And the winners ARE...

Alrighty then... tis done!

We giggled and scratched our heads and snorted at your entries...

as usual it was outrageously hard to nail it down to just one winning comment
but Jeanie has spoken and

The Winner of the Bush Babe 8" x 12" print of their choice is:
Jayne!

"You know, Dash, I think I used the salad oil instead of the saddle oil last night!"

We are arguing that it could equally be said vice versa - depending on the apparent discomfort level of our erstwhile father. Heh!

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It was a hard choice. I loved Stephen's hat angle, and those who guessed something gate-related must know my Dad in real life! He lives to get others to open gates for him (his knees protest all that getting on and off!). I am taking a paddle to Pam (A Novel Woman) and The Accidental Housewife for their extremely risque remarks - well, I would, but I suspect you would both enjoy it far too much. You made us totally snort. And I am currently holding my hand over my mother's eyes. I am afraid I might have to explain y'all! Too funny...
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Oh, hang on. There was another prize wasn't there?

The Winner of the fabulous Aussie DVD "The Castle" is:


Random number generated (for total of 31 comments) - 7
And I think comment # 7 belongs to: T Lee
Persistence pays off!!
(You will have to give us your review when you get the movie!)

Thanks to everyone for taking part! We loved your work.

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And I suppose you want to know the REAL story?

(Can YOU handle the truth?)

Well... it really comes from my uncle - Dad's little brother - the ex-rodeo rider.

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When we were kids (and he was a 20-something-year-old cowboy) he would ride up behind our ponies as we rode out to muster, and stealthily lift us completely out of the saddle. (Think buckjumping horses or bulls, and that dude who flies in on another steed to lift the hapless rider from his bucking animal and away to safety). If we were lucky, the pony would just keep on walking at relatively the same pace and we could maintain our dignity and slide back into the saddle calmly. If not, we would be left mid-air, legs flailing and begging to be put down.
He would laugh uproariously and say:

"What? You never been taken off by a professional pick-up man before?".

Which was really hilarious, because we had. About a hundred times. By him. Never failed to amuse him. We learned to have eyes in the backs of our heads. And we rarely volunteered to ride out on a muster in front of him!
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So the photo that looks like my Dad was gently patting his grandson on the back was actually a prelude the same playful threat:

"Ever been lifted off by a professional, boy?".

Dash has had little experience in this department, so was too naive to be nervous. I'd say Mr Incredible's body language says "I don't think that's a great idea!". And perhaps remembering that his daughter was documenting activities behind him, Pagi had second thoughts and kept on riding...

(If you noted the comments you'll see Jeanie-the-Judge spotted the scenario immediately).

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Hope you have a great day - we are headlong into branding today so posting might be sketchy. Will check in on y'all later though.

And winners - please email me at your earliest convenience.
Au revoir...
BB

Wincy...

There are just over 24 hours left in my little contest/giveaway/harvesting of humour... and I thought I might entertain you as you dig deep into your psyche for a punchline in yesterday's photo blog post...

This series of photos was taken at about 10pm, after Mr Incredible had let his horse Trooper out of the yard he gets fed in (he doesn't like to share, our Trooper-Looper). He called me out into the backyard to show me something. "Bring the camera!" he called out. So I did.

My apologies for the photo quality. These were taken without a tripod and with only a torch to light the subject, which had set up house right across our walkway sometime in the previous 3 hours.

He was a little bigger than the size of the palm of a man's hand.

Moral of the story:

Keep your torch handy and eyes peeled while night-wandering in my neck of the woods!

Have I scared you back to the previous post yet?

Generations - and a giveaway or two!

There's been a heap going on behind the scenes here lately...
We are preparing for branding at the moment - one of our big annual tasks as cattle producers. Jeanie is coming over - with her mustering professional Salina ready and rearing to go. We managed a mini-getaway (photos still to come) to the beach, and the normal getting-ready-for-school events and packing-as-much-as-humanly-possible-into-holidays activites.

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So while I am juggling the myriad of events looming on my google calendars, I give you a sweet series of photos, shot just before Christmas. The set feature the three most important blokes in my life - my Dad, my husband and my son.

They were setting off from our house to muster in the cattle in the next paddock...

Sharing a special man-to-man moment together...

Savouring the anticipation of the muster ahead -

and trying not to stand on the madly cavorting dogs, all ready for action...

Mentally planning the strategy of gathering the cattle as they peruse the paddock.

Briefly soaking in the vibrant verde of the pasture, after a long dry spell, before...

Setting off to seriously address the task at hand...

And effortlessly handling the job as only men of experience can.

