253/365 Byron Tears

Looking from Clarkes Beach back to Main Beach. Byron Bay. 

11am this morning. 

Reflecting on the past few days... It is just so so so very beautiful. And so hard to correlate the surroundings and the story; with the knowledge that someone lost their life in such a tragic way in a place so pure and perfect. Feeling the sadness. And the awe. Mother nature is bigger than all of us. x

181/365 My Firstborn Son.

My sweet boy. My firstborn son. 

Not yet a man-child... but heading that way. You are such a funny animated kid. But when I capture you like this, all brown eyes and earnestness, my heart leans in just a little.

I love you.

You will never stop challenging me I know that much by now! But I also know that that is what parenting is all about - being challenged.

At first the challenge is how to keep the precious little bundle of venerable sweetness you find in your arms warm and fed and happy and alive! And then the challenge morphs and it's all about keeping cups of tea away table-edges and dog water-bowls out of reach. Then it becomes the challenge of choosing an education with your own unique personalities in mind.

And on life moves...

We are always reaching and stretching to accommodate the new challenges that we find in our paths. And the challenges are not just yours my darling boy. They are mine too. And daddy's. And every.single.person's.

They are life's challenges. Because that is what being alive is all about. Reaching. Growing. Changing. 

So, I'm just sitting here with a stream of Winter sunshine burning the back of my neck and saying some quiet words of gratitude to you. You brought me to life. Just as I brought you to life and I am slowly, ever-so-slowly, becoming a better person because of you. Thank you Buster.

--

How have life's challenges changed you for the better? What brought you to life? Please share your stories. Amber. XO

Love In A Cake Truffle Snuffling :)

I'm putting my post together from Sunday's North Coast Creative Business Women's High Tea today - and look what I found at the bottom of my pretty Rafiki Mwema bag?! A chocolate truffle! Seriously it's like someone knew we all LOVED chocolate { imagine that } - thank you Love In A Cake!

Such a sweet take-home gift.
Hashtag yum.

:)

What was in the last grown-up party bag you received? XO

168/365 Synchronised Surfing | Byron Bay

12:45pm | Belongil Beach. Byron Bay.

Yeah, it's a Wednesday. Hahaha. I love that there are surfers out no matter the time, the day, the weather :) These two made me smile! 

165/365 Byron Blue

Byron Blue. Sunday. Looking out over the bay full of whales and dolphins and surfers. 

157/365 The Perfect Saturday.

Waking up sleepy Saturday. 

No soccer. Bliss! T took Buster out for coffee, went to the farmer's market for our weekly stash and then came home to collect Kingsley and I. 

Beach brunch time! 

Destination Wategos. 

The water was turquoise and the surfers were in force. But the thing we loved the most was watching the kayakers - because - they weren't going anywhere. Which means just one fabulous thing (well, two!) that there are dolphins or whales in the bay. Ahhhhhh... it was dolphins!

After hovering out there in the deep for what felt like almost an hour they came in to land. 

Meanwhile, we ate. And played handball. And the boys swam and we all followed the golden rim of sand to Little Wategos beach. I walked back via the track and stopped in awe at the beauty unfolding below me. 

Such a lovely way to start a long weekend. 

I want more days like this...

p.s. I have a new facebook like button at the bottom of each post! 

Can you see it's lil' blue self there? Please click on it and share the love :) 

Merci beaucoup! xx

154/365 Byron Bay in Vivid Colour

Some days I don't want to have to choose just one image for #photoaday2014... 

So - seeing that I make the rules here ;) hahaha - today, there are two :)

I took the first one at Clarkes Beach in Byron about 9am this morning. The second, in the park by Main Beach about 3pm. 

Which would you have chosen if you had to choose just one?

Amber. XO

p.s. I have a new facebook like button at the bottom of each post! 

Can you see it's lil' blue self there? Please click on it and share the love :) 

Merci beaucoup! xx

Spontaneous Beach Picnic! | Broken Head

Last Sunday, after my surprise massage was over and I had lingered in some kind of dreamy, post-massage bliss in the relaxation area at Byron at Byron drinking organic herbal tea and soaking up my fave new magazine discovery - yes, I  mean Renegade Collective! -  I reluctantly disrobed myself of the kimono-style spa robe and slippers, took a deep breath, centred myself and re-entered the real world.

What I didn't know was that in the interim my lovely boys had been shopping and organised a spontaneous beach picnic - hooray! And all I had to do - was decide where we would go. The suggestions?: Wategos (aka Byron Bay's beach mecca) or Broken Head.

Actually, it was an easy choice. 

We were already to the south of Byron and Broken Head Nature Reserve is just a few kilometres further along the coast road. Plus, I hadn't been to Broken Head since we had returned from our big trip; it seemed the perfect choice. 

But it was MORE than perfect.

Look how God-damn gorgeous it is!!

We didn't have plates or picnic accoutrement. But we did have my sarong. 

Olives, Australian brie, crackers, baby toms and yummy local Baraka hummus. 

Voila. An instant tear-the-cheese-into-wedges beach picnic on the sand. 

Oh, plus Chupa Chups are essential apparently.

(I had strawberries and cream! Yum).

We hung out for a few hours. 

The boys swam and we walked and everyone climbed on the rocks which were like a tribal playground playing with their beautiful ochre clay. 

And then the shadows started to get longer and the sun decided to fall below the tree line. We clambered back to the car and drove off into the sunset. Sun-kissed, wind-swept and hungry again ;) 

That really is some kind of crazy-good paradise down there. Just six kilometres south of the busy-ness of Byron. It's sweet perfection. Okay, I might have said that Wategos last week ;) Hey, I love beaches! But this one is something else...

So, I'll let the images do the talking. 

Do you have a sacred beach, a place to escape or favourite picnic spot? I'd love to hear about it in the comments below or on facebook, instagram or twitter!

Amber. XO

112/365 Skate the Sky

Spontaneous shoot at the skate-park across the road from our hotel for #photoaday2014 tonight.

This kid is so in the zone. Very cool.