38/52 Witches Reef

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

Coco: Exploring the exposed jagged rocks of Witches Reef at low tide.

Some days the best time to explore the rock pools coincides with the prettiest light. In the final moments of the day, when the sun casts long dim rays of soft golden light that bathe the afternoon in beauty... This is the best time to explore the jagged point of Witches Reef with your best friend by your side.

My favourite portraits this week captured magical light.
Beautiful Audrey. Curious Mia. Breathtaking Stella.

~Joining Jodi and friends~

Love Bella xx

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Educating Ourselves About the Sea

When I think about the wonders to be encountered in the incredibly beautiful rock pools along the headlands of our seaside village, I sometimes lose myself in the beauty. To witness the rapid motion of a school of tiny fish or the weightless appearance of ghostlike seaweed, floating in the gentle currents is incredible to view from above... But what lies beneath the surface?

These vibrant sea pools are just the beginning. When I think about what it must be like to observe alien-like creatures that we crassly label 'fish', 'starfish', or 'shells', I begin to wonder more about the beauty to be encountered in a marine environment. How can life be sustained in an ever-changing ocean? The temperatures fluctuate with the seasons, one only has to look out towards the Pacific during the winter time to sea the majestic humpbacks make their treacherous, long journey north from the freezing Antarctic waters.

How can such a fragile ecosystem, or more accurately, series of marine ecosystems be sustained? In order to preserve our marine life, we need to learn more about these fragile communities and take better care of our oceans and coastlines. From the polar regions to the coral reefs we are surrounded by an incredible, complex and powerful series of marine systems that include dense kelp forests, salt marshes and mudflats, open oceans, hydrothermal vents, mangroves, rocky headlands, sandy shores, and the very sea pools that I explore with my family.

To continue my informal education of our local Marine Park, Byron and I have started to paddle around the nearby rocky point in Byron's sea kayak. With nothing but pure muscle power, we will explore deeper waters than we could ever reach on our surfboards. We will snorkel and photograph creatures and come home to search for their names from an online encyclopaedia of marine organisms. We will document our finds and share with you our images from time to time. We will continue to collect rubbish from our beaches and recycle whatever materials we can.

In order to more accurately record the local marine life, we have just ordered a Go Pro HD underwater camera. I cannot wait to share with you the sea creatures from the marine park at our front door (and perhaps the odd video of us surfing or diving to give you a decent, side-splitting belly laugh)... Conservation is as fun and educational as it is important.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on conservation and how you teach your children the importance of protecting our oceans and coastlines.

Bella xx

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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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