The photo today is of a detail from a Georgian house in Bath.

I was awake early this morning and read for about an hour. Kate is doing "To kill a mockingbird" at school next term and I thought I'd re-read it so we could talk about it. I'm enjoying it so much I'm wondering if I really have read it before or have I just ASSUMED I have because it's a classic and I've read most classic novels!! Of course I have also seen the film but the the writing is just amazing. I'm loving it.

After an early morning visit to Tesco I've been cleaning the house, making soup and doing a bit of gardening.

The weather is gloomy and matches my mood. I'm sad and worried. K is very, very sick.

We got home from our holiday yesterday afternoon on my birthday (I'm now 47...how can this be? Inside I'm still 33...my favourite age ever.....although I think I look 57 LOL) In the evening Phil and I went to an evening wedding reception - as guests not as photographers which felt WEIRD!! I did enjoy it.

We had a great trip and I loved spending time with my inlaws but I missed Phil and the cats and my HOME! Next week I'm on "staycation" and I'm looking forward to that too.

I have a load of washing to do and get dry and it's bloody RAINING!! Plus photos to edit and quotes to prefer, gardening to do ....oh such a TON of STUFF!!

However I have caught up on most of my blog friends but as there were about 90 posts to read I wasn't able to comment much without committing the entire day to it. I missed you all though!

Self portrait...can you see me? :)

I'm off on my holidays for a week, back on August 9th. I won't have internet access while I'm away but will look forward to catching up with everyone's blogs when I return. Have a great week, folks! I'll miss you!!

I am so proud of Phil; he has the cover photo on Country Life Magazine (see above!) and lots of photos in an article inside...only problem is the called him PAUL in the credit for the cover!!



It's been a funny day. As it's Orange Wednesday 9 two cinema tickets for the price of one!) I decided to take the girls and a friend to see "Angus, things and perfect snogging". Kate read all the books by Louise Rennison that the film is based on and I think we all really enjoyed it.

I love having the girls off but I hate their bickering. And it's constant; like a nasty undercurrant to everything we do. It's wearing me down and it's only the second week of the holidays...

On a brighter note, I heard from A yesterday, and the couple whose wedding we photographed on 12th July sent him a lovely email saying nice things about us, plus they loved their photos. You can imagine how happy that made me!

"Lighten our darkness, Lord, we pray,
and in your great mercy
defend us from all perils and dangers of this night"

I saw these lanterns in church and took a quick photo. When I came to edit it, I darkened the background and those words came into my head. I have always found them extremely comforting...

It's been hot (for England!) the last couple of days. This morning I went to aerobics and ended up literally dripping! Then a bit of shopping, Tesco and home - it was cooler indoors. The cats were finding the heat a bit too much; I kept finding them stretched out under bushes or on our granite worksurface. I'm actually missing our old ceramic tiles in the kitchen which stayed lovely and cold on hot days.

Work tommorrow and Friday, then from Saturday I'm ON HOLIDAY for two weeks. I am loving not working so many hours. I'm enjoying not rushing round like a maniac but actually having time to catch up on stuff I've been needing to do for ages.

Bedtime...but I'm finding it TOO HOT to sleep! LOL...only a few days ago I was complaining about our chilly summer. Never happy, that's us Brits!

Silver service..

Today's photo is a silver teaset I inherited from my mum. I never use it for tea and I hadn't polished it for so long it looked like brass it was so tarnished. However, i made the effort the other day and cleaned it and then recorded it for posterity!

Another Saturday, another lovely day assisting A at a wedding. Another fantastic couple! The bride's family were very friendly; I had a feeling I was going to enjoy the day when the bride's dad kissed me when we met! The weather was beautiful and the day went fairly smoothly.

Phil is home from spain and it's great to have him back I actually woke the poor guy up early this morning so we could talk. We took our coffee and toast out onto the deck to enjoy the morning and catching up on each other's news. It was one of those really perfect times when you feel that life is truly good...

Dianne from Forks off the Moment gave me these two lovely awards...



One is for making her smile
One is for not keeping my comments to myself. Thank you Dianne!!

I am going to pass this on to two very special blogfriends, whose comments and blogs always make me smile AND feel that the world is a richer place because they are in it...

Kerri from A little piece of me - Kerri always amazes me with the beauty of her nature photos and the inspiring quotes she finds to go with them

and

Sue - photowannabe - Sue also takes wonderful photos and she just radiates warmth and good will to everyone.

Thank you, ladies!

I am also very happy tonight because a brilliantly talented photographer/special person has returned to Blogland after quite a long absence.
Faye, WELCOME BACK!!! I missed you!

Oh happy, happy day...Sian has decided she likes IRONING. Although she finished early as it has actually been quite hot today (not sunny but "close"). We were watching "Zorro" and I took the second photo at an exciting moment when she just had to stop ironing and concentrate on what was going on in the film....

The sleepover went well, I made cookies (artisbliss gave me the recipe years ago and it's still loved greatly!) and pancakes all round for breakfast. We're all tired and I have work tomorrow so it's early nights for us tonight.

