Just a shorty!

Not much to report this week so just a few shots,(especially for Neil's Mom to get her Bradley fix for the week!)

We are busy getting set up for the business, doing a lot of ordering and making! So hopefully soon we should be ready to do a some selling!!

We haven't been well this week, Neil getting a cold first and me second and then my Mum next! Neil didn't feel up to bathing Bradley On wednesday so thought I would see if he fancied a bath with his Mum!

Bradley and Mummy enjoying a splash!



We also went out to Mudjimba after work to pick up some more framing supplies, go for coffee and a walk on the beach. Neil declaring he was too ill to take his camera! That was a mistake because when we walked along the beach we discovered that the two spells of recent heavy rain and high winds had blown over a foot of sand of the beach to leave the most amazing and huge rock formations along the shore. It was quite incredible that one week it was just sand and the next like a lunar landscape. Of course it was my fault for not insisting he took it! But photos from there soon!

Saturday, after a bit of shopping we took Bradley to The Big Pineapple as he is getting old enough to notice the animals, a bit!
It was a lovely afternoon and Bradley seemed to really enjoy it, kicking his legs and smiling at the animals.







After we shared a macadamia ice cream sundae which Bradley was dying to get his hands into! Daddy let him try some ice cream and he nibbled a wafer!

Neil's birthday and more

Rain, rain, rain! On Thursday the rain started and we didn’t think it was ever going to stop. It rained all day and night for 2 days, over 20 inches fell over the two days so needless to say there was a lot of flooding. The creek at the bottom of our garden which doesn’t normally flow turned into a lake! But we were lucky really as lots of people had to be rescued or were cut off. A lot of roads were flooded and impassable. Noosa was one of the worse areas affected with a lot of houses flooded.

Our new lake in the back garden.



It was Neil’s birthday on Friday. I surprised him with a weekend away in the Bunya Mountains. I had booked the afternoon off for Neil but as it turned out I didn’t need too as he ended up having the day off as he couldn’t get to the job for the floods. Bunya Mountains is a national park 3 and half hours directly inland. You have to drive through a lot of dry Aussie bush to get there. It is a very lush green mountainous area littered with Bunya pines. It just has one road with holiday cottages on with one shop and restaurant and there are wallabies everywhere!

Bunya mountain countryside with Bunya pines.



One of the local wallabies




Our holiday cottage



Neil's birthday cake(I couldn't fit 38 candles on it!!!)




We relaxed in our cottage in front of a log fire (it’s 8 degrees colder on the mountain), went for walks, had a yummy lunch in the restaurant and generally explored the area. It was a great fun, we had a lovely weekend.

This is the most beautiful fig we’ve seen.



The Bunya Mountains has a lot of trees therefore we have a lot of us and various tree photos! So here you go!!!








The excitement of all those trees proved a bit much for Brads!



A scenic lookout at more trees!




Another beautiful view with some cool trees!


I had to give an old tree a helping hand!



Back at the house Bradley had a great time playing with his toys.



Enjoying the real fire and boy did we need it!



Bradley's first time in a big bath!




Other news, we had a lunar eclipse where the moon turned red last week. Of course Neil was outside to capture the moment!



Bradley is now a meat eater like is Dad and no longer a vegetarian like is Mum,Oh dear and the little man loves it! He can't get enough of beef and pumpkin mush!

Our friends came over this weekend, for Neil to take a portrait of their baby Ryan. It went well and Bradley got to play with his friend.

Bradders and Ryan.






That was all the excitement of last weekend, as a lot of time is taken up by getting setup for the business. There is a lot to do, Neil doesn't have enough hours in the day! We now own framing equipment as well as the printer so we will be producing the whole finished product ourselves. We have ordered some supplies this week to get started. There may be a lack of adventurous weekends for a while!

Billie Jo visits

No blog entry last weekend mainly due to a lack of activity and no photos but we’ve had a much busier week this week.

One photo last week was Bradley getting ready for the new football (well, soccer as we have to call it!) season and tried on his Carlisle United strip.

Come on you blues!



On Monday mothers group was held at our house, Bradley was a very good boy and shared his toys with his baby friends.

Bradley and some of his friends.



Wednesday my good friend Billie-Jo arrived from New Zealand, we haven’t seen each other for 4 and half years, so it was great to catch up and for her to meet Bradley.

Bradley and I were tour guides for a few days, firstly we took her up on the range to view the Glass House Mountains and to the quaint town of Montville for coffee and look around the shops.

Thursday we went to Noosa for the day. We did lots of window shopping and got to spend an hour or so on the beach, much to my joy. We were going to take Bradley paddling but he was already grumpy as he was due for a sleep and when we put our toes in the water realised it wouldn’t be a good idea! He got wrapped up and slept in my arms while we relaxed on the beach.

Billie-Jo and Bradley on Noosa beach



Mummy and baby at Noosa



After we picked up Neil from work, had a quick stop at home before going to Mooloolaba for fish and chips. It was a bit breezy on the shore but the food was yummy.

Fish’n’chips (I'm not really that crazy!)



A sneaky cuddle



Friday, Bradley and I took Billie-Jo to Coolum, we had a very sophisticated lunch with wine at the surf club, well as sophisticated as you can be with a baby eating sweet potato puree! It a very tasty lunch and a great view.

Afterwards an afternoon of shopping at Sunshine Plaza was called for!

Saturday morning we had our first visitor, the first huntsman spider of the season. Neil let Bradley have a too closer look!



We took Billie-Jo to Eumundi market for even more shopping and to show her were we want to get a stall to sell Neil’s photos.

Billie-jo taking the strain of carrying Brads.



