Beach Scenes on New Year's Day

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On New Year's Day, we ventured down to Red Rock beach, where we relaxed in the shade of tropical pandanus trees. We snacked on fresh mango cheeks, sweet strawberries, bursting lychees and sticky nectarines that had warmed with the hot sun. A considerable amount of snacking involved biting into juicy, sandy fruit.

Love splashed about in the shallows, sharing natural treasures of bird feathers, smooth yellow pebbles and broken shells. After lunch, we climbed to the top of the windy headland to admire the choppy waves, salt spray and distant islands before returning to the scorching car.

Most of the cafes on our drive home were closed, except for one tiny corner cafe, where we were able to order some chilled sweet slices of chocolate, pear and pistachio cake, gluten free caramel slice and berry cheesecake.

Today I felt very happy to sit and be. I was thankful we were able to relax and play as a family. Today was the first day in quite some time where I have felt like I could enjoy the present, without the unsettling feeling that I needed to rush off to the next gathering or appointment.

We didn't make personal New Year's resolutions, other than a playful joke where Byron suggested I should be more patient and I laughed, before adding that he should 'be more prompt'.

2016 will see us travel to New Zealand in the summer, embark on more exciting family adventures, move into our own tiny beach house, push ourselves to be more creative with our photography and hopefully much more.

Whilst we wonder about the possibilities, we mindfully savour the present.

May 2016 bring you joy, good health and a refreshing appreciation for living in the moment.

xx

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Today was very warm, bordering on muggy by 8am. Love had a somewhat restless night with the 50-somethings neighbours New Year's Eve party belting out until rock 'n' roll tunes into the wee hours. It wasn't so bad though, I actually enjoyed the way our walls muffled the familiar 70s hits.

Daybreak was spent strolling alone along the beach with Love in my arms. We sat in the shade of a pandanus tree and I fed her for a short time. I watched her as she began to drift into a light slumber, then I closed my eyes and listened to my surroundings. The rhythmic whoosh of the waves, the crunch of footsteps over smooth pebbles as a middle-aged couple approached us from the headland and the faint, shrill bark of our small dog Coco carried in the breeze. I opened my eyes to see the couple approach, we exchanged the obligatory 'Happy New Year' greeting and I wondered if their faces and shoulders were sunburnt from their early morning walk, or had been building up over the recent holidays.

When I cast my gaze towards the sound of Coco's bark, I could see her bouncing along in front of Byron as he jogged towards us, surfboard tucked neatly under his bronzed arm.

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The rest of New Year's Day was spent with friends, eating juicy, sweet mangoes and watching Love roll about on her beautiful new quilt; a Christmas gift handmade by the 80 year old lady who lives across the street. We napped in the late morning before venturing out in the cooler afternoon air for a relaxing stroll.

It may not have been the type of celebration my 21 year old self would have enjoyed but it was perfect for us today. Today was all about friends, family, being present in the moment and treasuring this precious little person.

How did you embrace the New Year? Are you embarking on a 365 Project or something similar this year?

Happy New Year, friends.

Oceans of love,

Bella xx

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The Jetty Carnival

I know it's late but Vimeo does limit how much you can upload, plus I've been quite busy painstakingly trying to self-teach myself how to use Photoshop CS6 and thus far my efforts have been in vain. Should I allow that to deter me?

NO!!!

It simply means I need to make more time to sit down in front of my MacBook Pro with a cup of tea and perhaps a little lot more patience.

The Jetty Carnival from Bella Mills on Vimeo.

New Year's Eve 2012 at the Jetty Carnival. Fireworks over the sea, carnival rides, families, music, laughter and the final hours of a beautiful year. Music credits to the incredibly talented Yann Tiersen. Bonne année et bonne santé!

To my friends out there who stop by every now and again, thank you for for popping in, it truly means a lot to me. To those of you who are new to my little blog, a HUGE 'Welcome!' and please come back whenever you like, I've got plenty more recipes, images and tales from our seaside life to share. Until the next time we meet, keep smiling!

Love Bella xx

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Beach - New Year's Eve

Beach from Bella Mills on Vimeo.

Dear blog friends, near and far - Happy New Year!

We spent our New Year's Eve at a little beach with our puppy Coco. The sun shone proudly and the sky was the brightest blue. Short bursts of coastal breeze softly blew my hair as Coco and Byron raced along the shoreline to the sound of waves crashing onto the sand.

This is a short video for you, we've only just joined vimeo and you can follow us on vimeo here. This is our first attempt at a HD video and we hope you enjoy it, we certainly had fun recording it.

Music credits to the late, great Israel Kamakawiwo'ole for his rendition of Somewhere Over The Rainbow.

Simple pleasures in nature. Love, endearing friendship and sandcastles.

Please come back soon, we love visitors and you're always welcome.

Love Bella xx

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Patience

This year is drawing to an end and 2013 seems to be hurtling towards us at an unfathomable speed.

There is nothing I can do to change time from flying right by us in bright, blurry flashes but there is something I can do with the time available to me. I can seize it. I can learn to be more patient with myself and others. I can learn to better express the gratitude for the people and things in my life that are important.

I can put myself out there and not be afraid of the risk of losing, but rather be proud of myself for taking a chance.

As the sun finally sets on 2012 I will remember who it is I am and who I want to be. I want to be the best version of myself.

2012, I tip my wide-brimmed hat to you. At times we didn't get along and I wished for your brutal end to come but as patience has taught me, sometimes the hard times are worth the ride. In your final hours dear 2012 and as the sun kisses my ankles and the sea tickles my toes for the last time with you, I want to thank you for all the time you could offer me. I have made new friends, I've visited new places, I've learned more about myself and how to best respect and manage what I have.

I hope my dear family and friends out there can enjoy the transition from 2012 to the new year. I hope 2013 brings everything you wish for and as we bravely step forward into a new morning, I hope you are surrounded by love and support.

With love,

Bella xx

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