INTENSITY....

I have had my fair share of intense experiences lately... surroundings, great things, the sort of things dreams are made, wishes were granted, i saw things i always wanted to see and sometimes thought i never would, surreal experiences... It was worth jumping for joy !

Home is where the heart is...

Its remarkable at how the simple things change... notably routine. I picked up and moved to a part of the world that is in stark contrast to what i had formerly experienced... and its been enlightening amazing.. enchanting !

In winter we counted happiness by the amount of snow that had fallen, and longed for bluebird days when the sun beat down and the snow reflected magical beams of colour. Now in spring we dream on the warmth and contentment when lazing by the river and the smell of pine from the newly uncovered pine trees with fresh dirt tracks free from the powder of past months.

The first thing to do in the morning is to look out the window and observe... so much can change overnight when the moon arises above mountains that sparkle and stars shine so bright in this happy wilderness.

Its not home, its stark contrast... but somedays it's love and only because it's so different.

embrace x

Happy in a beautiful place...

If I wait long enough...

If I wait long enough... do you think somone will let me in.

Even better let me stay.

A "Will" to live

He is a breath of fresh air... I love this picture !

I am not a fan of photos that are generally modified... cleary kepping this babes eyes coloured and changing the remainder of the photo black and white largely modified.

Regardless... I love this photo.. its raw and he is an amazing little guy !

I don't generally post pictures of children's portraits, but I love to photograph there emotions ! They have no control over what they feel at this age and it is completely REAL

The smallest of things...

I was taking a stroll by a river, just before the first heavy snowfall set in for the season. The weather was mild, and sun was shining and the scenery stunning. I came across a bench seat with an amazing quote by William Blake from Auguries of Innocence.

The meaning of this to William Blake I am not sure but the meaning to me - you can find amazing truth in the smallest of things.

Each day I am blessed to be able to live in an amazing place; the day the last

snow falls I will feel a slight sadness, but know that the green shining lakes are now unfrozen and I am able to witness their sparkling brilliance. The tinniest of pine cones I look at in amazement, and when i go home I will remember to find as much pleasure in a grain of sand as i do in a snow flake.

I know a lovely young lady...

I know a lovely young lady, who at 16 years of age is just that.. lovely ! She is well rounded and compassionate, smart, socially conscious, alive with spirit and everything i would have wanted to be at 16.

She loves new things, music and art and arises to each and every challenge. What an ode to her parents... and she has 3 younger siblings whom I know at 16 will be just as brilliant ! She posted this to her facebook page a few days ago and I was inspired... I couldn't have said it better myself ! Kate you are simply lovely ! and you all mean the world to me.

R.E.A.D from the top line please...

So I don't usually blog about myself... but I found this inspirational piece on a link of a link of an amazing website i was pondering around and thought it quite ironic !

I have been thinking lately that my eye sight is somewhat lacking.. failing me maybe ! 6 and 8 are starting to look profoundly the same...

I am currently travelling and having an amazing adventure at that so things like eyesight and non-emergency dental work (yes there was an emergency) tend to get pushed back behind visits to amazing lakes and ski hills, and plans to New York city.... so until reality hits, and i live the meandering life again... (which I have no idea how i feel about) I will live by this...

Or until i can no longer make out the bigger picture.. which ever comes first.

It has never looked so clear...

Perception

Perception v's reality.

Thought v's idea.

Mind v's body.

Heart v's soul.

Happiness v's Contentment.

Lost v's wandering.

Vacant v's engaged.

Skinny v's curvy.

Me v's you.

Ode to Andy...

Dear Andy... It has not been said in a better way... 1.2... oh look there is 3... P.A.R.T.Y ! don the dress, where are my shoes, T.E.Q.U.I.L.A ! Purse and money... token bar, music roaring - tunes from the 80's 90's etc etc. 1 am 2 am 3 am L.I.G.H.T.S its that frightful moment - count the friends 1, 2 oh still 3 - what a night. what a party.

C.A.R.E free dreaming...

I proceed through life with care, caution and live in a controlled environment, like a testing centre for good and bad, right and wrong, heavenly and hellish. I dream C.A.R.E free and if I ever live in that world... I think it should look like faded sense of being.. i imagine it not so bright and vivid.. quiet and not so challenging, PEACEFUL... translucent

when today is done all you have is tomorrow.... SO

Wear great shoes... often

Step out from BEHIND that shadow

LOVE... at every opportunity

CREATE... alot of beats... your own beats

Imagination & Inspiration...

"Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world"

If only there were more people in the world as profound and wise as Albert Einstein.

R.I.D.E

Bicycle.Bike.Velocipede. Two-wheeler. Pushy. Push bike.

Bunny hop. Skid. Jump. Wheely.

Where the streets have no names...

I want to visit the streets with no names, with numerical names, and with names I am yet to know. Pass changing sky lines, and street lights turning on at a glimpse of darkness and hope and off at light and first thoughts.

