Back again!

Opps - as you can see, it's been a very long time between blog posts. Interestingly my lack of posting coincides with my wee boy leaving daycare. However, 2011 is a new year!

I thought I'd do a bit of a me post, since it's been so long. I wanted to talk a bit about me, and Ranzau Photography. Who I am, and who the heck Ranzau is - how do you say that name anyway????

Ok firstly, Ranzau Photography is me - obviously! Ranzau is pronounced ran-zow The name comes from two things. The first is the letters make up a few important things to me RA - my initials, NZ - my homeland, and AU - my adopted homeland. This isn't why I picked the name however.

Way back in my family history there was a Count Rantzau (there used to be a t in the name too) in Germany who funded two brothers Carl & Fedor Kelling to travel to NZ to set up a new life there. There were many others who travelled with them, and they set up a community in Nelson NZ in the late 1800s. Fedor is my great great great grandfather. The area around where they settled in Nelson still bears the name, Ranzau Road, Ranzau School & the old original homestead, still known as Ranzau. So that to me is the main reason for using the name. The idea of two brothers in those times packing up their lives and moving with their families to the other side of the world to search for something more, is something I can relate to today. Matt & I just jumped the ditch, looking for something more, and I think we've found it!

I also wanted to talk a bit about my photography. I'd like to hope that anyone who takes up a hobby or sport or something that they love, understands when I talk about passion. I don't think I've felt it before, but through my photography, I feel more alive. It's like a switch that I didn't know existed has been turned on, and now I just have so much more passion for things. My family, my boys (including my hubby), and my life. Something has also changed as I near the next decade - only 365 more days to go - eek! I want to enjoy life more, embrace it more, take more risks, and have more fun. It might be a mid life crisis, it doesn't feel like a crisis though, it feels great!

Now you are probably thinking, OK great - she has passion and german descendants - whopee! But wait, there's more. A couple of other things you should know about me is that I LOVE gadgets - technology doesn't scare me one. single. bit. I also have some spiritual views and believe what a fabulous spiritual healer once told me about one of my spirit guides being an assistant to Galileo - back in the day, apparently he also loves technology & gadgets & cars, as do I.

Late last year we went looking for a new car. We have one main family car, which is getting a bit tired, and needed to go into semi- retirement. The plan was that I would have the new one, as I do the bulk of the running round, and Matt would have the old family one as a work car - it was a step up for him, trust me! So the search began. Even before we started looking officially, I found the car of my dreams. I wee mini - convertible! I showed Matt, he wasn't convinced - not even a little bit. Anyway, we went off and looked at some other cars - new toyotas etc, but they didn't make my heart sing - not even a little bit. Finally after a few months, the mini was still for sale, and Matt agreed to go and look at it. He took it for a drive and he was hooked (as I knew he would be). Anyway, with one thing or another it took a long time to actually buy her, two long months. But finally at the start of this month, she became mine - meet Mimi the mini.



I don't know if you know, but the great british motoring icon of mini, is now actually made by the German auto powerhouse of BMW - wow, what a combination! My Mimi, is the most fun you can have on four wheels - honestly, she's a blast. And yes, we do fit, and yes, there is room for car seats :) Did I mention too that my grandfather (the Fedor descendant) was part German, and my grandmother - English. So as I am a combination of the two, so are my beautiful wheels. Really - it was fate that we got together, wasn't it.

You may have also noticed a whole new look on this blog. Late last year I had all my branding re-done, and again as fate would have it, my branding and Mimi are a colour match made in green motoring heaven - ahhhh. So watch this space, there will be new pics of a sign written mini very soon :)

Thank you for reading! I promise to not leave it six months or more, before I return.

X Rhonda