'Snow Glow' by Jenny Karlsson

Photo credit: Jenny Karlsson on Flickr

So yesterday we finally had some snow. At about 5pm it fell for all of about 15 minutes but it was a proper mini blizzard and it even settled on the ground for while. As predicted my son was super excited and I couldn't drag him away from the window. He was annoyed I wouldn't let him go outside and also questioned whether snow meant Father Christmas was coming. But it's all gone now and no more is forecast. I am therefore hoping an early spring is round the corner but I have a feeling my hopes will be dashed.

This is a stunning snowy photo and it doesn't actually make me feel cold. That beautiful sunlight looks almost summery. In fact if the picture hadn't been called 'Snow Glow' I would have questioned whether that was actually a sandy beach.

Happy weekend everyone. Enjoy the snow... if you have it!

'Untitled' by Gabriella Totyik

Photo credit: Gabriella Totyik on Flickr

Tomorrow is a big day. I am getting my very first pair of glasses. Last week I admitted to myself that my eyes are not as young as they used to be and decided to have an eye test. Turns out I have very healthy eyes and excellent long distance vision but I could do with some reading glasses. Instead of feeling all down about getting older and my body not being what it used to be I am actually quite excited. I'm still not sure if glasses actually suit me but I don't need to wear them all the time so it doesn't really matter. I am hoping they might make me feel a little bit sophisticated. Intellectual even. I might chew one of the arms when I need to consider something deeply. I will let you know how I get on!

I plan to take a photo of my new eye wear but in the mean time here is a spectacle based photograph which is really lovely. I love the colour and tones and it is a really calm photo. What interests me the most though is the fact that the glasses are facing the window and the tulips are leaning that way too. It's almost like they are looking at something particularly fascinating outside. I wonder if the objects were purposely positioned like that or it was a happy accident. Either way it is a really great photo.

'Weekend Tulip' by ecki

Photo credit: ecki on Flickr

My weekend was rather lovely. Hubby was back after a week away with work so we had a great big snuggly family lie-in yesterday. We also got some things achieved around the house and I managed to make it out for a run. I did 6km which wasn't bad. I want to be back going further but this will have to do for now. But the best bit was spending time on both Saturday and Sunday just hanging out with good friends. I really needed a bit of that. I even managed to find myself relaxing a little bit. Oh how I wish I could be a chilled out person!

This photo makes me wish even harder than I already am for spring. I love tulips and I love bright blue skies. These bold colours are so fantastic and mood-lifting. I want to be taking photos like this myself. I want to stop feeling cold all the time. I want sunshine. I want to stop feeling like the weight of the world is on my shoulders because it really isn't.

I hope you all had a great weekend!

'A cold and frosty morning' by Me

Photo credit: PhotoPuddle on Flickr

I took this photo of the car this morning. It's a shame it's not perfectly in focus but I really wanted to capture those beautiful snowflake shapes of ice. It's been so cold this week but it's not snowed here. Not a single flake. I think it might actually be, as the saying goes, too cold to snow. I'm not that bothered by the lack of snow as after the initial excitement has warn off it's just a right pain in the bum. But I would love to see what my two year old makes of it. It has snowed in his lifetime but he would have been too tiny to remember it now. I think he would love it!

Wishing you a warm and happy weekend.

'High Tops' by Carmine Sirianni

Photo credit: Carmine Sirianni on Flickr

Life is a bit "Stop the world I want to get off" at the moment. Time seems to be flying by and so much seems to be going on. But in another way time is going so slowly. I hate the cold and it feels like spring is still months away. And whilst there are lots of things going on they're things that are making me stressed. There doesn't seem to be time for fun things. It just seems to be one thing after another to worry about. Some of it real stuff and some of it things that I'm just making up in my head to worry about. I wish I could remember what being happy and carefree felt like!

So what picture should I post here? I think I will go with this one of some Converse as I love these shoes and I love this picture. Such a simple shot really but I think what makes it specially is the colour tones and I also love the messed up laces. I have actually lost count of all the Convserse shoes I have. I think it might be nine pairs. I had better get them all out soon for a little Converse photoshoot of my own! 

'L and G fairy wings' by cate bruce-low

Photo credit: cate bruce-low on Flickr

Tonight we are expecting a visitor. The Tooth Fairy should be on her way to our house right now. I hope she doesn't get lost as she's never been before. The whole first wobbly tooth affair has been rather bittersweet - well for me anyway. She is joining her friends on the gappy-mouthed stage of their childhood. She is growing up. This is exciting. I can't wait to see what kind of big girl my little little girls turns into. But at the same time I'm sad. My baby is definitely a baby no more. Also there is a shallow part of me worrying that her new teeth won't be as perfect as her old baby ones.

