TOURIST IN MY OWN CITY: QUEENSLAND MUSEUM SOUTHBANK

The Queensland Museum Southbank, is as the name states at Southbank on the river, it is situated next the Queensland Gallery of Art and near GOMA. On the bottom level of the museum is the Sciencecentre. The museum is free to enter and open most days from 9:30am to 5:00pm.

According to their website “This fascinating museum of natural history, cultural heritage, science and human achievement tells the changing story of Queensland.” In 1986 the Queensland Museum South Bank opened in the heart of Brisbane’s cultural precinct. From the museum it is a short walk to Southbank and all of the attractions the area has to offer. 

Jarvis and I each have our favourite sections of the museum, there are five levels to the museum so plenty of things and places to explore. 

Level four is the Discovery Centre, Jarvis will spend hours here, looking at all of the displays. Stuffed animals galore; and dozens and dozens of draws to open and close, filled with all interesting manor of things. 

The top level is an ever changing exhibition space; however the current exhibition is Collectomania. The online website states: “Take a peek inside the private collections of Queenslanders and see how our State’s collectors gain meaning and identity from their collections. Collectomania highlights a very human passion – collecting the things we love, fuelled by a sometimes unexplainable drive or desire to find the next perfect addition, preserve a moment in time or celebrate beauty, function and achievement.”

It is a great place to take Jarvis, on the weekend it is packed full of visitors, however on a week day there is heaps of space for Jarvis to explore. 

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I was taking photos of my nieces in their Twiddle Dee and Twiddle Dum outfits; (aren't they just the most beautiful girls?) when Jarvis joined in. So I asked Tamika to join in as well. But then we got photo bombed by my other niece’s husband. As soon as I saw this photo bomb photo I just knew it had to be this week's portrait. Who else loves the photo bomb image as much as I do?

There are a few, Portrait a Week options out there. A lot involve taking a portrait of your children each week. Jodi over at Che and Fidel has inspired me to pick up my camera and turn the focus inward. Since I already take 100s of photos of my children each week, so I thought I would twist the idea a little. What I never seem to get is group shots, images of the family together, whether it is my two children, Tamika and Jarvis, or me with the kids, or shots of Justin and I. So I am going to challenge myself to get one image of "my family" per week.

GUEST POST OVER AT GLAMOUROUS GODDESS

Today I wrote a guest post over at Glamorous Goddess, Five Natural Hair Remedies From Your Kitchen. Pop over and have a read and show this new blog/business some love. Plus if you are in Brisbane mention this blog and for any service for a first time customer for the month of May and June you can get a 20% discount. 

STOP FOLLOWING THE RECIPE

I was thinking today about if I was the sort of person to follow a recipe? Or do I like to bend the rules to life? For the last couple of months I feel as if I have been in a slump, not moving forward stressing too much about the what if and could have and should haves. I will say things to myself like “I will do X as soon as I sort out Y”. But who says I should wait? Why can’t I bring myself to do X now? What is Y never happens?

Images have nothing really to do with this post. They are just some experiments I have done with film. 

My best moments in life have happened when I have done things "My Way", I have lost my own life motto of "Fight Living the Ordinary Life". It is time to get myself out of this slump and move forward. 

Being such an OCD person I love lists, even more I love crossing things off lists. So I am writing myself a “to do list” and giving myself to my birthday to achieve all ten things. Why ten? Because I am OCD! And ten is such a neat number.

I am not yet ready to share my list, they are sitting in a post waiting for me to publish when I feel emotionally stronger. 

Along with my to do list I am going to re-read and think about a book I read not so long ago. The Ten Golden Rules: Ancient Wisdom from the Greek Philosophers on Living the Good Life. It is written by M. A. Soupios and Panos Mourdoukoutas.

In short the Golden Rules are:

1. Examine life, engage life with vengeance; always search for new pleasures and new destines to reach with your mind.

2. Worry only about the things that are in your control, the things that can be influenced and changed by your actions, not about the things that are beyond your capacity to direct or alter.

3. Treasure Friendship, the reciprocal attachment that fills the need for affiliation. Friendship cannot be acquired in the market place, but must be nurtured and treasured in relations imbued with trust and amity.

4. Experience True Pleasure. Avoid shallow and transient pleasures. Keep your life simple. Seek calming pleasures that contribute to peace of mind. True pleasure is disciplined and restrained.

5. Master Yourself. Resist any external force that might delimit thought and action; stop deceiving yourself, believing only what is personally useful and convenient; complete liberty necessitates a struggle within, a battle to subdue negative psychological and spiritual forces that preclude a healthy existence; self mastery requires ruthless candor.

