a motion to adjourn.
This week was an enjoyable week, albeit a test of my capabilities.  The first photo is an honorable mention, only because Jason did the photoshop work to put the car picture together and not me. I am still to learn how to do this. But how cool does it look!

In third place is Frank the Tank! It was a close call for third as I had some great photos of the waves at the beach, I will post the beach photos in another post! Frank is Sandy and Nathan's dog. He is full of  life and on the weekend we discovered that Ethan and Frank like licking each other hahaha!
In second place is Jason and Ethan at the playground (this shot took a bit of effort to get and all of us felt a little bit queasy after going round and round in order to get the picture, but not bad for my first effort at a motion picture like this!).
 In first place is water through rocks!
Stay tuned for next week, the these is family!


Thursday, April 5, 2012

Ethan's first art!

Ethan was very busy at daycare this week making Easter art for his Mummy and Daddy! Check it out!

Community fair

Last weekend there was a community fair run at the park just down the road from us. I was unwell (having picked up a nasty tummy bug) but its always good to get out and about during the weekend.

While we were there Ethan got to ride in an old fire engine (one of his favourite noises to make is "wee-oooo, wee-oooo" for his own little fire engine).We also got to play in a petting zoo. Ethan gets so excited around animals, he loves them sooooo much!

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Project 52: Week 13

pat·tern [pat-ern; Brit. pat-n] noun
  • a decorative design, as for wallpaper, china, or textile fabrics, etc.
  • decoration or ornament having such a design.
  • a natural or chance marking, configuration, or design: patterns of frost on the window.
  • a distinctive style, model, or form: a new pattern of army helmet. a combination of qualities, acts, tendencies, etc., forming a consistent or characteristic arrangement: the behavior patterns of teenagers.
I enjoyed this week's challenge as it meant I got to use my macro lens.

In third place is:
In second place is my earring against a pair of Jason's running shorts.

In first place is the same earring against our laundry basket. This shot got first place as it shows two patterns, the earring and the very fine weave of the laundry basket. I LOVE using my macro lens.

Keep posted for next week's challenge. The theme is 'motion'. I am scared of this theme, it's going to be a tough one for me!