Welcome to Life Images by Jill.........Stepping into the light and bringing together the images and stories of our world. I am a photographer, writer and multi-media artist. Focussing mainly on Western Australia and Australia, I am seeking to preserve images and memories of the beautiful world in which we live and the people in it.
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Hello dear readers, and welcome to my New Year edition. Another year has come and gone. I can't believe it is already 2025! It seems like only yesterday we were celebrating the dawn of 2000. Over those 25 years we retired, we lost our parents, our eldest son got married, and had two children, the eldest of whom has just completed Year 12 and going to university next year! How did that happen so fast? At times I feel that time is running out, and there is still so much to do!
For today I am going to share a few highlights from 2024. If you would like to read the posts just click on the links to go back and take a look.
In January we travelled to Albany on our south coast so I could attend an Advanced Botanical Eco-printing class with master printer Penny Jewell at Summer School. It doesn't look like I blogged about it, but I have blogged about eco-printing several times before. How far does the hand reach - The Peace Cloth (July 2019)
In February we were in the safety boat & on-water control for a dragon boat regatta (a great opportunity to take photos from the water), took photos at a triathlon, and took photos at the South West Multi-cultural Festival - a truly wonderful cultural event with music, dance and food.
In April we watched our sons compete at the Australian Dragon Boat Championships in Perth, and I collected a photography prize at the Dardanup Art Spectacular, and had an enjoyable market weekend talking to lots of people.
Also in my April-May randoms I announced that my blog had been deemed worthy to be preserved by the National Library of Australia on their research site - Trove This was an unexpected and treasured honour and accolade for the work I have put into my blog which was selected as it was about Western Australia and written by a Western Australian author. And it was on a subject of social, political, cultural, religious, scientific or economic significance and relevance to Western Australia.
In May I made Quince and Grape jam and revelled in having my blog recognised as worthy enough to be preserved on the National Library of Australia website - Trove. And I had a rather dismal attempt at photographing the Aurora Australias.
Earlier in the year I was sorry to be told that the travel magazine, On The Road, which I had been writing for since 2010 was closing down. I was lucky to secure another small writing gig with Caravan World magazine. My first Side Tracks article for Caravan World was published in June. Beringbooding Rock water tank
In July my husband and I took a mini break in Nannup in our beautiful southwest, enjoying relaxing and bushwalking. I wrote two blog posts about it -
In August we visited the annual Blooming Art Exhibition at the Bunbury Regional Art Gallery - hosted by the Bunbury Floral Designers Club. Always gorgeous.
In September we went on a 3 week wildflower, midwest and goldfields trundle. The links are in my intro post here - Wildflowers, midwest, goldfields trundle - intro. I still have one more post to share with you!
October and November seemed to blur by - but I was runner up at the end of year awards for the Photography Group of Bunbury for points scored from our monthly exhibitions during the year. At the AGM I put my hand up to be secretary next year. And I had a market stall at the Stirling Street Art Centre - art in the garden market.
My Gold awards for 2024
In December we had a couple of nights in our capital city, Perth, and visited the amazing Rone Exhibition at the Art Gallery of WA, and also visited the Museum and the botanic gardens at Kings Park.
In the last few weeks I have had friends loose a loved one, so I think of them as they start the new year without them.
Also, here are a couple of my most enjoyed books from my 2024 reading list - (for my complete reading list go to the Reading List tab)
So that's it for my little look-back on 2024. I wish you and yours a safe and happy 2025, with new adventures, new inspirations, and plenty to make you smile and give thanks. And I pray for peace around the world. Who knows where 2025 will take us - as Doc from Back to the Future movie says - our future is not written yet, so make it a good one.
Hoya in my garden
Thank you so much for stopping by. I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Have a wonderful week. I am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!
Hi dear blogging friends, and welcome to my Christmas edition.
I was wandering around blogland wondering what to do for my Christmas post and I came across this site - Why Christmas.com I found it to be a really interesting site explaining the traditions and customs of Christmas, and how different cultures celebrate Christmas around the world. Not everyone celebrates Christmas, but for those you do, or for those who are interested to know more, I suggest you take a look. When you go to the site, just click on the links to learn more.
In Australia, Christmas comes towards the beginning of the school summer holidays - which run from mid December to the first week in February, so many people plan this time for their summer getaway holidays. Because it is hot (usually around the mid to high 30sC or low 40sC) many people head to the beach on Christmas Day or Boxing Day, or laze around the pool (if they lucky to have one!).
I think this Christmas song from You Tube (Strolling Through a Summer Wonderland) sung by Ronan Keating (even though it was recorded for Air New Zealand) sums it up - New Zealand is only just across the ditch from us after all!
In 2021 is was so hot on Christmas Day (around 43C) that our grandson cooked a fried egg in a pan on the driveway.
Some people hang wreaths on their front doors and decorate their houses and gardens with Christmas lights. People drive around in the evenings to look at the light displays. Some people must spend days/weeks putting up their Christmas lights. Sometimes the displays are set up as early as December 1st. We took a drive around on Saturday night in our area. Some of the displays were truly amazing.
The shopping centres, hotels, and city streets, etc also put up Christmas displays.
In each State capital city there are Carols by Candlelight concerts. Famous Australian singers help to sing the carols and those who attend are encouraged to join in the singing. These concerts are broadcast on TV across Australia. There are also Christmas pageants and street parades in capital cities, that are also broadcast across the country. Most towns and cities have festivals and parades.
