Lutefisk KIWI!

Was never the plan to add my work to here, but I'm finding slowly that there really isn't any separation between my work and my life, and ya know what - I like it that way!

The cheeky aspect of Ella V!

our pool "down the hill"...

Dad always told me, find something you love, to work as a job... well guess it's apparent, I actually enjoy taking a picture or 2, and even better is finding new generations of likeminded souls - Get out there and ENJOY the world M, Ella and Richard (all @ Clyne NZ) - you made the day fun, easy and the pics show it all...

....they just glow don't ya think?!

Here's the link - hope you like!

http://lutefiskmagazine.com/issue%203/p32.html

Thanks to all for a great day, and to Ben@ Lutefisk for the opportunity to show them to the world...

Small circles, Big world... Great friends!

After years of running around, never sure where I'd be from 1 month to the next, it seems I've found a way to keep in touch with the widely spread group of friends I've accumulated over years - bring them all down here!

Somehow one night in Auckland managed to get 5 of them from various stages of my last 15 years into not only 1 place, but 1 overworked but very much fun photobox - very clever of Federation to not only celebrate 10 years, but to attach their name to memories I'll cherish for the next 15!!

Anyways, another night to remember, an easy way to achieve that (and a bag with owls on!)...

Happy New Year to my old and new friends! Let's hope we're all smiling all the way thru it!

Peace, hope and love x

Xmas Day Colours!

As is always the case here on a cliff, we're exposed to all that Auckland has to offer, this day as any other... Been trying to get myself sorted to write something, and another of the NY Resolutions is to push on thru the mindset, and just GET IT DONE!!

So, here are some colours we saw in the day, and a few from the eve to come...

Spent the day with new NZer Tazzle and John, with a visit to Trish's for great company and food - then an interlude in the city with Chris and James (Chrames?! lol)... ready to get on with it for a new and exciting year, future, life.. let's see if I have developed any ability to follow thru - y'all can be the judge of that, as the efforts should be obvious lol!

Merry, merry Y'all!

This is where I came from - Initial visual aspects at least!!

There has to be a reason I ended up in Auckland - Never thought I'd ever make it back to living in NZ, but this side of the world was always going to be home eventually...(it was meant to be Sydney, which had been the closest to home previously, with a great deal of my "family" group developing there).

I didn't quite get to meet Isobel unfortunately, but Trish her best friend, and now another part of my crew, has made sure I got all necessary to know her - My whole life I've been called everything from some skinny (but fun lol) kid Ferris Bueller, Maori, Greek, Lebanese etc etc, but in all honesty I never quite saw it?! When they sent me the first pic I kinda knew then, but after hearing all the stories, and receiving 5 cases and boxes of images and letters, it all fell into place. Three days of "scrapbooking" to learn a little only, of a life that mine follows really closely - it's quite bizarre in fact how close, but those are more stories for another moment or few in this little piece of me... btw have to say she had the looks too... (obviously they were passed down also lol!)

Reality is, it seems that it's not just the physical attributes we garner from the generation prior, but now I know that my being in general owes a lot to the fun loving, adventuresome woman pictured, who had me at a time when life meant you had to live with (and pay for) your mistakes - these days the govt has recognised that all doesn't necessarily follow the storybook line, and some Mum's do need a little help to get by.... my heart goes out to all those others who feel the need to know, and don't get the same opportunity I did to "find" their roots, but it's only a part of y'all, and inside you still know yourself best - now to show that "best" to all you hope to!

Last, but by no means least, I have to speak on the "growing up" I actually got to have - I grew up with the best Mum and Dad 4 adopted brats could hope for that I love dearly and am thankful for every day, a lifestyle many would dream of ( not financially necessarily ), and got all we needed and more, to grow into people they'd be proud of - I have to hope that's the case, they never let us think otherwise eh! (more of that, and them, to come!)

Seafarin' days!

one of the best aspects of my new locale is the possibility to travel without having to deal with road rage, traffic obstacles (ie new tunnels and the inopportune closure of on/off ramps whenever I seem to need "that" one), bad drivers in the rain (and not...), and my own idiosyncrasies behind a wheel lol!

Heading into the city today might not get me the same peaceful journey, what with the driving gale force, freezing winds threatening to blow us off the cliff already, but it's an adventure eh?!

A Brief collection...

of figurative exploits... Thanks to friends and family for participating! I know how hard it would be for me to go there, so thanks for the trust, and the energy you put to the cause - Huia, John, Ryan and Kane... real additions to my "body" of work!

A Warning?! ... pretty red sky never hurt anyone..

Well I think has been suitably long enough since my last post for me to not seem driven by it lol? Loving the pretty pics I have to share, but there never seems to be a right way of saying what I think... maybe if I practise enough eh?!

My Dad always said "Red sky in the morning, ...WARNING!!" This is what I woke to a few days ago, and unless the message missed it's mark and was meant for Chch a thousand or so kilometres down the coast, I'm just going to go with the "Aw, pretty" aspect on it...

Btw, got to give some props to the Kiwi "can do" spirit prevailing down that way - Just spoke to Mel (@ Portfolio) and she said there have been at least 120 aftershocks since then, no one is sleeping, but everyone is ready to just get back on the pony... Hope there's some rest and peace of mind coming to a Cantabrian near you....SOON!