Orange is one of my favourite colours and I think it is highly underrated. Orange in nature is especially beautiful - just look at this sunset!
It was along the Murray River where I captured that sunset while camping. I also had the amazing chance to witness the Rainbow Bee Eaters during mating season - and well as you can see, orange is prominent in nature for a reason!
I also love the orange Australian desert, plumage and fur colour in animals, other textures and the glow of the sun - usually in the morning or when it is outside hazy and looks more orange.
Fun facts: Orange is the colour between yellow and red on the rainbow spectrum and colours such as oranges and pinks actually show up in the sky at sunrise and sunset due to either dust particles (especially in the case of oranges) and/or the scattering of gas molecules in the atmosphere.
I hope to go back into the Australian desert one day and pay more attention to the rich colours of our land, including orange, but this year has been more of a time for staying home and hopefully next year there will be more adventures and photos of adventures!
Here in Australia, it is HOT around Christmas, usually. The morning light is generally warm and scorching by mid-morning. These photos were taken on my morning walks for work and as I looked up, the sun was peering through the whirling clouds.
I would love to capture a photo of the dawn, but I am struggling to get enough sleep at the moment, so by the time I wake up, the sun is already beaming through the house. I was always an early riser, but I don't think the daylight savings and adult life is very helpful with that, on top of all of the other things I need to do daily and often at night!
Here is to getting up earlier and enjoying full days of Summer. I want to start getting fit, active and strong with my mind and body and for me, morning light has a LOT to do with that!
I have been that person this year, who has been so busy and more-so just a little lazy, therefore I haven't gotten as into Christmas this year (2018) as I most certainly have for other years! I have attempted and sometimes succeeded and also failed to do 'vlogmas' before, but this year I just don't have the time to do it! I do have a Christmas tree up and I have planned presents, even an advent calendar for my household, but when it comes to daily Christmas love, it is severely lacking in spirit, cheer, even Christmas movies!
So to set things straight, who better to get the prompts going than with Zoe Sugg, Britain's YouTuber of Christmas... (I didn't want to say, 'queen,' because Britain already has a great Queen of everything...)
So as with my previous post, I have decided to write about the theme of each day, here on my blog rather than through Instagram. Here are the prompts:
Happy Christmas, because really, Christmas is December, not just one day!
Well, my blogging has been in short supply during 2018, but we all have our down times. Seeing as I haven't been writing as much as I'd like to this year, I am going to look back and try to not only understand why but try to make better changes for 2019.
Therefore, rather than using my usual platform on Instagram to post the same prompts I do every year from Susannah Conway, I will post the prompts on my blog and write as much as I can! Praise to Susannah's website and Instagram as she is the only person who makes these beautiful prompts where I can actually relate, stop, think and process.
Generally, these prompts include a photo, so that is what I will do, but I want to put much more than that. Because I am an uncoordinated and slower typer on my phone, I am going to skip Instagram posts and write a proper, nice, long blog post which you will have the choice to read, not more spam for Instagram. (rhyme intended)
So stay tuned for the first few days and maybe you can join me in reflecting on your year!
Mondays can be hard, but so can any day really. When things are extremely difficult though, it can be very taxing and insanely hard to face the day ahead. The best way I find to do this though is to just smile. You don't have to smile at anyone or even do it in the mirror. Just a little smile at one corner of the mouth can help.
I try to think about the fact that I actually woke up this morning, that I have arms and legs, etc. - The smallest things can help.
If simple gratitude doesn't work, try watching a funny video, have a list of things that make you smile or laugh or even think about someone farting - I don't know, something about farts is just so damn funny!
Whatever it is that makes you smile, its really about stopping and embracing the moment and there is certainly a lot of value in moments!
The title of this post may sound a little 'woo woo' to you, but I assure you - it doesn't have to be. I think of my inner child, literally as 'me.' Thinking back to my childhood, I can clearly picture the innocence and sense of adventure I had. Thinking back to that happy, adventurous child running through long grass, climbing onto roofs, haystacks and trees are a lot easier to reflect on than doing those things as an adult... usually.
Being an adult is hard work. I'm not saying that adulthood sucks and being a child is bliss, but they are different. Seeing as I really always knew who, what and where I wanted to be, I knew if I worked hard and became a decent human, I'd achieve my dreams. I often get caught up in the hustle and bustle of life now - so, just thinking about the days when I was a kid really help me and bring all that I wanted, back into perspective.
I know that not every childhood was like mine and not everyone knew what they wanted to do when they grew up. I do believe that everyone must have at least a handful of moments that reveal pure innocence and joy - even if you have blocked them out or don't care to admit it.
You may think I am dwelling on the past, but the truth is I am not, far from it really. I choose to remember those times and smile because I know that at that age, I believed in myself - so why aren't I doing that now?
A big reason why I go back to my childhood and remember how it was is to recall inspiration, wonder, excitement, love, nostalgia, sentimentality, sadness, physical hurt and the life-changing moments and other emotions we are supposed to feel. I don't generally experience these every day, I do think they are good to feel and take in. As a creative, I also often need to recreate similar characters in my writing. It is much easier to remember curiosity, excitement and lose count of the number of times I laughed when reflecting on my younger self. Fun fact: we don't laugh anywhere near as much as we did as children!
The meditation I use to do this is from The Honest Guys YouTube channel: Heal your inner child
If you still aren't sure how much your inner child can help you overcome the worst, watch this video with an open mind and do it privately so that you can immerse yourself in, you:
So embrace your inner child, regularly if possible and remember that you really haven't changed all that much, you can still have fun, right?
KK
Left: This is me as a kid (I don't know what age) with the cows and another with my brother.
