46/52 Wild Hair and Puppy Love

A portrait of my family once a week, every week in 2013

Bella: Wild, windswept hair and oceans of love for this little dog.
Coco: Floppy-ear, shiny coat. A puppy in the sun.

~Joining Jodi and friends~ This week I am drawn to wild hair, in Ruby red, smokey blonde, golden wheat and wisps of chocolate.

You can follow my collection of 'The 52 Project' posts here.

"Happiness is a warm puppy."
-Charles M. Schulz

Love Bella

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Our Seaside Life Part I

The salt water heals the cuts on my hands from my earlier fight with a stubborn prickly bush that did not want to leave the earth of my seaside garden. The golden sun light kisses my skin with warmth as I close my eyes, hold my breath and dip below a small crystal clear wave. The cool water feels refreshing, as if it is cleansing away the long strenuous hours spent landscaping my garden. Thousands of tiny bubbles hiss as they rupture on the surface, I open my eyes to see the next set of waves move slowly towards me. With long, powerful strokes I swim through the waves, kicking my legs, remembering the feeling of the current.

From the shore Coco barks a warning for me to return. In one smooth, fluid motion I flip my body and catch the next wave to shore. As I approach, she races towards me, barking, splashing and letting me know I should not have ventured so far.

We run across the wet sand, flicking droplets of sea water with each stride. An off-shore wind picks up very suddenly, separating curls of my wet hair into wavy strands. The wind cools my skin as we race back to my towel. I scoop up my keys and sunglasses as Coco reaches my side.

Together we walk home with dripping hair, sandy toes, and wide, salty smiles.

This is our morning ritual, this is our seaside life.

Bella xx

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Drink the Wild Air

pounding heart // crab home

pumice and co. // rock pool life

“Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson

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37/52 Beach Grass

A portrait of my family once a week, every week in 2013

Coco: Watching the graceful birds soar in the sea breeze.

This week we worked hard, took time off, visited the dentist, played one-on-one soccer with a fox terrier cross dachshund as referee- Somehow she won??

Byron captured this image of Coco hidden on a sandy dune, surrounded by tall pale green blades of beach grass. She secretly watched sea birds parade along the shore before darting out and chasing them into the water. As always, they evaded her by the magic of flight.

This image for me whispers of summer. On a warm spring afternoon, they explored a deserted beach one hour before sunset.

I love spring, the longer days, the colourful flowers in seaside gardens and the sweet scent of orange blossoms as they begin to bloom. I love spring because it reminds me that life begins a new cycle, powered by the same sun light that beams throughout spring into our seemingly endless summers.

Bella xx

Joining in with Jodi and world of talented bloggers

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31/52 Nothin' But Blue Skies, Baby

A portrait of my family once a week, every week in 2013

Coco: Intrepid little explorer, brave and curious as she carefully rock-hopped to the safety of my arms at low tide.
Bella: A moment of pure joy captured by my husband.

An unseasonably warm winter's day under a vivid blue sky. This is the scene that awaited us along the shores of our special beach. The morning we visited the sandy stretch of land coincided with one of the lowest tides I had witnessed and made for excellent conditions to explore the furthest reaches of the rocky point. The rock pools teamed with marine life. Exploring these aquatic pools has always been one of my favourite ways to lose myself for a few hours on a sunny day. As we carefully made our way towards the sea over sharp, jagged rocks that would soon be covered by metres of sea water we observed alien-like seaweed floating in the gentle surge of the sea pools. Tiny schools of fish darted away from Coco as she expertly navigated her way along the narrow rocks. Marine creatures you might expect to find in the deep ocean emerged from eerie shadows, beneath submerged rock ledges.

Eventually the sea began to return with the changing tides and so we made the decision to turn around and slowly, carefully climb back over the rocks the locals refer to as Witches Reef. Some rocks were extremely slippery in places and covered in shiny green seaweed. Those rocks are usually submerged for most of the year but not on this occasion, which did make for some unusual poses as we attempted to balance ourselves on the journey back to the shore. Coco, of course had no trouble and confidently trotted between the two of us, possibly amused by our lack of coordination.

We were careful not to disrupt the marine life. Sea shells, molluscs, sea urchins and starfish remained untouched where we found them. To alter the natural environment would have been a terrible shame. Instead we pointed, ohh-ed and ahh-ed, squinted under the bright blue sky and called to Coco when she bravely wandered too far.

