I didn’t think much more of it besides the thought to have another go at this angle tomorrow morning .  When I got back to the house and did my morning check on the wonderful Facebook I noticed a post from a friend that I felt compelled to comment on…

the status was …

“Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Ps 37:4

My comment was … Not sure about that I question the hearts desires not what god can give

the way I looked at it was that we all have hearts desires but are they actually what is good for all and the universe??

 Then another person replied with …. I heard it said we often misinterpret this verse – perhaps it means God will place desires in our heart that are in line with his heart, as opposed to just handing out whatever we want. I like that! I want my heart to desire whatever pleases Him. He will ‘give’ us new desires.

This got me thinking how we can all see things from different angles or perspectives it is the same scenery or words but to one it is seen in a totally different way.

Now all this is happening at barely 6am in the morning my mind is pondering all these deep thoughts on life and the angle in which it is seen versus the directions that are taken.  My mind drifts to the fact that I often complain about getting up so early in the morning at the moment to capture the sunrise and that it would be so much nicer to be tucked up in bed for another hour or two.  That is a different angle though if you see it from the negative angle it is an chore but the positive angle is that I get to greet the day every morning with the sun I get fresh air and quiet time while the children are sleeping my mind is clear to ponder such deep thoughts so early in the morning.

While I was musing over this new enlightenment I looked out my office window to notice Miss Ellie lounging sound asleep on the back lawn and thought “isn’t it the life”  to be able to lounge around all day would be so nice .. wouldn’t it??

Hmm … thinking of my recent angle changing experience I decided to think of it from her point of view .. now yes it is nice to be lying there early in the morning but she is outside away from the family then and for most of the day ALL she has to do all day is lounge around and do nothing she must get so bored and wonder why she is there.  I don’t think “it’s the life”  at all.

Maybe this is a new (well it is probably a really old way but new to me) way to get perspective on a situation what ever it is you are doing from taking a photo to making a major choice in your life make sure you look at all the angles before making that choice on how to do something you might get a surprise at what new ideas and directions you can find.

The time of year starts us thinking about that dreaded word Christmas and for those that have family overseas you will already be well on your way to getting those special gifts in the mail.

Every year here at Rainbow Farm Photography it is a busy time doing up unique and special gifts for all the family and also to my extended customer based family.

The most popular gift at this time of year is the Calendar .. it is a beautiful item made by Redbubble with an endless choice of images by Rainbow Farm Photography.

The Calendar that gets sent in this family is one with a combination of nature.. the rainbow farm kids and a few furry or feathered images thrown in so through out the year all the relatives can get their fix of the children but not be over powered with every month a child image they get to feast on the beauty of nature and it also gives a few or all those images to be framed after the calendar is finished.

Click on the Image to be taken to the full version of this Family Calendar

You can choose the images you want to display in each month and even start the calendar any time you like if adding your own family images they will need to be in large jpg size and good quality shots I would do up a draft version for you to look at before you order.

Another option is to choose your own selection of images from the albums over at Rainbow Farm Photography Facebook Page or you can choose one of the already made up calendars such as ..

the Seascapes Calendar

Or inspiration for every month with the Inspire Calendar

Click on the image to see the Full Inspirations Calendar

Another unique gift idea for the family is to have a calendar specially designed with all your important birth dates on there and a special name description along with each name so you won’t forget those dates and neither will the family .

Click on the Image to see a Sample of a Name Description Calendar

The great thing is that after the month is through you can use the image to frame they are a great size and printed on photo quality paper.  A great way to start collecting art for your walls choose your favourite images and get a calendar made to use or just frame the images from it at a fraction of the price of getting individual prints , posters or canvas done.

If you would like to get a calendar designed for you please contact me through my email rainbowfarmphotography@bigpond.com  and we can build a special gift for yourself or that special person.

The Black cockatoos are a regular visitor at the moment in their flocks of hundreds making the dawn chorus even louder than usual.

With the warmer weather also comes the awakening of all those cold blooded creatures that rather sleep the day away in a nice warm hole somewhere than move around.  This time of year while the snakes and lizards are still a bit sleepy it can be very dangerous place to be on the farm specially as Rainbow Farm has so much bush (forrest) areas and the farm house is situated in the middle of all this lovely greenery.

You can imagine my surprise when one morning I can hear a lot of racket going on outside a thumping against the wall along side the house … I was thinking that young Miss Ellie our beautiful border collie dog was having fun with her favourite play toy so went to open up the sliding door to the outside and just as I reached for the handle I got a nasty scare … a rather large (yes all those locals out there it’s a baby to you) snake flew up at the window.  I immediately jumped back from the door and (yes I said a few choice words) I stood frozen watching the dog bouncing in and out at this snake and the snake rearing up at the door trying to get away.  What to do??  my heart was going a million miles an hour I seriously didn’t want to go outside didn’t have any shoes on .. where are my shoes??  no idea at that moment … I had to get the dog away before she got bitten … So round to the other side of the house I go and yelled rather loudly and hopefully with great authority (we all know how the dog and the kids really listen to their mum) I called for Ellie .. and to my great joy she came straight away she was rather pleased with herself for being able to come inside.

