Noosa amazing holiday in the sun with birds and reptiles.

Graham and I have just returned home from two incredible weeks in Noosa. 
We stayed at Ivory Palms in Noosaville in an apartment with a balcony that faced onto a pond and opposite the tennis courts.
It was a quiet time there, so it was really peaceful but also exciting.
Less humans, more animals.

Ivory Palms Noosaville, the perfect place to write on your own personal balcony facing onto a pond full of fish, eels and lilipads; my idea of natural luxury. 

This is the sixth time we have stayed there and already I want to go back.
 I would love to live over there for six months of the year during winter and paint, write and teach art and mosaics up and down the sunshine coast and in the country.

Breakfast on the balcony a daily occurance. 
Best to start off with bacon, tomatoes and eggs, especially if you are planning to do a lot of walking.
 The bacon over there is fantastic from Coles Supermarket.

 
 Eels like bacon too

   Other personalities who live in the area fly in for breakfast as well. 

                                                             Magpie lark has a shrill little call 

       And can be quite demanding at times, but still endearing

This bird turned up one day for some food and I don't know what it is. 
 Sometimes it's hard to keep visitors out
 
They are not allowed to do this.


But you can't blame them for having a go, especially when there is a slice of bread or two on offer. 
 Get those ducks out of here Graham would say to me.


Better to take your bread down to the Noosa River walk where  the wild life are free and hungry

White faced heron waiting for fish

There's time to read books and make art; luxury

I'd love to write a book as easy to read and follow as this one. 
It's called Brave, Intuitive Painting By Flora Bowley.
I bought it in a bookshop in Eumundi. 
 I have four huge canvases and I'm going to give this technique a go. Paint large, paint big from your imagination and let yourself soar.

I bought three other books while I was in Noosa.
It's always a great place to buy books in  and around Noosa. 
We do a lot of reading.  
I love the Noosa News and the magazines they have over there. 
I'd love to have a job writing a creativity column for them. 

 Walking along the Noosa River, under the fragrant Eucalyptus trees, feeding the wildlife, is one of my favourite things to do. 

                                It brings me and the birds so much joy 

Some people believe that feeding birds is like praying and if you feed them it will bring you prosperity and good luck. 

 Who could resist these little guys? They are Rainbow Lorikeets and when they take the seeds out of your hands they are so gentle and wise.

 They know exactly what seeds they prefer.

They adore bread

 There are thousands of them and they come into Noosa at dusk to roost and rest along the river in the gum trees.

They make a lot of noise but they really are worth it because they are so beautiful .
An old guy  with emphysema comes and feeds them in this special place,  just down the road from where we stay with lots of loaves of bread and seeds.
We saw him a couple of years ago as well. 
It is lovely to witness  such devotion and selflessness towards the birds. 
 
 Cockatoo feeding on seeds. 

 These guys have happy, smiley expressions. 


 They hang out in the trees during the day and make a lot of noise. Sometimes they lure you in and then poo on you. I don't know if this is intentional or not but they are very intelligent.



The Queenslanders are friendly, happy and helpful. 
 They are a group of people who love walking their well groomed, well behaved dogs.

Many of the cafes are dog friendly and the dogs are so well behaved. 
I was able to add to my collection of dogs and their owners shots.



I captured this lovely lady  and her  poodle Zoe at Sunshine beach



 They were so happy together

                                 She said that her dog was her life

                        I can see this, they adore each other

 If I had a dog, my choice would be a white West Highland Terrier, I'd teach her to fetch balls too. 

Noosa locals are so respectful, if you drop something, people bend down and pick it up for you; they radiate good will.

They also let you cross the road well ahead of time, I have never come across such considerate drivers with regard to pedestrians.
Everywhere feels safe, there are no dodgy characters lurking around 


  Unless you count the odd Carpet Cobra in the middle of Noosa  up a tree. 
This is the first time I've seen one in the wild, even though Graham and I are always looking for them. 

The Noosa beach is clean and the sand is pure with no litter anywhere. 

