opening my eyes...

Sometimes the ordinary day to day stuff is just there in the background and you don't really appreciate it when it's there all the time...

One day recently; on a grey and drizzly day I looked out of my window at work. It was so rainy but there was a little bit of sun peeking through and I switched the settings on the camera to manual to capture the blur...



If you look hard enough, I mean really hard enough, the loveliness is there where-ever you are...

yesterday's parcel...

Remember when I said there was a parcel waiting for me yesterday?... Well I got home sooo excited, so much so, that I never even bothered to take a photo of the parcel waiting to be opened because I just couldn't wait!!

So...please forgive my very hastily taken iphone photos but here is my reveal... A new lens, *swoon* ...my first ever L lens. Canon EF 70-200mmL USM
Now I know this probably doesn't mean much to those of you who aren't geeky about photography and camera accessories and it doesn't look especially pretty in the way of other parcels but... oh my heart skipped a beat when I opened the box...


*Advance warning*...Expect a whole load of photos once I finally get to give this lovely a workout this weekend!

things...

It's bit of a blah day today - possibly something to do with being at work when the sun is shining and I want to go outside! (I'm actually doing this in my lunch break lol!).

So here are some things that are cheering me up at the moment...
* I came across this first link earlier in the week and thought how fantastic this could be if only it had become reality...
* Truthfully, I've never been a technology geek but how much do I love my new iphone? A world of possibilities has opened up to me when I'm out and about - yay!

It also has the added benefit that I may actually be able to start catching up with you all... :)
* Which leads me onto the next thing... how brilliant are Apps? Though I'm having to reign myself in a little. My favourites are all the photography ones obviously!!

* The fact that although we're just into September we still have some lovely light in the evenings and can pretend to hold onto Summer for as long as possible...

* That I've had a text today telling me that a parcel has arrived at home yay! I'll reveal what it is tomorrow...

part two...

Remember on this post when I explained how I was doing a photo collaboration with Catherine? Well this was part two!

This time it was my turn to choose the theme and I chose the word Harmony. Catherine sent me such a beautiful package and for her; when she thought about the word Harmony, all she kept coming back to was Summer.


Everything about Summer just feels right for her and she sent these photos of the most fantastic strawberries to express that feeling.Even in wintertime the strawberries are a reminder of summer and harmony...


Catherine also sent me the most lovely tea, which is a flower bud. I've been saving it until I could appreciate it fully, in a lovely relaxed manner and I have a 3 day weekend coming up yay! so am going to try it then!

Thanks Catherine! Head over to her blog to see what I sent....

catching up...

It feels as if I've had 1001 things to do lately and none of them very interesting; just you know - stuff that needs doing and sorting but I think I'm finally catching up with myself!

Somehow in amongst being busy, I hadn't realised how long the nights are getting and took this after I'd been out for a meal with some girlfriends and realised I still had my 365 photo to do for that day! Oh and the title is from an old Cure song that I just happened to have in my head and it just seemed to fit somehow...

ordinary magic...

This weekend I've had a fascination with ordinary magic. Just the kind you get from seeing the ordinary things around you in a different light. I swear I could take photos all day long and nothing could make me happier...




I've also been playing this cd endlessly and it's got inside my head. Go check out the link and see what I mean. I also love the video that she has on her site with the sea and the birds - just perfect...

smitten by hearts...

This week I've been smitten by hearts which started when my new shed arrived and I found a little heart inside. Today I've been playing with paper hearts, though I'm not sure what my neighbour thought as I was pegging them on the clothes line!



I hope you've all had a lovely weekend - whatever you've been up to!

busy, busy...

This past week, I feel like I've been so busy that I might meet myself coming in the opposite direction - that's what happens when you take some holiday from work...

* Got my hair cut **
* Attended a 90th birthday party
* Cooked and ate scallops for the first time
* Painted a room
* Painted a floor
* Weeded 2 beds in my garden
* Ordered some seeds
* Painted a garden fence
* Finally took my library books back
* Which meant a fine £6.07 -ouch!

Really -It's less hard work being at at work lol!
** It's difficult to tell in this photo how long my hair was but it fell a few inches past my shoulders and now it's a jaw length bob.

eggy delights...

It's amazing how much fun can be had with some eggs, a glass and a pink carrier bag! Hope you all had a lovely Easter!

38 things to do before i turn 39...

Today is my birthday and in the tradition of many before me, I thought a list was in order...