Bradley at Eumundi market



Me and Billie Jo



Taking a rest on the back of Tanky with Daddy



Billie-jo’s train left at lunchtime but hopefully we will see her again soon.

Saturday night Bradley was getting stuck into his tea, his Daddy gave him a spoon with vegemite on which Bradders smeared all over him.

Messy pup



Sunday was a grey rainy day, so we stayed at home and did research and buying things for the business, which should hopefully be of the ground soon, and later we took Bradley to the barbers!

Neil took to Bradley’s hair with the clippers, as it different lengths all over and really long in places, it was time for a haircut.

Just before.




After with his big boy hair cut!

Quick update from the weekend

We’ve had a relaxing weekend at home mainly getting to grips with the printer!

Saturday Neil felt inspired to do a bit of portrait photography with Bradley as the guinea pig. We were pleased with the results and it meant Neil got to do some more experimenting with his printer.

The ‘guinea pig’!



Late afternoon we headed to the coast for a sunset walk along the beach. We headed to Mudjimba Beach as it’s a while since we’ve been there. A pre walk coffee was called for at a lovely café with great sofas. It’s great now Bradley can sit in between us on a sofa!

As you guessed Neil took some photos while we were down on the beach. The main subject being 'Mudjimba Island' or also known as 'Old Woman Island', we call it 'Whale Island' as it looks like a whale.
It’s 1km off the coast, Neil really wants to go there but it’s not that easy. The tales we’ve heard so far include, that there is a deep patch of water in between which contains some nasty marine life like sharks! And that the island is infested with snakes who feed on the sea birds there. Also that it’s very difficult to land a boat there, So don’t expect a blog entry from there anytime soon, if I get my way!

Mudjimba Island sunset.



The Paskins




Sunday morning was spent giving Tanky a much needed clean out. He looks like a different ute but still covered in mud on the outside!

We packed a picnic and headed to a Lake which is about 20 mins north. It’s called Lake MacDonald and it has some botanical gardens next to it. We’ve not been before so it thought it was worth an explore. We weren’t disappointed it was a very pleasant way to spend a Sunday afternoon. There was a perfect spot by the lakeside for a picnic. We had a relaxing picnic before walking around the gardens.

Bradley feeding himself!



The family



Bradders practising his sitting up



Daddy and son enjoying after food cuddles



At the gardens they had an amphitheater next to the lake.

The boys at the amphitheater.



Afterwards we drove along some back roads to come out at Tewantin which is the next to Noosa. We stopped at the marina, had a quick look at the shops, grabbed a coffee and fed Brads some pumpkin watching the boats and pelicans on the river.

The boys at the river.



On the way home, we drove home the scenic way and passed a cool old cabin which made a great photography subject.

The old cabin



Then just up the road from the house, Neil decided to photograph a local field.




Altogether it’s been an enjoyable and relaxing weekend .

A busier week!

We’d been planning to get to Noosa for a few weeks and this weekend we actually got there! Overnight the winter seemed to disappear and a hot summers day appeared, it caught me off guard as I was dressed in jeans for a day of walking, phew!
Noosa Heads National park is the worst place to get a parking space on The Sunshine Coast as its very popular for surfers and walkers. Due to the trees and Ocean there is only a small clearing for parking. But today was our lucky day as we got a space so we had to make the most of it and walk the full distance which was roughly 7km there and back.

Noosa is just beautiful with turquoise waters, pretty bays and interesting bush. We stopped in the first bay for Bradley to have is picnic of pureed apple.

Bradders picnic in Tea Tree bay.







We walked as far as ‘Hells Gates’ which is two sheer cliffs and then on to view ‘Alexandria Bay’. We had some snacks and a sit down in the shade, then we headed back along the coastline path spotting a koala hanging on for dear life in a very windy tree. It was a lovely walk apart from when we lost each other for a while!

Hell’s Gates with Alexandria Bay in the background




Bradley enjoyed the walk but his Mummy and Daddy needed a long sit down when we got back to the car park.

After a brief walk around the town and a pie, we headed back to one of the bays for sunset.

Little Cove sunset





After a hard day, piles of fish and chips were called for! We drove to Coolum to a chippie that was recommended to us! They were delicious but we do miss English chip shop chips!!

5am on Sunday morning Neil jumped out of bed (reluctantly) for a sunrise shoot, I declined thinking I would get more sleep but Bradley obviously wanted to go on the shoot as after Neil went I spent one and half hours trying to persuade Bradley to go back to sleep! I would have been better watching the sunrise as it turned out to be a beauty!

Neil’s sunrise shots.







After Neil got back and devoured his fry up on Sunday morning we had a phone call from our friends inviting us to a bbq later in the day, so that was the plan for the day. Neil spent the morning working on his photos. Our friends Amy,Marc and Ryan have just moved into an amazing house just 10 mins up the road, it’s a pole house with a long veranda with incredible views. It seemed the criteria for the BBQ was to bring meat, booze and a baby! There was lots of pals for Bradley but he was not in a very sociable mood, very out of character for Bradley these days as he is so much happier and content than in his early months. He perked up by the end and had a good time in Ryan’s jumper!

Bradley has learned a new trick of sitting up on his own, he is getting better everyday and go longer before falling over. He loves it and is refusing to lie down to play for long periods now!

Bradley sitting and playing (multi tasking!)





He is doing very well with his solids and he’s added to his menu, Avocado, carrot and sweet potato.

Carrot face!



We have made big scary steps towards the business this week. After much thinking and weighing up we have decided to invest in a professional printer of our own rather than using a lab. We ordered the beast last week and it arrived this week, we weren’t sure if it was going to fit through the door! Neil has done some test prints that look great so far.

Neil and ‘the beast’