Man, I miss summer! I know we’re only 7 days into winter, but I wish it was over already!!!

The first half of these are all iPhone photos.

We kept the same basic shape of what was there, just made it better!

The concrete truck came and laid new concrete……

….then the retaining wall went in….

….and the frame went up….

….and the windows and doors went in….

….and Teddy Wilson got beat up by Clyde….

……..and Darcy never didn’t have a wedgie….

….then roof and walls and cables went in and on…

……and the cladding went on…

…. and the giprock went on…..

……and the solar panels went on and made us happy…

…. and my beautiful Edison Lights lit up the world!…..

…. the cabinets were built and installed…..
…. and a frangipani was planted.

Then we had a major floor disaster when the painter painted over my beautiful concrete with garage floor paint and I cried…..

..lucky we simply adore our painter, so we laughed about it later …

… then we painted them white in the hope they would look pretty again…..

….furniture was bought, built and sat on…..

….Darcy fell asleep in the weirdest places……

…. then another disaster saw the rains come down and the studio flooded…..

…. then we laid some turf…..

…. then the white floors bothered me so much that I made my ever patient husband grind it off and back to what it was originally……

… then the chooks were jealous all the time and wanted it to be their new home too ….

… then Darcy kept falling asleep …..

And finally… FINALLY….. after a little over a year, we have The After. It is right next door to my home, so I can even work in my PJ’s if I want!  An amazing space, simple in design, comfortable and easy to use. A place my kids can spend all their time with me while I work and clients feel at home when they come to view their galleries, where their kids and babies are welcome and  they are allowed to touch and play with whatever they want! A place that can double as a guest house or granny flat if needs be. My husband is one clever man to build it for me, and I am very very lucky to have him and his handy friends who all chipped in to get it done!

The kids got to choose what to plant in the pots, and they unanimously decided on an edible garden, to go with our big veggie garden out the back. Which suits me just fine!!! We have lettuce, kale, peas, tomatoes, and lots and lots of herbs. Beautiful! They’re only new, but once they’re big I think it will look and smell amazing!

An iPhone grab as the last one, because I love it!

If you’re in the Brisbane or Gold Coast area, or are coming past, please let me know if you would like to visit or book a family session!

el    .    xoxoxo

Here is the 2nd instalment of Kids Were Here. I had a whole month to complete it, and as is my style, left it until the last possible minute and had to scramble around like a mad thing collecting images! Luckily my kids have no concept of cleaning up after themselves, giving me heaps of things to choose from.  None of my Teddy Wilson this month, I’m afraid, as the poor little thing broke his arm!!! I felt so sorry for him, that I couldn’t bear to take his picture on top of all his other woes, even though I *did* find him one morning fast asleep in Darcy’s room with a babies singlet on! How much must one little kitten endure!!!

Head over to the Kids Were Here Website to see all the other wonderful images from the talented group of women in our group. Click on each image to lead you to their blogs to see their month in its entirety, and leave them some love.

Disclaimer: There are some rude words in this post. I have no idea who or where Harry & Lily have learnt them from, because when I speak, only sunflowers and rainbows come out of my mouth. They definitely did not learn them from me. Nope. They most definitely did not.

el    .     xoxo

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el   .   xoxo

This is my friend Zelie. She trains animals. She’s been in charge of the four legged stars of things like Charlottes Web, Racing Stripes and more recently, War Horse. She’s also a stunt woman. You know all the strenuous stuff  Antonio Banderas did in Zorro, like riding horses through buildings and next to fast trains? That was totally Zelie. So basically, my friend is tougher than yours . Her son Colt, who I’ve mentioned lots on this blog already, is Harrys best friend. Zelie, Craig and Colt moved to Perth late last year,  taking the specially trained animals you’ll see in this post to Circus Joseph Ashton,  where they live and work, and look after these beautiful creatures with all the love and attention they deserve. We miss them every single day, and cannot wait for them to come home!! And this is also just the tip of all the amazing things that she has achieved in her life. I like to make fun of her, teasing her that I’m sure she makes most of it up. She’s not showy or a prima donna, but down to earth and humble. To see her work with animals is breath taking. She has this calming effect on them, seemingly without any effort, that exudes from her whole being, and animals respond to it. I know its from years of hard work, from tried and tested methods and techniques, but I also truly believe that there is a certain amount of magic in her heart, the beautiful kind that animals see and feel, that often humans do not. People are put onto this earth for a reason, and I cannot image Zelie doing anything else than using this gift she has been given.

She has a sister Freda, who wrote a book. The book is about all these amazing things, plus a million and 12 more. All the wonderful, extraordinary  and sometimes tragic events that have shaped this woman I know and love. Its an amazing book, beautifully written by a kind, warm hearted and funny woman. I’m proud to know them both.

The book was launched yesterday, in Perth under the big top of the circus, exceeding all expectations. A best seller, of that I am certain!

I was lucky enough to take some images of my friend for her fancy ( ) media things. Who would have thought that some of those images would be used for the cover, both front and back, of this inspiring book!  I am beyond excited and thankful to be a part of it. You can find out more about it here. If you’d like to know a little more about Zelie, you can watch her Australian Story special here.

Here is the cover of the book, so be sure to buy it if you see it. You will not regret it, and your life will be forever changed, as mine has been, to know her amazing and inspiring story.

And here is beautiful Colt, 6 years old, performing alone in the circus ring, with hundreds of people watching. His grandfather was from Bullen Circus fame, as was his dad, so this is a pretty special moment, 3rd generation Bullen, carrying on a family tradition. I get teary whenever I see it. And I don’t know many 6 year olds who would have the guts to be doing this all by himself! I am very and most extremely proud of him!!!

I could live for a lifetime on just 30 seconds with her.

PS: this dress came from this awesome kids boutique shop called Amelie & Violet. They have the most beautiful kids things!!

Morning cartoons

Trampoline

Reading to Mama Bunny

Quiet pondering in the rain

Arms outstretched

Retriever love

Obligatory posing

Also, I’m in the process of a little blog and website makeover, combining both to one site and a change in layout. Have a look around and tell me what you think! Its not quite finished, and needs some tidying, but you’ll get the idea!

Welcome to the very first instalment of my latest personal project, Kids Were Here. Its pretty self explanatory really: On the 1st of every month I’ll be posting some photos of evidence of my kids, without them actually being present in the image. I’m excited about taking part in such a project for lots of reasons, but the very best thing about it, is I am doing it alongside some amaaazing photographers. Like, seriously, super duper talented people. Each month one image from each of us will be posted to a dedicated group site, kidswerehere.wordpress.com, and each image will be linked to its photographers own page, where you’ll be able to check out their work. Simple! And brilliant!

And for the record, this is about the 15th time this week that I’ve found Teddy Wilson with underpants on his head. Poor Teddy Wilson.

el   .   xoxo

Anyway. I loved this experience so much. And I’ll put my hand on my heart and say I’m hooked. I can’t WAIT to explore more and spend time getting better and more creative.

But for now, here is my very first little film. Its only 2 minutes long (baby steps people), but go ahead and have a look! Tell me what you think!

Its all about the things that make me happy.

el    xoxoxo

30 Days of Grateful Video 1 from El Hogan on Vimeo.