On our return to the safety of the sand, we kicked off our footwear and splashed about in the tiny waves that lapped against the shore. Coco barked, ran in wide circles and returned to us as we walked the rest of the way home towards our seaside bungalow where a patient cat slept on a woven mat in the sunlight. With our fingers interlaced and our toes covered in salt and tiny specks of sand I felt a special kind of happiness that comes from spending precious time with my loved ones.

My favourite posts linking in with Jodie this week are of sweet little Sammy and this little family because they share my love for the sea.

If you have entered my giveaway yet for a chance to win one of these gorgeous books... Enter today. The winners will be announced this week, GOOD LUCK!

Happy weekend my friends. I hope your days are filled with laughter, outdoor fun, and all the joy that comes from enjoying the simple pleasures that life has to offer under a stunning blue sky.

Bella xx

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30/52 Splish Splash

A portrait of my family once a week, every week in 2013

Bella: Some days you have to brave the rain to jump in puddles and laugh as loud and hard as your lungs will allow.
Coco: The frown. Not overly thrilled to be standing in the pouring rain. What's your crazy friend Bella up to, Coco?

This week it rained. It was cold, bitterly cold. The wind whipped my hair and face each day. Even Coco seemed reluctant to leave her bed to venture onto the sand, which surprised me as she has always loved to sprint across the beach, flicking water in her wake.

This week I forced myself into gumboots and a weather-proof jacket to visit the sandy shores of our beach. For some reason I had the overwhelming urge to jump in salty sea puddles, so I went with it. The sound of noisy splashes took me back to my formative years when childish laughter erupted for no apparent reason other than from the pure joy experienced from the simplest activities. Coco loved the unabashed, playful fun and joined me in the water.

It is with the same joy that I share my favourite posts from this week with you. Atticus knows how to have real fun in puddles, as does sweet Eleanor with her tiny toes splashing about.

Don't forget to enter my giveaway. Time is getting away, soon the days will run out like the salt water with the low tide.

Laugh until your sides ache this week. Spend time with loved ones and lose yourselves in the moment. It's worth every second.

Bella xx

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28/52 Twirling on the Beach

A portrait of my family once a week, every week in 2013

Bella: Twirling across the sand on a cloudless winter morning.

My favourite portraits from this week are of these sweet babes captivated by tiny particles of sand that appear to float in the breeze; and the magic that lights up her face as she bounces on a soft bed.

Happy Sunday to my beautiful family, friends and blogging community. This morning I will think of you as I surf smooth rolling waves in a deep blue sea.

Bella xx

If you haven't entered my giveaway, there are two raw food recipe books on offer, to be drawn on August 10th.

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Winter Surf Diaries

The initial cold blast of air across our bare skin shocks our senses as we race, barefooted across the bitumen road to the beach; our surfboards tightly pressed against our sides, like shields protecting us from the wind...

We reach the shore and hastily secure our leg ropes to our right ankles- We ride 'natural', left foot first. We then pull our wetsuits over our torsos and with arms raised above our heads, pull our zipper cords up to seal our second skins before braving the cool water. With a nod towards other surfers arriving for the morning breaks, we sprint through the icy white wash before leaping onto our boards and paddling out the back between the sets.

For two hours we paddle hard against the current, dragging ourselves through the water, catching waves back towards the shore and returning to the calm waters behind the breakers. Eventually we begin to shiver and our stomaches grumble with hunger. We ride to shore at an incredible pace and laugh like children at the number of times we were dumped, comparing red rashes and wrinkly prune-like skin from the water on the way home.

When we arrive, we hose the salty sea water and sand from our boards, shower under a glass-sided waterfall and ravenously pick at the previous night's dinner leftovers as we prepare our next meal to be enjoyed on our balcony overlooking the sea.

Winter surfing is one of my favourite activities in the cooler months. We surf when we can, for health, for laughter, and for the soul. There's no other place I'd rather be than with my husband, floating and surfing in the powerful blue sea.

Bella xx

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A Coastal Stroll

On Saturday morning as the sun rose in golden beams over the sea and soft light filtered through my morning blinds I felt a sense of calm that I had not experienced in some time. Byron was home and lightly sleeping next to me, our guests had left the previous weekend and I had the entire weekend to fill with any particular activity of my choice. No pressures, no approaching deadlines. Monday seemed forever away. What to do with my precious time? As you may have gathered from my previous post, we went whale watching in the late morning, Byron went surfing in the afternoon and on a dismally grey Sunday we spent time indoors to cook beautiful food, whilst sheets of cold rain fell against a dark seaside backdrop.

