Happy Birthday Charlie!

It was my nephew Charlie's first birthday on the weekend. Happy birthday Charlie!

Lisa & Mark - Marysville Nov 08

It's hard to know what to write after a couple of weeks like we have just had in Victoria. A week and a half after they started the bushfires are still burning but, luckily, at present no more towns appear to be under threat, and let's hope it stays that way. Living close to both the Yarra Valley and Dandenongs, it's hard to comprehend that so many of the beautiful places I have both visited and photographed are either damaged or no longer exist ... and that's without even touching on the devastating loss of lives we are all having to come to terms with.

So it's quite timely that I post this wedding at this time. Lisa and Mark were married on the stunning grounds of Marylands Country House in Marysville on 29th November last year, one of the many buildings that was decimated by the bushfires. Once again, it's so hard to comprehend that such a beautiful piece of the world has been totally destroyed. Lisa and Mark's wedding was my first visit to Marysville and I remember being struck by the beauty of both the town and the surrounding areas I drove through to get there. I feel so blessed that I had the opportunity to see it in all its glory, even if only briefly.

Hopefully the photos below give you at least a small glimpse of this beauty ...

Crack up!

I titled this post 'crack up' because that's what I do every time I look at this first photo which is one of my favourites from last year. I photographed little James here towards the beginning of 2008 when he was just 9 months old, and while the main focus of this shoot was supposed to be the older members of the family, little James still mananged to steal the show!