The snake eventually moved off and back into the bush on the otherside of the house but the dog stayed in the house for the rest of the afternoon just incase and the Rainbow farm children got a big lecture about not going near the bush and to wear shoes at all times from now on.

A few days later we had another visitor I had heard Miss Ellie barking for longer than the usual  so had gone to take a look and there was a racehorse goanna in the clear area in front of our garage where the car gets parked outside the fenced area.  There was no danger to it or the dog so I raced in and grabbed the camera hoping that it would enjoy watching the silly dog for a bit longer .  Managed to get close the sun was in the wrong position for a good shot without spooking it but you can get the idea of what he looked like.

These guys aren’t really dangerous would give a good scratch and nip if they got to close but the speed they can travel means that rarely happens I love seeing them they are so regal looking I think.

The other visitors that can cause a commotion in the Rainbow Farm yard is the Blue tongue lizards or bobtails as we like to call them. Miss Ellie usually manages to bail at least two or three every spring/summer season she doesn’t always bark at these ones so I have to be fairly vigilant if she goes missing for a while she has one under the bush in the corner of the yard and she can manage to kill these poor creatures.

I usually have to save the poor thing not that it likes that idea thinking I am a bigger threat than the dog get to see a good look at that blue tongue as I gingerly try to reach behind for it’s neck where it can’t reach me with it’s jaws to carry it to safety.

Ellie with a bobtail under the farm house verandah

the famous blue tongue

So when you are out in the Australian countryside in spring and summer please watch where you are stepping keep an eye on the ground and keep your pets from going into areas where you can’t see them it is a terrible time of year for snake bites and many pets do not make it through.

These creatures are in their homes in nature and we have intruded on that by building a house in the middle of their road I did not and will not kill these creatures unless I absolutely have no other choice.

Respect is what is needed and common sense.

Enjoy nature and give it the respect it deserves

Spring has come to Rainbow Farm the whole place is covered in yellow flowers.  The Bees are buzzing (ask my son who got stung the other day).  Also the sun is getting up earlier having to reset my alarm just about every week at the moment today I was running for the sun again and it was just after 6am I love the beautiful weather but the early morning starts can be hard .

The birds are so much more active and it is great to see the white tailed black cockatoos have headed back to the farm they sit amongst the flowers and have a feast every day until I go and annoy them trying to get beautiful images of them in flight.

Spring makes me feel free as a bird

As it is Spring and not yet Summer there were still a few rainy days this month and where there is rain sometimes we are lucky enough to get a rainbow or two .. and if your on or around Rainbow farm the chances seem to be doubled… so fitting that a double rainbow appeared on my walk one morning.

Another special memory I have of my morning walks now taken AFTER the sun has risen and I have taken images … I walk with my beautiful dog Ellie she loves to get out and spend this time with me.

The Beautiful Miss Ellie

While we are walking the sun slowly moves up into the sky the birds are chirping the odd rabbit scurries across the road in front .. and we are especially blessed by seeing most mornings a cheeky little Scarlet Robin he loves to fly down onto the road just out of reach of Miss Ellie’s nose and will sit in the nearest tree to stop and talk with me then follow along from tree to tree till his boundary is met.

A Facebook page that I am a part of “ShamanicDreamtime” has been putting up the power animal meanings of all these beautiful creatures and one day it was about the Robin was very interesting to read .. here is what it said …

For those that haven’t been following Rainbow Farm Photography entered a Competition run by WE Mastermind and the Winner got a $5,000 USD business start up package filled with all sorts of goodies to make your business a success.  Putting in a entry it was soon discovered that to win the contest you had to collect votes for your entry and the most votes win. On the first day it was evident that there were two front runners as they were over 100 votes in front before anyone else had their first vote.  I nearly threw in the towel on that first day got upset and did the rant and rave about voting type contests that were only for the popular that don’t really need it … then I came back after a walk out in the beautiful sunshine on Rainbow Farm with the birds singing .. and decided that I would just focus on the entry that was ahead of me not the one in front .. just go back to baby steps and start with getting one vote then the next.

I have discovered a lot in this competition about how I value myself as well as how much support I have out there .. I am humbled to say the least at the amount of people that did vote and even more those that voted EVERY day for me.  I would like to thank everyone that voted for me and shared my entry link I can not thank you all individually but you all have my gratitude .

