Rural Australia
Read More
I found this old house whilst out in the Lockyer Valley over the weekend...I ended up on some very back roads and I doubt I will ever find this old house again lol. Isn't she a beauty? I bet she has some stories to tell.
I saw this tree blooming in the face of adversity whilst out on a country drive last week and just had to stop to get some shots. Just look at it - its bent out of shape, it looks like its been knocked to the ground and yet its still blooming and is still beautiful. so what is Resilience? “Resilience is that ineffable quality that allows some people to be knocked down by life and come back stronger than ever. Rather than letting failure overcome them and drain their resolve, they find a way to rise from the ashes.” I think we can all learn a lesson from this tree - no matter how many times we get knocked to the ground we must continue to bounce back and bloom beautifully.
I took a drive out to the Darling Downs to stay with my brother and to search of sunflowers. Unfortunately there are only a handful of fields blooming at the moment as the drought has delayed the farmers planting. I had heard about this field near Toowoomba that was way off the beaten track so my brother helped me find it. I headed out at 4am the next morning as I wanted to do a sunrise there. I got a bit lost (don't you just love GPS's? I think its time I got a new one as mine always leads me astray) anyway I finally found the field and it was just lovely to be out there. The sunlight that was hitting these sunflowers after the sun rose was absolutely beautiful don't you agree?
This was taken on the day of funeral that I sadly had to attend. Paul Olsen was a lovely gentle caring man who was struck down way too early with the insidious Motor Neurone Disease. Paul you are now free of pain, may you rest in peace. xx This cracker of a sunset is dedicated to him.
This little storm didn't look like much but when it hit Brisbane it caused a lot of damage and cut power to lots of homes and closed the airport.
Taken at White Ridge Farm at Elimbah - Such a great place to take the kids - bring a picnic and make a day of it. http://www.whiteridgefarm.com.au/
A friend and I had the very sad honour of attending John Finnan's funeral in Toowoomba on Wednesday. John was a passionate photographer who touched so many lives in so many wonderful ways. He was so generous with his knowledge and his photographic equipment and was a brilliant landscape photographer winning many awards and accolades. The sky all day on Wednesday was incredible - wispy clouds everywhere (John would have loved it and would have been keen to get out photograph them) so after the funeral my friend and I and decided to do a sunset shoot in John's honour. RIP John, you will be greatly missed. Uralla in the snow this year will not be the same without you. https://www.flickr.com/photos/johnfinnanimages/
Taken at Nobby near Toowoomba. These sunflowers were the size of dinner plates.
I recently headed out west to try to get a Milky Way shot without success. I take my hat off to those astro photographers out there, its not easy! I did however get this lovely shot of Mt Alford and the Great Dividing Range at dusk
This year's shot is vastly different from last years. (See next image) its still dry but at least the tree is in bloom this year. I just the shape of this tree don't you?
Yay - Its sunflower season again on the Darling Downs. No wonder its so popular to take the drive out as these plants are so happy and bring so much joy to so many people.
C 96 I love a Sunburnt Country
I love a sunburnt country, A land of sweeping plains, Of ragged mountain ranges, Of droughts and flooding rains. I love her far horizons, I love her jewel-sea, Her beauty and her terror The wide brown land for me! The most famous part Dorothy MacKellar's poem The Wide brown land for me - this is so true at the moment - a good portion of our country is in severe drought - This was Boonah over the weekend and would you believe that this is a Jacaranda tree, its supposed to be covered in stunning mauve blooms at the moment but it is really suffering from lack of water. Just after I took this image a thunderstorm rolled through so hopefully it will have helped a little.
These cows were on the road but quickly moved out of my way when I rolled down the car window
Taken at White Ridge Farm at Elimbah - Such a great place to take the kids - bring a picnic and make a day of it. http://www.whiteridgefarm.com.au/
Taken at White Ridge Farm at Elimbah - Such a great place to take the kids - bring a picnic and make a day of it. http://www.whiteridgefarm.com.au/
taken out near Somerset Dam
Taken at Nobby near Toowoomba. This sunflower was the size of a dinner plate!
