I SO wanted to bring out the kids Easter baskets, shred up paper to make a nest in them like we used to, leave out some carrot and water for the Easter Bunny, etc! I do miss the fun of these occasions that is had when you have small children! However, the Easter Bunny did still come to my big kids – just minus the aforementioned fun bits!
It’s been a much nicer long Easter weekend than expected. We didn’t get the torrential rain and storms as predicted! I’m happy about that, not only because it allowed us to get outside and tidy up the garden and get all the washing dry, but for all of you that went away (particularly campers)!!
Good Friday was spent relaxing, washing, doing a bit of weeding in the garden and cooking! As we do every year on Good Friday, we had fish for dinner!
Easter Saturday was spent getting lots of jobs done around the house and garden and also included bathing both the dogs (Instagram phone snap evidence below)! I cooked up a Balinese Style Pork Belly Roast for dinner. It was my first time cooking it and OMG it was so delicious!
Easter Sunday was an early start for us as we had to leave home at 5am to drop our daughter to the airport. She and friends have gone to Melbourne till Thursday for a bit of adventure during their University break. Back home for breakfast, a quick Happy Easter phone snap posted to Instagram (see below), and then off over to Mum and Dads with the rest of the family for Easter Sunday lunch.
Easter Monday – a day at home, more jobs done around the house and garden – washing and lots of pruning and hosing. We went for a late afternoon walk at the waterfront with my sister and her husband and then home to cook up a yummy salmon dish for dinner!
How was your Easter? Did you stay home and catch up on some jobs and/or chillax or did you go away? Tell me all about it! Are your kids still young enough that you can do all the fun Easter Bunny stuff?
Ciao for now,
[ This post is linked up with Essentially Jess for #IBOT ]
52 Comments
Great photos! Our Easter was a relaxing one also with my nephew’s birthday party thrown in the mix! Loved it!
Thanks Ingrid! Lovely to hear you had a relaxing Easter. What a lucky nephew you have – a birthday and a visit from the Easter Bunny – exciting time of year for him!
We saw my 16 year old daughter off to Greece on Good Friday and had a rather low key long weekend. There was a bit of catching up on the garden because hubby was home after a month at sea. It was also the first year in 16 that the Easter bunny didn’t make an appearance. Instead my girls headed to the store and selected their own eggs for Sunday morning.
Oh wow – seeing your 16 year old daughter off to Greece! Were there tears? There would have been if it were me – such a sooky la la I am! Must be hard having your hubby off to sea for a month Raychael – but lovely when he gets back! It was great to catch up in the garden but there is still much more needs doing. We’re going to wait till after Tassie though when it will be cooler! 😉
Ours was quite low key, but with loads of little people on Sunday for a family egg hunt which was lovely.
Low key is good!! An Easter egg hunt with little people would have been loads of fun! 🙂
I love your photos Min, especially your pool which I always want to jump in every time I see it! We didn’t do much for easter as bub doesn’t understand it all yet. Hopefully next year we can start all the fun traditions 🙂
Thanks Toni! Soon it will be too cold for you to want to jump in our pool each time you see a photo of it! lol Yes next Easter your bub will understand Easter more. It’s fun setting family traditions in place 🙂
Your dogs are beautiful.
We went away camping for 4 nights with my family and sisters and mum. I loved relaxing and loved that I had a chance to rebound with my nieces and nephews
Thanks Natalie! They actually look way cuter when they are dry! LOL Camping would have been great fun – especially with extended family! Hope the weather was good for you! 🙂
Balinese style pork belly sounds amazing!!
Beautiful photos 🙂
That Balinese Style Pork Belly roast was AHHMAZING!! Glad you liked the photos! 🙂
Oh, those garden shots look delightful. Happy to hear you had a lovely Easter break xx
Thank you Nicole! Hope you had a lovely Easter break too! 🙂 xo
Stunning pictures Min. I spent Easter at my mum’s and sadly inhaled my easter eggs in a heart-beat. She’d bought a couple of things so let me eke them out over Saturday and Sunday. Thankfully.
Deb
I ate a few Easter eggs over at my parents house too Deb! A little indulgence on one day won’t matter! It had been ages since I’d had any chocolate so I really savoured them 🙂
Pretty quiet – we went up to Toowoomba to visit the hubster’s family on the Saturday, and went to church on Sunday. I had to work yesterday as I am taking this Friday off – fun and games of working for yourself! Public holidays? What’s that?!
I love it at Toowoomba Janet! It’s such a pretty town – gorgeous trees and parks and the main street is pretty with its hanging baskets 🙂 Hope you have a fun day planned for your Friday off! 🙂
Gorgeous photos Min. We went to my parents and it was nice to have an extra pair of hands, although the kids are VERY feral and tired now!
