A sneaky trip to NZ, work is busy, planning the next holiday. So much happening.

Just 268 photos in this adventure to go. 

Check out previous pics below

1-150, 151-300, 301-450, 451-600, 601-750, 751-900, 901-1050, 1051-1200, 

1201-1350, 1351-1500, 1501-1650

1651-1658/2018: I went on a quick [last minute] adventure to NZ this weekend to see Nana. Nana is 99. She is amazing. So much beauty, so much love, so much character and wit, so many stories. She has so much love for her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. She is unwell at the moment and it is so sad to see her struggling. She has been the most amazing Nana, always up for a chat and loves people visiting her. She also loves writing and receiving letters. [we should send letters to people more often!]

Nana especially loves flowers. So as I left the nursing home where she is living, I took these snaps. [she could probably tell me the names of all of these flowers, me, I just enjoy taking pictures of flowers as it reminds me of Nana].

Nana, I hope I get to show them to you one day soon. I love you so much.

Thanks for being the amazing person you are!

1659/2018: this is one of the awesome things about NZ. These mountains are about 80km away from where I am standing, yet they seem like they are in my back yard. Also It is the end of October and these mountains still have snow on them. #gottaloveNZ

1660/2018: Look what I found in Nana's birthday book. All the birth weights and birth years of all her children and grandchildren. Nana your love for us is pretty amazing! PS: 6.1Lb and 6.6Lb...huge for prem twins! Poor mum. PPS. Alwyn you are so old!

1661-1662/2018: Check out this little munchkins [where's Oliver?]. Typical Redheads when it comes to desert! haha. Love these kids. Wish I got hang out with them a bit more! 

1665-1666/2018: Lunch time wanderings. It's been pretty hot outside this week but freezing int eh office so I've made an effort to get out of the office at lunch and explore Putney a bit more!! If I could play this guitar I would have taken it...

1667/2018: It is going to be a hot one today. Up to 36˚ in the city [a bit gross for November] so Izzy and I spent some time playing in the air conditioned grass! so refreshing!!!  

1668-1673/2018: Wanderings through Pyrmont. 

NB: check out the bottom right picture: a massive pile of rubbish and a rubbish bin is just 5 meters away. What is the world coming to? 

1674/2018: I'm pretty sure that is the Sydney Westfield tower in the background.

Why does Skycity have a Sydney office in a stunning location on Sydney Harbour when there is no Skycity here? 

1675-1676: Spring goodness!

1677/2018: For 31 days Roderick and I took on a challenge to eat a pescatarian diet. It was a long month, challenging at times, especially around breakfast and eating out and in others company, but we made it [just one hiccup when Miriam cooked us saveloys, which are just regurgitated enzymes aren't they???] and to be honest I wouldn't say we feel any different. It did challenge my cooking skills, we probably ate smaller portion sizes but also we didn't miss red or white meat at all. So here is a delicious chorizo sausage to celebrate! Yummo!

1678-1680/2018: Just some of the lost bird signs going up around Pyrmont. Hopefully the Milligan group will hep find them. Probably all the birds Izzy has chased in the park!

1681/2018: If only the internet could smell for you, you'd be able to smell this beautiful Jasmine intoxicating the suburbs of Sydney at the moment. 

1686/2018: I love the contract of the purple on the green and how these flowers are standing tall trying to show off their beauty even though they are also starting to shrival up and die. #lovenature

1687-1688/2018: I love these two pictures. Just capturing how growing up is such fun and mischievous, you just have to get out and explore and enjoy it. 

Left picture: Approx 1990, My twin sister, Mallory, my older brother, Dale, and myself. I wonder what we are up to and what all the cheeky grins are for?

Right picture: Nov 2018: My two nephews, Oliver [11] on the branch and George [8]. So much fun playing "Sevret Agent" with them today. So much  running. I'm Exhausted!

1689-1690/2018: Two beautiful pictures of Nana.

From one of the earliest pictures of Nana in approx 1940 aged 21 to one of the last in 2018 aged 99. I love both of these pictures so much because in both of them Nana has the most amazing smile! They both show how much she loved life and I imagine her witty sense of humour. Nana you are just beautiful and you will be missed massively!

1691/2018: As the rain spinkled, the crows gathered and the tears flowed; we lay my beautiful, loyal and loving Nana to rest below this blossoming tree [a double Hawthorn, Thanks @EmmaRedhead]. Thank you Nana for your chats, your hugs, your letters, your stories, your amazing love and for being so kind. See you next time!

1692/2018: some of the beautiful peonies at the church today. Nana would have loved them!

