Adieu, Adios.

Good morning, all my Faces and Places and Wide Open Spaces friends.

You are probably wondering where I’ve been…actually, scratch that, you’ve probably forgotten all about me!

I have shamelessly abandoned this blog due to the massive commitments of my other blog, The Paperbook Blog. I would like to say that I am determined to make more time for this blog, but we both know that’s just not true. So, it is with regret that I am shutting this bad boy down, to hopefully be re-opened again in the future.

I really suggest you pop over to The Paperbook Blog if you haven’t already, and check it out. I am currently publishing an online magazine out of that blog, called The Paperbook Collective. Click here for issue one. Issue two is due to be released in 48 hours time, so stay tuned.

Whether you are a photographer, a designer, an artist, writer or poet, your work could be featured in The Paperbook Collective. I accept submissions from all over the world, so there is no reason YOU can’t be included in issue three!!

For information on how to submit, visit this page.

Thank you all for your support of this humble blog, I hope to see you over at The Paperbook Blog soon.

But for now, I say adieu.

Cheers, jaydeashe.

THREE DAYS LEFT!

The Paperbook Blog

It’s that time people…time to start getting excited.

Or, if you’re me, more excited, nervous and exhilarated than you have ever felt before. Except perhaps the time I went skydiving in New Zealand, but that’s another story.

THREE DAYS…THREE DAYS LEFT!!

That’s right, three days left to get your submissions in for the very first issue of the Paperbook Magazine!! (name pending).

I have had some excellent submissions flow in over the past few days as everyone finishes polishing their work and sending it my way. If you’re still hesitating, now is the time to bite the bullet and send it in.

Don’t miss out!

I had a very productive creative session last Sunday with my good friend from Art Of Darkness, throwing around ideas and thoughts. And, let’s face it, getting very drunk. But we have decided on a fantastic cover image, which he is working on as we speak. This…

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I Need You.

Calling all creative…get involved in my new project!

The Paperbook Blog

Yes, you. And you. And you over there in the corner. I need all of you.

Something new is brewing behind The Paperbook Blog. It started as an idea and it has slowly gathered momentum until it is filling my every waking thought. Which is definitely intruding on my ability to get anything else done, but never mind. University assignments can wait…

Friends, fellow thinkers, artists, poets, designers and creators, I am starting the Paperbook MAGAZINE! (Don’t worry, it has a better name than ‘Paperbook Magazine’, but it is under wraps for now…)

What the hell? Whyyyyy???????

I can hear your brains screeching from across the globe. Let me do my best to explain:

What it’s all about:

Basically, I want to create a free online literary magazine. Why? I’ll get to that in a minute. The magazine would include: Creative Non-Fiction, Flash Fiction, Short Stories, Book Review’s, Poetry, Art, Author Bio’s, Photography, and whatever…

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Take Me to the Beach.

It’s raining here, miserable and grey. So to make myself feel better I’m going on a trip to the beach…

Fan-friggin-tabulous.

Do all of you know the wonderful Sahm King? His last name is appropriate because this guy is the King of the blogosphere. His blogs are incredible, you can find him here at The Arkside of Thought and here at We Drink Because We’re Poets.

Why am I raving on about this guy? Because he created his own award, and then blessed me with it! It is quite an impressive award, I must say.

He asks us to boast about ourselves, because we’re friggin awesome. This is a really hard task for me, as I live in fear of mockery about my work, both my photography and my writing. I wake up each day thinking that someone is going to jump on here and say ‘What were you thinking? You can’t write! Your photography’s crap! Get back behind the coffee machine where you belong!’

But I digress. I think the fact that I am finally on here, sharing both my writing and my photography with the world, shows that my confidence is getting better and I am starting to believe that while I may not yet be ‘friggin awesome’, I am at the very least ‘frig-awe’. The ‘gin-some’ will come one day.

So, who out there in the blogosphere do I think is pretty friggin awesome? Well, everyone that I follow, for a start. But I’m going to throw this out to a few of my faves, and I’m sure it will make it’s way around to the rest of you soon.

1. One Starving Activist
2. Colin Butterworth
3. erickeys
4. Cindy Knoke
5. All Downhill From Here
6. This Blog Intentionally Blank

Again, I would nominate hundreds more of you if time and patience allowed, but unfortunately those two things are sorely lacking in my life at the moment. There is another reason that I chose these six, and that is because they have all been incredibly supportive of my blogs, both this one and The Paperbook Blog. That’s not to say that there aren’t many more of you that have been equally as supportive, and believe me when I say I appreciate every single person who reads, likes or comments on anything I post.

After witnessing a particularly harsh and unnecessary attack on someone’s blog today, I just want to put some positivity and encouragement out into the WordPress atmosphere. What I love most about this place is just how supportive everyone is of each other, re-blogging, sharing and promoting blog’s we love. It is one of the most encouraging things that can be done for anyone who is trying to achieve anything with their blog, be it forging a new career or simply having a place to vent.

Sahm asked us as part of this award to state one thing that makes us happy, and for me today it’s you, my fellow bloggers. So at the risk of sounding overly sentimental: keep encouraging one another, keep reading other’s work, share and promote what you love and if you see something you don’t like, just scroll past it. It’s not hard to do.

Sunset.

The humble sunset. Probably one of the most beautiful, most photographed phenomenon’s the world over. Is it possible to get sick of those ever changing mystical colours as they slowly paint the sky?

