A sunny Xmas Day

Well, we had to travel 1000klms to see the Sunshine, but we did it!!  Went back to Trangie, NSW to visit the family and have a day or two of rest.  It had been a couple of years, but it was probably good that we did it now. A few documented Sunrises for my site of course...

Red Ruby even got to see the Sunset!!

Then the trip home was a little more adventurous with the start of the flooding. We couldn't take the normal route home via Goondiwindi, so we went through Tamworth, and at Warrick we hit a slight traffic stopper...

... luckily their was a way out by going out past the Golf Course, and then we hit the traffic jam... 

The traffic in front

and the traffic behind...

Parts of the road had been washed away and Councils were trying to patch up as best they could...

and then with only 75klms to home, we hit this.....

 The Bridge closed to traffic at Kilcoy due to the river rising and almost 40cm of water over the bridge flowing at a good rate of knots.

After a 3hr wait for the water to recede (which it never did) we met some lovely folk who were headed back toward Gympie then Bundy, they too having experienced their own adventrures, so with no obvious results or headway we decided to back track through Esk, via Ipswich and back home up the highway to home.

Finally after leaving Trangie at 4am, we made it home safe and sound at 12:30am. What normally takes 11hrs.... took 20 1/2hrs.

A memorable Christmas to say the least, but also a small taste of what was to come...

Dicky Beach Surf Classic Carnival

Sat 11th and Sun 12th saw the Dicky Beach Surf Classic Carnival held at Dicky Beach for U14's to Open.

Day 1 (Sat) was a perfect day, weatherwise, and you can view all Day1 photos taken by Kay-Cheree here! (no sign in required).

Day 2 (Sun) was less than perfect, with umbrellas needed all day to keep the rain at bay. Day 2 photos taken by Kay-Cheree can be viewed here! (no sign in required).

Here are a few teasers...

Current Forcast.............WET, WET, WET

Hmmm, it is supposed to be Summer, although the order for the days seem to be rain, rain and more rain! My boys are making the most of the surfing conditions but I can only see smiles on the frogs and ducks and the little Dicky Beach inhabitants below are LOVIN' IT!!


This is the habitat...

This is the inhabitant...

and these were his friends

                                                  

The most recent storm through the coast y'day (16/12/10) has seen our Pajero showered in hail half the size of cricket balls. Just another life experience to deal with, but I know there are many people out there far worse off, with damage to cars and homes, no electricity, flooding etc.

My thoughts go out to you all in these trying times.  I often wonder if the 'creator' lays in a beanbag, hanging their head over the side watching the chaos created below... 

One thing I have learnt over time though, is that regardless of the depth of the problem thrown at us, it is definately how we deal with it that either makes it a problem, or just a hurdle to get over.  Definately share your emotions with others, the frustration, anger, hurt, pain, loss and sadness, but stay strong at heart and always follow the light towards the end of the tunnel....  the journey of life is never without its challenges, but it is these that make us 'US', giving us stories to tell our children and our grandchildren.

Signing off for now...
Kay-Cheree

Skiing at Somerset

Hi, and yes it has been awhile.... I have been wading knee deep in paperwork, but am finally finding my way to the bottom of the pile!! :) I will get back to the photography at some stage!

We did manage to sneak in a couple of days away with family (not as many as we had initially planned due to the weather) but it made the water magic - smooth and glassy, just the way we like it for a ski, then with the wind picking up in the afternoons it was time to bring out the tubes!!

View some of the fun we had below!!

PS: I have had my son in training as a future happy snapper - he took the pics of dad skiing while I was driving the boat... and I think he has the eye and the trigger finger!

Namaste

Kay-Cheree

Purpose of a dog

Everyday we receive emails in our inbox, some nice, some funny, some junk & then some that just hit the nail on the head within your soul....

This is one of those... ENJOY!

A  Dog's Purpose?    (from  a 6-year-old).

Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife Lisa, and their little boy Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.
I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the  family we couldn't do anything for Belker, and  offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for  the old dog in their home.
As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.

The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker’s family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting  the old dog for the last time, that I wondered  if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.

The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after  Belker's Death, wondering aloud about the sad  fact that animal lives are shorter than human  lives.  
Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, ''I know why.''

Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me.  I'd never heard a more comforting explanation.  It has changed the way I try and live.

He said, ''People are born so that they can learn  how to live a good life -- like loving everybody  all the time and being nice, right?''
The  Six-year-old continued,''Well, dogs already know  how to do that, so they don't have to stay as  long.''

