small but good

Just a nice little reminder that no matter what is going on in your life to always appreciate the good, however small because sometimes it's easy to overlook them.

Contact me if you are interested in a poster print of this design. Or download the desktop wallpaper here, free!

Want more like this? Let me know in the comments!

fizzy

Nothing like spending time with friends and family, watching the sunset over the water whilst enjoy a cool and fizzy beverage!

Photocollage using some busy, bubbly photographs.

yes, it's summer

Even though it's winter in Melbourne, summer here in LA makes me think of the beach a lot (I don't get there  enough) and the beach pictured is one of my favorite places I used to go. An easy five or ten minute drive from my house, Brighton and Elwood beaches were my usual haunts for walks or coffee with friends. And the iconic bathing boxes are always fun to see! (LA the beach isn't that far but traffic means it's at least a half hour drive. And then parking is always a hassle!)

beach patrol 2005

I've spent the last week cleaning out my office and improving the furniture situation and during that time I came across old work and other things that were nice to see, reminders of the past. The office is looking much, much better but will take another week or two until everything is in order, still waiting on some furniture. In the meantime, after my morning of tidying, I decided to look at some of the first lot of pictures I took in December 2005 when I first started blogging. I spent a lot of time at Elwood, Brighton and St Kilda beaches in the summer, going for walks or having a relaxing coffee with friends and often snapped photographs. These images were from the marina, I liked the character of the boats, the weather and sea-worn wood and the nautical colours.

(Some of you might remember this from my old blog! That blog has since been retired.)

boats, birds

Some more pictures from Redondo Beach last weekend. Quite relaxing to wander the pier and look at the ocean, watch the boats, enjoy the clear day and the view all the way to Palos Verdes (also pictured here and here). Pelicans and various other birds were out in force, trying to snatch bait (or lunch!) from near people fishing. (Images from my iPhone, edited in Photoshop.)

zoom in, panorama

Lazy weekend. Needed to get out a bit so we headed off to Redondo Beach to wander the pier, I'd never been down there. It was pretty busy, as is normal for Southern California beaches when it's nice out! It was good to see a new place, especially after the last busy week, mostly spent very locally.

I liked this picture (taken on my iPhone, I forgot my other camera) of the breakwater at the Redondo Beach harbor, the calm waters inside allowing for canoeing and boating, fun activities, sheltered from the bigger waves and tides of the ocean.

Hopefully more pictures this week! (Or see my Instagram pictures here. One from Redondo Beach.)

central coast beach

One of the places I wanted to explore a little on our recent trip to the Central Coast was Pismo Beach. I'd only ever seen it briefly, driving through on the way to San Francisco and it looked like the kind of relaxed, beach town, the type similar to where my parents would sometimes take us on summer holidays. That worn, salty feeling that happens by the beach, the slight bit of rust on signage, the aged feel of the wood on the pier.

We wandered around the streets near the beach a little (plenty of bars, gaming places, casual eateries, and oddly enough, tattoo parlours), walked down the pier to watch the sunset, felt the waves as they crashed into the wooden pylons of the pier, quite far out from the sand! The light was magnificent, casting a warm glow over the hills and coastline, shadows lengthening as the sun started to dip below the horizon.

Wouldn't it be nice to have a house up on the hill, with a view of the ocean and close enough to enjoy the beach every day?! *wishful thinking*

love bombs

This is a picture I took around six or seven years ago, when at university. I was walking along my favourite stretch of beach in Melbourne looking for type and lettering that I could photograph for a project when I came across this stencil graffiti. I thought it was pretty sweet! So on this week with Valentine's day I thought I'd share it with you. (I brightened the image though, it was a little faded on the wood.)

I wonder if it's still there now...

unseasonal...

Or is it? Having not lived in America that long, this Aussie still thinks of January as sun, surf and sand time! Hot days, warm nights and some serious relaxing over the summer vacation. But that's southern hemisphere and I'm now in the north. Which means winter. Except winter in Southern California is pretty nice! The weather last week was gorgeous and warm. Not wintery at all! So I made the most of it and went to the beach for a long stroll. (Relatives and friends in colder climates are welcome to visit us!)

These are some pictures I took using instagram.

[guest] silhouette

This is only partially a guest posting! Here's why: a few weeks ago, the weather was perfect for a picnic dinner at the beach. I packed up something tasty and my husband and I went to Venice to relax after a busy workday. As usual I snapped some pictures but the sunset was so lovely that my husband borrowed the camera to take some pictures of his own. His guest picture in this post is the lower one with the dad, two kids and the bike. We thought it was such a nice picture that my husband went over to show them the picture, a little random!

The colours of the sunset were spectacular, people watched until the sun dipped below the horizon, enjoying the slow changing of the hues of the sky and sea, making the most of the end of summer.

---

"There really is no way for me to quantify the impact Steve Jobs has had—and will continue to have—on my life and on my career." 

It was a sad moment to hear of his passing but his legacy will live on and many peoples lives would not have been the same without his vision. There were so many wonderful tributes, quotes and links in my twitter feed (and online everywhere) yesterday. Since 1985, when my dad bought his very first Apple computer, products by his company have been present in my life. 

I think it's appropriate timing to finally get an iPhone. As a tribute of course...

seaside fun

Had a really great, relaxing weekend recently. After a movie and frozen yogurt on Saturday night, Sunday we spent the morning walking around Balboa Island and Newport Beach, taking the ferry across, looking at the houses and boats and some beautiful views, playing games in the arcade, browsing in the shops and boutiques and enjoying the sun and the seaside relaxed atmosphere. Some necessary fun! :)

a reminder

Sometimes there's just to much to do or to much think about that I forget to relax! Not so healthy. So this post is a reminder to take a moment, step back from whatever you are doing, breathe deeply and get rid of the stress. Appreciate the little things. Schedule a time for something that you enjoy!

On that note, time to take a break from sitting at my computer all afternoon - it's baking time!

(These images were taken at San Simeon on our trip last August. Featuring one of my many pairs of flip-flops!)

rock on

Last August we took a road trip up the One to San Francisco, stopping at different places along the California coast. We stayed in San Simeon (a small town that seemed to be mainly hotels) as we had a tour of Hearst Castle booked. We enjoyed a lovely, relaxing picnic dinner on the beach after driving most of the day. I had fun photographing the view of the coast and beach, the sunset and this large rock right where we happened to be sitting. A number of kids were climbing on it, looked pretty fun!

The quality of the sun light was beautiful and even though it got a little chilly, it was worth watching the changing colours of the sky and surf as the sun dipped lower and lower.

don't forget sunglasses

From a beach day a few years ago, these are some more pictures from my archives. Relaxing, fun and enjoyable times at the beach with my cousins.

It's making me want to go to the beach now! On that note, perhaps I'll grab sunscreen and a towel and head off...

Have a great long weekend! See you back here next week :)

malibu sunday

 Perfect weather meant relaxing at the beach with friends yesterday. Malibu Pier was busy! There's nothing like the sun, surf and sand to wash away the worries of the week. Must make time for more of that before summer's end.

summer begins

The sun comes out...

[friday fun] in the sun