Please don't let that terrible photo and the others you will see as you scroll down kill you. I promise they won't, though it almost kills me looking at them. But I am killing myself for a good reason. Comparison can be an evil thing for photographers (and writers too). In our day and age we can access so many wonderful photos of anything (almost). We can also be tempted to compare ourselves to other photographers. We look at their photos and see how much better they are than ours and sigh... "what is the point... surely I can never be that good, so what is the use trying."

“Comparison is an act of violence against the self.”~Iyanla Vanzant

Comparison can lead us to give up and stop trying, don't. Look to those photographers as inspiration, and go and practice. Enjoy taking the photos you take. I enjoyed taking these photos back in 2005. Yes they are terrible photography-wise but they were a start. Everyone has to start somewhere.

“Comparison is the death of joy.” ~ Mark Twain

As to why you get to see these embarrassingly terrible photos.... Well they prove how bad my photos were and of how much I have improved. They are also part of another point I want to make. Comparison can be good, (yeah I know I just said it was bad) but only if you are comparing to yourself. I am very glad of how much better my photography has gotten. Very...

2006

Because we are human though, we compare. So, if you must, then compare to me... see where I was, and where I am now. It is possible. With practice, it is possible to get magnificent results. I just revel in that feeling, when I capture a moment so perfectly and I know I have just taken a photo that I have always aspired to take. So scroll on down and see how my photography has changed, through the years.....If I can possibly call this stuff at the beginning photography.....  

2006, yes this is actually a selfie....

2007

2008 (I bought my first digital camera)

2009

2009

 I did occasionally even take photos back then that I still like now. Like that one at the beach, which is rather nice. I decided to only use photos of people, because then I only had to go through a certain amount of photos. Back then I only very rarely took photos of people. I preferred flowers... generally blurry ones. As you can see though, I did sometimes take photos of people.

2009

2010

2011

2012 (I bought my second digital camera)

2012.... yes I used a tripod

2012

2013

2013 again a tripod.... because that is me

2013 (borrowed a friends Nikon DSLR)

2014 (bought my own Cannon 600D)

2014

2014

2014 

As you can see the camera does help, to a certain extent. But really I bought a better camera each time, because I wanted one that could do more, because my photography had improved. The thing that counts most is practice and training yourself to see the photos.

2015

Don't compare to other photographers. Look back at how far you have come. Look at others for inspiration and go out and take photos. Yes some of them will be dreadful (but if you don't put them on social media no one will ever know how dreadful some photos you still take are). Dream on, Lord willing you will get there, you will be able to capture that picture, just as you always dreamed of doing.

Comparison to others takes the joy out of things, whether it is photography, writing or even life. So please don't do it. Just have a go, take your camera for a walk and get clicking.

My Mum had decided that this month I am responsible for getting all the washing done. This entitles, getting it out of baskets into the laundry, then from the laundry into the washing machine, then hung out and got back in again, all dried and folded, and finally putting it into piles and those piles in their respective rooms. I can’t decide if this will be simple or not, I think I shall leave that judgement for later. 

As to why I am writing about it, well I am a writer…. And I like recording stuff. I could also end up learning a few things while doing this month of washing. So feel free to read it, but washing only has a certain amount of amusingness, so feel free to skip it, but I shall try wringing all the amusingness in there out. Of course if it gets too boring I will stop posting this log, so tell me what you think. Do you help doing the washing for your family?

Day 1 Sunday: It is Sunday so no washing is done.

Day 2 Monday: I put on a large load of all the dirty washing in the house. Outside the sky is grey and we had 10 mm of rain on Sunday. I didn’t even think of checking in the boys pockets until the washing had finished. I pulled about a handful of rocks out of the washing machine. A few were large but most were almost small enough to fit through the holes in the washing machine. I shook rocks out of clothes while handing the load out and banged rocks out of the basket at the end. 

NOTE: Check Pockets

Day 3 Tuesday: I wasn’t expecting quite so much washing to pile up… I did a full load again and had more left over. I forgot about hanging it out until almost 12, and I got Jane to help me then. I have decided not to do a second load today, hope that is a good decision…… maybe it’s not. Last night I also forgot to get in the last few things that were wet when I got the rest of the washing in. It is all sorted out and in peoples rooms now.