You can see a short video of some of Carols in the Domain in Sydney, Australia, in 2023 here from YouTube-
Many towns, cities and schools also hold their own Carols by Candlelight concerts, with local bands and choirs helping to perform the Christmas Carols and songs. In the past we held candles to read the words in the song book, whilst today it will probably be a battery operated candle.
As it is the middle of summer in Australia at Christmas time, the words to carols about snow and the cold winter are sometimes changed to alternate Australian words. There are also some original Australian Carols.
A couple of years ago I brought you a few Australian Christmas carols including two versions of The 12 days of Aussie Christmas - one showcasing our unique Australian animals.
There are some beautiful Australian trees flowering around Christmas. Below are the candlestick banksia (they remind me of giant Christmas candles) blue/purple jacaranda (beautiful - but not an Australian native), the yellow/orange Western Australian Christmas tree, and the red flowering gum. So vibrant.
When he reaches Australia, it is said that Father Christmas sometimes gives the reindeers a rest and might use kangaroos. He also changes his clothes for less 'hot' ones! Children often leave out carrots for Santa's reindeer. They might leave out milk and cookies or cake for Santa, with some cold beer - but should be non-alcoholic because Santa has to drive his sleigh!
There is a popular Christmas song about Santa using six white kangaroos, called "boomers" to deliver presents to children in Australia. The song explains that Santa's reindeer can't handle the Australian heat, so the kangaroos take over pulling his sleigh.
Six white boomers, snow white boomers,
Racing Santa Claus through the blazing sun.
Six white boomers, snow white boomers,
On his Australian run.
Most families try to be home together for Christmas and the main meal is normally eaten at lunch time. Although many people still have the traditional roast English Christmas lunch (turkey, pork or ham and roast vegetables), in more recent times a cold Christmas dinner or a barbecue with seafood such as prawns and lobsters is popular. Some people like to have 'traditional' English Christmas Puddingbut there may also be cold desserts like pavlova and trifle. An ice-cold 'punch' drink is also popular.
I always make sausage rolls and these little Christmas puddings you can see below here top left. I have shared the recipe here - Christmas baking when it's baking hot
After lunch on Christmas Day we often flop in front of the TV to watch a movie - especially if someone has been given a new DVD for Christmas, or collapse on the lounge with a book, or play a board game. Or for those with enough energy - a game of back yard cricket.
Dinner Christmas evening for us will usually be a casual affair of leftovers - a ham sandwich maybe and a bowl of icecream.
On Boxing Day many people visit friends for a barbeque. And there is often a new release movie at the cinemas - a good way to keep cool on Boxing Day in the cinema. People very often travel on Boxing Day to start their summer holidays.
A famous Yacht race - the Sydney to Hobart - from Sydney in New South Wales to Hobart in Tasmania is held on Boxing Day. Another Boxing Day tradition is the Boxing Day Cricket Test Match. It starts every year on Boxing Day and is held at the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) in Victoria.
On Christmas Day we need to remember the service people in our community who continue to work for us - like hospital workers, doctors, nurses, ambulance officers, community service personnel, police, firefighters (bush fires in Australia are common this time of year), and the Australian Royal Flying Doctor Service who are on hand if someone in remote Australia needs help. Thankyou to all those people.
This year is the 50th year anniversary of the Christmas Day cyclone that hit Darwin in the Northern Territory in the early hours of Christmas morning 1974 - Cyclone Tracy - when Santa didn't make it into Darwin. It devastated 80% of the city, and 66 people were killed. More than 36,000 people were evacuated from the city. Singers Bill and Boyd wrote a song about it -
Santa never made it into Darwin
Disaster struck at dawn on Christmas day
Santa never made it into Darwin
A big wind came and blew the town away
You can hear the song and see vision from the aftermath of the cyclone here on YouTube -
A bushfire came scaringly close to our house on 21 December 2021 - and I was so grateful to the firefighters who brought that bush fire under control. We had never been in that situation before.
And for those who are missing someone from their table for the first time this year a very special song on YouTube from Anya - Spirit of Christmas Past.
Here are some of my previous Christmas posts you may enjoy
I wish you all a blessed festive season spent with those you love. And for all a prayer for peace and safety around the world in these troubled times.
Thank you so much for stopping by. I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. How do you celebrate Christmas? Perhaps you would like to tell us about it in your comment. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Have a wonderful week. I am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!
Hi everyone, I hope all is well with you. The week is getting away from me and it is only Tuesday. So just a quick update and I will be back next week.
Last week we made our annual visit to the Balingup Golden Valley Tree Park to see the autumn colour - a little early this year, just starting, and so sad to see it so dry, but still enjoyable. More photos next week.
Finally it rained late last week - the first rain since we have had since October. Hopefully this link will work :)
We have had a bumper crop of quinces on our tree this year. On Monday I made quince and grape jam. And of slices of quince
And of course because it was Anzac Day on 25th April, I made Anzac biscuits - an Australian classic - albeit a few days late.
Did you know you can catch up on latest published magazine articles by going to Published Work in the tabs bar?
And my latest news is that a few months ago I was contacted by Pandora Archive through the WA State Library to have my blog digitised and kept on record at The National Library of Australia through Trove.
There is a selection process. My blog was selected as it was about Western Australia and written by a Western Australian author. And it was on a subject of social, political, cultural, religious, scientific or economic significance and relevance to Western Australia. What an honour to be selected.
Then write Life Images by Jill in the seach box and click on Websites over on the right hand side.
Click on my title when it comes up. Then click on View the Live Webpage in the green box on the right hand side - to bring up the latest updates.
That's it from me for today. I will be back next week with more photos from Balingup.
Thank you so much for stopping by. I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Have a wonderful week. I am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!
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