Picture This! by karin

Little Hay Barn

2010-10-22T14:44:00.003+02:00

Some more images taken at the gorgeous Arolela Guest Farm, in and around this delightful little hay barn.

Klasie

2010-10-20T20:45:00.000+02:00

A few weeks ago, we had the privilege of spending a weekend at Arolela Guest Farm in the Overberg. To say that it was a great getaway is a complete understatement! Stunning scenery, authentic farm activities for the kids, heart-warming hospitality - the list goes on.
Klasie is the donkey on the farm. I don't think Klasie quite realises that he is a donkey - given a chance I'm sure he would happily follow the kids into the house and pick a bed! Whenever someone gets close to his camp, he comes running, braying at the top of his lungs! He is a very entertaining and most endearing creature and it was a lot of fun to spend some time with him.

The day my lens died: Cape St Francis Lighthouse

2010-08-19T19:57:00.002+02:00

Minutes after taking these pictures, I discovered that the autofocus on my 50mm lens was malfunctioning. Lens has since been sent in for repairs (fault was due to the fact that the kids dropped the camera, but I'm not getting into that!) and they are able to repair it. But like all things photography related, it's doesn't come cheap. Let's hope it works properly when I finally have it back!

I love milkshake

2010-08-05T18:12:00.002+02:00

It's a huge struggle to get them and then they fall out

2010-08-04T17:15:00.002+02:00

During the past two months, Joubert has lost all four of his front teeth. I love this phase in his life and find his toothless grin totally adorable!

Wheel of Excellence at the V&A Waterfront

2010-07-23T16:35:00.004+02:00

What I'm looking at while the others are fishing

2010-07-21T09:40:00.002+02:00

As you can see in my previous post, my family is somewhat into fishing. You will note though, the lack of photos of actual fish. Mmmm. That's why I rather stand around with my camera until I get bored and then go read a book.

Early morning fishing

2010-07-19T15:57:00.004+02:00

Storms River Mouth

2010-07-15T10:59:00.002+02:00

Back again?

2010-07-13T19:18:00.004+02:00

I regularly check the stats for my other blog, but because it's been so long since I posted on this one, I haven't been monitoring the traffic for a really long time. So yesterday (while I was supposed to be attending to more pressing matters) I randomly checked Google Analytics and was very surprised to see that some people still come here. So to all those lovely folk, if you ever come here again, thank you for checking in. I think you may have inspired me to make a renewed effort to revive this blog.
I stopped blogging here for several reasons. I created a new site specifically for my business and it absorbed a lot of my time in the early stages. I then got into the habit of not doing regular posts on this blog. I also moved to the Cape which resulted in a whole new way of life and I felt less inclined to spend every waking moment in front of the computer. I run my own business and look after my two children with very little support. I don't have family close-by to help and don't have a nanny. My son struggles at school due to learning problems and this takes a lot of my time. And I need to have free time to spend with my family and with myself.
Starting a blog seemed like such an easy thing to do, but it can be a full-time job all by itself. I soon realised that a certain code exists in the blogging community and that you are expected to make certain contributions if you'd like to create a following. I tried this for a long time. But I just couldn't keep it up. I still read quite a number of blogs, but almost never leave comments. I know that this is frowned upon (yes, I'm a lurker), but I find it too time consuming. I read all my favourites in my reader and I don't click through to all the posts to leave a comment. That might make me a horrible blogger, but that is also why I don't expect you to comment here. Feel free to lurk - trust me, I understand :)

In honour of all those blogs that I read every day, I'll update my blog list within the next 24 hours to reveal those who entertain and inspire me.

And I suppose I can't finish off without a photo or two...

