photo-a-day April

Yikes! What just happened to April?! How is it already May? I feel like April was made of sand and it has disappeared through my fingers. So grab a cuppa (or something a little stronger) and let me present my April as seen through the filter of Chantelle from Fat Mum Slim's photo a day challenge...

day 1: your reflection | day 2: colour | day 3: mail

I was pretty excited to do this challenge on our overseas holiday. It actually turned out to be harder than I expected. Mainly because I am very strict on myself that the photo must be taken on the day of the challenge. And sometimes I was just so busy enjoying what we were doing that I would forget to look for the moment that would match the word!

We arrived in Paris and were super excited to find ourselves staying in a gorgeous spacious apartment. I was taking photos to capture its loveliness when I caught my reflection in the window. And then proceeded to lean half way out the window to try and capture this shot!

I we all fell in love with Paris. Miss M convinced me to buy flowers for our apartment from this gorgeous colourful flower stand. I loved the way that cafes and shops bustled for space with pedestrians creating a beautiful lively atmosphere.

If you did not receive one of these gorgeous postcards, you are not alone. We spent ages choosing and buying them, then never got round to writing and posting. My mum was the only lucky recipient of a card. The only other card that was written was handed over on our return!

day 4: someone who makes you happy

I loved having so much time with my family the actual choice for day four's photo is mr g and miss m dancing around the courtyard of the Louvre (I just included the other two pics because I thought they looked good together and help show how happy we were in Paris)

day 5: tiny | day 6: lunch | day 7: shadow

We went to Disneyland on day 5 and there is nothing tiny about Disneyland, everything is larger than life. I was grasping at straws when I chose tiny green man for day 5. 

I was really starting to drop the photo a day ball towards the end of our holiday. This was our last day in Paris, and we rushed to get the train back to London, and then to Windsor for our last night in England. I forgot to take a photo of the Cornish Pasty I ate for lunch. Luckily the girl had saved half her 

sausage roll for later. 

Our flight home was not until 10:30pm, so we went to Legoland for a last hurrah. It was cold and 

cloudy and overcast. It was also Easter Saturday so absolutely packed! This lego urn in the Lost City of Atlantis ride was the best shadow I could come up with.

day 8: inside your wallet | day 9: younger you | day 10: cold

On the plane on the way home I emptied out what was left in my wallet for UNICEF.

Finally we were back home. And rolling back the years, here I am with my sister in 1978, checking out the flooding on our farm after Sunday School.

My brain was still feeling fried on day 10, so for cold, all I could think of was the fire as a solution to cold.

day 11: where you had breakfast

I made crepes for breakfast to try and recapture the feeling of Paris. Then I looked outside the kitchen window and remembered (just like Dorothy) there is no place like home.

day 12: stairs | day 13: something you found

Visitors to Intrinsic are welcomed by our fabulous pink staircase (and a little pre-visit exercise!)

I dropped my shiny new iPhone in the carpark twice. I now have a cover for it and need to get the screen fixed. Luckily it still works.

day 14: how you feel today | day 15: sunset

I spent the afternoon on day 14 sitting watching soccer at the beautiful St Peter's College chatting to my sister-in-law. I wish our husbands still played for the same club, so that we could do this more often. Mr G now plays on the other side of the city and I never go watch any more. I felt happy and nostalgic and content. But then sad and anxious because Mr G's team lost!

We never see much of a sunrise or sunset from our house, too many trees in the way. But the sunset really didn't matter, as I finally caught up with my family again.

day 16: flower | day 17: something you don't like | day 18: hair

Beautiful flowers from Mr G.

I don't like turning right with out a turning arrow. I also don't like focussing on stuff I don't like.

Braided miss m's hair. Perfect timing.

day 19: orange (part a&b) | day 20: something you drew

I took two photos for orange and chose the leaves, because we'd just done flower a couple of days ago. But I really love both.

Oh my! Trying to chose what to use for something I drew. Talk about performance anxiety. I really haven't done anything new for such along time, everything felt so dated. It was not a work day otherwise I would have chosen one of the new cards. (I am particularly proud of then!) I was going to photograph one of the calendar pages, when I remembered the mugs. I love that I can have my morning cup of tea in a mug I illustrated. Clever me!!

day 21: bottle | day 22: the last thing you bought | day 23: vegetable

Cooking curry for dinner and drinking wine (not from the bottle!). Very nice way to spend a Saturday evening. 

I was stooged by the local kids and bought three walnuts for $1.00. I just liked their entrepreneurial initiative!

I discovered (from someone else on Instagram) that if you store spring onions on the bench in a jar of water, you can snip them and the will keep on growing. I tested this out and sure enough it works. It is May 1 today and my spring onions are still going!

day 24: something you're grateful for | day 25: looking down | day 26: black+white

I watched 'Marley and Me' on the weekend for the first time. I cried and cried and the pup had to be day 24's choice. He's not really a puppy anymore and I can't imagine our house without him.

We went to the dawn service for ANZAC day then I got excited and made anzac biscuits when we got home. I then plonked myself down in front of the fire for the rest of the day.

Another rushed panic shot for black+white

day 27: somewhere you went | day 28: 1pm | day 29: circle

Day 27 was a Friday, so naturally I was at my sister's house. Looking glamourous as always!

I was waiting to pick the girl up at 1pm after a lovely coffee at Mary Martins. Then I realised that pick up time was actually 1:15. Which explains why I was the only parent waiting at 1:00!

Sunday afternoon called for a little glass of something to settle my nerves as I tried to bake and play mousetrap at the same time!

day 30: something that makes you sad

Imagining flames leaping up the valley and destroying everything makes me sad.

But there is no point in dwelling on sad. There are too many good things in life to enjoy and celebrate. Like finishing another month of photo a day challenges and being another month closer to my goal of taking a photo everyday for a year. Or having a fabulous holiday. And saving for the next one. Or having a fabulous birthday and sharing it with gorgeous people. Or just being alive with beautiful friends and family to love and be loved by.

What are you celebrating?