Mighty are the fallen

This was taken on one of my photo exploration walks around my street and complexes.

I have felt myself drawing away from my blog lately and find myself drawn more to flickr and photography. I’m really into this 365 day challenge now. I love taking photos and then coming home to look at them and edit them and post them on flickr. It’s a great community of inspiring and supportive and creative people. So if you dont hear from me much just head over there and say hi.

Oh and I watched ‘into the wild’ for the first time last night and it hit home a lot of things for me.

Day three

This was my entry for day three of my 365 day flickr challenge. I uploaded a few more photos from the shoot to my flickr page if you are interested. I am enjoying unleashing this creativity!!

I went for a hike around Deep Cove with my buddy Sophie today, I’ll post about it soon! I also want to show you my newest thrift buys.
Hope you all had a wonderful day, what did you get up to??

Finding some magic in the woods

I went for a hike through some hidden paths and into the woods. I didnt know where the path was leading me, and I felt like I was an explorer out on a lifechanging adventure. I walked past trees and shrubs and around corners until I came across something that stopped me in my tracks.

I found my new fave place, a place so magical that I didnt see anyone around. I felt so invincible and happy that words cant describe it. My imagination kicked in and I picked up some sticks that were on the ground and started to pretend they were swords. If only I had someone to challenge!

The trees whispered to me, and I lingered here, drawing breath as deeply as I could and taking it all in.

I tried to hone my senses to any forest creature that might be around and soon after I spotted a squirrel.

I had the feeling that everything in my life is as it should be. I am in the right place. I am doing the right thing. I am listening to my gut and making the right decisions. I felt amazing!

I wanted to write poetry, I wanted to write a story – the creative juices were just flowing incredibly! And maybe that adventure started the wheels turning and is part of the reason why I took up the 365 day flickr challenge.

All I know is that this place has gotten under my skin and into my heart. I am already longing to go back there. I wonder if it will be just as magical when I return?

Oh and I really need to make life easier for myself and buy a tripod for my camera! haha.

365 day flickr challenge

Day One!

Hi all!! So as you probably know if you read my blog I have a flickr account where I upload all of my photos to. Although I purchased a pro account so I would have room to store all my photos I didnt really think much about it. And then one day I was browsing through photos and realised that I wanted to stretch myself. I will still take all my adventure & nature shots but I am also going to be doing a 365 day challenge. Basically every day you upload one photo to the group – it has to be a self portrait to some extent and creativity is important. I’m excited for the challenge! We’ll see how it goes and today is my day one.

There are so many talented young photographers on flickr with amazing cameras, I will keep my little olympus digi and get the best I can out of her.

I’ll upload yesterdays incredible adventure in the woods tomorrow!!

A bus, a ferry and a train to Van Dusen Gardens

What a beautiful day it was yesterday! The sun was shining, and it was quite warm out for Vancouver- possibly even 19 degrees! Hehe. So I made the most of it and headed out on an adventure!!

I caught the bus from where I’m staying to Lonsdale Quay, where I got lunch. For dessert I got the pavlova and thought I’d write my review of it here seeings as it’s an Aussie thing (although NZ claims it).

Ok so yeah it looks nice. The big thing about Pavlovas is the meringue – it has to be just right. It should be crunchy on the outside and really soft and melting in your mouth on the inside. This one was chewy. Chewy meringue doesnt work well with pavlova, it ruins the whole consistency. Ah well… it wasnt too bad and it reminded me of home. Speaking of.. I tried marmite. It’s weird. It does taste a bit like vegemite, but there is just something different that I cant name. Also, they have cheesymite scrolls at cobs bread. I wonder if they use vegemite for this? It tasted the same as the ones back home. I mentioned before that Cobs Bread looks the same as Bakers Delight in Australia and if you click on the link it says that they are Aussie franchises!! Awesome.

Anyway, back to the adventure! haha.

So after lunch I got the seabus (ferry) to waterfront station and from there I got on the canada line train to Oakridge station. I dont know where the drivers sit in the train because at the front it’s all windows, so if you sit there you can see a lot but there seems to be no room for the driver. On the seabus it’s the same, but I noticed they seem to stand in a room on the middle left of the ferry instead. Strange!
When I arrived at my station I walked!!

I took some photos of the interesting houses in the area as I walked along.

There was a huge field where some kids were playing soccer. You can see the mountains in the background.

It looked like fun!
And on I walked until I came to some steps and had one of those ‘oh I can put my camera there and take some outfit photos’ moments.

Dress – Thrifted
Cardi – Target
Top – Sussan
Tights – Myer
Grey Necklace – sample sale
Bambi Necklace – Diva
Boots – Easy Step

I finally got to wear my fave thrifted dress that I mended!!

It got so warm that in the end I had to take my cardi off too! Now thats a good thing, and rare so far! haha. Bring on summer!!

