Snaps ‘n’ Crackles #1

Sometimes I like to do a post that is like a chat over a coffee. A bit of a brain dump of what I’ve been up to lately, thoughts in my head – stuff like that! It’s hard to know what to title these kinds of posts so I’ve decided to call them Miscellaneous Crackles and will number them to distinguish one from another.

Ta Da – here is my first one – Miscellaneous Crackles #1!

Sometimes I roam around the house with my camera and snap random things.  Occasionally I put in a lot of effort to get a good shot (take my tripod to avoid any camera shake, style up the image if it needs it and if I’m in the mood etc) and other times I just roam around and snap away.  As a result, I get some good shots and I get some not so great shots but either way it doesn’t matter.  It doesn’t matter because during the process of taking photographs, I do my best thinking.  Taking photo’s relaxes me and pulls me back to the present.  It slows down my crazy monkey mind!  Sometimes it forces me to notice things I might never have noticed before!

I’d like you to meet my pool hat.  It hangs on a nail in the bricks (so classy!) in our back pergola area.  I grab it and whack it on my head as I make my way to the pool.  It keeps the sun off my face and it’s great for tucking up my hair when I don’t want to get it wet.  This hat has been wet many times and it doesn’t matter.  See how great she still looks?!  She’s seen me through many a hot and humid summer.  Now this particular day I felt compelled to photograph my friend ‘the pool hat’ and in so doing so – look what I discovered (towards the bottom left corner)!  Photography makes you see stuff  you never normally notice.  It’s special like that!

I have some places and things around the house that I photograph regularly. Sometimes with effort. Sometimes not. Meet my lanterns.  Ok – you only get to see one but there are two of them. I am obsessed with them. I think I really like them! They were a gift from my sisters and the subject of many of my snapping wanderings. Here are some snaps taken on different occasions of my lanterns.

The most recent lantern snap – February 2015.

August 2014 – Lantern Photo with the candle lit

August 2014 – Photo of lantern with unlit candle

Other things I photograph a lot are:

• Our pool. I love the ripples in the water and the reflections of the sky and palm trees in the water. I love the abstract result.  Here’s a couple of recent shots but there have been many, many, many more in the past!

February 2015. Thought I’d try a shot looking through the bars of the pool fence. Why not huh?

November 2014 – My usual pool shot showing the ripples of water and the reflections of sky and palm trees. Love the effect if I do say so myself!

• The garden – especially flowers.
• My yellow fruit bowl.
• Cut flowers whenever I buy some.

I’m excited about our trip to Tasmania that is coming up in late April – JUST 8 WEEKS AWAY! OMG! I have never left our grown up kids for this long before (13 days). God knows what I will be coming home to. I will miss my two dogs. I keep thinking of things I will need to pack. I will have to start a list.   I know I will have to buy some more memory cards for my camera because I will not have a laptop with me to upload photographs to – in order to make room on ‘the’ memory card. I know I will need a waterproof and warm jacket. I am not a very good packer. I always pack WAY too much stuff. I haven’t travelled much so am not practiced at it. I would like to do better for this trip. I want to pack light. A couple of pairs of long pants, underwear, a variety of long-sleeved tops, warm jacket, going out outfit, socks, joggers, more dressy shoes, scarves, maybe a beanie type thingy, maybe knitted gloves, toiletries and stuff, phone and camera chargers, hair dryer & straightener (can’t live without them).

I’m also excited about the mini ProBlogger event that I will be attending in Brisbane on 3 March.  I’m excited but I am also very nervous.  I suffer from a ridiculous FODP (Fear of Disappointing People).  You know how you sort of become this character in computer land and people most likely build up their own image of the character of you in their heads.  I know I do it – it’s just natural.  It’s a bit like when you read a book and you have your own vision of the characters in your mind’s eye.  When the movie comes out you are usually disappointed because they are nothing like the vision you had in your head.  That is what forms the basis of FODP.  It’s a fear of not meeting up to the image people have of me in their heads.  Silly I know and a good reason to stop hiding behind a computer screen and get out there meeting people.  What is hilarious really is that most likely many people attending will not have even come across me and my blog.  It could be a case of Min who?  Write of the Middle what?  haha  For those that have come across me and my blog – maybe, just maybe I will be BETTER than they imagined!  Maybe I will knock their socks off with my awesomeness!  So there Min – stick that in your pipe and err don’t smoke it!

Do you suffer with FODP too?  What else do I need to pack for my Tassie trip? Any tips on packing lightly but ensuring I have everything I need? Do you ever wander around your house snapping photos in order to relax yourself or is it just me?

Well there you go – Brain dump #1 done and dusted!  A little insight into my turning cogs!

Ciao for now,

[This post is linked up with Essentially Jess for #IBOT, With Some Grace for #FYBF and also joining Maxabella Loves, Life, Love & Hiccups, Sonia Styling, A Life Less Frantic and The Annoyed Thyroid for Weekend Rewind.]