6. Avoid Excess. Live life in harmony and balance. Avoid excesses. Even good things, pursued or attained without moderation, can become a source of misery and suffering. 

7. Be a Responsible Human Being. Approach yourself with honesty and thoroughness; maintain a kind of spiritual hygiene; stop the blame-shifting for your errors and shortcomings.

8. Don’t Be a Prosperous Fool. Prosperity by itself, is not a cure-all against an ill-led life, and may be a source of dangerous foolishness. Money is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for the good life, for happiness and wisdom.

9. Don’t Do Evil to Others. Evildoing is a dangerous habit, a kind of reflex too quickly resorted to and too easily justified that has a lasting and damaging effect upon the quest for the good life. Harming others claims two victims—the receiver of the harm, and the victimizer, the one who does harm.

10. Kindness towards others tends to be rewarded. Kindness to others is a good habit that supports and reinforces the quest for the good life. Helping others bestows a sense of satisfaction that has two beneficiaries—the beneficiary, the receiver of the help, and the benefactor, the one who provides the help.

TOURIST IN MY OWN CITY: NEW FARM PARK

This week the Tourist in my Own City destination was New Farm Park. According to Wikipedia:  “New Farm Park is a public park located in the suburb of New Farm in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The park covers 15 hectares (37 acres) and is situated at the south-eastern end of the New Farm peninsula on a bend in the Brisbane River.  The Powerhouse Arts Centre is located at the eastern end of the park."

New Farm Park is a great meeting place for locals and tourists, but according to Jarvis, it is a place filled with wonderful adventures.

 Jarvis will wander for ages over the grass and running up and down between the garden beds.

Testing the boundaries of me telling him to stay out of the garden beds. 

 Brisbane Powerhouse Arts Centre

 After playing in the garden beds we will walk along the boardwalk

 I love that you can get the City Cat here. Here is my previous post on the City Cat.

 Such stunning old trees

 BBQs are available

And of course there is the kids play area

  

History of the park

The land that the park now stands on was originally a farm, built to supply food for the recently founded convict settlement on the Brisbane River. A racecourse was built on the site in 1846, which operated until 1913, when the land for the park was acquired by the Brisbane City Council. During the late 1990s the kiosk was based in New Farm Park. The kiosk was a popular meeting point for weekend breakfasts and won many awards. However during 2000 the kiosk was destroyed by fire and has yet to be rebuilt.

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Tamika follows Jarvis

 She helps to go where he wants to

 She carries him when he is tired

She attempts to teach him how to drink from a water fountain

 She even indulges him when he lays down tired and wants a drink.

I love my children, and I love how much they love each other. Tamika's love for her little brother is almost as great as mine.

I know this is way more than just a single portrait of my children, but I could not pick which was my favourite. So I did the easy option and added them all.

There are a few, Portrait a Week options out there. A lot involve taking a portrait of your children each week. Jodi over at Che and Fidel has inspired me to pick up my camera and turn the focus inward. Since I already take 100s of photos of my children each week, so I thought I would twist the idea a little. What I never seem to get is group shots, images of the family together, whether it is my two children, Tamika and Jarvis, or me with the kids, or shots of Justin and I. So I am going to challenge myself to get one image of "my family" per week.

TARGET LOGO SKIRT

I finished my “Target Skirt” last week, and it got its first outing to Buddha’s Birthday celebrations at South Bank. 

How gorgeous was my date for the evening. Oh and that is Jarvis's shovel growing out of my back.

Here is the original post on the skirt, when I debated if it looked too much like the Target logo. After finishing the skirt I asked Justin’s opinion and he said “it’s alright, just don’t ever wear it shopping". Hmm don’t think that was a positive answer.

My cute date and the fabric faults.

The fabric was filled with faults, colour runs and so many holes; I opted to line the skirt with raw calico. Not only to help hide the flaws but to give the skirt more weight. In typical me style of sewing I did not use a pattern, I just put the calico over the target fabric and cut the fabric to the length I wanted to wear it. Then it was a matter of just overlocking and gathering the two at the same time.

My no sewing pattern style of sewing. 

Then I cut a second rectangle for a waist band. Lucky for me this all worked and came together with ease. As usual I avoided button holes, by using a zip and hook and eyes for the skirt closure. What took the longest in the making of the skirt was all of the darning I needed to do to mend all of the holes. I also slip stitched the hem to help it sit soft and full. 

With the lining the skirt sits beautifully, it has a nice weight to it. I am very happy with the fit of it. But Justin's word ring in my head each time I go to wear it.... Target Logo Skirt!