Texture

2010-03-23T17:45:00.003+02:00

Flower at sunset

2010-03-10T20:14:00.001+02:00

Portraits for me

2010-02-07T17:00:00.002+02:00

I've been wanting to get canvasses done of Joubert and Emma for the house for ages, but I can't decide which photos to use. I hardly ever spend more than 10 minutes at a time photographing my own kids and I'm just never 100% happy with the result. And the more I look at the images, the less I like them.
So anyway - I took these about 2 weeks ago and jazzed them up with textures etc, but now Henk doesn't like the editing that much, he says it's too drab and needs more colour. But when I do more conventional editing on them, they seem too boring, so I guess it's back to the drawing board.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

2009-11-11T20:24:00.004+02:00

During my last few days in Switzerland, snow started to fall closer to Zurich and my sister and I took a drive into the hills in search of photo opportunities. Living in South Africa, we are not exposed to a whole lot of snow and I have never walked in, touched or played in proper snow. I was in such awe! It was the highlight of my trip and a supreme delight to experience real snow for the first time in my life. The stunning beauty and silence of it on the one hand and the uncomplicated fun on the other hand - nature truly is wonderful. Now for the first time do I understand the obsession people have with skiing and snowboarding - it must be absolutely awesome!

Gotthard Pass

2009-11-10T22:31:00.003+02:00

When we travelled from Zurich to Lugano, we took the Gotthard Road Tunnel which, at 16km, is the third longest road tunnel in the world. This tunnel provides a much faster link between central Switzerland and Milan than the Gotthard pass.

On the way back though, we decided to take the Gotthard Pass instead as it promised to be a beautiful drive through the Swiss Alps. Not being a huge fan of heights and feeling a little weary of slippery icy roads, I was not too sure how much I would enjoy the excursion, but it was worth every nail I chewed off!

Lake Como and surrounds

2009-11-09T21:50:00.004+02:00

After a day and a half around Lake Lugano, we decided to cross the border to Italy and explore Lake Como. One of the reasons that Lake Como is so famous is that George Clooney owns a house here. Unfortunately I didn't get to see either George or his house - next time girls ;)

More of Carona

2009-11-05T17:43:00.004+02:00

Lake Lugano and Carona

2009-11-04T21:48:00.004+02:00

So after a few days in and around Zurich, we took a drive to the south of Switzerland where we stayed in a tiny village called Carona high up in the hills surrounding Lake Lugano. My sister told me that we would be entering the Italian part of Switzerland, but I didn't realise just how Italian it would be! Suddenly all you hear is Italian, all you see is Italian, and all you eat is Italian (yum ). The architecture is also completely different and so many beautiful textures and colours - I was in photographer's heaven!

Zurich: Part Three

2009-11-03T20:40:00.003+02:00

This is the last installment of Zurich images - tomorrow I'm moving on to a different part of Switzerland.
These are just some of the smaller and odder things I noticed while exploring this beautiful city.

Zurich: Part Two

2009-11-02T19:20:00.004+02:00

Firstly - CONGRATULATIONS to my sister and Nick who finally got engaged this weekend. I am so happy and excited for them!

Secondly - we had very stormy weather in the Western Cape last week which resulted in my ADSL line being down for the entire week, hence the long absence.

And so finally, here is the second installment of Zurich pics. Are you bored yet?

Zurich: Part One

2009-10-25T11:04:00.005+02:00

Rennette and I spent hours just walking through the streets of Zurich with our cameras. In my younger days I used to devour the guide books on the places I visited and then was sure to visit all the recommended monuments, churches and museums. This time around I didn't even open a guide book and far more enjoyed walking through the streets, soaking up the atmosphere and culture, while studying everything, from big buildings to small keyholes. Here are a few images, trying to capture the "big picture".

Swiss countryside

2009-10-24T17:53:00.005+02:00

So I'm back :) It was a wonderful trip and exceeded all my expectations. It was incredibly hard to leave my family behind and during the entire journey I felt lost and bewildered. But once I saw my wonderful sister waiting for me on the other side, I put on my big girl panties and approached the adventure with the enthusiasm it deserved. It was fantastic to be in Europe again after all these years! I also enjoyed having adult conversations for a full 10 days without interruption and I will never forget the time my sister and I spent together. It was also fantastic to have someone with me who is just as fanatic about photography than I am! We spent hours walking around with our cameras, looking for new and interesting things to capture and the best part was looking at the results at the end of each day. It's still amazing to me how two people can walk in each other's footsteps and seem to aim their cameras in the same direction, but still end up with totally different images.
I'm so glad I went on this trip - it has enriched, energised, enlightened and entertained me. It was a privilege and I'm so grateful to have had the opportunity.
Obviously, I took an obscene amount of photos and I'll try not to bore you with too many repetitive images.
We took a trip from Zurich to St Gallen and surrounds and I fell in love with the Swiss countryside. Unfortunately, it rained the whole day, but I was not about to neglect my camera because of a few drops of water!