People come from all over Australia to swim and soak up the sun and to surf right into the evenings
 

Look at them all; even in the off season.

   The sunsets and dusk

  are brilliant times to photograph, silhouetted people on the beach. 

It's almost like a scene out of an Impressionist painting

There is a real surf culture which prevails. This is my impression of them.

The quality of the light makes the impressionist photography quite magical.

and dreamy  

Clouds formations with big skies.  

The sign of the cross in the sky was a good omen. 

The skies are like artist's water colour palettes

They make the water so deliciously teal

Like icecream or candifloss

You feel like licking everything..

                                   Back lit leaves

                                    And bokeh (the dots on the background) 

                      Make walks in rainforests

                           magical 

                                   enchanting

                                         spritual places

We went for lots of mini  walks in the bush


The quality of the light even made the reflections so different from home.

I had the flu while I was there so I didn't do as much walking as I normally do.
We walked to some waterfalls and did some easy bushwalks. 

The leaves look so  different to ours in their light.

            The light amongst the trees glitters

Even the epiphytes look different in this glorious light

             The Kookaboora's have lovely laughing cries. 
             This one just foew up into a branch above me.

If you're a greenie or a photographer you will be in Paradise in this area.

Wild life pops out, talks to you and follows you everywhere. 
Butcher bird on a seat near Noosa Gallery 

   did not want to leave me, even though I had no food. 
 I started to feel like an animal whisperer, wildlife was coming towards me and talking to me from all directions. 

                  It was very interested in being photographed

 This little Miner saw I had bread in a bag, he flew up to me and demanded some with a loud screech and hopped along just near me in the grass. So how could I not indulge him?

Even though it rained some days it was still wonderful

I was so happy to be there that I didn't mid if it wasn't blazing sun every day

But whern it was sunny  the reflections on the water are so golden and  they set off the silhouette magically.

 

I love photographing Pelicans and ducks on the Noosa River.

Pelicans are humorous and friendly and gather around anyone who is fishing. 

They hang out  in family groups  

They like bread and adore fish.

They don't seem scared of humans at all

They seem to love being photographed

And they don't move very fast so you have a good chance of capturing them

They sleep a lot and you are tempted to think of them as lazy

But I think they are quite clever because no recreational  fisherperson can ever resist feeding them the scraps

Even these common gulls are beautiful, look at the bright redness of those legs and beaks.

 Down along the Noosa River walk everyone is hungry and extremely friendly but sometimes not toward each other when it comes to bread.

Ducks much preferred me to be alone with them on the land.
They allowed me to become very close to them

If I had bread

I'm not normally into crows but this was a lucky shot, as the crow flies.

Look at those eyes, evil but are they really, just because they have a loud caw, why reject them? They are entitled to some bread too.

All the same they are one bird I am glad we don't have many of in NZ

I was lucky to get close to this Egret

At first I  wondered why it seemed so tame because these birds are usually hard to get close to. 

          But then I saw the giant dead fish in the water; his prize

               He wasn't going to give it up for anyone, even a nosey gull

 At the end of the day you really have to value and love yourself, especially on a full stomach of fish..

Lots of visitors of the animal kind came to see us at the apartment and I was able to get a lot of great shots. 

One star was a Bearded Dragon who turned up on our balcony and stayed for five days, sunning himself on rocks and eating chicken and steak. 

     I named him Draggie.  

 He seemed to like the attention

 He definitely liked the heat of the rocks. 
Out of everyone's balcony I wonder why he chose ours. 

 
 One day a crow got into a stand off with Draggie over a hunk of chicken.
 Even though Draggie was smaller, he stood his ground.
 But he gre bored with  crow after a while and came closer to me which is when I shut the ranch slider in case he was thinking of coming in.

 

This is as close as Graham got to Draggie. 

 I was still a bit scared although I did manage to point my camera quite near him at times. 

He was always looking at me, or so it seemed.  

