Make time for the things that make you happy...

The title is another reminder to myself, not a necessarily a suggestion for those who read this blog-post. Seems that this daily blah to potentially 'the world' is actually extremely introspective for this author. Someone whose overactive internal dialogue is often the only thing that holds her back from doing stuff.
Apologies if it take some time to get to the point of this post. The roundabout journey still has a way to go.
It has been some time since I have taken a new photo that actually pleased me on a visual level, mainly because I have not made time to actually go and find or make a photo. That's OK in terms of my blog, because it was never meant to be just about the photo anyway. But in terms of improving a skill I would like to be good at, kinda important to get in the practice.
The weekend weather forecast for clear skies had encouraged me make plans to revisit the car trip I took when I went horse-riding with the girls from work. I commented at the time that there were many shoot-worthy stops along the way that I would like to see in the early morning light, and I had meant to get up early one day in the holidays to have a play. I did not.
Last night however,  the forecast was for cloudy in Auckland, so I let myself sleep past the time I would have needed to get up to enable be to be there for said morning light. But as fate would have it, the morning was as clear as a bell.
So instead I visited a location I pass several times a week - and one I have never stopped at before. It's literally a minute down the road. The artificial ponds here in Wattle Downs, the home of recreational mini boat racers of both the speed and sail kind. Home also to a few if those pesky ducks, some geese and some swans.
I have always made an excuse why I cannot stop when I see them (the boat racers)  there, but today I actually made it a destination, intending to see what the water looked like at 8am.
I did not anticipate that there would actually be racing going on, or that the residents of the feathered kind would also put on a wonderful display for me.
I intend to share some of the shots I took over the next week, as opposed to forcing myself to post a photo taken on the actual day.
So here's the first one. A pair of serene swans. They were so lovely to shoot. Click to make it bigger - it is lovelier, I think, in full view. Look out for some 'ugly duckling' photos (and some boat racing ones) in the future.
Happy girl, out.