Off I Go

2009-10-07T22:13:00.004+02:00

I'm off to Zurich tomorrow to visit my wonderful sister. This is the first time that I am leaving the house without either husband or kids. If I can manage to push through the anxiety of leaving them and traveling on my own for the first time in 11 years, I know I'm in for a fabulous time! I plan to take loads of pictures and will surely have lots to show you when I get back in two weeks. I'm hoping that this will give me a fresh perspective on life and teach me some new things about myself. Deep breath....and off I go!

Sea views

2009-10-04T16:00:00.001+02:00

Flying high

2009-10-02T11:58:00.004+02:00

I've been a bit bored with my work lately and have started to experiment more on the editing side of things. It's actually quite amazing what you can create with just a standard digital image. It's a great creative outlet and even though I have started out as a purist (take the picture as you want it to be, with minimal editing afterwards) I've started to appreciate more drastic techniques in changing my images. I'm considering printing this one on canvas to hang in Joubert's room. It looks more like a painting than a photo this way and even though I know it's him in the picture, it could be any boy, anywhere.
Anyway. It might not be your cup of tea, but I quite like it :-)

Petting tortoises

2009-10-01T11:08:00.004+02:00

We saw loads of tortoises in and around Yzerfontein and the kids (especially Emma) couldn't resist taking a closer look. Joubert is a little more cautious around them as the last time he picked one up, it emptied it's bladder all over his hands :-) Emma just loves them and kept on shouting "stop, STOPPP", whenever we approached one. After the 30 millionth time we decided to develop sudden loss of hearing :-)
It was a small miracle that we didn't drive over this teeny tiny little baby - I don't think I've ever seen such a small tortoise!

West coast flowers

2009-09-30T13:28:00.005+02:00

Just a few of images of the beautiful display of wild flowers we saw on our recent trip to the west coast.

Flower children

2009-09-29T10:15:00.003+02:00

The other side of the lens

2009-09-28T14:17:00.003+02:00

We went camping at Yzerfontein this past long weekend and had an absolute blast. On Saturday we went searching for the last of the wild flowers and Henk took the opportunity to snap a few pics of me and the kids. I have almost NO photos of me and the kids together, so even though I despise being in front of the camera, it is nice to have these images and I think Henk did a great job of capturing us!
Might I just add that minutes after these were taken we not only saw a scorpion, but also a puff adder. Nothing like taking a walk on the wild side, heh.

VIews of the garden

2009-09-23T17:14:00.004+02:00

I just want to start off by saying that Blogger is driving me batty. I mean, how slow can you go?? Every single thing from uploading photos to commenting is taking absolutely bloody ages and its really testing my patience. And off course causes me to blog even less than I should...
Anyway. We moved into our new house 6 weeks ago and its quite interesting exploring around the garden and trying to figure out what all the different plants are. It's also beautiful now that everything is exploding into colour and I must thank the previous owners for creating such a lovely garden.

Joubert turns six

2009-09-22T19:43:00.004+02:00

So Joubert turned six last week, which not only means that he is getting scary big, but also that I am getting scary old (-;

After paging through my birthday cake recipe books, Joubert decided that he wanted a pirate party which is such a fun theme and I thoroughly enjoyed planning for it! The party was a great success with all the usual party treats, a pinata, jumping castle and Henk even agreed to dust off his old chest of tricks (he used to earn extra money by performing tricks at parties and restuarants when he was still studying) to entertain the boys. I must just add though that I had no idea 15 little boys could be quite that exhausing to supervise!!! Good grief, by the time the party ended Henk and I were both dead on our feet! But we had one very happy little boy, which makes it all more than worth it.

New toy in the tree

2009-09-09T18:56:00.001+02:00

Emma turns 3

2009-09-09T18:02:00.005+02:00

The "baby" of the house turned 3 on Monday and on Saturday, she had her first real birthday party with all the trimmings. She was so excited and had such a great time, I am really grateful that we were able to do this for her. I can't believe how quickly the time has gone by. I know I've said this before, but in many ways I still think of her as a baby. Clearly, that must stop now! And though it's very tempting to have another baby, I realise that no matter how many babies I have, they will all eventually grow up and rather deal with it now than coping with half a dozen children!