I am forever taking photos of sunsets. They are all similar yet they are all so vastly different. These were taken on the inlet by my parents house. Only in the month’s of May and September does the sun set in the perfect position for us to capture it, although it does its best the rest of the year too. Do yourself a favour today. Step outside and capture your sunset.

Warm Winter’s Day.

We are getting these Winter days at the moment where the temperature drops to 5 degrees Celsius at night, but hovers between 16-20 degrees during the day with not a cloud in sight. While this is spelling doom for my poor garden (hand watering in June, unheard of!) it is making for some gorgeous sunny Winter days. I took a little stroll yesterday around what is unremarkably called ‘Big Swamp’ in the heart of our city. To me it is more than a ‘swamp’, it is a gorgeous playground for all sorts of wildlife.  There are plenty of beautiful birds hopping around the mangroves and swamp grasses.  Amongst the greens and browns bright colours pop.The birds are in constant competition for these privileged spots on what I imagine was once some sort of jetty. Now the perfect spot for sunning birds. The scent of wattle fills the air.  Getting ready to dive for fish.  Hiding out amongst the grasses.  Leafless branches are the only real sign of the winter season.

Daily Prompt: Celebration!

I just had to put an explanation mark at the end of celebration! It didn’t look right without it. It feels like a million years since I last celebrated something, or had reason to celebrate. A year of saving/study doesn’t really go hand in hand with wild, out-there celebrations, even my birthday was skipped over. A flurry of meaningless Facebook birthday wishes from people I haven’t seen or spoken to in years was the only thing that separated it from any other day.

So I hit the archives to remind myself what celebrating felt like, and I found these shots. Every year at Christmas there is a street in my city that goes all out with Christmas lights. And I mean, ALL OUT. The street is over a kilometre long and basically every house gets decked out in fluro magic. People flock from all over the city in the week before Christmas to tour the lights, cars clog the area which is patrolled and controlled by police men, that is how big the event has become.

It is a very cool display of community spirit in an age where community spirit is almost non-existent, a blatant and unapologetic outrageous celebration.

I deliberately left the flash off to capture some of the feeling of the night, everything was in total darkness, lit only by the majestic displays of Christmas lights on the houses. See some more Celebration! at The Daily Post.

A Word A Week Challenge: Metallic.

I might be a bit late to the party with this one but as the old saying goes, ‘better late than…’ whatever. This is my contribution to Sue’s challenge over at A Word In Your Ear.

Each week she picks a word from the dictionary to challenge us and this week the word is ‘metallic’. So I dug up some photos of some beautiful metal sculptures that I stumbled upon in the Dunedin Botanical Gardens, New Zealand.

The sculptures were life size, incredibly detailed depictions of Peter Pan. They looked completely at home amongst the incredible flowers and manicured lawns of the Botanic Gardens.   Tinkerbell whispering endless secrets to Peter Pan. The Lost Boys were curled up amongst the roots of the tree stump Peter Pan stood upon.  The sculpture was decorated with all sorts of beautiful woodland creatures, such as this little guy. He was no bigger than a matchbox.  To one side of Peter was this gorgeous sculpture of Wendy, Michael and John Darling, flying off to Neverland. I thought this plaque was the perfect surreal touch to the entire masterpiece.

‘Dedicated to the children of today, tomorrow, & the future’

Harold Richmond must have been an incredible man.

Daily Prompt: Nourishment

I thought this was a really interesting prompt from The Daily Post: If you could get all the nutrition you needed in a day with a pill — no worrying about what to eat, no food preparation — would you do it?

I’m sure in this age of dieting, food fads, weight loss pills and supplements many people would be putting their hands up to say ‘hell yes!’ But I myself am completely and utterly, unashamedly in love with food.

I love everything about it: growing it, preparing it, cooking it, buying it, paying for it, but mainly, eating it. Going out for dinner is one of my favourite things to do in the world. I adore trying new things that I have never tried before, particularly if it is from another country. There is something so satisfying in preparing, cooking and sharing a meal with people you love. There is something so indulgent in having food prepared and cooked for you.

Scallops with parsnip puree, balsamic reduction, parsley jubes and toasted pinenuts – Hayman Island.Oak smoked salmon presented and served tableside by the chef – Hayman Island.Let’s not forget the drinks that nourish us: for me, a crisp gin and tonic with lime or cucumber is the most nourishing, refreshing drink of all.Half of the pleasure of food comes from its presentation – ‘We eat first with our eyes…’
French martini sorbet served in an ice igloo – Hayman Island.Baskets of fruit sold on the beach in Koh Samet, Thailand. The most delicious, cheap fruit that money can buy.Seafood extravaganza served at the beach front restaurants in Koh Samet – eaten while sitting on a cushion in the sand. Fruit stalls on the road between Thailand and Cambodia. Meat markets in Siem Riep, Cambodia.  I’m still not sure exactly what this meat was, I will be the first to admit I was too scared to try it. Has anyone been to Siem Riep, Cambodia and knows what this is?  Fish drying road side in Kampot, Cambodia. The most delicious and spicy meals that I had in Asia came from this stall in Hua Hin, Thailand. I could buy a bag of rice, a selection of vegetables and a bag of mince for around 30 baht, or around $1 AUD.  I can’t leave coffee out either, it nourishes and sustains me every day. I absolutely love it, and I am utterly addicted to it. We had coffee and schnapps at the Bavarian Bier Café, Manly.

And now my mouth is watering.