Afternoon light on Mount Alford in the Lockyer Valley just west of Brisbane
I try to visit this Jacaranda tree every October, sadly this year there were no pretty lavender blooms - in fact there was hardly a blade of grass to be seen. its so dry - we really need rain desperately. i am hoping and praying for some spring and summer storms to come our way.
My brother told me about this tunnel that was west of Brisbane so I went exploring to find it
A thunderstorm just teased this parched earth as it passed by and headed for Brisbane. Taken at Clifton on the Darling Downs in Queensland.
A reverse sunset in the Lockyer Valley. I love windmills and to find one with a sky like this behind it was a bonus
Taken at White Ridge Farm at Elimbah - Such a great place to take the kids - bring a picnic and make a day of it. http://www.whiteridgefarm.com.au/
A friend and I had the very sad honour of attending John Finnan's funeral in Toowoomba on Wednesday. John was a passionate photographer who touched so many lives in so many wonderful ways. He was so generous with his knowledge and his photographic equipment and was a brilliant landscape photographer winning many awards and accolades. The sky all day on Wednesday was incredible - wispy clouds everywhere (John would have loved it and would have been keen to get out photograph them) so after the funeral my friend and I and decided to do a sunset shoot in John's honour. RIP John, you will be greatly missed. Uralla in the snow this year will not be the same without you. https://www.flickr.com/photos/johnfinnanimages/
Taken at Nobby near Toowoomba
My friend Lisa and I spent a day exploring the Lockyer Valley and came across this stunning scene.
I love this location and try to head out every year to photograph these trees. Each tree has a wonderful shape and this year I was lucky to get a gorgeous sky too!
C 102 Oh No I forgot the sunscreen!
Don't forgot to "Slip Slop Slap" when out in the sun. Slip on a shirt, Slop on the 50+ sunscreen, Slap on a hat. Stop Skin Cancer in our hot climate. to view the original song that aired in the 80's click on the link below. youtu.be/tGgn5nwYtj0
A friend of mine once told me that I don't take enough photo's of trees and that they ground you. So I thought about this, did some research and have been conscience of taking photos of trees more often. This excerpt is taken from a blog I found by Kate Mills. The art of grounding can take many forms, though they each involve the creation of roots. Think of hope, resilience, and ambition; think of forgiveness, honesty, and dignity. These are the roots that are the strongest, and the ones that will sustain you in your recovery. The idea is simple: in order to grow, we must change. Like the tree, we must outstretch our branches without knowing what the world will give back to us in return. We must be willing to accept the seasons, no matter the weather that comes along with them. When we are grounded—to the Earth, to the present moment, to our recovery—we bring our energy to what matters. With feet firmly planted on the ground, we let our roots take hold, introducing our attention to the good that is happening around us. “Be like a tree,” Rumi wrote. “Let the dead leaves drop.” Be like a tree; let yourself be grounded in growth.
A lonely tree on a hill
This little storm didn't look like much but when it hit Brisbane it caused a lot of damage and cut power to lots of homes and closed the airport.
Taken at White Ridge Farm at Elimbah - Such a great place to take the kids - bring a picnic and make a day of it. http://www.whiteridgefarm.com.au/
A friend and I had the very sad honour of attending John Finnan's funeral in Toowoomba on Wednesday. John was a passionate photographer who touched so many lives in so many wonderful ways. He was so generous with his knowledge and his photographic equipment and was a brilliant landscape photographer winning many awards and accolades. The sky all day on Wednesday was incredible - wispy clouds everywhere (John would have loved it and would have been keen to get out photograph them) so after the funeral my friend and I and decided to do a sunset shoot in John's honour. RIP John, you will be greatly missed. Uralla in the snow this year will not be the same without you. https://www.flickr.com/photos/johnfinnanimages/
A stunning end of the day at Nobby near Toowoomba.
It was so moody and magical at the top of Mount Mee last week