Christmas Time (Part 1)

So this is Christmas and time for family, friends, frivolity!

Christmas Eve started with thoughts of family and friends in Australia about to celebrate Christmas Day. A weird feeling doing things nearly a full day behind. So a relaxed start and with beautiful weather walked around the city streets with last minute bargains and shoppers completing their final tasks. Wandering around admiring the mayhem that I wasn’t apart of this year was interesting. Well obviously a part of as I was out with the hoards, though had sent my presents home a while ago, so now relaxed and able to enjoy the season. The cathedral had a choral concert which was lovely to hear so many voices as the sound reverberated around the hall.

Merry Christmas!

Well the day is here and full of cheer. Family and friends come together to share laughter. Well even if a distance away thoughts never go astray. Every family is different and friendships varied though we all choose who to share our time with.

So whilst I'm spending this Christmas with new friends, here is my gift to everyone of my family and friends around the world that I can't be physically with this year.

Much peace, love, happiness and joy :)

Christmas around Vancouver

T'was the night before Christmas and not a creature was stirring not even a ...

gingerbread person!

Another day of Snow!

A beautifully white and bright day with sleigh rides, Santa, hot chocolate and other wintry delights. OK so it wasn't in Vancouver per say, though extremely near by in the mountains. Grouse Mountain to be exact.

Winter Solstice

Well the 21st December brought the Winter Solstice to town. So that means the daylight hours will start increasing and getting warmer?! A day maybe not always celebrated, though I had festivity galore here in Vancouver, Canada. There were different venues around town hosting an evening of visual delight.


The Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre, Yaletown was one site for the 16th Annual Lantern Festival. You could have dropped in through the week prior to help create lanterns which were then paraded at 6pm to finish at one of the venues and thus start the evenings activities.
Once inside the area was buzzing. Each room was thematically driven with lanterns, decorations, musicians, dancers and crowds just to catch a glimpse of the wonders that went into making this a special occasion.

Christmas Street Parade

So what would any celebration be like without the community coming together to celebrate in unison. The more people, the bigger the event, the larger the celebration, more enjoyment to be had. So what better place to see than Vancouver's community come to watch a street parade and share the joy of Christmas. From community services, to local groups, larger corporations and of course the olympic spirit all combining to give and share their excitement for the season. Many floats, numerous horses and even more walkers, the streets were closed to traffic, though why complain when the event brings so many together. Collect your cup of hot chocolate, find a gap and enjoy the view!

So with flags galore,

Happy Holidays!

Many are now on holidays, or soon will be. So here is a Holiday greeting for you all! Particularly for those south of the equator :) I hope that you enjoy reading and viewing my posts as much as I enjoy putting them together!

Help-portrait photos complete

Spent time handing photos back to the people who came on Saturday. On the whole happy and smiley faces, positive about the results of their photos. Excited to hang the photo on wall, give to girlfriend, send to mother, or just to have an image of themselves. Some of the results were amazing. The difference between how they entered the room, to what the photographer brought out in them, to the final black and white image was fabulous.

It is disappointing that you can’t please everyone all of the time. What would life be without problems and looking for what is wrong, or going to go wrong, or who will rip me off / use me today? Though some people just wanted to hear you say they looked great, not something that is said enough. Complements, gratitude not always given.

So a conclusion to a fabulous event, and as have said before would definitely love to be involved again. Thankyou and congratulations to all that gave their skills to an event somewhere in the world. And to those who came and had a photo taken, hope you enjoy the memory.

Let it Snow!

Now Vancouver is known for rain in the winter, not really for snow. So when it came this weekend I was rather excited. It started just rather light with the flecks disappearing soon after landing, though as the day progressed ground cover was actually achieved. So for two days there was white across the city and then the rain came and all over… till next time? Yes, I’m still holding out that it will occur again come Christmas. The two winter Christmas’ I’ve had has included snow, so would like it to be a trifecta!

Help-Portrait (East Vancouver) Shoot Day

Help-Portrait is a new initiative that has captured the world in a relatively short time. It seeks to be an annual event on 12 December. The concept is relatively easy ... find someone, take their photo, get it printed and give it to them! It involves photographers donating their time and skills to take photos/portraits of people who would normally be unable to afford the opportunity.

There were three venues in Vancouver alone where photographers had jumped on board and organised an event. I will certainly be finding other locations around the world, depending on where I am, so that I can be involved again, even to assist with people coming in the door.