Thanks Em! Oh you’re so lucky to have that gorgeous farm of your parents to escape to. I remember only too well how lovely it was to have some extra pairs of hands to help out. The feral and tired usually comes hand in hand with the sugar highs of Easter. May the force be with you! 😉 x
Glad to hear you had a chillaxing Easter, Min. Your dogs are just absolutely gorgeous x
Nothing like a good chillax Grace! lol Love my doggies! I will miss them when we’re away! xo
A very quiet low key Easter for me. Much cooler Melbourne weather (which I like) helped. Though I’d say your daughter might call it “freezing” Great photos again. You have a real talent. The way you use focus and depth of field creates standout images. The ones of the leaves are especially eye catching. The one with the garden implements reminds me of an impressionist still life painting.
Thanks for sharing your words and your art.
Low key is right up my ally Patrick and the cooler weather in Melbourne is too! So envious! My daughter will be loving it. She texted me when the plane landed to tell me it was 10 degrees and she had lots of smiley faces beside the message. She likes the cooler weather like her mother. She also enjoys being able to wear a coat, scarf etc like me too. Such a novelty for us Queenslanders! Thank you again for your wonderful compliments on my photography. It absolutely makes my day! I am so self critical of my photographs so your kind words really mean a lot to me. Thank you Patrick!! 🙂
Its my pleasure because they are very good. You captured the expression on your dogs faces so well. They look a bit nonplussed at having a bath though. LOL.
You are going to love Tasmania
Thanks Patrick! Oh those photo’s of the dogs were just snaps with my phone and I had wet hands as I had just rinsed them off! lol Just wondering which photo you’re referring to when you say you like ‘the one with the leaves’?? There’s lots of photos of leaves so I’m not sure which one? I know I’m going to love Tasmania! Not long to wait now! 🙂
Scrolling down your blog the 4th photo, 5th with the little purple flower hanging, the 10th and the 12th, is that a Wisteria. The green is so vivid and the way you structure your photos is really well done. The 10th photo has the leaves placed almost dead centre and the whole “branch” is in almost a V shape. Do you use a Digital SLR? If not you should invest in one. I’m a Pentax fanatic as bought my first one in 1977 and the lens mount has never changed so I can use all my lenses on their modern cameras. I really recommend the Pentax K3s. Its a 24 megapixel camera that is water and dust proof and has many pro features at the amazing price of around $1,500.00. They make some cheaper ones but this is like buying a Rolls Royce for the price of a Holden Commodore. Its that good. Also because the lens mount hasn’t changed you can pick up brilliant quality lenses second hand for really good prices. The oldest wont do the auto focus etc because the contact points aren’t there but you are good enough to over come that. I use a 50mm prime lens that I bought with my K1000 in 77 still today. The glass optics is just stunning. I’d recommend one for your Tasmanian journey.
Thanks for pointing out which photo’s you were referring to Patrick. Yes – I use a Nikon D7100. All those photo’s (apart from the first lot of phone snaps) were taken with my 50mm prime lens. I used to use a Nikon D3100 but upgraded last year. When I can afford it I’d like to upgrade to a full frame camera. I have a few lenses. There were two kit lens that came with the D3100 – 18-55mm & 70-300mm. Since then I have bought the 50mm prime lens, a 105mm macro lens, and a 10-24 wide angle lens. I’d really like to add a good quality sharp general purpose zoom lens to the mix but the budget won’t allow for it right now. My dilemma is working out if I take ALL or just SOME of these lenses with me to Tassie! Such a pain to have to haul it all around with me everywhere I go – even if it all does fit in a camera backpack (heavy!).
Min Sigma are making a fantastic telephoto lens that’s 150mm to 500mm not sure of the cost and they have just released a 150mm to 600mm. To save a few dollars until you are ready to invest in a big telephoto lens have you thought about buying a teleconverter. A 2 x 1 will double your focal length and would mean that when you are travelling you don’t need to carry a heavy lens, perfect for using on your 70mm to 300mm. I would take that and your two other zooms which will enable you to shoot from 10mm through to 600 with the converter. The other thing you should consider especially when you are in Tassie is to try and get some of your photos published on the Australian Geographic web page. Also try the most fantastic magazine called Great Ocean. Just be sure to shoot in RAW. If your Nikon has two card slots see if you can do a simultaneous shot in RAW and high quality JPEG so it records the format onto the two cards. Most magazines like these two want large images. I’m so looking forward to seeing the photos from your journey. I know it might be tiresome, maybe record it to your Iphone but try and keep a little nightly journal of things that meant something to you on each day. You will treasure that in years to come.
