Isla - My heart melts, her smiles send the autumn breeze in the opposite direction. The short bursts of confidence come & go, sending shivers right through me, offering visions of her creative future.

Will – A voice seeking solace. Crying out to be heard with a voice louder than thunder, yet there are no words spoken. Finding comfort in the first place he slept on this earth, his mothers chest.

* This is part 20 of 52 weeks in portraits that I’m doing along with Jodie from Che & Fidel. She inspired me with her beautiful images in 2012 to join in this year.

Last week I forgot the portraits, I missed week 18/52.

My camera was never switched on.

Instead we were walking around zombie like trying to function on minimal sleep. Lil’miss has been getting her two year old molars, & with it has come late nights. Very late nights.

So this week I’m late but I’ve done it., here is week 19/52.

Isla – lil’miss is showing her true colours. This weeks fashion has revolved around wearing her swim suit over everything, including her P.J’s.

Will – All he wants to do is fly by himself to Melbourne, to see his Mimi & Pa. I’m sure he is four going on twenty-four.

* This is part 19 of 52 weeks in portraits that I’m doing along with Jodie from Che & Fidel. She inspired me with her beautiful images in 2012 to join in this year.

You’ve just driven four hours to get to your camping destination. Four the last three hours & forty five minutes you’ve been a negotiator, a navigator, & a canteen lady. All in the hope that everyone will stay sane, happy, & quiet on the long drive. Then, you get to the camp ground & your faced with two very excited children, & the task of setting up your tent or camper trailer.

Now unless your some sort of magician & can pull a white rabbit out of a hat, this is where the whole idea of camping gets tricky. Our kids have an obsession with trying to take the tent down as we’re setting it up, like their mother board has been programmed to ‘destroy the tent’.

So on our last camping trip I came prepared, not quite a white fluffy rabbit but it worked just the same. A colour box, filled with pencils, texters, & crayons. I bought some funky animal stencils that the kids could colour in, & stashed them in there too.

It kept them entertained for hours, not only while we were setting up but also when it rained, & while I was getting dinner ready. I was hands free. I could cook with one hand, & happily hold a glass of wine in the other. Priceless.

The colour box now has a permanent place in our truck, it’s worth its weight in gold. Since the camping trip it’s made several recent appearances at the local playground. A word of warning, leave out the texter if you don’t want your child covered in it, texter isn’t the easiest thing to wash off when your camping out in the bush. We got some pretty funny looks while checking out Margaret River on the way home.