Happy New Year!

Hello!

This year I'm not only taking photos daily, but I'm going to attempt to do something arty each day - draw, watercolour, etc. some days it will be quick 5 minute sketches, other days something more time consuming. If I improve, you might even get to see some works in progress as they evolve over a number of days.

January 1:

Yesterday we were walking in the city. New Years morning finds Brisbane City a ghost town. We found one cafe open. They ran out of food. Thankfully after we had ordered, lol!

I took some photos looking up into the sky. 

I also tried to take a selfie with my daughter. Apparently I've taken too many photos lately.

Late in the evening I quickly drew a few little things, just to get started.

January 2:

Today has been a slow photo day. We took the kids to the Brisbane Planetarium  to watch Cosmic Collisions. Being a hot day I didn't want to suggest a post-show walk in the Botanic Gardens. I was tempted, though! ;-)

This afternoon I drew a quick portrait of my eldest daughter. It isn't perfect, but it isn't too bad either. I watercoloured the rose yellow for the Fat Mum Slim photo challenge prompt for today.

I'm mobile blogging so I'm crossing fingers that this works.

I'll be back soon!

Michelle

xxx

ANZAC Day 2013

Hello!

I'm a bit late with this post as a result of a three day internet outage. Thursday 25 April was ANZAC Day here in Australia. This is the day that we remember the service men and women who have served in the defence forces to protect our beautiful home. April 25 is the anniversary of the first landing at Gallipoli in 1915. On this day each year, I take my two girls down to our local march and service. There is always a large crowd, and all of the participants make me proud. Watching the old servicemen march brings tears to my eyes. My photos aren't fabulous this year, I had the dog pulling on the lead while I tried to focus, but I'll share a little of what I got.

Looking up the road, the Girl Guides and Scouts marching.

Looking down the road, the march goes to our local shopping centre, where the cenotaph stands in the carpark. 

One of the marching bands, leading the diggers (servicemen). The other band is the local highschool band, but I missed taking a photo of them. Both bands did a superb job.

The cenotaph. We got a pretty good spot this year - we could see and hear most of the service.

The laying of the wreaths by representatives of the Air Force, Army, and Navy.

My kids being very patient while the service was going. I was so proud that they stood at the right times, stayed quiet for the minute's silence, and were respectful and well-behaved the whole time.

Lest We Forget.

Michelle

Some from July - beach, pasta, me

Hello!

I'll go back into the archives of July again, but here are a few to start.

Brisbane City, Adelaide Street on a foggy morning.

Me. Self Portrait.

The Beach with my little girl.

 Our shadows on the beach.

 My little girl again, chasing waves.

And some pasta making - I made a batch of pasta with the kids. We had so much pasta that we made ravioli, then lasagne, and then fettuccini to finish it off!

 Coco the Spoodle.

And the last photo for this post, my eldest daughter's floor when she arrived home from holidays with a friend.

See you again soon!

:-)
Michelle

Some of the photos I took in June

Hello!

I'm not going to go back and do a post about all the photos I've taken... just in case you were wondering if I would bombard you. :-)  But, here are a few of the photos from June that I didn't share.

A few of Brisbane City.

A worksite on Adelaide Street.

 Statue in ANZAC Square.

 100 Creek Street, the National Australia Bank building. Terrica Place in the reflection.

 Alley between Adelaide and Queen Streets, near Creek Street. It was raining.

 Looking out the doorway of Bar Metzo at Adelaide Street in the rain, waiting for my coffee.

And a couple of black and white photos taken at home.

My bathroom.

And my daughter's rose. It's Margaret Merrill, a beautiful white rose with frilly edged petals.

I might go and see if there was anything worth sharing in July.

:-)
Michelle

Days 149 - 151, 28 - 30 May 2012

Hello!

I'm actually posting the last photos of the month on the last day of the month, it's a miracle! This is the end of the fifth month that I have been taking a photo a day. Seven months to go... or will I just continue forevermore???

Day 149, 28 May 2012 - The weather today
The weather started with a clear blue sky in the morning, but I didn't capture that properly. Then I would have no idea what the weather did all day, although the wet pavements when I left work in the evening indicated it had rained. I caught a picture of the sky on our way home in the evening, and it was worth the wait.

