Death by Doxie : Ferdi's Haircut

It's Summer here in Seoul and as much as I adore Ferdi's fluffy hair which often looks a little like he's over done it with the crimper, it really doesn't suit these hot humid days. With all his hair Ferdi looks quite miserable as soon it gets a bit sultry, he starts panting just walking to his food bowl. So the Summer shave is a necessity. Really. 

It's just a side benefit that he looks so hilariously cute that I get weeks and weeks of entertainment, quietly chuckling to myself whenever I see him. Oh, and the puffy lions tail? That's the groomer being artistic - I'm not so cruel as to actually ask for that...(am I paranoid or is he rolling his eyes at me a little in that second photo?). 

Here's a before shot for comparison:

Freshwater

Hello! How are you? I do hope you're well and coping with the humidity/wild fires/ridiculous cold/whatever else is happening in your bit of the world. We are back in Seoul (briefly) after a wonderful whirlwind of a trip. 

I've been in Hong Kong for 24 busy and rather sweaty hours (and had a pretty disappointing stay here, next time I'll be staying here instead). Then I had a too brief two days in Melbourne with the family, including my Mum, who is recovering from a knee operation with an impressive rapidity. (I'm fairly sure I've inherited the dodgy knees, so I'm hoping the quick bounce back is genetic too...)

Then we had a pretty awesome weekend in Sydney to celebrate the in-laws 50th wedding anniversary. Hanging out with my husbands rather large family was a bit of a treat as they are normally scattered about the globe (or at least scattered about Sydney) - to have them all together and enjoying each other's company is a rare and wonderful thing indeed. 

Oh! And we met with our architect to discuss the possibilities for the BIG project, which was ridiculously exciting. I found the firm via Google, so to actually meet them and think 'yes! this is perfect!' (and to have my notoriously picky husband agree) was quite a relief! 

And we also enjoyed what was quite possibly the best restaurant meal I've ever had the pleasure of eating, thanks to the generous in-laws and Pilu at Freshwater. The food was spectacular, as was the company, the beach and the sunset - we even saw two whales floating by! A meal to remember indeed.

Oh the places we'll go...

[Oh, where will you travel to... by Theater Clouds]

Over the next 104 days I'm in transit or away from home for 58 of them. That's 7 different trips, some with mini trips inside them, over the next 3 and a bit months.

We'll be visiting tombs (and water parks) in Gyeongju; avoiding/enjoying roller coasters in Singapore; celebrating our 3 year wedding anniversary in Hong Kong; skiing in New South Wales; soaking up the sun (and salami) in Spain; and visiting the holy lands on a rather big boat. Which is all pretty awesome* but no doubt means that normal life (or what passes for normal life) will probably be interrupted.

(*understatement)

So over the next few months if you don't see me on Twitter or Instagram, or if I'm not leaving comments on all your wonderful blogs, or if things are a bit quiet around here - it's not because I don't love you, it's because I'm travelling, somewhere. Cue vintage travel posters...

If you're curious about the Helsinki and Finland posters - we fly to Europe via Helsinki. Yes, we'll only be there for about 5 hours in total, but how could I possibly leave those two posters of awesome out of the collage? 

ps. If you're a Dr Seuss purist, many apologies for the bastardisation of a much loved title...

Three Etsy Things : Patterned Yellow

The other day I was happily going about my Etsy business, favouriting things at random as I came upon, when I realised there was a bit of a theme running through all these items that I was showering love upon. And so, 'Three Etsy Things' was born! Welcome to the inaugural post, which is somewhat obsessed with all things patterned and yellow. 

1. Oregon letterpress print by dutchdoor 

2. Tote bag by SlideSideways 

3. Napkins from CoolVintageFinds

Death by Doxie : Hallway Hounds

So, this is what happens when you lure two dark dogs into a brightly lit hallway with some doggie treats, point your 50mm fixed lens (set on the lowest f stop, 1.8) at them and fire away! Ferdi and Elfi looked so cute waiting for their treats that I had to grab my camera (and torture them just a little longer) - the way they stood out against the bright white glow of the hallway was a rather pleasant surprise. 

These shots are barely post-edited, apart from a little cropping and removal of dandruff - it's just the magic of light and the way the camera interprets that light. Who would have thought that our boring, bland hallway would result in some of my favourite photos of the dogs so far (though pity that last one isn't quite in focus)? 

Photography is such a lovely blend of science and art; planning and happenstance; attempted control and wonderful moments of serendipity, like this one. As much as I've learnt, and as much as I still need to learn about it (I've barely scratched the surface really), sometimes the best shots just seem to kind of 'happen'.

Do you love those moments when things come together in a click? Those times when unexpected results turn out to be better than anything you could have planned?