Day 4 Wednesday: NOTE: Don’t forget you put the washing on.

For it to dry you also need to hang it out…… if it is midday before you remember, there is the side effect of melting into the grass while you hang it out. If it is a hot day.... which it was.

Day 5 Thursday: I should actually try remembering to get the washing out of people’s rooms’ earlier otherwise it ends up much later before I can put the washing on. Meaning it will be later when it finishes. Meaning I will probably be doing something else when it finishes. Meaning I melted into the ground like yesterday.

I heard Mummy saying she was going to go get in the washing. So I told her she was not allowed. Because I had to tell people to do it or do it myself. (that was the deal, not sure what I get out of it though, except this) But she was going to take Ann out anyway so then I told her to get in the washing….. then I asked her to get it in….. and I sorted it all out afterwards. 

This is an example of when the loads of unsorted washing add up

NOTE: it is a much less daunting task to put away the washing on the day it comes in than leave piles of it in the hallway until everyone is too scared to do it. Especially if you can listen to an audio book while putting it away.

I don't think our hallway has ever been so empty most of the time....

Day 6 Friday: I learnt that sometimes washing hangs on the side of the laundry tub and Mummy wants that washed too…. Should have been obvious. I could have easily fitted those few more things in.

When I got the washing in today the basket felt like it held plain static electricity. If I moved my hand or arm over it my hairs would stand up. Some of the washing had been wrapped around two lines so there had been some wind, I do also rather jerk washing off the line…. Maybe that is why…. it is very hot and dry....

The top of the peg basket is now entirely blue pegs….. Yes I am a little weird about that….. I must use blue pegs and no other colour…. Unless I run out, and that is a dire circumstance.

Day 7 Saturday: I asked my mum if she could hang out the washing, because I knew I would not be there when it finished. Granny got it in and I sorted it out.

Leaves flip crazily through the air. Brown, yellow, orange and an occasional splash of green. These are no thin leaves of tall gums these leaves are wide, some bigger than my hand. Other leaves are smaller, some crushed, all dying, yet creating a new beauty as they do so. Yet giving back to the soil, and the trees above them.

They rustle and crunch underfoot. the wind flings them against the short black aluminium fence. I crouch and look along it leaves, seedpods, chip and dust. The black poles run together and become solid. Leaves escape through the black barricade. and scatter over the green, watered grass. Green speckled with endless brown. The wind, time carries them away. Their mother trees are empty, appearing barren yet concealing something, for a spring to come. 

I did a guest post over on Amity today. I have an exert here, but to read The whole post you shall have to head over to Emily's blog.

Weeds are only weeds because we call them that. Grass becomes a weed when it enters a garden and likewise garden plants become “weeds” when they grow onto the lawn. A weed is a plant that grows where we humans do not want it. I have been interested in weeds ever since I did a study on them for agriculture. During that I found that many of the plants I called weeds are actually useful for many things, or even edible.


Fleabane has some interesting history. Its name gives away some of its uses. Fleas don’t like it, neither do many bugs. In medieval times people would plant it all around their houses, hang it up inside and at the end of beds. They believed it warded off plague, now we know fleas were often carriers of it so it makes sense. Fleabane can be found just about anywhere particularly in disturbed areas, unused plots of land and along roadsides in paddocks. This plant can also be chucked on a campfire and its burning will drive mosquitoes away. (I really have to try this one so I don't get carried off in bits by Fisck and her friends)

Read the full post HERE....

Walking backwards into other people while I am taking photos of people. I do this way too much.

When I say some technical word for something and everyone suddenly stares at me, because they have no idea what I just said… usually the word has something to do with writing or photography. In the most recent case it was Beta readers…. Google it if you want to know.

Driving along at night and a car is coming towards me so I go to turn down my high beams. For some reason I turn the lights off for a second…… only very shortly but still I did it…. then about a minute later, while still berating myself for turning my lights off another car comes towards me……. And well….. I ended up turning my light off again.