The early hours of my Saturday morning were spent strolling with Coco along the shores of three separate beaches, linked by soft sand. We woke, stretched, dressed and were out the door in time to see the sun rise above the horizon, warming everything the light touched. Very soon my heavy coat was off my back and draped over one shoulder as my cheeks flushed pink. We crossed three small rivers, fresh water runoff from the the mountains due to the recent rain and oh my goodness did the icy water make my ankles ache.

The walk stretched on for many kilometres, there was nothing but the soft salty breeze and the company of my sweet little dog as she excitedly darted in strange directions following what I can only imagine must have been wonderful scents of beach visitors who had long since left the shore. Solitude, calm, the sounds of the waves on the beach, smooth round pebbles and nothing but my thoughts. I stopped a while to meditate, taking slow deep breaths of sea air, noticing how each breath felt different from the last. When I eventually opened my eyes I took in a view of the beautiful blue sea before me, not another living creature in sight, except a few hovering seagulls and a tiny brown puppy sitting by my side. I felt like I had all the time in the world. I felt content with a sense of calm energy. It was then that I noticed a misty white spout of water shoot upwards out of the blue sea and seconds later a smaller spray of white water. A Humpback and her young calf.

Somewhere ahead, from what was to be our whale watching lookout, Byron sat in his car waiting for us to arrive. He took pictures from afar and I must say, I feel the same sense of calm when I look at this particular picture. Nothing but expansive beach, stretching out for miles and not another soul in sight, except my little Coco.

To live by the sea is a blessing. I am grateful for this blessing every day.

Bella xx

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26/52 Winter Surfing and Whale Watching

A portrait of my family once a week, every week in 2013

Byron: His first surf of the winter. He really noticed the cooler water temperature after visiting tropical Malaysia last month.

On his first winter surf, Byron pulled his tight black wetsuit, like a second skin over his lean limbs before darting across the grassy lawn to the blue beach. It was mid afternoon, after we'd spent the morning whale watching from an impossibly beautiful lookout. The unseasonably warm winter day, still air and blue skies allowed for perfect conditions to make out the whale footprints across the surface of the sea. We donated all the cash we could find in the car to the wooden whale donation box set out by the Park Rangers and spent the next hour sharing binoculars to watch the majestic white misty spouts and tail fins of two beautiful humpback whales spray into the blue sky.

What a beautiful day, made more special by these incredible, powerful creatures.

Bella xx

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Summer Memories

Remembering my Happy Place

I vividly remember the warm summer day when I visited this windswept beach with my husband. It was late morning, the white sun rose in a giant arch in the hazy blue sky as distant storm clouds silently crept towards the sea from the cool green mountains. On this day I imagined I was on a beach in the Hamptons, with long stretches of pale sand and faded beach grass, whipping in the coastal breeze. We ran along the beach like carefree teenagers, kicking sea water, kissing and posing for silly photos without a care in the world.

On this remarkable day I was a million miles from where I find myself now, packing every last memory neatly away into quiet little corners of my mind as I face new challenges over the coming weeks. University Exams. Illness. Work Commitments. The absence of my husband, who will be overseas for another two weeks. Loneliness.

When I feel the early subtle cues for anxiety, sadness and stress I will remember this place, a place I fell in love with my husband all over again. A place for summer memories.

Bella xx

A warm reminder to enter our giveaway, which closes in less than two weeks! Think of all the wonderful things you could do with these items (if you don't know what they are, follow the link)! I'll continue to post reminders here and there and will announce the lucky winner on June 17th, 2013. xx

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Beach Campfire Tales

Our Beautiful Campfire on Secret Beach

On a cool autumn afternoon, two families packed woven picnic baskets with freshly prepared dishes to enjoy on a secret beach. Their hampers were brimming with homemade hummus, warm thai larb gai (cooked with homegrown thai basil, mint, red chillies and limes from their vegetable gardens), sweet spiced maple kumara, juicy wedges of navel oranges, red wine, spring water, damper and raw vegetables to be cooked on an open beach campfire.

We walked over a grassy headland, kicking up sand with our thongs and basking in the last of the afternoon light as the sun cast long shadows over the land and coastline. Along the way, my friend picked a tiny colourful flower and she surprised me by stating it was a weed. I find it intriguing that some weeds look so exotic and beautiful.

We descended the steep sandy hill to our secret beach, where we unloaded our precious cargo and commenced scavenging the beach for dry pieces of driftwood to build our campfire. Our neighbour dug a shallow hole in the sand as we stocked the wood pile with ghostly white pieces of wood that had washed ashore during the recent storm. As soon as orange flames began to lick the sky and our blackened logs began to glow red, we pushed shiny, foil-wrapped vegetable parcels into the fire to cook as the children played with our excited puppy. Wine and water flowed as tiny waves crashed onto the shore. Sunset dimmed in the sky and soon the air was filled with the aromas that had followed us from our kitchen.