It was a two week contest and there were moments when I thought I could actually get up and win but it was not to be .. I am so proud of how well I did do coming in third place which I saw as a win seeing the lead that the top two had in the beginning.  Managing over 500 votes it was a major achievement for myself and my confidence has soared ..thank you.

The two front runners battled it out in the last few minutes of the competition changing top spot several times .. with the final results only being three votes in it.

Congratulations to  MANDY LAND  for their win with J Flo Studios coming in a close second.  I have put their facebook page links into their names if you wish to have a look at them.

Now to thank all the Businesses that helped by sharing my entry.

In no particular order .. and please give your support by visiting their pages.

Heather O

Images by Sue Photography

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If I have missed anybody out please let me know and I will add you

Once again thank you all for your support

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I am currently in third place in the competition and should comfortably stay in that position but if I am to get up and win this I will need a lot more votes as the first place entrant at the moment is just over 400 votes in front of me.

My dream is to make a living out of this and provide for my two beautiful children.  To do this I need help to get my business underway in doing this I have entered a competition that gives a fantastic prize for the winner which includes ..

$5K Dream Business Start-Up Package

Estimated value: $5000.00 USD

Everything you need to get your dream business off the ground!

• Increase your traffic -and tribe -by running a 2 month social media contest using Strutta -Strutta is the platform we’re running this contest on and it rocks! (Value: $500)

• Create a PR storm to drive attention to your business -Elena Verlee shows you how in her Publicity S.T.O.R.M. program for entrepreneurs. (Value: $247)

• Launch a website that drives results -Access The Renegade Weekend Website 2 day site building event online. (Value: $597)
• Access over 40 business tools including bookkeeping software, easy-to-use business calculators, a free logo and domain name, and more -Palo Alto Software’s “Start, Run and Grow Your Business” program is everything you need to get your business off the ground. (Value: $70)

• Technical tutorials to bring you up to speed on running an online business -One year access to WebMasterChief.com, a technical tutorial membership site that equips you with the knowledge to understand the components of running your empire. (Value: $324)

• Copy that converts more sales for your product -A two hour one-on-one copywriting consultation with award-winning copywriter, Amy Harrison. (Value: $300)

• A personalized “About” page that sparks people’s interest in your business -Written specially for your online business by Lea Woodward at dotnetconnector.com. (Value: $125)

• A complete plan to reach all your business goals -Ellen Rohr will challenge you to dream big in “The Challenge,” her Bare Bones Biz business planning program. (Value: $1495)

• Killer coaching to push you and your business to a new level-Private coaching with Natalie MacNeil and Natalie Sisson of WE Mastermind (Value: $1000)

• Email marketing service to communicate with your customers -One year of service and support from iContact.com. (Value: $500.00)

Anyone with a business out there if you share my competition on your page and tag my business name I will take a record of your business and after the competition is over I will put your business name in a blog post as a supporter to my plight as well as add it to a weekly shout out program on my facebook page.

For members of my facebook page if I win the competition I will be celebrating and to thank you all will run a competition to giveaway a large print of your choice. As well as having a random draw for a free book of mine “inspirations from the sun”.

I thank you in advance for all your support and apologize for clogging up your inbox and newsfeed with my voting requests .. the competition finishes on the 19^th September USA time so it is only another week .

Here is the link to the competition for you to vote

http://apps.facebook.com/promosapp/187026/entry/189045

Looking forward to making my next post a very excited “I’ve Won”  post so please share this blog post and tell everyone to vote for me and join my facebook page to get the free download and chance to win other prizes .. not to mention getting to see beautiful nature images everyday.

I love living on the Farm here in Busselton, Western australia .. the fresh air and quiet (besides my 4yr old shooting to oblivion some thing on the wii) really refreshes the soul and reminds me why I am here and what I have to do to follow my passion.  I don’t want to regret my life in years to come for not giving it my all .. I want to be able to provide for my family and share the wonder of nature with the world in the process … but…

I do need some help … I need YOUR help …

I have entered a competition held by Natalie Sisson of Womanzworld and Natalie MacNeil of She takes on the world who have come together to form WE Mastermind to help business women like myself get out there into the world and make money in the passion that they love … The competition prize is a combination of packages all to help further business and valued at $5000.oo USD.  All that I had to do was enter a submission and get all my wonderful friends, family and people passionate about nature to vote for my submission every day until the 14th of September 2011.  The entry with the most votes will win.

Here is the video that I did up for the submission …

I would love if you could share this blog post and/or my submission entry .. which you can go to Facebook and vote for me

 … HERE …

you will have to be a facebook member and allow the application to be able to vote.

For being such wonderful and supportive nature lovers I will be giving a little reward once my votes get to 200

I will be uploading to my Facebook page a high resolution copy of the below photo which you will be able to download and use as a wallpaper on your computer even get a small print done of it

When the competition votes get over 200 I will upload this image for a week only and then take it down so keep an eye out and vote every day at the above link so you will know when to go and download your special gift as a thank you for your troubles.