Getting a bruise…. From falling over…. And…. Not being able to sit down for the next two days….. And only rather uncomfortably for a few more days after that.

Ann walks straight up to this stranger and looking up at him goes “Roar!”

When I get introduced as “The best photographer in the world”…. Nice, ok, but still a bit awkward and not entirely true.

I have two shirts of my dad’s to iron before he gets home. So out comes the iron and the ironing board. I put up the ironing board and it falls down… I do it again and again it falls down. After some time I manage to hold it up while plugging in the iron and turning it on. Then I stand with a foot on each leg of the ironing board and hold it up that way….. Which makes me even shorter than normal and also makes the ironing extremely difficult. But when I take my foot away it falls down again. Eventually I jam the legs between one of my feet and the door frame and continue ironing.

When Jane is talking to Siri on Alice’s “thingy” and says “Siri” and daddy is at that time sitting across the room with his phone plugged into the computer. The Siri on his phone (which when plugged in can be voice activated) suddenly goes “bing” and asks daddy what his question was. When my mum comes into the room Jane tells here what Daddy’s phone did and repeats what she said…. Sure enough daddy’s Siri wakes again, and is turned off. The same thing only happens about twice more that night!

I seem to have this hate love thing with Frozen…. Proven again when listening to town band practicing last night. I stopped reading, my book and just listened to the music, it sounded so cool! The played this really great part over and over to get it right. Then they went on to the rest of the song and I started to wonder what it actually was. Then I peered at the music trying to read the title…… sure enough…. LET IT Go… It sounded great with the whole band playing it, but then I proceeded to get the song stuck in my head…

A light rain fell, speckling my already damp clothes. There were no shadows, just blackness, and one spot of light. The warm gold light, spilled a little way out into the darkness from the hall behind us. A wind blew straight through my damp clothes and lifted my heavy denim skirt off my legs. The wind brought a chill as it passed straight through me almost as if I were not there. Music swirled through the blackness. Making its way from the hall and out into the perpetual shadow of night, it also passed by me, as did the wind. The beat of feet on wooden floors thrummed faintly, mingled with the music, and came to me, out in the night. Shadows, rain, wind, light, and music all combined and caught me in their spell for a moment, holding me for eternity. Then a voice called me away. I left.

The other day Ann appeared dressed as a bee. Naturally that called for an impromptu photo shoot. She was not in the best mood but we did get some smiles. Such a cutie!

My sister and I lead a Bright Light's group, we are doing set one "Being Strong for the Lord in Your Youth." There are many things in this world that seem good. We represented these with different 'good' sorts of food: rice bubbles, marshmallows, juice, oil, soy sauce, icing sugar, milo, salt and other things. We took a bit of each thing and mixed them all together. The resulting concoction looked brown and sloppy with rather a lot of rice bubbles and a few marshmallows floating in it.

The roses represented us, clean, pure and beautiful young ladies. One of the roses though liked 'good' things, things of the world, temptations we face. When all these are put together and the rose is covered in them it is no longer beautiful and sweet smelling. In fact it smelt DISGUSTING! The other rose kept itself clean doing the things of the Lord and the scent from that rose was lovely. 

Note: it also tastes bad, really bad, like almost throwing up bad. I was not actually the one who tried it but I was a eye witness.

Many things of this world appear good, but really they are not, be careful you do not get covered in the smelly slime and rice bubbles of this world. In our youth we should be about our Father’s business not following the worldly way. The years of our youth are wonderful opportunities for ministry for the Lord. We have value and potential – God has a plan for our lives. We can be strong and make a difference and we can do it now, we don’t have to wait until we ‘grow up.’

Which rose are you?

Which rose do you want to be?

A soft 'coo coo coooo' comes from the bottle-brush bush next-to our carport. I remember the Pigeons I have seen flying in and out of the bush for months. I had not looked very hard previously so I hadn't noticed the tiny platform of sticks, only just big enough to hold a mother crested pigeon and her egg. It is an egg no longer.