Reflections of her

2009-09-02T21:13:00.003+02:00

Funny face

2009-08-30T15:39:00.001+02:00

Adorable

2009-08-26T20:50:00.003+02:00

More days on the beach

2009-08-24T20:35:00.002+02:00

In the jungle, the mighty jungle...

2009-08-24T20:12:00.003+02:00

Come out, come out, wherever you are!

2009-08-23T21:00:00.001+02:00

O, die Donkie!

2009-08-23T20:34:00.003+02:00

Better late than never

2009-08-23T20:23:00.000+02:00

Gotta love that face!

2009-07-09T21:53:00.002+02:00

I was looking at some of the pictures I took earlier this year and came across this series of Emma. Don't know why I never posted them, I love all her different facial expressions!

Friends on the beach

2009-07-08T22:43:00.002+02:00

The road ahead

2009-07-08T22:36:00.002+02:00

Keep your eyes on the road and keep on driving. Concentrate, don't go too fast and remember to stop every once in a while to enjoy the scenery...

Geared for rain

2009-07-01T22:53:00.002+02:00

Looking at some wedding pics on Christine Meintjes' blog, I just had to take a few pics of Emma with her pink boots and umbrella. She's really starting to enjoy playing model for me, although I have to make our session very quick before she gets bored!

Canine interference

2009-06-19T20:16:00.005+02:00

So, late this afternoon I decided to venture out into the garden. I saw a few dandelions on the lawn earlier and wanted to take my camera to meet them. I took a slow stroll around, looking for the perfect specimen, when our canine family member, Nelson, came charging, full throttle, from the back yard. He was super excited to see me and ran circles around me so I could not move.

I managed to calm him down sufficiently to take a few pics.

He even managed to look well behaved.

And then showed me his bottom teeth. At this point he suddenly jumped up, finally figuring out what I was trying to do and then proceeded to bite the heads of all the dandelions in our garden - well almost.

This one was not completely destroyed and Nelson left me alone long enough to snap a quick pic!

Jealousy knows no boundaries...

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

On her way to a party...

2009-06-17T21:02:00.004+02:00

I have issues with my internet connection, hence the even less frequent posts. Unfortunately, this problem may still go on for some time - at least until the 1st of August when we will be moving into our new home (and hopefully this will be our FINAL move) and will have a fixed line at last. Here's hoping...

Anyway, Emma was invited to a Princess party and looked so cute with her crown, earrings and necklace, that I quickly snapped a few before we ran out the door - late as usual!

Party time!

2009-06-10T20:03:00.003+02:00

Fynbos

2009-06-08T22:14:00.003+02:00

One of the things I like the most about living in this part of South Africa, is the abundance of Fynbos everywhere. I just love it.

Playing in the water

2009-06-02T22:08:00.003+02:00

A while back, we spent a weekend in the beautiful village of Greyton. It was quite cold and very wet.

Off course, wherever water is involved, children have to play.

The sensible thing to do would be to keep you pants and boots on and tread carefully so as not to get wet.

But whoever said that Emma was the sensible kind?

Imitating the professionals

2009-06-01T22:00:00.002+02:00

Emma was very intrigued with the young models I photographed for the make-up shoot. Because they spent several hours at my home studio, Emma was allowed to take a peak at what I was up to. She observed the models and their poses very carefully and as soon as they were done, she took her chance. LOL, I can just eat her up!

The elusive boy

2009-05-28T22:29:00.003+02:00

Joubert is so difficult to capture at the moment, I'm always happy if he just looks half decent in a picture. I received his school photographs this week, you should see the fake smile he put on for those! I just had to buy them to show him how ridiculous he looked when he is older (;
But these two images captures him in a way that more reflects who is really is... at least to me!

....and a few more

2009-05-27T22:44:00.004+02:00

Beautiful

2009-05-26T22:23:00.004+02:00

I was approached by a make-up student to do some glamour shots for her portfolio. This isn't my normal thing, but what a whole lot of fun I had! This is just a small sample.