Visit the big cities of dreams and small towns of ambition.

The best bit I can visit some of my "dream" places, I have no excuse, I need to make this happen. I will make this happen... lets do this... I'm dreaming big ! I'm along for the ride... lets make it a good one and please let is last more than one loop...

There's LIGHT even in the darkest places

New VOW

I vow to write frequently... So you are about to hear rambling.. I can ramble alot... welcome to my world !

The past few days, Banff has treated me to some harsh weather... -30 something... I have a theory where I believe anything below -16 feels the same and it feels bloody cold ! The only problem with these particularly cold (colder than normal) days is that it is absolutely breathtaking scenery.

The sky is clear and a bright bold blue, the mountains shine and the sun hits your face (if you can remove your scarf so you don't look like a ninja for a brief second). It also means your hand freeze as soon as you take them out or your pockets to snap a quick picture - that never does the area justice... its almost painful to look at images that you remember so vividly stunning ! Ah the irony of it all.. something were meant to be seen through the eyes of those experiencing it...

Come in.. I live here

I was in a coffee shop today and looked up to a map of the world on the wall ! I looked to the upper left of the map and said "Canada.... I live here" and looked to the bottom far right and pointed at "Home" ! Time has flown by since my transition to the cold that I need to stop and pinch myself (or look at a world map) to realise that this was not my normal existence or life before a month and a half ago ! It fascinates me ! I feel as though i successfully co-exist in two different locations !

Come In.. this is Canada.. I live here !

My new world is vastly different to my old one... polar opposite in all the obvious ways... but how quickly you adapt. -2 is now considered warm after a week of -25. I would never even consider walking outside without shoes on, or in less than 2 layers of clothing, powder is a frequent word in my vocabulary and I find myself constantly trying to remember whether i count 5 hours backward of forward then switch to convert Canadian time to Aussie time.

I have not been home sick since i arrived, I only wish that sometimes certain people were with me to experience the moment. I frequently walk into shops that are playing songs that remind me of moments.. and I smile... and I love that maybe people in Canada also had experiences or moments to these songs and maybe they are in Australia thinking the same thing ! I sure hope so.. it's Grand ! And people still ride pushy's here.. nothing like a pushy to make you think of Aus !

Some photos attached to keep it real ! I vow to post more photos soon there are so many... and will document my activities... i have purchased a snowboard... its amazing.. me on the snowboard.. not so much !

Vermillion Lakes... it still amazes me that giant bodies of water can freeze

Ah snow angel !

This was a particularly cold day... I thought my fingers were NEVER going to regain feeling

Banff town.. when i first arrived... still probably partially Brown

Fancy a ride ...

well hello CANADA

It is about 2 am in the (cold) city of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. I just had a strange enough dream of a guy with a bomb - it was quite startling as i can't remember the last time i had a scary dream, well scary enough to wake me. I guess that is also because I don't every day 'blow my life as I know it' to pieces and move to the other side of the world ! So that is my rationale and it seems pretty valid so I am going to stick with it.

After 28 hours of being in international transit, visiting 4 different airports in 3 different countries, I made it to Calgary to a bone shaking 0 (zero) degree temperature ! I'm not sure I have ever experienced these sort of temperatures. You 'breath smoke' 90% of the time - something I use to only be able to achieve on those early early mornings waiting for the school bus back in the early 2000's, the only part of your body left uncovered is your face and the cool air brushing against your cheeks makes you smile at its fierce intention. I need to still learn a few things - so far I have done pretty well with the layering - may have actually been a little to warm today - but my poor ears need a little more protection if I do say so myself.

Calgary is a charming city. At night when i was en-route by bus to my hotel it looked eerie and dark. The trees in the mid of winter were bare from leaves making it quite the horror setting. By day it is moderately lively. I ventured a little out of the city by foot and saw where they hold the Calgary Stampede in Summer a great western event (Mum would love it), I also saw a squirrel. I always vow to not take meaningless pictures of animals but it was to cute and in the wild - so 2 slipped in. I caught a LRT (train) to go to a great shopping mall in search of winter gear and even saw some cable snow boarding in Steven's Avenue. It is Halloween holiday weekend here - I gained some "candy" from the Bank of Montreal as i was setting up a bank accounts this morning - charming. The fun of this weekend turns full grown adults into characters of their youth and boy do they enjoy it. I managed to hunt out an Elvis, some characters from The Incredibles, Star trek characters, and Wonder Woman - riding a bike !

Everything is traveling a little to smooth, where you are almost holding your breath waiting for it all to fall apart ! Together is good, I like together ! I head to Banff tomorrow - The Rocky wonderland. I look forward to being immersed in stunning scenery. You can see the beginning of the magical rockies from Calgary city (as it is so flat up until there). Snow is forecast in the coming weeks - what a treat !