So, inspired by the day's events I went searching for fairy photos. I was rather taken by this one. These children look so engrossed in playing together. I wonder what the game was that required dressing up in fairy costumes. I think it is interesting that the room is relatively plain but to them it could be a magical fairy kingdom. Or perhaps the game didn't involve fairies, they just happened to be in fairy dresses. I also wonder whether something interesting was happening outside or whether they were just playing on the window sill. I love it when a photo makes me ask so many questions.

And oh look it's Friday - so let me just wish you all a happy weekend!

'Winter treats' by Me

Photo credit: PhotoPuddle on Flickr

As well as not blogging recently I've not been taking many photos. Well nothing specifically arty anyway, I do of course have a few zillion of my kids etc sitting on my phone and camera. I have therefore been going through what I have taken to try and find something suitably blog worthy. I like this one. I think I took it about a week before Christmas in a garden centre cafe. I think garden centres are such a brilliant place to visit at Christmas time. They are so festive and usually there is a Santa's Grotto or a few Christmas activities for the kids. This picture could have been set out better but it's not bad for a quick snapshot. And this carrot cake was delicious but huge! I'm not sure if I was even able to finish it which for me is saying something. I shall get taking new photos soon!

'Buen lugar para estar de paso' by Ignorant Walking

Photo credit: Ignorant Walking on Flickr

I've been feeling really down this week as I've been too injured to run. It's amazing how much it means to me now. I missed my weekly Parkrun yesterday which made me sad but I did take myself out for a very short and slow run this morning which perked me up a little bit. Hopefully by next weekend I will be able to run further and for longer. Keep your fingers crossed for me. In the mean time I thought it would be a good idea to document here what I have achieved during my blogging break. Between September and December I was doing an organised run pretty much every weekend whether it be a race or just a Saturday morning Parkrun. I did an 8k race and a 10k race but what I was most proud of was the half marathon I completed. And it was a tough one. It was a unseasonably hot and sunny day and the the hills. Oh the hills. Still it didn't put me off, I am doing another half marathon in March. Just need to be running properly again soon so I can start training!

I shouldn't really have posted this gorgeous photo as it is just making me jealous! What a beautiful place and time of day for a run. I love all the silhouettes. And what keeps making me chuckle is that at first glance I always think that trees on the left of the photo are that person's big and crazy hair.

Hope you all had a lovely weekend!

'Timmy's is 50..." by Lú_

Photo credit: Lú_ on Flickr

So did you make any New Year's resolutions? Unlike the past couple of years I haven't really. I am trying to eat more healthily though but that was something I planned on doing anyway, I just knew it wasn't going to happen over the Christmas period. This got me thinking. I think many new year's resolutions are actually just post Christmas resolutions. For example healthy eating because you have pigged out all through December, doing more exercise as you've just been sitting on the sofa hibernating from the cold weather, being better with money because you've been spending too much on presents and giving up alcohol because you fear for your liver after all those Christmas parties. I wonder if New Year was at a different time of year it would make any difference to what people plan on achieving.

To accompany this post I wanted a photo of something scrummy but naughty. I think this hits the spot. Just look at the shine on that doughnut! Plus it's from Canadian coffee and doughnut shop Tim Hortons which brings back lots of happy memories of my time there.

A belated Happy New Year to you all x x x

'Little Boy at Nymans' by Me

Photo credit: PhotoPuddle on Flickr

Hello again! Did you miss me? I think it is fair to say that 2014 wasn't a great year for blogging. Or photography for that matter. There are a few reasons for this. I have been incredibly stressed out by building work on our house and haven't felt like writing happy posts and looking for pretty pictures. I lost my way with photography after I realised I was never going to be a professional photographer. And also I found a new hobby - running - and all my energy got caught up in that.

So what's changed? Well I have realised I miss my little blog. I miss this space which is pretty much a happy and smiley place. I miss photography too. Just because I am not going to do it for a living ever doesn't mean I can't try to take nice pictures for my own, and hopefully your, pleasure. And finally I hurt myself this week. A stupid injury in a soft play centre. I am just bruised and I think I am healing fairly quickly but it means I won't be able to run for a little bit. This is so annoying as I love it so much. I just want to put my trainers on and get out there. I guess I should be grateful that if I have to miss a week or so of running it's a week when the weather is horrendous! Anyway, it has made me realise that I shouldn't put all my eggs in one basket. I can have more than one hobby. It's not like blogging is cheating on running! Plus it gives me another place to try and not be too much of a running bore.

Here's a photo from summer which I never got around to sharing here. It's of my son at Nymans in West Sussex. I haven't actually got much to say about it other than I really like it and I like that it reminds me of warmer and sunnier times! I hope spring isn't too far away.