I wrote a letter to my love

2009-05-25T22:36:00.002+02:00

Striking poses and pulling faces

2009-05-21T22:05:00.001+02:00

Red beads

2009-05-20T21:25:00.003+02:00

I used these beads in a recent shoot, because I thought that they would make an interesting prop, but mostly to hold this 10 month old baby's attention as they can be so difficult to keep still! I actually liked the way they came out much more than I anticipated - these are just a few fun shots. Keep an eye on my other site for more of these to come.

De Mond Nature Reserve

2009-05-07T22:11:00.004+02:00

De Mond is a tiny nature reserve on the coast of the Overberg region, halfway between Struisbaai and Arniston. It's a place of awesome beauty with a pristine beach that stretches for miles and miles. I absolutely loved exploring this extraordinary place and listening to the silence walking along the river, until suddenly, one reaches the dunes and starts to hear the roar of the ocean. Definitely another favourite!

Roadside entertainment

2009-05-06T22:19:00.003+02:00

When we returned from our trip to Cape L'Agulhas to our rented cottage in Arniston, we took a dirt road shortcut that ran through several farms. I just had to stop to photograph some of the hundreds and hundreds of sheep we saw. I found them hilarious to watch, and the noise! They were not impressed with our presence at all and immediately moved away from the fence, complaining loudly, when we got out of the car. But curiousity soon got the better of them and they wathed me intently (all the while carrying on at the tops of their voices) while I snapped away.

Scenery

2009-05-05T22:36:00.003+02:00

I've been enjoying my Canon so much that I almost never take out my old Olympus (in fact, I've been acting like a real snob around the old faithful camera...). I have a 14 - 42mm Olympus lens that I sometimes use to capture landscapes, but since landscapes aren't really my forte, it lies mostly forgotten in my camera case unless Henk plays around with it. But now that I've looked through these images, I'm quite impressed with what the lens can do and have remembered why I liked the Olympus so much in the first place. I think I should try it out more often.

These shots were taken at Cape L'Agulhas, the southern most tip of Africa.

Enjoying life

2009-05-04T22:11:00.002+02:00

Photostory Friday: Two ways to come down a hill

2009-05-01T16:57:00.005+02:00

On our recent trip to Arniston, the kids really enjoyed the sand dunes that the area is famous for. Joubert, having had three years more experience than Emma, can navigate the dunes without much trouble and almost never ends up with sand in his face. Emma, though, is a different story... She was very keen to start on this new adventure and enthusiastically followed her brother up the dune...

...quickly falling behind when he started running after the seagulls...

...and finally gave up altogether.

She soon realised that the way down might be much easier and promptly stood up and at first started walking down hill. Gravity got the better of her though and walking turned into running and then uncontrolled flying with high sounds of glee. Off course this couldn't end well - she ending up falling forwards and actually stood straight on her head for what felt like several seconds, before keeling over, mouth, eyes, ears and entire face full of sand. Needless to say, I was too shocked and horrified to capture the moment, but after Henk and I established that she was okay, we had a good laugh about it.

Joubert on the other hand gently rolled down the hill in a controlled fashion...

...not giving his mother a heart attach at a much too young age...

...starting and ending with the same enjoyment...

...and even pausing to smile for the camera. (Despite the mad hair, hehe)

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Arniston greenery

2009-04-30T22:02:00.003+02:00

After the South African elections, we spent a few days in Arniston, another small fisherman's village about 160km from Somerset West. I decided to start the series of posts with a few plants of the region.

Cape Columbine Lighthouse

2009-04-29T21:05:00.002+02:00

Cape Columbine Lighthouse is located just outside of Paternoster. Joubert was very excited to climb all the way to the top, so off course we all had to do it. I nearly died, but still had fun. I love lighthouses, I find them kind of romantic (that doesn't make much sense, no idea why or how a lighthouse could be romantic, but nevertheless...)

Fenced in sunset

2009-04-28T19:55:00.001+02:00

Paternoster boats

2009-04-27T20:01:00.003+02:00

I might have gone a little overboard with taking photographs of boats, but once I got started I just couldn't stop! Also, before I took my camera to the beach, we visited a small art gallery in the village with an exhibit of photographs taken in the area, a number of them of the fisherman's boats. I just had to try.
So these are my favourites...I think...