27th of August 2011 Sunrise

If I am lucky enough to get to 300 or 400 votes we can choose another image to do the same thing with for a week only.

thank you for all your support and for following my journey of self discovery and giving me the courage to follow my passion

bringing the healing power of nature into your world through natural unedited nature photography

xxx

It was great to see everyone really getting into both competitions ..

The winner of the “your inspirational words” contest was Nikki Hanley  .. Nikki started up a new business and facebook page to help empower today’s children and what better way to convey that message that with a Rainbow Farm Photography image … I have allowed her to use this image on her facebook page to promote the empowerment of children who are our future .. you can visit her page HERE

Nikki Hanley Winner of a 8x12 Print

The winner of the Cloud Gazing Competition … was Greg Bryson from America … with this stunning cloud image ..  It was interesting getting everyone’s imaginative answers to what they saw in the clouds.

Greg Bryson Cloud Gazing Competition Winner

Thank you to everyone that participated in all the fun and I will be sure to run more competitions like these in the future so keep your eye out on the Facebook Page  and this Blog

Here is a review on the what the competition is about …

running until 9am Western Australian time next monday the 29th of August 2011

POST YOUR FAVOURITE CLOUD PHOTO COMPETITION

To Enter..

You will first need to be a member of my facebook page

 Rainbow Farm Photography Facebook

Then upload onto the wall your favourite Cloud photo

 (one entry per person)

I will then add it to the Cloud Competition album  HERE

Then to win you just get all your friends to like you entry and or comment see if they can find some fantasy animals in your pic.. have fun with it .. you can share it on your wall just make sure they like the photo not your link on your wall.

At the end of the competition I will count up all the likes and the image with the most will win.

WIN YOU SAY … WHAT DO WE WIN??

well the  WINNER  will   WIN   a  FREE  8×12 inch print of their choice and customised as they wish with words etc .

also I will collect up all the Likers in the competition and  do a random.org draw of one of them for

a special gift to be sent specially for helping and having fun in the comp.

So get out there and start doing some cloud gazing and upload today to get the best chance of winning.

AND THE ENTRIES ARE BELOW

JUST CLICK ON THE PHOTO YOU LIKE AND IT WILL TAKE YOU TO THE PAGE FOR YOU TO ‘LIKE’ IT YOU WILL HAVE TO BE A MEMBER OF THE PAGE THOUGH

Entry by : Lana Vanderwyk

Entry by : Ross Moorhouse

Entry by : Crystal Bryson

Entry by : Marye Beam

Entry by : Mark Crossland

Entry by : Diane Goode Scott

Entry by : Maryanne Wade

Entry by : Greg Bryson

Entry by : Jennifer Crewe

Entry by : James Harmon of Jim Harmon Photography

ALL ENTRIES REMAIN THE PROPERTY OF THE ENTRANT AND CAN NOT BE DOWNLOADED OR COPIED IN ANYWAY THANK YOU

To my right and above was this formation of Clouds … and it was an instant vision of a beautiful head shot of a woman with a hat on .. so I quickly grabbed out my camera and took a shot…

Can you see what I see??

When I posted it on my face book page HERE  there were quite a few that saw what I saw and others that saw a monster .. one member saw the Goddess of Spring which I liked the idea of as Spring will be here soon .. and there were some that couldn’t see anything at all so as a few saw a monster which I could see once it was pointed out I wanted to show the Goddess to get the monster out of their minds put the image on my photoshop program and did a quick sketch over the top to show roughly what I saw.

What I saw in the Clouds

I was surprised and delighted at the amount of comments and responses I got to these two images and then even a few people posting their own images of clouds … I have been looking for a new competition idea after the success of the “your inspirational words”  competition .. and now I have one.

Starting today and running until 9am Western Australian time next monday the 29th of August 2011

POST YOUR FAVOURITE CLOUD PHOTO COMPETITION

To Enter..

You will first need to be a member of my facebook page  Rainbow Farm Photography Facebook

Then upload onto the wall your favourite Cloud photo  (one entry per person)

I will then add it to the Cloud Competition album HERE

Then to win you just get all your friends to like you entry and or comment see if they can find some fantasy animals in your pic.. have fun with it .. you can share it on your wall just make sure they like the photo not your link on your wall.

At the end of the competition I will count up all the likes and the image with the most will win.

WIN YOU SAY … WHAT DO WE WIN??

well the  WINNER  will   WIN   a  FREE  8×12 inch print of their choice and customised as they wish with words etc .

also I will collect up all the Likers in the competition and  do a random.org draw of one of them for a special gift to be sent specially for helping and having fun in the comp.

So get out there and start doing some cloud gazing and upload today to get the best chance of winning.

Cloud Gazing is Fun ...