photostory friday: i really need to work on my technique

 so we all know that NIK of WHIMSY LOVE is the QUEEN of JUMPY PICS 

and because she's such a caring, sharing creature...

( here's her 'how to')

i, on the other hand

appear to only have one 'MOVE'

yep - there it is again

arms slightly wider

trampolines help ...

oh dear

in my defense, this was my FIRST ever attempt

as for genius stuff like this?

one can but dream

...and try, try, try again

thanks NIK!!

PS:  i've just realised that all my pics were taken in australia, except for the last one which was taken in my backyard

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

photostory friday: just like wordful wednesday, but with more photos (and words)

 so last weekend miss 14 and i jumped on a plane to sydney to surprise my bestie tara, and miss 14's bestie - miss 13 (that be her with the suprised look on her face)

 that be her sister miss 12 much later that day when miss 14 leapt out from under a pile of blankets to surprise her

and here's tara and i waiting for our pizzas in the sun

back home there's thunder and lightening and gale force winds, but i'm toughing it out in the sun

really, what's a girl to do??

just soak it all up, that's what's to do

that 'golden hour' (there's an iphone ap for it!)

that hour before the sun goes down that's perfect for taking photos

like this one

 the next day it's off to the beach (coz we can)

NB:  this school drink bottle is NOT being used for juice alone

(if you know what i mean!)

what's a trip to the beach without a little tipple?!

and jumpy pics

i love jumpy pics...`

i said JUMPY pics!!!

there you go

 before we knew it, it was time to say goodbye and head home

a wonderful surprisea wonderful weekend

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

photostory friday: pictures of oz

firstly, by way of explanation, "OZ" is a kiwi way of saying 'australia'

our trip to see tara and her fam for 8 days during the recent school holidays was simply wonderful, and contained a little and a lot of everything...

an early morning start

friendship and joy

a second birthday!

beaches

did i say beaches already?

how about jumping at beaches...

and some snorkelling

then there were the wharves

the local council allows houses to build RIGHT to the water, so there are any number of private wharves, but plenty of public ones too

perfect for jumping off...

then there was our day trip to sydney

this involved a lot of ANTICIPATION

then exhaustion..

did you know there are ONE MILLION 56 THOUSAND TILES

on the roof of the sydney opera house?

and here's just one of them!

chocolates galore at the lindt cafe

our week was full of cute dogs too

and chocolate pizza

WHAT holiday is complete without chocolate pizza?

and big knickers

i almost forgot about the big knickers

did i mention the beaches already?

and more joy (for the jumping of)

sightseeing too

and ice skating

i almost forgot about the ice skating

and the scary pelicans

was there ever a FREAKIER bird?

i don't know how big their brains are, but they're smart enough to wait by the fish filleting table at the beach and wait for the leftovers to wash out

watching one pelican try to carry off the remains of an entire fish without all the other pelicans stealing it off him was entertaining.  freaky but entertaining

then it was time to say farewell

and thank goodness for skype :)

Hosted by Cecilyand Pam