One of our sides included steamed mushrooms with thyme, fresh from our garden.

Steamed Button Mushrooms with Thyme

500g button mushrooms
8-10 fresh thyme sprigs
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 Tbs olive oil
sea salt
cracked pepper

Peel or wipe the mushrooms with a damp towel. In a large bowl, coat the mushrooms with the finely chopped garlic, olive oil and toss with the thyme sprigs. Fold a long piece of aluminium foil in half and place the mushrooms on top. Season with sea salt and cracked pepper, then carefully seal your foil parcel by folding the edges together. The double layer is needed to prevent damage to the parcel and sand from mixing with your mushrooms. Cook the mushrooms on the side of your fire, away from direct flames for ten minutes. Carefully remove and open, taking care not to burn yourself on the steam. Serve in a small bowl.

Campfire Roasted Potatoes with Rosemary
Campfire side dish

Chat potatoes
Fresh rosemary sprigs
Olive oil
Sea salt
Cracked pepper
Butter (optional)

The number of potatoes you roast will depend on the number of people in your party. I tend to cook two for each person, plus an additional few in case you're hungry.

Scrub and rinse your potatoes and allow to drain. Prick each potato evenly with a fork about 20 times to allow for evening cooking, then slice a thin wedge in each potato to place a short segment of a fresh rosemary sprig. Spray each potato with olive oil, season with sea salt and cracked pepper, then wrap individually in aluminium foil.

* If you prefer to slice your potatoes in half, you can smear a generous dollop of butter on each half, before sandwiching rosemary between the two halves, spraying with oil, seasoning and wrapping in foil.

Once you have established your campfire, place the foil-wrapped taters into the coals and cook for 30 to 45 minutes. Remember to count how many you throw into the fire as the foil will blacken and make the potatoes difficult to see, especially after night falls.

How to test if cooked: Carefully remove a potato from the fire and push a fork into the middle, if you can lift the fork back out without lifting the potato, your delicious campfire roasted potato is ready- Be careful not to burn your fingers! The soft flesh will be fragrant with the rosemary, with a hint of smokey flavour from the open campfire.

There's something magical about sharing campfire tales on a beach with friends. The children danced around the flickering light as yellow embers floated towards the sky, like tiny fire fairies. We gazed at the stars as the fire grew smaller, making out constellations and watching as the moon cast a silver lane of shimmering mirrors over the ocean. When our fire went out, we kicked sand over the glowing logs and made our way home to the hum of crickets and the sounds of the slowly churning sea.

Love Bella xx

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Sunrise

Sunrise offered a very beautiful spectacle; the water was quite unruffled, but the motion communicated by the tides was so great that, although there was not a breath of air stirring, the sea heaved slowly with a grand and majestic motion.

- George Grey -

I recall reading these words some time ago and feeling that they resonated with me in a powerful way.  On a recent walk along the beautiful shores of our quiet beach, I was reminded of these words once again. How accurately they captured the scene before my eyes on a cool Autumn morning as the sun made her slow,  steady journey upwards through the golden sky.

Sunrise on a deserted beach, arguably my favourite time and place of every day.

Love Bella xx

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16/52

"A portrait of my family, once a week, every week, in 2013."

Bella: Leaping for joy on the morning run with her best friend.
Coco: Oh boy I love running! Oh Seagull! Oh Crab!

Every morning we run like energetic children up and down the beach as the sun rises and the morning surfers paddle out to sea to catch a handful of waves before work. We check the surf conditions, meet up with other furry friends and chase the seagulls. The clever birds take flight and float in the gentle breeze before settling further along the beach to safety away from Coco, who just wants to play. Crabs are next in our morning ritual and really are the best fun ever for puppies. They scamper about in the craziest directions and can stop and run back towards us without notice. You have to watch them carefully and barking is mandatory.

My absolute favourite share from the 52 project this week is this curly haired boy from SAUL!, who resembles a sleeping angel as he dozes.

Wishing you all a wonderful week filled with the simple pleasures of our beautiful earth.

Love Bella xx

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7/52

"A portrait of my family, once a week, every week, in 2013."

Coco: Always very selective about which holes to dig, here she is trying to reach a crab. He got the better of her on this occasion.

A gorgeous summer's day on a vast beach. The sun shone high in the sky, causing us to squint behind our sunglasses as the cool breeze blew in from the sea, tickling the hairs on my arms. Coco darted this way and that, carefully selecting specific tiny crab holes to sniff and dig. Tiny grains of sand stuck to her eyelashes and nose as she played.