Live simply.

Love generously.

Care deeply.

Speak kindly.

Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like:

When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.

Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.

Allow  the experience of fresh air and the wind in your  face to be pure Ecstasy.

Take  naps.

Stretch  before rising.

Run,  romp, and play daily.

Thrive on attention and let people touch you.

Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.

On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.

On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.

When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.

Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.

Be loyal.

Never pretend to be something you're not.

If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.

When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently.

ENJOY EVERY MOMENT OF EVERY DAY!

Namaste
Kay-Cheree! xo 

Another Sunrise from the Sunshine Coast

Mmmm, Saturday morning I took the boy down to the beach for his monthly Surf comp and decided we would leave early enough that I could catch the Sunrise (as I haven't seen one for some time) and it got me thinking that sometimes in life we get so bogged down with everything else that is going on in our lives, that we forget about ourselves.  We put ourselves at the bottom of the pile, but just never seem to get to the bottom... some other task comes along that needs immediate attention or is more important.  

The more people I meet and observe confirms my views that the balance of life includes give and take.  You need to give a little to others, but you also need to take a little for yourself.  You can put that into any physical/emotional context that suits you.. for me at the moment, it is time.  I tend to find I put a lot of time in, often to several tasks at once, but I don't take much time back (for myself). Time for me, would just be a moment (an hour or two would be better - a week would be a dream!) that I don't have to do anything, no cleaning, no washing, no organising children or hubby, no stopping the dog from chewing the socks, or removing the cats from the furniture.  To just sit on the couch and read a magazine in peace, to go and chase the Sun's path when i feel like it, to not have to think about work deadlines or bills that have to be paid.... and the response I am sensing is you probably think 'Yeah right, in your dreams'. :)

But it doesn't have to be in your dreams, as with a little action... you can turn it into reality!  That is one of the reasons I love to go out and capture Sunrises (or sunsets), because for that 20-40mins I find that I am NOT thinking about anything else other than wondering what colours, shadows, and shapes the sun rising will display!

At the end of the day, everything else will still be there, but we definately need to take that time for ourselves to charge the batteries and brighten the spirit (so to speak). 

At the moment I manage this a couple of times a week..... my goal is to manage time for me on a daily basis!

So back to Saturday, here are a few shots I managed whilst in 'MY' time!!

Hope you enjoyed the visions....

Namaste

Kay-Cheree

U12 Grey ... Semi Finalists!

The last HOORAA for the Kawana Dolphin U12 Greys!  Well done guys on a fantastic season and making it through to the Semi's against Stanley Rivers!!!  I have enjoyed watching the games and capturing you guys in action, you are all talented and I hope to see you all back again next season.  You can still hold your heads high...and make sure to keep an eye out on the next edition of the 'Local Directories'! Team spirit is what it is all about!!!

from behind the lens.....

Kay-Cheree

The serenity of Currimundi Lake, Sunshine Coast QLD

Sometimes it is not possible to see those beautiful inspiring moments that happen around us every day due to our busy lives, and sometimes we just need that visual to trigger that 'sigh' moment that stops you in your tracks and helps you to 'breathe' (take a minute to notice how your body reacts next time you withness one of these 'sigh' moments... it can become addictive), so I have been playing again with videos and have created this 3 1/2 minute video of Serene images from Currimundi Lake.  I aim to do one of each area I have captured over the years and put them together on a DVD disc.

Check it out and I  hope you like it.  I would love your feedback too!

or view full screen high res video here

You can also view them here thru my YouTube page.

Namaste

Kay-Cheree

The golden Sunset

(Sigh).... it is just beautiful when you stop to take a moment (in my case - capture) and you are rewarded with a vision such as this... and with the Sunset it is usually gone within a few minutes.

Just what are the chances that I would have a paddler enter my line of sight at just the right moment!! The human element always adds that special touch to an image.

All my thanks again to the universe for having me in the right place at the right time!!  MWA***

Namaste

Kay-Cheree

14.08.2010 - U12 Kawana Grey defeated Caloundra Black @ Caloundra

A win for U12 Kawana Grey.... as we get closer to semi finals it's time to really get those heads down and in the game.

Here are a few pics from their efforts (you can view the full album HERE)

also a couple of collages I created as a reminder of what you too can purchase - freezing those moments in time that you can cherish forever!