I stretched up trying to see the nest just above my head. A crested pigeon sat there and a little "Bird with a spike on its head" (as my brothers call them) looked out at me with big eyes. I got a crate to stand on so I could take photos of the crested pigeons. The mother bird shuffled uncomfortably and then hoped off the nest onto a branch deeper in the bush I got a clear view of the young crested pigeon.

The crested pigeon often sounds frightened when it flies and generally that is when it is first seen or heard. As it flaps its wings a distinctive whistling sound is produced. The egg this little bird hatched from would have been small and white, sometimes there are two, but I could only see this little one.

I like to find fallen Crested Pigeon feathers. Their secondary and primary wing feathers have such a beautiful sheen to them, they shine purple and green. The male and female birds look the same. You can see the feather colour in this photo I took a few months ago.

The black and white bird hopped closer and closer watching me out of the corner of its eye. Then made a dive towards the scraps we had thrown out the window. He plucked a bit of bread from the grass and flew off a little distance. Soon the Butcher bird ventured back and took another piece. Some noisy miners flew down too and a magpie.

Butcher birds often follow me as I mow the lawn, mowing disturbs lot of small insects that they like. Then the butcher bird will come surprisingly close to the big noisy mower to get a juicy bug or even a small lizard.

As I sit typing I can hear two pewees (otherwise known as Magpie Larks) calling to one another, as well as: corellas, galahs, rosellas, and some rainbow lorikeets. I can also hear a far chiming of some small bird but I can't put a name to the call.

Have you seen any nests recently?

Can you recognise many bird calls?

I really do wonder how many blogger awards there are in the world. I seem an expert at finding them, without trying. I have fairly recently been notified of two new ones, or old ones or whatever, but they are not ones I have previously received. They are "Sisterhood of the World Bloggers award" and "You Are Amazing and so is Your Blog award." So I wonder if there is a brotherhood of bloggers too.... I didn't even know there was a sisterhood before, let alone that I was part of it. 

I did always know I was amazing though, that is just obvious, and  therefor so is my blog, no question about it. Neither seem to have rules, other than you are meant to accept the award, or do some post about it.... amounts to the same thing. 

It really should say; "I am amazing and so is my blog"

There are questions too, one set. Which goes to show that these awards are just an excuse to ask questions. Which appears to be the point of most of them. There appears to be no rule about pictures that I could see, so I made my own..... I would have anyway. 

I also read nothing about linking to or thanking the person that awarded me.... But maybe there is something about that in the secret sisterhood of world bloggers code of conduct or something..... or maybe not. It also said nothing about nominating others.....  Actually there were no stated things about these awards other than that they were awarded. 

I had fun making the pictures, and actually it was not very difficult at all. Mostly just one of my photos, an overlay, and a bit of Photoshop to add them together.

Here are the questions (I must answer on pains of death... warning I can be dangerous when cornered..... and threatened with death....at least maybe I can.... don't think I have been before....) I'd probably would be on the look out for sarcastic and other comments that I don't really mean though. Hopefully you also realized that I have not being serious at all in this whole post.

1. What is your favorite place to shop?
One might think the likely answer to such a question would be at the shops, but in my case it is not... I mean shops are for shopping at. Hence the name shops. I like to buy stuff, I assume that is what is meant by shop, on the computer. Well using the computer, I sit next to it and in front of the screen. Then I like to use Facebook..... there is a page for people local to where I live to buy and sell just about everything from.... Problem is there are a lot of other photographers (I presume) who also see things on there as photo props.... and by the time I see them there is almost always at least 10 SOLD's on it.... or 20...

2. What's your favorite thing to eat?
Well what an obvious answer, must I really tell you.... ok then, its simple really, food, oh and preferably food that I like.

3. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be?
Nowhere, a lot of things I often want seem to get there. After I look for them Everywhere and can't find them, I come to the conclusion they are Nowhere or just Somewhere Else, so that may be a good place to go to.

I would often rather go nowhere than somewhere.... modes of transport would probably have a lot to do with it too.

