Austockphoto is live! After all the uploading of photos, keywording, editing, cross checking, searching for problems, and waiting, and waiting, and waiting, it is finally launched and out in the world. 

I have mentioned Austockphoto a few times on my blog before but in case you have not been listening, I am a photographer for it, and also an editor/cross checker and website tester, (I got to have fun finding problems with the test site and trying to break things, just before more waiting and finally the launch). As I said we do have lift off and I am excited, actually everyone involved is. Now all the photos; which are all taken in Australia by Australian photographers, are up for sale. I know I said it before but the site is live for everyone, and is looking beautiful! So you should go look at it even if you don't need to buy photos for whatever reason. Of course if you know someone who does, well spread the word! 

And check out my 1000+ images I have on there. Oh and on that note you can also probably blame Austockphoto for the slackness of my blog posts too. I have been busy, and now I hope a lot of that will be paid off!

What do you think of the site?

Did you have a look at it... well you should, seriously, and see all those photos of mine that I never got around to posting about.

Anticipation 

When I grow up I mean to be

A Lion large and fierce to see.

I’ll mew so loud that Cook in fright

Will give me all the cream in sight.

And anyone who dares to say

“Poor Puss” to me will rue the day.

Then having swallowed him I’ll creep

Into the Guest Room Bed to sleep. 

by Oliver Herford

I learnt that poem many yeas ago and still remember it, I am not a cat but I am anticipating a few things. And that is what this post is about. I am also sure there are a few things I have forgotten but obviously I am not anticipating them much if I have forgotten them.

The closest thing I am anticipating is the release of Songkeeper..... the second book in "The Songkeeper Chronicles" which will also be a trilogy. Check out the cover! I enjoyed book one but I have an ARC of Songkeeper and am halfway though it and it is even better, when I am finished I will post a review, and in a few days some more fan art because there are so many scenes I could draw. 

Secondly, Brotherband 6: The Ghostfaces by John Flanagan. When I first heard the title of this one I thought it was rather weird and not so nice sounding, but after reading the synopsis it makes sense. So here is that synopsis: When the brotherband crew are caught in a massive storm at sea, they're blown far off course, surviving only because they wash up on the shores of a land that isn't on any of Hal's maps. 

They're being watched, but they don't know if the locals are friend or foe – until the brotherband spring into action to rescue two children from a marauding bear, earning the Herons the gratitude of the Mawagansett people. The peace is short-lived. The ruthless, warmongering Ghostface tribe are heading their way, and the Herons must help their new friends repel an invasion. 

Among the nail-biting battles and heart-stopping action, one Heron must make an agonising decision that could change the brotherband forever. 

John Flanagan writes his action packed books so well and they are filled with such Australian humour, our family just enjoys these stories so much.

A Time To Rise is probably the thing I wish would hurry up and be released sooner than all the rest, I need to read this book.... I really... really...do. I can't wait.. but alas I must.

JASON BOURNE 5; this one is quite different from the other things I am anticipating the release of, one, it is a movie, and two, I really don't know what to expect of it. I hope it is as epic as the previous movies ...... I am anticipating it but I don't necessarily  recommend it or the others movies before it to most of my readers.... they are really well done but really violent... But I do hope this movie is a good as the first few!

Another thing I am anticipating is my birthday! Yes I know it is just over a month away but still it is my birthday! YAY!..... oh golly I am going to be so old......

And the last thing I can thing of is Austockphoto. It is a new stock photography gallery. Where you will be able to buy heaps of all Australian images from. I am a photographer for it! They are hoping to launch in the middle of the year sometime.

What are you anticipating? Books being released, movies, something else?

Many people have read these books and have their own opinions about them, or just heard enough about them to make judgments. People have seen the movies and decided if the books are good or not from them. I have been told many different things about them:

"Every child should read these books"

"These books should be banned, they are evil"

"This is my favourite series ever, you need to read it"

"Oh, no you should not read the Harry potter books."

Having never read or watched anything Harry Potter (at least as far as I can be absolutely sure of doing) I did not like to voice an opinion. But one day, after yet another of these conversations, I decided I would read them so that I could have an informed conversation about them. As it turned out, I like them.

I have set mine eyes upon snow twice in my life. Just a week ago the second time came around. At the beginning of the day we were rather in doubt as to whether the weather would be horrid or not. The predictions spoke of rain, and we did not even know if there would be any snow left, from all the falls on the weekend when everything on Barrington Tops had got covered in a heavy shroud of snow. We set off despite all dire predictions, as we had planed... well rather spontaneously the night before.

Most mornings and many afternoons this month and the end of last, a flock of screeching birds fly over our house and land in one of the tall gum trees next to it. I counted over twenty birds most days. Bright colours flashing they settle into the branches of a gum and almost disappear, except that they screech to one another continually and when they move there is a flash of vibrant colour before they meld back in to the green leaves and blue sky. Then there is the click, click, click of their beaks as they snip at the pink or pale yellow gum blossoms. 

By no means are we expected to leap the mountains, at all. In fact we are not expected to do much except be like everyone else in the generation before us and in our own generation. 

These expectations can be damaging, because most young people live, not up to them, but down to them. They are so low. These expectations can really hurt too, but that can be good. For me they make me more determined to prove those expectations utterly wrong. 

Yet another person has come up to one of my parents and said how they have only just noticed the Ps on their car. They start saying how my parents will no longer see me or their car. What a difficult time this is, and so on. My parents argue for me but most people stop their ears say mhh, yes and nod. They either don't know me enough to believe my parents or think "just you wait, your beautiful daughter will change one day in the blink of an eye." It is true a few people know what I am really like but only a few.... 

Maybe the speakers don't mean it, or they don't actually think about what they are saying. These expectations say to me that the person expects me to become/or I am, an irresponsible, rebellious, selfish, lazy, child that thinks she is an adult, and now has dangerous freedom. In other words they call me a "Teenager" a typical teen, a terrible, trouble. This is all so wrong. When people I know can only expect this of me it hurts. 

"Teenager" I hate that word because of all it is associated with, besides it didn't used to exist. I want to be called a young lady, a woman or whatever girls my age used to be called.....Little Women? Anything but teens... teenagers........ I don't even like youth and adolescent... A teenager I am not. Sure I am aged seventeen, but I am not a selfish, rebellious, lazy child, who thinks they are the center of the universe. (the center of the universe Goes to God alone). 

Don't get me wrong I'm certainly not perfect, I don't want the label "proud" and "Girl who thinks herself better than others" but it is quite true a teenager is not what I AM. I don't act like that, I don't think like that. My sisters and I are not teenagers we are Little Women, Young Ladies. 

Except for a Photo Shoot I can't remember having used the car for entirely my own thing, my license is a blessing to my whole family. I can now go and pick up things left behind, get ods and sods from the shops, pick up the parcel at the post office, take my brothers and sisters to a park. I have also ducked down the street to get some food when we had visitors and all sorts of things, I enjoy being able to do that. 

I suspect that these poor expectations can be easily succumbed to.... but don't.  I say "suspect" because I haven't tried, I have no wish to be miserable.... for the years of my life that will probably be my freest, I want to use these years to be a blessing. You dear reader... (or whatsoever you wish to be called, as long as it is not teenager) are probably in or coming up to those years. Will you use them for selfish pursuits or for selfless ones?  

Are you going to leap the mountains? I challenge you to leap them, despite the fact that you are only expected to get out of bed some time before tomorrow. Don't be a teenager. Be a young lady or young man, leap the mountains.