My life has never been more complete than it is now, in this sleepy coastal town with my small, loving family.

Bella xx

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Today

We walked here

We sat on the grass

We ran a little

Then ventured home

Where we lazed with Maxi outside in the shade

He stretched his long feline body across the little old metal table with the flaky white paint in the Tuscan garden

We relaxed, dozed for a little while and before we knew it, night time fell.

We didn't have to drive anywhere, our meals were prepared at home and the highlight of my day was spending it with my little family. Byron, our cat Maxi and our puppy Coco.

How did you spend your Sunday?

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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Our Wild Welcome

We're here! We're here! I'm proud to say we currently reside in a beautiful beach house with gorgeous ocean views, bamboo floors downstairs and polished hard timber floors upstairs. When we pulled into the driveway after our seven hour drive in a convoy of packed vehicles containing everything we own, the logical thing to do would have been to stretch our legs, unload the vehicles, eat, shower and fall into bed, however there was a terrible storm the night we arrived...

Many homes were damaged, some lost their rooftops, others had trees crash through them, flinging roof tiles onto the street. Vehicles were pelted with large hail stones the size of golf balls, a large tree branch fell through a car windscreen, family pets hid under beds and outdoor furniture was picked up in the violent winds and thrown messily about on the small roads and across lawns.

It was a battlefield. 'Us', the puny people against Mother Nature in all her fury. Storm water drains overflowed with the torrential rain and the excess water flooded sections of the highway. Fortunately the emergency responses were rapid and we had plenty of warning during the last 30 minutes of our journey with the bright yellow lights of the SES (State Emergency Service) flashing boldly in front of the water hazards. With nowhere safe to pull our vehicles over due to the highway upgrade, we pushed on through the dangerous conditions at a snail's pace.

Once we arrived, we gathered armfuls of the bare essentials and raced inside where we dried off and passed out from exhaustion.

At first light we were up, cooking, cleaning, unpacking and marvelling in the sunshine at how distant the storm that battered the coast six hours previously seemed. Somehow our new home escaped any damage, the only unrest I noticed were a few palm fronds that has fallen onto the grass.

There's a long way to go as far as cleaning, tidying and unpacking but with a bit of time we will make our print on this little beachside abode.

Bella xx

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Sea: La Mar

In anticipation of our east coast Summer move to a beach house and in celebration of the beginning of daylight savings this month, I thought I would share with you a typical Australian Summer day celebrated early, in the middle of Spring because...

We. Just. Can't. Wait.

This is a story of pictures.

Take one small red car and a young couple seeking adventure on a leisurely drive down the coast...

Add an impossibly bright, cloudless blue sky illuminated by warm sunlight and what you have my friends, is a recipe for a beautiful day.

Here is a fun one to share: Our wedding rings. Byron selected mine, hoping I would like it... I actually love it. I wear it without my engagement ring because I think it has an understated elegance. Byron's ring has a beautiful satin finish in white gold, with a thin polished edged on either side of the satin band.

And now... Our breakfast!!

Byron sipped on a smooth cappuccino, whilst I enjoyed a sweet hot chocolate. I loved the aqua cup and saucers- very beachy.

Byron ordered the impressively stacked hotcakes, served between layers of thickly sliced banana, and topped with a generous dollop of sweet ricotta. The architectural wonder was drizzled with maple syrup and served with hot grilled bacon and lightly stewed blueberries.

As for the gluten-free choice, I opted for soft, buttery scrambled eggs, grilled tomatoes, pork and herb sausages*, and oh so tasty browned mushrooms and golden potatoes. I should have my cardiologist on speed-dial... I should have a cardiologist...

*(Byron helped me to eat the sausages as they can contain gluten and I didn't want to risk it).

Put it another way, breakfast was gooooood.

I loved every minute of our seaside drive and cannot wait to test some gluten free hotcakes out at home, though I think I'll save that recipe for the move to the coast...

I picture myself flipping the sizzling hotcakes in a large pan after a morning run on the beach, my salty, damp hair tied into a loose bun, and my stomach growling in anticipation of my breakfast as The Beautiful Girls, 'La Mar' strums soothingly in the background.

Take a few minutes out of your day: Click on the 'La Mar' link above, close your eyes and you can see it. A kitchen with sea views in a small beach house, sizzling hot cakes, local seasonal bananas and blueberries and the flowing maple syrup, golden and silky. I can't wait.

Bella xx

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