4. Do you like writing letters or emailing best?
I like emailing, it is quick and easy, not time consuming and people don't have to struggle to read my terrible handwriting and spelling. I like receiving mail/letters though, so I do take time to write them, with my terrible messy writing, because I know that I can bless people with my words... even if it takes them ten minutes to work out what is actually written there.

5. Do you have a favorite game? If so, what is it?
A new game, I like old games that I have played hundreds of times, like scum or mafia and others, but I do really like playing things that I haven't played before or at least not for a long time.

6. What's your favorite activity to do with your family?
Sit and read together.

7. Are you musical? If so, what instrument(s) do you play?
Oh can't I be musical without playing an instrument... or must I say I play the Clare, the vocal chords of Clare. Yes I do play.... or is it really called playing it I am the instrument? I don't know.

8. What was the last thing you memorized?
A bible verse... But I can't remember which..... obviously I didn't memories it very well.....

9. What's your favorite book of the Bible and why?
Proverbs. it is so full of wisdom. It is probably the book I have read the most times.... I am always either reading through psalms or proverbs, and somewhere else in the bible to. Hmm that Somewhere Else place has come back again..... at the moment though I am reading Proverbs and Deuteronomy.

10. What do you want to be when you grow up? 
Well it appears I am doing it... does that mean I am grow'd up? And for those who have not being paying attention that is being a photographer. If you didn't know that then you better have a look at my website Clear Light Photography. Because you must not have looked at it before.

11. What are some of your hobbies?
Photography, writing, reading, stamp collecting, raising chooks (for y'all Americans I mean chickens. Though in my point of view chickens are baby chooks.) I also do beading/jewelry making, and a number of other crafty things.

12. Do you like doing different hairdos on your hair? 
Guilty, very, I really like trying new hairdos, and finding ones I would like to try copy... generally without doing tutorials.... I only do that if I fail.... and making up my own styles.

Now for questions because I must have a few questions, if I am to have someone to answer them. Maybe I should join the two together and make a new award "The amazing world Bloggers award". I suppose I can only nominate Girls for the sisterhood thingy award. It would be funny to award a guy that though.....

So for the sisterhood award I will nominate Jane because she is very naughty and hasn't done the last award I award her, and she said she would do it. I am waiting Jane! I also nominate anyone who wants to join the sisterhood, or (for the other award) knows that their blog is just so awesome, along with themselves of course. I also nominate Sarah. Come on you have to do another post one day. Sarah I invite you to join the mysterious Sisterhood of world bloggers, because there are not enough posts on your blog to make it amazing, although if you want to do that award you could because you are amazing, but you might have to drop off the part about having an amazing blog. Rosie I also nominate you to join the sisterhood, although I don't believe I am really far enough initiated into it to be inviting others in, but since it does not really exist I suppose that does not mater. Then again maybe it does exist.....

As I said before if you would like to answer some questions then please YOU HAVE BEEN NOMINATED, and if not then at least look at the pictures in this post. Quite possibly you may not even read this far down, if you do let me know. Of course if you like to answer questions or just one of them then you can do that in the comments below too.

Here are the questions:

1.What is the strangest thing you have ever eaten?
2.Would you rather visit any fantasy realm you wish and die on a desert island, in a battle or stuck up a tree; or would you prefer to live a long long life here on earth?
3.If you had to be locked in a small room for one day with one other blogger who would that be? (the room is completely bare except for one light in the roof )
4.What is the biggest number of words you have written in one day.
5.Do you write stories? If so what is the hardest thing about writing them?
6.What is your opinion on popping candy?
7.How many blogger awards are there in the world?
8.How many awards (to do with bogs) have you been awarded, and how many have you not done of those awarded?
9.What is the coolest bruise you have ever got? and which colour bruise do you prefer?
10.What languages do you know, pretend to know, have attempted to know, wish you knew?

Ann sure knows when she is the center of attention. And when she looks pretty. But here I shall stop because to continue would be to repeat myself. If you wan't to read more words to go with these photos and see some more photos check out my website that is almost the same post as this. Otherwise just enjoy the photos that are here.