(Can a seven-year-old with six months mustering under his belt be considered a 'man of experience'? Ask Dash, he'll soon tell you!)
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But here's where you come in...

I wonder what is REALLY going on in photo number two?

If you've played my games before, you'll know I don't care about the truth.

(I can't HANDLE the truth!)

I shall give you the truth at the end of the game...

I want creativity and comedy.

You know I am just too lazy to provide it myself...
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So please, leave your guess in the comments section - the one that makes us laugh (and/or spit our coffee) the most will win a 8x12" BB print of their choice.

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I shall also do a random pick and give away this wonderful Australian movie to the lucky winner.

'The Castle' (remastered) DVD.

It's classic Aussie humour with some lines that have infiltrated the Australian vernacular -

'Tell him he's DREAMING, son!"

and

'Feel the serenity!".

Even the cover descriptions are taking the p***. I loved it's whackiness, Michael Caton as Darryl Kerrigan, the quintessential Aussie blue-collar battler - and a bonus is a young Eric Bana as 'Con Petropoulous... an accountant and amateur kickboxer'.

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CONTEST OPEN UNTIL MONDAY 9PM (Queensland, Australia time)
Feel free to enter as many times as you like!

So... what are you waiting for, my friends?

The comments section awaits your guess (and so do I!).

+++CONTEST CLOSED+++

Jeanie has been designated official adjudicator (we are all putting our votes in though) and I shall run the random number generator shortly.

Thanks for playing, girls and boys!

Many roads - actions aplenty

I am going to share a couple of the things that go on behind the scenes today - some photo work that gets done before I upload images. This may well bore the socks off you - if so, perhaps you'd rather read about this or this. Or just skim the words and vote for your favourite version at the end! I promise I won't hold it against you.
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If you are remotely interested in photos, then forge on with me. But remember I am no expert. (There should be a massive disclaimer right up at the top of this blog - but I reckon the drip remark in this month's header should be hint enough, right?)

This is an image I snapped while driving home from Toowoomba recently. It was simply shot through the windscreen as the Prado hurtled towards Granite Glen - this stretch of road is notoriously whoopy (that's a technical term for 'not smooth'). Actually I very nearly got seasick trying to shoot it. But I was reasonably happy with this shot (which is SOOC - straight out of camera) - I liked the natural lines and balance and the mirage effect. It needed cropping slightly and I just couldn't leave alone the whole 'dull colour' thing.

What to do?

Here is my first effort. I simply played with the 'curves' tool in Photoshop (I am still plugging along in PS 7) to find a better white and punch up the contrast to better reflect what I thought was 'real'. It's what I do to most of my images. Someone recently said they liked the 'honesty' of my photos - I suspect this means that I don't do enough work on them! Heh.

Next I thought I would try the "Fresh and Colourful" action from The Pioneer Woman. This really saturates and sharpens things up - the final version is not at full blast (I reduced the opacity of the layers a little before flattening). I don't mind this action but use it judiciously - too much saturation is well... too much. Especially on faces - people can tend to look VERY sunburned.
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Now I thought I'd push the envelope a bit more - I have to admit that I downloaded these actions from a site I picked up from Kate (Chronicles of a Country Girl) and I cannot recall the site. (I think it was here).

Most action sets have a black and white action - I quite like this one as it allows you to mess with it a bit. It's called Black and White Sepia. Feels like something from the 50's - as long as you don't look too closely at the shape of the vehicle hovering over the mirage!

This one is called Vintage.
I love that it gives a little border to the shot but I have toned back the texture layers and allowed a little more colour to seep through with this one. It appeals to me - like something printed on some very groovy rich paper.
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So your turn now...

Do you mess a lot with photos?

Would love you to share your favourite actions - pop in links if you have them please.

What is your favourite version of the road shot here?

(The BBfix, the PW Fresh&Colorful, the Black&White Sepia, or the Vintage?)

The most popular will be added to the prints section of the blog.

Thanks for playing!

Grids and gatherings

Yesterday was an incredible, tough day.

Yesterday more than 600 people gathered at a town hall in a small bush town to say goodbye to a friend. She was a friend to so many - a strong, no-nonsense, no-holds-barred kind of friend. She was someone who was part of my world forever. Not an everyday part, we weren't best buddies, we shared different generations, so moved in different circles that gently overlapped. Yet she was alwasy a familiar and steady presence. Lately we had become closer. I was to do a project with her, something I was looking forward to. A project that stands unfulfilled and hollow now.
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She had lived an interesting life before she was suddenly gone - some bits seemingly everyday and ordinary, the same bits that were shining highlights to her. Other bits were much tougher, confronting, soul-searching. Things she was brave enough to face and confront and search through. She had a lot to give, this friend.