Black and white in low light

2009-04-16T22:13:00.003+02:00

Captured just after sunset on the beach.

Emma, resting her head on her dad's - her favourite place to be!

Trying his very best to pose for mom

Bring it on!

2009-04-15T21:03:00.003+02:00

The Noisy Oyster is a great little restaurant in Paternoster - interesting menu, fantastic food, great music and atmosphere. This is how they entice customers to come inside...

...and inside we went (0;

Very busy editing other shoots at the moment, so have still not gotten around to make a proper selection of images to post from the past weekend... soon, I hope!

Pictures can't do it justice

2009-04-14T22:19:00.003+02:00

I am a little bit overwhelmed by the small town of Paternoster where we spent this past Easter weekend. I took hundreds of pictures, but I still feel that my efforts can't do the beauty of this little village justice. I have mentioned before that I am not much of a landscape photographer and I really wish that I had the skill and the equipment to capture the scenery more as it should be captured.
We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and in four blissful days, Paternoster has become one of my favourite places in the world.
These are just a few of the images - the rest are still waiting to be worked on. I'm sure I'll post some more images during the course of the week!

Joubert, still in his PJ's, early morning on the beach just as the sun is starting to rise.

In Paternoster, all roads lead to the ocean...

Beautiful colours of early morning

Say what?

2009-04-06T21:49:00.002+02:00

Roses are red

2009-04-05T19:59:00.002+02:00

Strike a pose

2009-04-04T20:09:00.003+02:00

It's been quite a hectic week and I have neglected my blog shamelessly...

A few of Emma posing in her favourite swim suit.

Double Trouble

2009-03-31T22:49:00.002+02:00

A few favourites from a shoot I did last week. It was my first shoot with twins and I had such fun! I still can't tell them apart!

Just horsing around

2009-03-28T19:54:00.001+02:00

All I want for Christmas is a macro lens

2009-03-25T17:13:00.002+02:00

I used to love photographing flowers and could spend hours trying different angles and settings. Lately I have been very bored. I want to get up close and personal. I need a macro lens!
I now try to do all kinds of editing things with the flower shots I have and they end up looking like something you would find on a greeting card - from your grandmother (no offense, Gran).

The difference between boys and girls...

2009-03-24T22:21:00.003+02:00

Joubert's Lego constructions

...and Emma's.

Just another lazy afternoon on the beach

2009-03-23T21:25:00.001+02:00

Things seen at a picnic

2009-03-22T20:07:00.003+02:00

We went for an early morning picnic at Spier Wine Estate yesterday morning. I took a lot of pictures of the kids feeding the ducks, but decided to post some of the other things I found interesting.

Simplicity

2009-03-18T22:05:00.001+02:00

Prime property

2009-03-17T22:09:00.001+02:00

Eyes that see better through glasses

2009-03-16T21:25:00.003+02:00

It's hard for me to see my boy with glasses. This beautiful, perfect little creature now needs something additional to our love and support to keep him on the right developmental track. I was called in by his teacher at school who recommended that I have his eyes tested because of a few things she picked up in class. I was actually quite surprised, I never even suspected that he has problems with his vision. Thank goodness for wonderful teachers!
He is quite impressed with his new glasses - off course the fact that the frame is branded with a little Batman sign helped a lot! I'm very relieved that he is so excited, rather than being upset about being the only boy in class with glasses.
I actually thinks he looks quite handsome - a real little professor!
Children - they will break you heart every time.

Early evening on the beach

2009-03-15T23:13:00.003+02:00

Running away from it all

2009-03-13T21:51:00.004+02:00

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

I have been envious to the point of ugly jealousy of other people's lovely back lit images for the longest time. At first I had no idea how they did it. Then I took the time to find out, but never seemed to be faced with the right opportunity at the right time. And great optimist that I am, I was convinced that I would never be able to manage it anyway.
So now I'm all proud of myself. The temperature finally dropped to an acceptable level and the wind stopped howling long enough for me to convince the rest of the family to go the beach for an early evening stroll.
And there he was - unsuspecting random jogger, moving into my field of vision with the sun hanging low in the sky in the background. And what do you know, my camera was in my hand!!
Yay! Back lit image done.