I’ll have to have a look at the teleconverter you speak of Patrick. I rarely use my 70-300mm so I’m going to have a play with it before we leave to see if it is any good (eg sharp enough). I used to shoot in RAW and JPG but now just shoot in RAW (the JPG’s only ended up deleted anyway). My camera has two card slots 🙂 I can’t believe you think I should try and get my images published on the Australian Geographic web page! I never dare to dream that big! I will check out the magazine called Great Ocean! 🙂
Min Australian Geographic are open to all photographers to submit don’t decry your ability. The website for Great Ocean Quarterly is http://www.greatocean.com.au The 70mm to 300mm should be quite sharp. Take your camera with you and a lens when you look at the teleconverter to make sure the contact points for your auto focus sync because there are several types of converter. Its a handy tool to have in your kit.
Thanks Patrick – I’ll check out that link. I’ve got some shopping to do for the Tassie trip next week so might try and find a camera shop while I’m at it! 😉
Love your photos Min. And glad you had a relatively chillaxed Easter. Mine wasn’t the best as I wasn’t well, but the rest of the family had a good time and that’s what matters.
Thanks so much Jodi! Yes I read your post so knew you weren’t well over Easter. What a shame! I hope you’re feeling better now?!
You are such a talented photographer. I love the ones of the leaves in particular. It looks as though you have a magic outdoor area. Meanwhile, how cute are your dogs? I’m glad you had a lovely Easter. Ours was not great with our littlest love getting a tummy bug. Taking her off to the docs tomorrow. We did however leave a carrot out for the Easter Bunny and he ate all of it apart from the end bit. Very hungry bunny 😉
Oops. Meant to say also dropping by via #teamIBOT 🙂
HaHa! Love #teamIBOT ! You guys do such an awesome job 🙂
Thanks so much Renee! It always gives me such a lift to hear positive comments on my photography! I’m so confused as to which one is ‘the one of the leaves’ though? There was a comment (from Patrick) that also specified ‘the one with the leaves’ as being a favourite too. There are lots of photos that have leaves in them so I’m not sure which one you’re both referring to? So sorry to hear your little one had a tummy bug over Easter! What a shame! I’m not surprised the Easter Bunny ate most of the carrot – it’s hungry work all that hopping around the world to all the childrens homes! 😉
Sounds like you had a lovely Easter. Your dogs are adorable! And beautiful photos as always Min 🙂
We did! Hope you had a great Easter too Sanch. Love my two dogs and thanks for the compliment on my photos! 🙂
Fantastic Pictures. Easter was very relaxing here with some cooking for the family, wouldn’t change it for the world.
Visiting from IBOT
Thanks Lisa! Fantastic to hear you had a lovely Easter with your family! 🙂
Oh you make gardening look artistic and fun with your photos – great shots! A long weekend is always a good opportunity to get stuff done around the house. Makes you feel fresh and rejuvenated before going back to work! Visiting from #IBOT 🙂 x
Thank you Ashlea! Long weekends are so wonderful. I particularly like the Easter one when the mornings and evenings are starting to get a bit cooler. You’re so right about getting stuff done around the house making you feel fresh and rejuvinated! Hope you had a fabulous Easter break! 🙂 x
We had a lovely, quiet Easter this year.
Your photos make gardening look like fun 🙂
Great to hear you had a lovely Easter Kaz! Gardening is much more fun when it gets a bit cooler. Must admit to a bit of garden neglect during the hot and steamy months! 😉
Sounds like you had a lovely, breezy weekend filled with catching up around the house. I’d love a weekend like that right now. You must have felt super productive! We went away camping so we only created a lot of mess when we got home with everything that needed washing, packing away, sorting etc. It was lovely to get away in the fresh bush air however!
It’s usually either one or the other during a short break isn’t it Vicki – get away or stay home and play catch ups around the house! I love a longer holiday where there is time for both! Your camping get away sounds fabulous to me! 🙂
Look at those cute doggy faces! Yourgarden looks like a lovely relaxing place to be.
I spent time hanging out with family and twice over easter I felt so full, I actually felt like I would be sick. Eating a lot healthier this past week 🙂
I only showed the good parts of the garden! lol My front garden isn’t growing like I had hoped it would due to a huge leopard tree on the footpath that sucks up all the nutrients. Major overhaul of the front garden coming up after Tassie. I’m better at gardening in the cooler months and also when I have hubby’s muscles to help with the heavy work! 🙂
Lovely photos – you obviously enjoyed your photography as much as gardening and relaxing over Easter.
Thanks Kathy – I do enjoy gardening and love it when things are under control – pruned, neat, watered 🙂 It was fun to grab the camera and snap a few shots during the process too!