And she gave in spades.
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So many people had been touched by her. Her family. Her friends. Those she counselled. Those she leant on. Those who leant on her. Those of many different generations. She was one of those people who connected. She held networks of people together - networks that will all feel her loss deeply. I have wonderful handwritten notes from her, on the birth of my children, when things got tough with Dash. She was unafraid to reach out when she saw someone who needed some support. She was real. And she made a difference.

Death is such a confronting thing. A terrible thing. But our friend was ready for it. Her eulogy already written, everything in order for such an event. Initially this preparedness shocked me a little. But now it seems the most thoughtful, sensible thing one could possibly do. Her effort to make it easier for those left behind. A natural thing for her.
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It was something that made me stop.

Not to wonder what is beyond the grid we pass over when we leave this life.

Not to worry about that beyond our horizons, that which we cannot see and feel right now.

But to think: what would my family do?

Would I have made it easier for them, or would my total lack of preparedness leave them floundering in a sea of grief and not knowing what to do...

Excuse me.

I think I have something I need to write.

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Anyone thinking of skipping the comments section here should think again. There is a minor popcorn riot going on that you won't want to miss! Thanks for making me smile, guys...

Laugh lines

I shot this photo during our rain inspection outing the other day...

... it makes me smile.

I just love that my husband smiles with his WHOLE face - one of the very first things I noticed about him actually. Right after those mesmerising blue eyes... they caught my attention but it was the crinkling smile that did me in.

My mother also smiles with everything she has - her delight reflected in every corner of her face. Her lines are happy reminders of a million smiles. They tell the world about her character and it's a beautiful thing.

Do you think celebrities (and others) who freeze their faces realise what they steal away, when they try to steal back years? That the very light in them that made them beautiful to begin with is dimmed by that effort?

Smile crinkles rule.

Splish Splash... rain revellin'

Is there an extension of the old Indian proverb:

Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun?

Something like:

Bush kids and mad Mums race out into the pouring rain?

No?

Should be...

When the sweet drizzling rain set in at Granite Glen, just after New Year,

and we had gotten sick of the inside chores and shed jobs,

Mr Incredible and I bundled the kids up

and arried out a little inspection tour...

First stop is the Big Bridge.

In the old days (say 25 years ago) when we had regular wet seasons that kept the dam below this river close to capacity, we actually used to waterski under this bridge and touch the massive joists as we passed under it.

True story.

Now people just drive over and try hard not to look down at the 3-4 metre drop to the almost-dry riverbed. It's a narrow, one-lane bridge. Fun (or terrifying, depending on your personality)in a big truck, I can tell you.

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Now we are a VERY long way from filling this reservoir again, but the little trickles are slowly running from the sodden earth and gently replenishing the underground water supplies.

The ground had been so parched and thirsty up until just before Christmas,
that every drop of rain had been sucked into the earth.

But now... now most of the country around us has had enough saturation to allow new rain to run-off.

And run-off means new ponds and puddles and green, green grass.

And you know what happens then....

Some splashin'!

Our next inspection point is the Little Bridge.

Poignant point of interest: the spot where Tuffy was found was just to the right of the approach to this bridge. The spot where his Mum raced back upon being returned to her paddock. Makes me a little sad every time I drive by it...

Bush Lesson: This is a creek crossing. i.e. where the fence crosses a creek.

Like its bigger, river cousins, it is built to fall apart at its centre join, when water floods down the creek bed. Ideally, the force of the water pushes each half to the side of the watercourse, and makes it easier to find the end and put it back up again. Creek and river crossing are NOT my idea of fun - it's spiky, dirty, sometimes snake-infested work - but doing river crossings mean it has rained in this often-dry country, so no-one is really ever game to complain about them.

The Little Bridge goes over a creek, which is smaller (duh) and runs a lot more readily than the river. It had a real 'fresh' going and was lots of fun for the kids to explore

Let's watch things float, Violet...

Let's throw floaty things upstream and watch them float back, Dash...

Let's skim stones...

Meanwhile their Mum is all: Cool reflections!

*Clickety-Click*.

And: Ooh, lovin' the splashes.
And their Dad is all: You want a splash... I'll give you a SPLASH!

Ka-boom!

And just like that... I had my new header.

Thanks darl.

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Hope the weather is kind at your house...

at the moment we are enjoying a little time away, at the beach.

And the vision isn't SO much different from these shots.

Lucky we love rain, eh?