By the light of the silvery moon

You know you are loved when you receive a text saying there is a vapour trail under tonights moon in Canberra. You know you are super loved when a photo is  sent to you especially so you can see it too. Thank you, to my soon to be Berlin bears. 

Photo credit SD Bear.

Little Oink

Little Oink is a great little cafe at Cook Shops. The kind of place you wish was in your neighbourhood. Canberra burbs at their best.

Fake Easter

Love times a million

It's the little (big) things that make me happy. 

I'm happy that we share the same birthday and that we both love dog jumpers and blowing bubbles. I'm happy that we already have the same (!!) aesthetic and that we both think your parents are pretty great. I'm especially happy that this was sent to me. 

And then it was done....

Thank you for hanging out and being a part of Wish You Were Here. 

For those who shared their stories - thanks! It was such a fun exhibition to work on because of your wonderful words and memories. Thanks also to my gypsy friend and the best person I know from Dubbo who helped put it up (and my late night helper in taking it down). And also to my bike gang member for designing the wonderful poster.  

It was also lovely to see so many faces at the event, Canberra friends thank you for coming and for your ongoing support. Out of towners supported a lot from afar too, care of the internets and phones and things.  To summarise - everyone is awesome.

Until next time....

Thanks to Daniel for letting me share some of his photos!

Wish You Were Here - China

My Dad was an engineer with BHP for his whole career and spent some time in China working on projects. When my parents came to visit my Dad would tell us stories about his time in China and one day Adele suggested that we all take a holiday to China together. The idea was brilliant: My Dad got to see places that held special memories for him; my Mum got to see the places she had missed out on while she looked after us kids; for Adele and I it was our first major overseas holiday; but most importantly was that my wife, my parents and I got to live an experience together that we had only ever heard about.

Dwaine

Wish You Were Here - Jerusalem

One cold January morning our little family wandered around the quiet streets of Jerusalem's old city on Shabbat. The first time we visited our daughter was 3 months and we were still too much in the blur of the feed, sleep, cry cycle to appreciate its complicated beauty. This time we found ourselves stumbling upon the same streets much more relaxed. Our daughter ran up and down the narrow, cobbled streets giggling. You can't escape the fact that Jerusalem is contested and bloodied and tired. Yet for a visitor, what is remarkable is that life continues. That morning, people were doing what they do most days - buying bread, praying, greeting friends.

Living in the Levant now when war is brutal and too common, it's easy to dismiss the remarkable fact that these communities continue to survive and thrive. Despite the violence, their incompetent governments, weak economies, poor health and education. There is much joy in this region and all of its people have been incredibly kind and generous to us. Spending a carefree morning in Old City once again reminded me that we are very lucky to live here.

Lavinia

Wish You Were Here - Mystery Bay, NSW South Coast

My favourite holiday place is the Fig Tree Cottage (Mystery Bay, NSW South Coast). I like it because we can bring our dog Buddy and because I turned 6 there. I also saw an echidna there.

Max (6 years)

Wish You Were Here - Boulders Beach, Cape Town, South Africa

We drove towards the most southern point of Africa passing lush mountain ranges and old seaside towns. The steep green cliffs parted ways just enough to provide a glimpse of the soft blue hues ahead. I'm standing on warm ginger sand, feeling the waves grace my feet and soothing my almost bruleed skin, watching hundreds of penguins sunbathing in all their glory on large rigid white boulders without a care in world. And at this moment, I don't have any either.

Kerusha

Wish You Were Here - Nambucca Heads

Among my most memorable holidays are beach holidays with Charlie and Shep. I don't know what made me first think of renting a cottage at the beach. Actually I do. I loved going to my mum's cottage at MacMasters, but I wanted a new beach to explore.

We went to a few places over the years. But wherever we went, we took a floatie toy for Shep. He was obsessed. Obsessed.

Summer or mid-winter, as soon as the floatie toy appeared he was fixated on it. It required planning and coordination to distract Shep, then hide the toy from sight, so we could leave the beach and go home with out a yelping and jumping-up tantrum. We also had a protocol for when to stop: "If you are too tired to shake yourself, you are too tired to chase that floatie toy out into the surf again.". Sometimes we would wait a bit longer and he would give a weary shake. Fling the floatie toy and Shep would burst into action again.

Fiona

Half way