My latest Fad, maybe...

Fads – I’ve had a few over the years. Some last a day, some several years, all my fads are completely engrossing – at the time of the fad. I want to learn all about the fad I’m into at the time, I want to chat with other people who enjoy the same fad I do, I want to work at my fad without interruptions and get cross when I can’t get my fad-fix. Then suddenly, before the fad ever gets boring or completely mastered, a newer, shinier fad comes along and I become completely engrossed in it. Sometimes this means that I abandon older fads in order to replace them with newer, fancier ones; sometimes I can run several fads side by side quite happily. It’s even been known that family and friends will place bets on how long particular fads will occupy my attention...which is a bit rude really...I’ve even been called Fad-Girl to my face. But that’s the thing – the world is full of undiscovered fads and the harder I try not to look for them, the easier these new fads find me.
My latest fad – cupcakes. Of course I’ve been denial of this fad for a long time. My family have only just cottoned on to the fact; this is indeed a fad of mine. I’ve been a closet cupcake fancier for years. It’s only recently that I’ve started baking the odd batch of two for the family. What gave it away to my family, was when I recently photographed a particularly cute chocolate cupcake - that’s when they collectively rolled their eyes and sighed and declared – “oh, looks like mum’s found a new fad...”
How often can you combine more than one fad together – in this delicious cupcake photograph, I combine my love of photography, of cupcakes and of scrapbooking (by using a craft punch to create a teensy little heart shape template)...I ask you, where is the harm in having the odd fad or two?

I heart cupcakes by Adriana Glackin

If you'd like to buy a copy of this as a wall print, canvas or greeting card, click on this link.

theme of the week

Can you guess this week's photographic theme?

Word of the Day - Happy

Having discovered www.oneword.com, I try and visit it when I can and come up with something that remotely makes sense. Trouble is, with a time limit, and a visible timeline that runs to red far too quickly, you don't realise just how much you rely on the backspace button when typing up a simple phrase.
It's just a little bit of fun, a little bit of pressure and far more enjoyable than doing crosswords. Of course, now that I'm following oneword on twitter, it's easy to be reminded when a new word appears.

The images below are ones I've chosen to suit today's word - HAPPY - and have been found on Redbubble. Please click on the images to visit the artist's online gallery.

 

Absolute Joy by Rough Diamond

 

 

Have a Nice Day by thartranft

 

Happy Cloud TShirt by SavannahSaurus

 

the party of the crocodile by Gillian (: Cycling Trivialities :)

Apples and Autumn in the Hawkesbury

The Hawkesbury region of Sydney is known as the food basket region, dating back to early settlement days of Sydney. And today, it's no different when it comes to being able to pick delicious, juicy, fresh season apples from the orchards in the Hawkesbury area that are seeing a resurgence of demand for their yummy produce. And this is exactly what we did a few weeks ago when we ventured over to Shields Orchard.

Tastier, juicier apples than any you'll ever find in supermarkets, it was simply a matter of grabbing a basket and skipping through the orchard, picking whatever apples you fancied right off the tree. We were even invited to eat whatever apples along the way - which we relished! Don't expect the apples to be shiny and glossy though, that happens prior to the apples going to the supermarkets...just give them a polish on your jeans and they're ready to munch.

I felt a little like Trixie Belden in the orchard as I skipped and picked apples. Surely her gang would appear at any second and then we'd be off solving the next mystery. Sigh...the only mystery is that there seemed to be a definite lack of wicker baskets. Surely wicker is the best receptacle to carry freshly picked apples? Well, we were given plastic shopping baskets...it somehow didn't fit the rustic, romantic, country charm of a wicker basket I had envisioned carrying through the orchard...but never mind, it's all about the apples, not the basket.

Oh, and all that picking sure makes you hot and thirsty, so we took ourselves over to Tutti Fruitti cafe just along the road where we were served the yummiest berry and vanilla ice-cream. The cafe has it's own rose farm, and although the roses didn't look like the perfect roses we're so used to today, their scent was simply out of this world - rich, delicious, fruity.

Visit http://www.shieldsorchard.com/ to se what's ripe and ready for picking!

Shields Orchard - some apples still waiting to be picked.

A glorious, juicy apple.

Blossoms and fruit, all on the one branch - the apples were totally delicious!

Gloriously scented roses from Tutti Fruitti Cafe at Bilpin.

Would you like to buy a greeting card or print of any of these images, then drop me a line.

Feature Monday

For the sheer feeling of serenity this image exudes:

endless by Debbie Black

For the dizzying effect these fun contraptions produce:

Round round we go by Scott Ruhs

For the wonderful memories of a long lost reunion and memorable family holiday:

Perth city after sunrise in duotone by Martin Pot

For the vibrancy and gorgeous pattern:

Starglow by Webgrrl

For the feeling that it was produced in another time, and for it's sensuality:

Espresso Bagagli by Peter Zentjens