So after I finished my impromptu photo shoot I headed in to the gardens!! It cost me just under $10 admission for the day, not bad I say!

It was beautiful to just leisurely walk around, I had nowhere I needed to be and no-one to impress. I took so many photos of the gardens, I will load them to my flickr. There were different sections that featured native plants and trees from different areas and there were so many flowers!!

There were little hidden paths (I am in LOVE with these) away from the main paths that wandered through the bushes for a while. You couldnt see where they were going but that was part of the fun!

It’s hard to get perspective from the photos but literally only one person could walk along them and they would be hidden by foliage as they turned the corner. Magical!

It really was quite spectacular. You could spend the whole day wandering around, or just sitting on a picnic rug under a tree. It reminded me of home a little!

Lots more photos on my flickr! hehe.

On the way back through Vancouver I took a photo of granville st – right near the waterfront station and gastown.

Gotta love days like these!!

Roadtripin’ along the sea to sky.

Hello folks!! Wow, what a day it has been today! Insane. We were up at 7am and out of the door by 7:30 to start our adventures. My homestay family ever so kindly invited me along on this trip and I was excited to join them. After a bit of a rough start we took the sea to sky highway and headed to Pemberton via Whistler.
Georgia insisted that I sit in the front so I could take it all in and take some photos. These were the kinds of roads I had been dreaming about.

I would turn my head and take in the mountains and they took my breath away. Immense is the word that comes to mind. These photos dont do them justice at all. The sheer height of them and depth of greenery is something that I dont think I will ever get over. I imagine myself hiking along hidden trails for days.

I also got to see some of the many islands that dot the coast along here. I will definitely be putting a few visits on my to do list. vancouver Island and Bowen Island are right up there.
Unfortunately the weather wasnt too happy, but I still got to see a lot.

Then we stopped at Pemberton church for Georgias cousins daughters christening, and later headed to her house for lunch. We had yummy quiches and cake and then I got these photos of her property and views.

Then after some chatting and meeting of the families we headed to Whistler!

I have been told that Whistler actually possibly has more Aussies than Canadians, and will investigate this later. This time we just took a driving tour.

It was really cold but I got a feel for the place. There were lots of chalets and wooden buildings and hotels and people- making this a typical ski town!

It’ll be interesting to check it out a bit more in Summer and then go back in Winter! I’ll need to buy some thermals beforehand! hahaha.

Next on the schedule was a trip to the Open House School Festival in Squamish.

Here’s the parka people heading to check it all out!

They had animals, popcorn (which Kylan loved) and a nature house where he got to dress up as a bald headed eagle.
but my fave part was the Bighouse/Longhouse where we got to see some Squamish first nations playing drums and singing and making traditional bread (which they call bannock).

The house was all decked out with banners and it had a huge fire pit in the middle where people would cook their bannock. There were lots of families around, checking it all out and cooking. It was really interesting.


It tasted like damper! And then they brought out a salmon that they had been smoking and that was yum! We stayed in the room for a while, just taking in the warmth from the fire and the rhythmic sounds of the drums. I really enjoyed it!!

On the drive back home I saw some deer! YAY! hehe I didnt get a photo though. I did get a photo of some people sleeping in the back though.
Kylan and Tim -Like father, like son!

Random Flickr Find

Originally uploaded by mary_robinson

Ok it’s time for another long overdue random flickr photo find! This one is Mary Robinson, and she is one talented young photographer. I cant believe she is only 16! What a future she has!

Looking through her photos I was struck by the way she has captured such atmosphere and interest in almost every frame. It was hard choosing just one photo to post, so please check out her flickr for more.

Ancient Wisdom is everlasting.

I have always had a huge fascination with the first nations culture of North America. I suppose in part I grew up watching little house on the prairie and dr quinn medicine woman. I remember buying several books of native quotes and speeches and being in awe of the wisdom. I remember first reading ‘Bury my heart at wounded knee’ and bawling my eyes out practically every chapter. I wanted to change what really happened, I felt bitter at the injustice and ignorance. I wanted to be there, to meet the people and to see it all with my own eyes. So it makes sense in a way that I am finally here, in Canada, and that a big part of my to do list is to do with first nations discoveries.

You may recall that I made a stop at the Museum of Anthropology. That was important. The other day I found these amazing postcards that I will turn into an artwork when I am back home. They are each incredible and take me back to the stories and journeys the photos contain. I hope you like them just as much as I did.

I hope to see a lot more of the culture first hand and meet some of the people. I love their connection with nature, and I believe if we understood and took on more of that the world would be a better place.
And if you’re looking for a book on the true history of ‘how the west was won’ then please read Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee. It will change your life.