Going for a walk in the Noosa National Park to Boiling Point and back. This was a monument to one of their beloved Koal's who had died recently
  Wonderful photograpy opportunities, especially before dusk, late afternoon with the shadows.

  Look at these beautiful colours.

 The contrast of the rock against the water

    The water is so clean and clear

 Textures are what I'm after often in my photography.

Golden light hitting the rocks and on top of the foam. 

 This sequence was taken on

 the way

  back, just as the sun was going down. 
They do not have a long twilight like us.
 It's sunset then rapidly pitch black.

Taking drives out into the country, high up into the mountains, past Maleny is wonderful, even the cattle are most attractive. 



  Rusty farm machiney on the Kenilworth Tourist Drive; absolutely stunning farmland set amongest rainforests

 Maroochy Botannical Gardens and Sculpture Park, do not miss this.
 It is fantastic in terms of the numbers and variety of sculptures, mostly depiciting Australian fauna and flora.

 The other  thing I love about Australian's is they support their artists. 
They appreciate art. They pay for mosaic projects. 
They believe that community art is important.
 I would love to be commissioned to do a project in Noosa with mosaics and with Noosa school children. 
It would be about Noosa birds.
 
  This and the cockatoo are two of my favourites.
 I think this means infinity

     I liked this idea for a Japanese lantern, I'd like to make one just like this.

Spring was starting already

Our next overseas trip will be to Tasmania.Its vedry like New Zealand and it's a foodies and bird lovers dream.
I can't wait.
 Please keep coming back to my blog to view more of my creative adventures.  
Drop me a note. I appreciate the feedback. 
 
  Noosa a destination that is my definition of perfection. 
 I will always love it. 


To be bathed in such light, and to breathe in such beautiful surroundings; I am so lucky.

Thank you to my wonderful husband Graham for taking us on such a fantastic holiday. 
We had the best time in the world.

 Creative quote of the week 
 I have had a holiday, and I'd like to take it up professionally.
Kylie Minogue


Turn your holiday shots into water colour paintings with classes from Janet Keen Mosaics and Painting School
374 Clayton Road, Rotorua
Phone 346-3435
Email jkeen@clear.net.nz

Golden Eggs of Abundance.

Over the past week gestures of abundance have flown towards me like birds out of the blue.

 

One friend after hearing I’d had lost my voice came over and brought me a new bottle of vitamin C tablets

Another came around for a cup of coffee and brought six free range eggs from her chickens.  My husband who scrambled some for me on toast said he’d never seen yolks so golden.

 

 Yet another friend met me for lunch and gave me a white and turquoise owl necklace which she found when she was out shopping with her boyfriend.

A stranger turned up and dropped off some cracked, vintage, royal doulton, fine bone china, which I know are going to look amazing smashed up and mosaiced onto hearts and birds.

  

Physical gifts are great. I feel blessed when they arrive.  But what I really appreciate is the time that people took out of their busy lives to think about me.

I realise how precious time is because I’m always so flat out myself.

 

 It makes a welcome contrast to the time wasting salesmen who pollute my phone with unwelcome heat pump and life insurance offers, right when I’m in the middle of lying on the couch, being brainwashed by Doctor Phil and Doctor Oz.

 

I’ve discovered that being struck dumb in front of daytime TV can be good for your physical and mental health. If I could take on board the sage advice that these guru’s dish out, I’d be as slim as a model and as well adjusted as my cat.

 

Watching wailing American woman exposing their souls to the world about their dysfunctional upbringings, that Dr Phil says have turned them into control freaking, monster mothers, made me feel like ringing up my own mother to thank her for giving birth to me.

 

Luckily I came to my senses before I could croak into the phone. Instead I made her a watercolour card, with birds travelling around the world, laying eggs in strange places and landing on people.

I also slipped in a lucky dip lotto ticket and a mini illustrated bird book on the importance of having a positive attitude. I’m now visualising that when she wins, she will dish out enough cash for me to fly first class to Italy.

