Up before the sparrows fart.

“You have to find the place that brings out the human in you.

The soul in you.

The love in you.”

~ R.M. Drake

There is nothing mundane or mediocre about life.

Far from it.

Being out every morning before the sparrows fart provides ample opportunity 

to witness that which is definitely NOT mundane or mediocre.  

Quite the opposite in fact. 

My mornings are both beautiful and dramatic.

There are some moments though when it feels almost sacrilegious to pull the camera out.  

When all I want to do is drink in the majesty of the spectacle Mother Nature puts on.

Reverence is a word that comes to mind.

It’s at these moments that I fail miserably as a photographer.

From woefully wintery skies to the most fierily blazing sunsets my world is left better by these dramatic and beautiful happenings.  

Even the woefully winter skies hold a moody magic all of their own.

Who would have thought one could be so transfixed by our ever changing skies.

As one morning moves to the next I’m left flummoxed by how quickly time’s passing.

There is a never-ending relentlessness to the ticking of the clock.

A persistent reminder that there is still so much in life I want to do.

I want to capture sunsets in remote parts of the world

Stalk birds in far-flung locations.

Walk in the waves on sunburnt shores.

I want to shoot stars in the desert

and witness the bright dancing lights of the Aurora Borealis.

It’s my photographic bucket-list and time is a-ticking.

“One day she remembered that the only person that could make her happy was herself.  

So she took back her power, 

reclaimed her place in the world, 

and shined like never before!”

~ Wild Women Sisterhood

Embrace the CRAZY.

 “Don’t let the world change your smile.

Let your smile change the world.”

~ unknown

Embrace the CRAZY.

And I don’t mean me.

Though I’d be the FIRST one to say yes to a hug.

LIFE is crazy.

Unsettled.  

Changeable.

Apt words to describe it at the moment.

Whilst I’m a staunch proponent of change and the benefits it forces upon one, 

there comes a time when even I really need SOME things to remain static.

At least for a while.

This constant chasing to catch up, or adjust, is exhausting.

Mother Nature has been unsettled of late too.

From dark and stormy skies with accompanying wind and rain yesterday morning

to bright sunshine and blue skies in the afternoon.

It does make me smile.

Predictable -  Mother Nature is NOT.

I LOVE the moody weather though.

What others see as dismal, I see as dramatic.

It’s Mother Nature wearing one of her many guises.

Each and every day STILL has its beauty.

But in vastly different ways.

It’s only the rain that prevents me from capturing it.

Not many are brave enough

 ... or CRAZY enough ... 

to venture out when the weather’s THIS inclement.

‘Good morning’ IS an oxymoron of sorts. What can be good 

about a morning when you’re

NOT a morning person. 

The youngest lemming encapsulates

that completely. 

Yesterday’s weather had him snuggled up under his duvet

whilst the hound and I were out reveling in the wind and rain.

It’s these times out though, doing what I love, that keeps my sanity intact.

It’s the glue that holds the messy bits together.

It’s necessary.

“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive; 

to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.” 

~ Marcus Aurelius

An especially pertinent quote this week as we commemorate ANZAC Day and 

bear witness to the devastation and tremendous loss of life in Nepal.

We dressed the window for ANZAC Day too.

Tails speak a thousand words.

"The sun never says to the earth, 

'You owe me.' 

Look what happens with a love like that. 

It lights up the whole sky."

~ One Sufi`s saying

The most favourite moment of my day is when the sun pokes it’s head 

over the horizon.

Even when it’s overcast with low grey clouds I KNOW the sun’s there.

Waking the world.

Adding sparkle to the waves.

Adding light to my day.

NO words are necessary.

Mother Nature says it all.

Morning AND evening.

No words are ever necessary with the hound either.

She understands my every mood without explanation

and commiserates in the only way she knows how.

Curled up at my feet or head in my lap, 

she exudes compassion.

Life is often less than perfect but she makes the imperfect moments more manageable.

Even rainy rambles are enhanced with her company.

Tuesday bought the kind of rain that infiltrates every fibre of a fabric despite how waterproof a garment’s deemed to be.

It’s the kind of rain the hound loves.

We were both SO wet by the time we reached the boat ramp

that it seemed pointless to NOT allow her to swim.

We even found a small ‘log’.

Her tail spoke a thousand words.

Happiness resonated from every pore.

She walked home on a high.

Soaking wet,  tail waving proudly in the air.

Prized piece of ‘log’ in her mouth.

Rain’s therapeutic.

It washes the soul clean

AND makes the hound SMILE.

What was it I said about life being LESS than perfect?

I think not.

“Whatever’s good for your soul .... do that.”

~ anon

Orcas in my bay on Tuesday morning .