Let the photos speak for themselves

Ok, after several posts about fashion which included several shots of me I can imagine my brother grimacing. Or he would grimace if he actually read my blog – which he wont because “I dont want to read your artsy fashion stuff and see 100 photos of you.” Hehehe. As far as I can tell his lovely new wife reads the blog and just passes on any interesting information. Dont worry, these are no photos of me in this post! Haha.

Anyway, my point was to clarify that I by no means regard myself as a model or a professional camera(wo)man. I love fashion – and art and I like finding ways of combining the two. I have a unique style and if that means people call me weird then I can deal with that. I dont dress the way I dress to get attention, infact if you get to know me you’ll find that in many ways I do as much as I can to avoid attention. There’s nothing wrong with being an individual. I was just brought up to believe that I am unique and worthy and that I should follow my own path in life. My mother is an incredible woman.

The reason that I started this blog (and continue to write in it) was to share my adventures with my friends (new and old) and family. It is my way of debriefing on what has been happening, and I imagine it’ll give me happy memories when the only travelling I’m doing is through these pages. It made me feel like you were all a part of this journey, and it helped to make me feel less alone. It still does!! I love the connections this blog has helped me make, and the inspiration I get from it. When you have a camera in your hand you tend to notice the way the light hits a tree and makes the colors blend, or how the grey sky reflects perfectly with the grey water. You open yourself up to a creative spark and if you’re lucky you can capture life’s wonderful moments.

We all come in different shapes and sizes, in different colors and with different hopes and dreams but we each have something special to give. We could learn a lot from each other!! I have noticed that recently there is a real lack of respect not only for our elders, but also for ourselves. It’s too early to tell if this is true in Canada too (or even worldwide) or if it’s just an Australian thing. I was taught manners, and I was raised with morals. I believe these two things are the cornerstones of respect. When I walk past people on the street I try to think of their stories, the places they have been and the people they have helped. Everyone has a story and everyone deserves to have their story heard. So when you’re outside try to smile at someone you dont know, give a little bit extra when you tip or just make sure to say thankyou to someone who helped you. Little acts of kindness are easy to do, but their ripples can be felt across the whole world. You never know when you can change someones life for the better.

Anyway, this post has gotten way longer than intended! haha. I was planning on just saying a sentence about my brother and then posting some photos without words. I guess that didnt happen. Here are some photos from the last few days (north van, van city and chinatown/gardens).

More on my flickr!

I checked out the Van Art Gallery – Leonardo Da Vinci ‘mechanics of man’ exhibition, which was incredible. Can you believe that 500 years after they were drawn no-one has been able to make a more detailed and correct sketch of the intricate workings of the muscles, tendons and bones. Incredible! The man was a genius.

Thrifting buys and hiking boots

Before I get into the fashion, let me show you my latest creature creations!

These two were a commission for a baby shower this weekend, so that’s pretty cool.
My first commission!! Luckily I brought along my sewing stuff in my suitcase.

The bub is going to be a boy, so I wanted to keep the colors appropriate and yet not be too typical.

What do you think of Owley and Raccoon?

I was quite happy with the results 🙂

Ok, so onto the thrifting! I bought three dresses, one blazer jacket and a sweater.

I made some little sewing changes to each of the dresses, and am really happy with the results!!


Alrighty so first up we have this blue dress.
I didnt have to do too much with this one, I just sewed the collar down after the third button to open it up a little bit.
It has gorgeous pleating on the skirt, and is so easy to wear.

Then next I bought this polka dot wrap dress.


Ok, so this one I gathered a little bit on each side just above the chest. This also opened up the top and helped make it more flattering on my shape, it also gave a little bit of a different look.

The camera fell down a bit from my homemade tripod, hence why I have no head in this shot! Haha. I didnt realise until after I got changed, but I kinda like the power shot.
Then the showstopper!


I saw this on the rack and at first I was like “woah!” but I tried it on and something about it suits me perfectly!
I did a few alterations to it first – I took the shoulders up a bit and also removed the shoulder pads. This made a big difference and then I gathered it at the front a bit like the polka dot one.
I think it worked well!




Apparently the dress looks “very 1989” hahaha.

I dont know but there’s just something about it I really dig! Maybe because it is so different to most of whats out there, and it has rope on it and it is red!
Hahaha.

Oh I must show you the blazer!

I didnt outfit this up and it didnt need any alterations, this one fits me perfectly. Infact so much so it’s almost like it was made for me! I got a smile when I looked inside and noticed a little tag.

And it is fully lined and 100% wool. Love it!!!! Not bad to get all of those buys plus a sweater for $35.

And with the money I saved I bought a proper pair of hiking boots. This is essential for all my nature/hiking adventures! They were actually the cheapest pair in the store, so I got a bargain too! I wore them in a bit today and they felt good. Mountain Equipment Co-op is an awesome store and I am now a proud lifetime member!

Here’s to more hiking!