1693-1694/2018: Dad's garden in full bloom, so many roses and peonies on display.

It might be the fact that I haven't been in New Zealand at this time of the year for over 13 years now but for some reason I have never heard of a peony flower. They are just stunning. From the round bulb to the stunning blooms they display. How have I missed them all these years. Can peonies grown in Australia???

1695-1696/2018: Nana's final flowers. See we [and by we I mean Mum] got it right, peach roses. Nana's favourite rose was a gorgeous peach rose called Just Joey, a little early for it this early in November apparently but these stunners did the trick perfectly!

1697/2018: Oohhhh, Check out this happy family!

1698-1705/2018:

1706-1708/2018:

1709/2018: My big sis and her beautiful puppy, Moss!

1710-1727/2018: Coming Soon...

1728-1749/2018: So after a crazy few weeks, a couple of unexpected adventures and feeling VERY behind in my 'Twenty Eighteen' photo project I went was a little adventre this evening and decided to see what I could snap with a shutter speed ranging from 1/20 - 0.5 seconds. 

Which is your favourite?

Any ideas how I created these pictures?

1750-1756/2018: These are some of the most SPECIAL pictures I've taken lately!!!

These are taken straight from a colouring booking I gave to Nana 2 years ago.

She has spent a lot of time over the last two years colouring this book in in amazing detail. Sometimes she would colour a little, sometimes a lot, depending on how sore here hands were. Who thought colouring was just for kids, even in her late 90's Nana loved colouring and got so much joy out of this book keeping her, well worn hands and mind busy!.

These are some of my favourites. 

1757/2018: This is on the corner of Bowman and Harris streets in Pyrmont. The final site in the redevelopment of what is commonly known as Jackson's Landing. The Milligan group are building a visionary new business hub call "WORKSHOP" Check out their website for more information here. The pictures here that make up the scaffolding are where is took pictures 1678-1689 [see above].

1758/2018: Just another angle to "WOW" over the beautiful Anzac bridge. 

1761-1763/2018: Check out the lines and colours and layers of these trees. Stop every now and then and absorb their beauty. And check out the gross looking thing that is apparently a cicada shell. Glad it wasn't making its annoying buzzing/squealing/vibrating sound!

1764-1767/2018: Jacaranda is all its various glory.

On the tree and on the ground. So much purple brightening up the Sydney skyline. 

1769/2018: Pity the tide was too low this weekend. No boating adventures today!

1770/2018: From a distance this leaf captured my attention. It was hidden amongst a bunch of healthy green leaves, healthy and thriving on the sun and the wind. But this poor soul is dying, dry and crusty, but so much colour and beauty, how many seasons has this one survived?

1771-1774/2018:

I love being able to take a single subject and create completely differently pictures from them just by changing my camera setting and camera position throughout the capture. 

[LEFT] Bark chip: on top I used a shutter speed of 0.5 seconds and moved the lens on the diagonal; and the bottom 1/250 seconds and kept the camera still

[RIGHT] Boat rope: on top I used a shutter of 0.3 seconds and moved the lens as I opened the shutter; and on the bottom i used 1/250 and again kept the cmera still. 

2 subjects, 3 techniques, 4 unique photos. 

1775-1776/2018: From A delicious Banana bread from these ingredients. I actually decided to throw in some chocolate chips at the last minute too to make it even more yum!

1779/2018: Pre Saturday adventures. So good to have the running shoes back on and with a view like this why wouldn't you!

1784/2018: I've been to Orange, NSW a few times now, Still need to work on getting to my other two sister cities in Papua New Guinea and California.

1785-1787/2018: How the fields have changed in just a 100kms or so, from quite lush and green in and around Lithgow to still very dry in the south of Orange. 

1788-1791/2018: 

I have always wanted to photograph hay bails [From when I was a kid playing in the barn on Keith and June's farm in Pleasant Point, NZ] but I never seem to have the chance to the time to, I always seem to be in a hurry to get somewhere to tonight on my way home I stopped at Bathurst Airport and created these beauties!

1798-1799/2018: Always remember to look up every now and then because sometimes the view up and way better than the view straight ahead. Like today during my sprint training across this beautiful bridge!

1800/2018: after yesterday's big adventure, so good to run off yesterday's laziness and relax with breakfast and a stunning view. @thegalley_sbh

Wow, what a crazy last few weeks, a few big adventures and lots more photos and spring is finally here, summer [well, that is up for debate]. Can't believe I have finished 1800 of these epic photos. just 218 to go in the last 35 days of Twenty Eighteen. Click below to see how this epic adventure finishes. 

JR