THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: THANK YOU...
...to my South Bank market friends for helping me get it together; to Deanna and Ahmed for the machine; to the fellow who came back to say how much his friend liked my 'Friends' words; to the lady who teared up when reading my angel words and bought it to remind her of her late mum; to the photographer who gave me praise and advice on my images; to all those others who bring me joy when they 'get it'; to sister Di for the Country Style subscription; to Greg for being there; to Roxy and B for the doggy hugs. My life is so full of wonderful people. Thank you.

NEW RANGE: Hearts and Minds Art has introduced a range of jewellery which features miniatures of my photos. It is called Jewellery by Croucher (after my grandfather Jordan Llewelyn Croucher who was a watchmaker and jeweller in Brisbane)- which makes me feel warm and fuzzy.
Thank you to all those who have visited our stall at the BRISBANE LIFESTYLE MARKETS at South Bank and have given such wonderful feedback to the range. We have sterling silverplate rings (round and oval) and pendants (small, medium and large). The pendants have the option of brightly coloured silk thread with two sterling silver balls.
I have included a few images here (until I manage to get a whole page of beautifully photographed product), but be assured they are really gorgeous. Most popular so far are the black & white 'Streets of Paris' scenes but we have lots of architectural images, beaches, colourful Murano glass, flowers, patterns etc. The round ring above features the knocker from a cathedral door in Paris.Each purchase is snuggled into a chiffon gift bag and a tag with original words (mine) is attached to complete the story.
Contact me at julieholland1@bigpond.com if you'd like to know more.

MOTHERS ... It's my mum's birthday this week. 81 - wow! Having a loving mum, being a loving mum seems so easy but it's really hard. From the moment you 'have' to get the breastfeeding right, to taking your children to the 'right' swimming school, to wearing a 'cool' outfit to their graduation. It makes me exhausted just thinking about it and the silly thing is that it's only after all those expectations are behind you that you realise how unimportant they are. Oh if I'd only been a little bit truer to my own thoughts, but hey that's 20/20 parenting for you. At my last big '0' birthday one of my sons gave a speech. He thanked me for "always being there when he and his brothers needed help, and when they didn't." I took that as a compliment. And I guess that's what I can say about Joan, my own mum - she has always been there for me when I needed it. And when I didn't. Happy Birthday mum. x

It's that time of year along the east coast of Australia when the mighty Humpbacks travel north to breed, before returning down the coast in a few months time. One of the most memorable things I've ever done was to go whale watching (Port MacQuarie, NSW). With tears in my eyes I couldn't decide whether to snap away with the camera or just silently watch these majestic creatures as they swam under our boat, surfacing within touching distance. Unbelieveable. Save the whales NOW.

A visit to the 'old town' (Melbourne) for my niece's wedding. How would I feel - would I have an overwhelming desire to return despite the cold, would I sit on a tram and think 'OMG What have I done moving to Queensland', or would I think 'It's OK, I'm happy with the move. I'm glad we're trying something different'. As it turns out it was the latter. Yes, I miss my boys. Yes, I miss the city (despite having moved from the Mornington Peninsula)and its buildings and its culture and Fed Square. But, hey, it's only a flight away. Relocation is interesting. I have been asked to put pen to paper re my thoughts on this (Sorry Gillian, I am getting to it) and now feel I can do so with a bit of experience. Stay tuned.