38 things to do before I turn 39...
* do the 365 project again (starting today!)
* dance until dawn
* have a spend free month
* organise a swap
* learn to drive, (I know, I've got to this age without learning!)
* keep an inspiration journal
* get to grips with photoshop
* buy vintage
* say yes to all opportunities
* write a snail mail letter a month
* make an item of clothing
* shoot some film
* make a quilt
* travel somewhere new
* shoot a wedding
* do a photographic collaboration (anyone fancy doing this-let me know!)
* try a new recipe a month
* make a cutting garden
* do something unexpected
* take a midnight walk
* watch the sunrise at the beach
* have an indulgent weekend at home
* sort out some playlists for my ipod
* give something away
* get another tattoo
* experiment with night time photography
* do a mini detox
* have a picnic on a beach
* enter a photography competition
* visit a museum
* go to a gig
* learn to meditate
* finally get around to reading Anna Karenina
* take part in something global
* do a month of daily blogging
* learn something new
* send a postcard to postsecret
* plant a tree

earth hour...

This Saturday, I'll be switching off at 8.30pm to support Earth Hour. Last year it was fantastic looking at some of the photos and videos of major institutions all around the world switching off their lights...



Click on the link and see what it's all about...

Spring Zing...

I'm getting carried away with the fact that Spring is upon us. Just have a little more light is so lovely, even if the sun is not exactly shining but still...


Now is the time when I'm starting to think of sorting through my photos and organising them - when really, all I want to do is stick them on the wall with Japanese masking tape!

dreaming of flying...

I'm currently obsessing about birds - especially if they're in full flight just freewheeling - or in trees silhouetted against a cloudy sky.

I think this is mainly because I'm still having a little trouble with my back and can't exercise yet. I'm longing to go for a run or jump about and birds in flight just seem to be the ultimate in freedom - something to do with all that swooping about...

bits of the weekend...

It's been a quiet one this weekend as I'm still taking it easy but there have been some lovely things...

:: Enjoying a glimmer of sunshine which makes me think that Spring will be here soon.
:: I came across this site 500 pencils which looks amazing. Check out the storage 'swoon'.
:: Looking at this site and deciding what seeds to grow.
:: Deciding what to cook first from A Homemade Life and yes I have read it from cover to cover!

keep calm...

I've been looking for some new art and came across this brilliant print from this shop on Etsy and just had to indulge. As I love to take photos and I love typography this was just perfect. I've ordered it in dolphin grey colour and can't wait until it arrives, even looking at this makes me smile.

Keep calm and snap on, yep that's me!

grey and rainy...

Today is grey, rainy and uninspiring but at least we're at the weekend again! Sometimes it feels as if I have so little time during the week that it passes in a blur but it's always nice to get to this point. The point where you have two whole days stretching in front of you...

Tomorrow I'm off to see this production of The Nutcracker which I'm really looking forward to, especially as it seems to be a contemporary take on the tale.

After that, no plans really, just a little crafting and catching up - I can't wait!
What are you up to this weekend?

new guilty pleasure...

Anyone who reads this blog will know what a huge book lover I am.



One of the things I've always wanted to do, is to keep a list of the books that I read in a year but somehow time, organisation etc etc has meant that I never got around to it. This year one of my resolutions was to try and do this, so imagine my excitment when I came across something on Char's blog that made me whoop with delight. As you can probably see there is now a link on my sidebar, (with pretty pictures!) of the books I've read in 2010. The link takes you to a site called goodreads.

Basically, on the site if you create a free account, you can list all the books you've read, the ones you want to and the ones you're reading at the moment. You can also link up to see what others are reading, join online book clubs on the site, and join discussions. Oh and you can get lovely wigets to add to your blog to show off your bookshelves.

Trust me this site is very addictive, before you know it, you've spent far too long and any guilt is only because I should be doing something else instead of getting sucked into the world of books. But hey, there are worst things - right? Come and join me on the dark side...!

fragments of the weekend...

* a snowy walk in the woods * finding a frozen lake which I really really wanted to walk on but didn't * teatime with cake and magazines * realising my roses had faded but still liking how they looked * a brunch with the Sunday papers * a little creative planning...

This is pretty much how it went... how was your weekend?

finding a balance...

I've been thinking about New Year Resolutions and goals and after much thought - it really is pretty simple. What I'm aiming for this year is 'balance'.



In a nutshell, balance between the things I have to do, - work, commute, eat, etc etc and the things I want to do - make, play, wish, grow - with maybe a happy overlap between the two.



Not much to ask really - I'll work on the fine tuning as I go along...

back to the real world...

So - the snow finally thawed enough to be able to get out of the village. That meant back to work and into the real world and you know what, a teeny bit of myself was wishing for that lovely snow again. Wishing for that slightly unreal existence that meant trudging knee deep in snow like some Artic explorer just to get to the shop or take the dog out. Or baking bread on an afternoon, or lounging around reading magazines as if it were a Sunday afternoon.


Or drinking tea complete with chocolate biscuits and just sitting and reading and not keeping track of the days or hours. It was like being on holiday but different because there was this lovely feeling of not actually having to do anything because the roads were so bad and you couldn't get out and about.


I'm sure I would have gone stir crazy if the weather had continued but it felt a little bit like hibernation which was no bad thing at the beginning of a New Year. Time to step back after the craziness of Christmas and think about the year ahead. As to the New Year Resolutions, I'm still pondering...