Freakishly hot weather in March calls for lots of time in the pool!

2009-03-12T21:53:00.002+02:00

Late afternoon visitors

2009-03-10T21:53:00.003+02:00

Photographed in our garden this afternoon. They used to visit all the time when we first moved in, but were soon intimidated by two inquisitive children and a very territorial dog! So we were very happy to see them back today.

I wonder what this little guy (or lady) was looking for?

Baby, baby

2009-03-09T21:20:00.001+02:00

Colours of Autumn

2009-03-05T20:03:00.002+02:00

Sugar and spice and all things nice...

2009-03-04T14:46:00.002+02:00

Since everyone else seems to be at it...

2009-03-04T10:25:00.003+02:00

I don't really like promoting myself, but here goes anyway. If you like my blog, please be so kind and take the time to nominate me for the 2009 SA Blog Awards. It will make me happy!

In case you need some ideas for other blogs to nominate, here are a few suggestions:

Best Photographic blog: The Firefly Photo Files
Best Travel Blog: Cape Town Daily Photo
Best Personal Blog: Pia's Portal
Best Overseas SA Blog: My Life Without Me

Thank you and run along and nominate!

Sour

2009-03-03T20:09:00.002+02:00

Fun in the dark

2009-03-02T21:50:00.002+02:00

Photostory Friday: Guess where we were tonight!

2009-02-27T22:19:00.005+02:00

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

For once, the pictures speak for themselves...

Sitting in the shadows

2009-02-25T22:26:00.001+02:00

Keeping watch

2009-02-24T22:39:00.001+02:00

A day at the docks

2009-02-23T22:29:00.002+02:00

Aaaaaaaah! Swim away!!!!

2009-02-21T18:07:00.001+02:00

This image just cracks me up (-:

Photostory Friday and gifts from school

2009-02-20T22:07:00.004+02:00

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Last week I posted about Joubert testing my patience.
But he can also be so very, very sweet! He is a real little collector - forever picking up sticks, stones, bottle tops, feathers etc. Every time I empty his pockets before putting his clothes in the washing machine, I am amazed at what I find in there.
Since he was very small, he's gotten it into his head that I like feathers. I must have made a big fuss when he found his first feather, but every time he finds one he presents it to me with great pride. I'm also not aloud to lose these feathers. He check up on me to make sure I keep them!
Anyway. Since he started at his new school, he has taken to collecting little things on the school ground and bringing them home as gifts for me. Initially, I got a whole bunch of feathers, but he has since discovered a tree that grows these funny looking seed pods (or something).

I carefully saves them in a side pocket of his bag and then arranges them on the windowsill in the kitchen. They are quite messy and I have quite an impressive collection already, but I don't have the heart to get rid of them. How sweet is the boy who collects special gifts for his mom during the school day?

Me again

2009-02-19T21:07:00.003+02:00

I've grown to hate my last attempt at self-portraiture so much, that I felt compelled to give it another try. Who knew that is could be this difficult to snap a decent pic of oneself? I tried the shoot-yourself-in-the-mirror method, but I got so confused with where exactly left and right is and which side of the camera I'm supposed to be, that I gave up. I then held the camera above, below and beside my head at all sorts of weird angels, whilst trying to figure out how to press the shutter button at the same time (also concentrating very hard not to drop the damn thing!) and its a small wonder that I even got anything into focus. My kids clearly thought I was finally going bonkers and proceeded to break down the house in a manner even more enthusiastic than usual.
This is the result and I think that this will be my final attempt. It's much more fun pointing the camera the right way around and actually being able to look through the viewfinder.

Fallen

2009-02-18T22:09:00.003+02:00

Firefly's post earlier this week caused me to notice these fallen berries in our driveway today.

Time to work

2009-02-17T21:30:00.004+02:00

I've been busy proofing today and could not find the time to take any photographs! So a few favourites from a shoot I did yesterday will have to do...

I like this shot because of the contradiction between his serious face and his "Mr Happy" shirt.

I've been busy proofing today and could not find the time to take any photographs! So a few favourites from a shoot I did yesterday will have to do...