Here are my other two photos from the morning. In the first one, the sun is peeking around the side of a building up the street.

And here is the second.

Both of these photos are looking up Ann Street in Brisbane from the corner of Creek Street.

Day 150, 29 May 2012 - A number
I've been wanting to photograph this number for several weeks. Today's theme was perfect for it. And the subject was perfect for me to try out my new iPhone app "Marble Cam". 280 Adelaide Street, Brisbane.

Day 151, 30 May 2012 - Your personality
My personality? What? How do I capture THAT in a photo? LOL! I drew a doodle and water-coloured it.

I'll leave the interpretation up to you. ;-)

:-)
Michelle

Day 135, 14 May 2012 - Grass (and trees)

Hello!

Still in catch up mode.

Day 135, 14 May 2012 - Grass
I didn't get to take my photo until the very end of the day, and at that stage I was nowhere near any type of grass. I had to collect my daughter from swim squad, and found the astro turf beside the pool as my subject.

In the morning, I had taken a photo of a TREE, but forgot the grass topic for the day. This is a Qld Bottle Tree.

They're amazing trees. These particular ones are in ANZAC Square in Brisbane City.

:-)
Michelle

Day 129 - 8 May 2012 - Smell

Hello!

The theme for 8 May is A smell you adore. When I read this I thought of frangipanis, fresh bread baking, custard kisses (yoyo biscuits), jonquils, freesias, roses, freshly mown grass, clean babies, the beach, rain... Mmmm, well I had none of these to hand. We are in autumn here in Australia so the spring flowers are about four months away. The frangipanis have just lost all their leaves, and there certainly isn't a flower in sight. Our lawn is in need of a cut, but certainly not fresh cut this week, LOL!

It took me a day to find a smell that I really like. And I do adore this smell, too - fresh, strong coffee.

Edited in Snapseed using Grunge filter. My work desk wasn't that pretty a background...

On my walk out for lunch I passed ANZAC Square, so I thought I'd share that with you while I'm here.

They sky was odd on 8 May. It was really pale. It wasn't cloudy, but the blue stayed pale most of the day.  In ANZAC Square amongst the palm trees are a number of very old bottle trees. I'll take some close-up photos of them for you one day.

:-)
Michelle

Day 123 - 2 May 2012 - Skyline

Hello!

Day 123! Can you believe it? I can't! I actually believe I'm going to make it through the year and take a photo almost every day of the year! I'm already a third of the way through! That's a lot of exclamation marks, but I'm EXCITED!!! :-)

The theme for 2 May at Photo A Day May is skyline.

This shot was taken this afternoon as I crossed Adelaide Street (Brisbane) on my way up to the train station on my way home. I was actually on the pedestrian crossing, so it was a very quick shot. I did get some strange glances, but I'm getting more used to that... LOL! That building at the top of the street is Brisbane's tallest building. I think it is the 2nd tallest in Qld. It has just been finished.

I saw the most AWESOME skyline shot while I was driving my daughter to school this morning, but we didn't have a spare minute to stop and capture it. Amazing sunrise shot of the City skyline. Ah well, it will just have to live on in my memory.

Another City shot, taken further up the hill from the above shot. It was taken in the morning a couple of days ago, but for some reason I didn't share it. This one is straight from my iPhone, no filters, no editing. The day was beautiful.

I love how Brisbane has such mixed architecture. Lovely old buildings from the 1800s and early 1900s. Ugly, ugly buildings from when the skyscrapers started being built in the 1960s and 1970s. And newer, more interesting modern buildings. Some of the old ugly ones are getting facelifts, and I love watching that process - the new interpretation of the old.

:-)
Michelle

Day 121 - 30 April 2012

Hello!

Day 121 dawned with clear blue skies and cool, gentle breezes. Perfect autumn weather on a Monday after a dreary, wet, grey week-end! Argh!

I took this pic on my way to work. I turned around while waiting for the lights to change and saw a cloudless blue sky and sighed... wishing I was spending the day outdoors.

This is looking up the hill towards Central Station, which sits underneath the Sofitel (which I still think of as the Sheraton).

:-)
Michelle