 

 

Janet Keen after school and adult art and mosaic classes, Monday to Friday

 Email for details.

Janet Keen Art and creativity classes for kids enrolling now.

Drop me a line to drop off your Fine Young Artist.

Monday to Friday mornings. $25.00 per session , including materials.
Adults mosaic and painting classes $250.00 including some materials for 4 week class , lasting two hours. 
Adults , only want to drop in for an hour  on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday mornings to get your creative  juices flowing?
Come have a look at my art books.
I can set you some projects that you can do at home.

$30.00 per hour, bring all your own materials.

Bead LUCKY  Star making Classes. $75.00 for the cut out , glue and instructions, bring your own beads.
Every contributor welcome to be included on my blog as a Star  maker. All proceeds from this class are going towards my mosaic trip to Italy.
 Send me a text. if you are interested and i can book you in.
Phone 0273513887

 

Japanese art pupil her oil painting and mixed media illustration work

Yuhka has been coming for lessons now for a couple of years and she is a naturally fantastic drawer.
She is versatile in that any style we decide to tackle she can approach easily.
She has made paintings in water colours, acrylics,  mixed media and oil painting, plus mosaics.
She is a quiet focused and even tempered pupil and is always a pleasure to have in my class.

One of the highlights of the sort of work I do is building  relationships with the pupil's family.

 It is a great thing really to be admitted into their lives this way and it is an insight to other cultures which I really appreciate.
The mothers are always so lovely.

Here is a mixed media girl illustration using scrapbook papers in the background and acrylic paint on the top.
I have taught this lesson to a number of people and they all come up with something different.

I love all the Japanese festivals.
I have a Japanese garden at the back of my studio and I write a lot of haiku. 

We have been celebrating Tanabata this month with stars

One day I would love to go to Japan.

I watch a lot of Japanese subtiled movies so I feel like I'm there
I have just finished watching an amazing one called Departures.
It's quirky and soulful.
 I cried during some of it which is always a sign of a good movie for me.
I recommend you get it from a video shop.
It's about death and also of course about life and the passing of the seasons.
You will not be disappointed.

 This is my Chinese Photography buddy Jing.
She is a lovely, happy, bubbly person and I intend to spend time with her taking shots on photographic adventures as she's just bought herself a new 650d Canon Camera, with a 24 to 105 lens.
This is practically  the same set up as I have so I will be able to help her.

 Star festival Celebration of the Seven Sisters Stars.
I am celebrating Matariki and Tanabata and also fundraising to go to Italy next April. 
I am running drop in workshops during  most mornings of the week starting in August for people to bring their own beads and make a special star.
 I will provide the glue, the paint,  the cut out wood and the laquer plus tuition.

The cost is $75.00 per person.
Team bonding groups most welcome.
Email jkeen@clear.net.nz to reserve your place.


Creative Quote of the Week
Aim for the moon, if you miss you will land amongst stars.

Capers Epicurien

I love going to Capers Epicurien because their range of food is gorgeous tasting, attractive and healthy.

Quite often on a Thursday if I'm not running a class I will have an art day out.
 This may consist of going for a walk,  going to Capers for breakfast or lunch, then going to an Arthouse movie at the Basement Theatre.
 I also write three pages in longhand in my diary and do a couple of quick illustrations.
If you want to know more about this excellent programme of how to become more creative and free; read The artists Way by Julia Cameron
It's like my bible.
I have read it so often and I always gets something new out of it to pick me up every time I read the chapters and do the exercises.

Sometimes I go to the Rotorua Museum to see their latest art exhibitions, to the Rotorua Arts village to check out what's happening there or I may go hunting for art materials.
Sometimes I go to the library and have a look at their photography and art books and to check out the notice board for anything current happening artwise.

Sometimes I meet friends, but often I go by myself because I enjoy my own company.  
I live in a small town so I usually bump into someone I know and they usually mention they have been  enjoying reading my articles in the Rotorua Weekender, so this is good feedback.

Capers have a new menu and I tried the duck pate.
You should try it too. 

Mid winter holidays in the sun, Noosa

 

I think if you told me I would never go to Noosa again I'd be tempted to plunge my head into an ice cold bucket of water and leave it there for five minutes. 


I've  been going there every year practically for the past 8 years and I never get enough of it. 
It is the perfect place for a mid winter break. 
 
If I had enough money I would buy  a small, cute house nestled amongst Queen Palms and Australian wild flowers and paint, make mosaics and teach for six months of the year up and down the sunshine and gold coast. 

Then I'd live the other six months of the year by the beach in New Zealand, maybe  Ohiwa harbour because its lovely and peaceful there. 
Maybe I'd get bored, so I think I'd really like to live in Tauranga in the country near an estuary with a bit of land soI  could have a dog, a couple of alpacas, two cats, a rabbit and an assortment of birds. 
   


  love going to the Noosa library it's very good.
 It is small and intimate and  set in amongst native trees and birds and has a great selection of art books and also free Wi-fi.
 It has a good sized  area for regular artist exhibitions and you can pick up some  books in their sales.
They have a wonderful notice board where you can find out what's on offer to do.
If I lived there I would like to work for the Noosa News interviewing artists in the whole area and writing feature articles about them.
I think I could do a really good job of this.
 

People from Rotorua who haven't been to Noosa say uninformed things to me like  ohhhh (in a high pitched voice);  it's expensive over there isn't it? 
I feel like telling these people to get a life and not be so penny pinching.


We don't find it expensive at all because we know a really reasonably  priced place to stay. And even if you do have to shell out money so what, you're on holiday and you've got to enjoy your life.  
Ivory Palms in Noosaville is perfect for us. It has a tennis court,  lots of swimming pools, a spa, spa baths in the room and catering facilities.

We know the nicest tasting, reasonably priced restaruants where all the locals go. 

I have just heard that they are doing direct flights from Auckland, starting in August,  straight through to the Sunshine coast airport which would save you money on  rental car hire and time. 

Why can't they have a direct flight from Rotorua to the Sunshine coast or even Brisbane I ask?  
That would be even better not having to drive all the way up to Auckland. 
 
 
We self cater a lot so  we can take advantage of the seasonal passionfruit, pineapple, and strawberries that taste just fantastic. 
We only get a rental car at the beginning and end of the holiday and we walk everywhere or get public transport, so it's a healthy break. 
 

A lot of artists live there. 

They have great bookshops and lovely art galleries. 
 

Noosa is absolutley beautiful. 
The light is magnificent for photography. 
 They have a lot of  New Zealanders living there and conservationists who really care about the animlas and native bush. 

They resist  the advance of crass big business developers who want  to deseminate the bush with large, ugly shopping centres and hideous high rises. 
 
In the past eight years we have been going there it hasn't changed much and that's the way we like it.
It's not all that touristy when we go because it's their off season.
It's  a bit like Mt Maunganui but prettier and  more natural.

People are friendly, happy and relaxed.
People go out in big family and friend groups and have barbeques all along the Noosa Riiver. 
 All sorts of people are out walking their beautifully groomed designer dogs. 
It's just fabulou becauser the dogs are well behaved and friendly and  I can get the chance to add to my people and their dog collection of photos. 
 
A lot of surfies live there because the surf is reasonably good with long rolling waves. 

 Business owners go there for the lifestyle rahrter than to make truck loads of money. 

 It is surrounded by huge National parks, so the air smells of eucalyptus and is pure and revitalising. 
 The bird life is utterly fantastic and quite a few of them are sort of tamed by restaurant owners so they eat fish dolled out by hand. 

I could rave on for hours about it, but I  don't want to bore you anymore. 

Just open up your mind and consider not going to the crass Gold Coast with its crowds of tourists and gimicky kids theme parks. Think about going to Noosa or Noosaville and have a more relaxed holiday where you can breathe in the fresh air and get lots of exercise while exploring. 
You'll come back feeling like a million dollars.