Today's photos are of my alliums.I photographed them in full bloom and now they are seedheads but still beautiful, I think!

I feel as if I've been really busy today yet don't have a great deal to show for it!!

I have had the urge to de-clutter and this morning tackled the infamous "kitchen drawer" - you know, the one where everyone chucks items when they can't think of anywhere else to chuck them. I think every house has one! My parents had a sideboard and the top drawer was a repository for all sorts of "stuff". It was lined with green baize and had a particular smell...I found it fascinating and loved rooting through it whenever I could.

The last time I cleared out our particular junk drawer, I filled a plastic bag with weird things that no-one would admit to owning. I put it in the garage for six months and then threw it in the bin!

So far I've cleared out my make up collection and my handbags as well as the kitchen drawer and a couple of cupboards. I'm on a roll....

Yesterday I went to see "Sex & the City" on my own. I had a great time. I absolutely loved the film. I laughed and I had tears in my eyes. Kate asked me if I'd minded being on my own. I actually LIKE going to the cinema on my own sometimes. yes, it would have been nice to go with a fellow S&TC fan, but as none of my friends have really followed the series, it was fine being on my own. I don't mind eating in restaurants alone either. Sometimes it's very liberating to be just you, by yourself, from choice.

The girls have friends round for a sleepover tonight; they have taken over the sitting room and I'm exiled to my bedroom or the study!

Project Black - the end!

I think sunglasses can really enhance the appearance if chosen well. This guy looks incredibly cool with a nice touch of mystery thrown in!

Phil has left for Spain this morning. He'll be back on Friday and that's his travelling for the commission over and done with. I am (as Anne Shirley would say) "considerably rumpled up in spirit". I have a possible wedding booking coming up soon but Phil can't come with me as it is Everton's first match of the season, so I will have to do it alone. To say I'm terrified is an understatement. I already said yes before I realised Phil wouldn't be there so I can't back out now. I had hoped to build up to doing weddings on my own in time but not as soon as this...! Sian said to me this morning that if I can do this one on my own it will be a huge step forward for me and she'd right but........I'm SCARED!!

It's been a nice day for the first day of the school holidays. Sian and I went to aerobics, then wandered around Chester a little. This afternoon I made brownies and did some gardening. This evening I'm thinking of taking myself off to the cinema to see the "Sex and the City" movie.

Project Black - check out Anna's blog to find out all about it!

Oh the happiness that is a new pair of shoes! And when you're thirteen and just got your first really high heels - well, you just need to walk around and show them off!

I'm quite glad this week is nearly over. I am counting the minutes until Phil returns. The bad weather is getting me down too. At the moment I'm sitting at my desk in jeans, wool socks and a hooded sweatshirt - it doesn't feel, or look, like July!

Project Black from Anna Carson - take FIVE.

Well, I'm officially on strike today but it's been fortuitous as I went into school with Sian to try to sort out the bullying issue. I hope we have all reached an agreement on how to tackle the problem and Sian will be back in school tomorrow for the last day of term. I am so proud of how Sian has handled herself over this. Although she's been upset and scared she's still showed courage and maturity. Thanks to those of you who have offered us support!!

After that, Sian and I went to Frodsham market. It's a horrible, wet day. We had breakfast in a cafe and then wandered around the stalls. Sian got shoes, wellies and two beautiful tops. I didn't buy anything!

I noticed this sign and thought how great it would be for Project Black. It was hard to exclude wires etc. Especially as Sian overheard two women complaining about me taking the picture. Apparently they were worried I was going to photograph THEM! Why is it that if you use a DSLR people get very anxious and suspicious? There was a story in the British press the other day about a father branded a pervert by angry onlookers at a bouncy castle - for taking photos of his OWN children! Other parents acused him of being a paedophile intent on posting pornographic shots of children on the internet. Even when he showed people that the photos only featured his own kids (his wife was also present!) he was asked to leave the area. I think we are all getting too paranoid around the issue of photography in public places. Not everyone with a camera is a pervert or a terrorist!!

Project Black 4 from Anna's Blog!

Today has been so busy it's flown by! Here are my latest sunglasses; very cheap ones from Primark! I love sunglasses but am always losing them so now I buy cheap ones - I never really recovered from losing a very expensive pair when I was in my twenties!

Well done to those of you who guessed the lady on the mug was my literary idol, Jane Austen!

Work was really hectic and I was exhausted when I got home. Yesterday Sian was pinched, pushed and kicked in the corridor at school by two older pupils. When I heard what had happened I got in touch with the school and was assured it would be dealt with.

Today I find that whilst two teachers have been sympathetic and gave Sian an early lunch pass, another one basically interrogated her about the incident, asked her to show her bruises in order to "prove" she'd been hurt and seemed to be implying that Sian either provoked the incident, made it up or was in fact the aggressor. Today Sian was called a snitch and worse by these girls, and is too worried to go to school tomorrow.

I feel despairing. It's hard to take a stand against bullies as you always suffer a backlash for "telling". I would expect teaching staff to be at least impartial.

Project Black 3 - my favourite mug! Click to visit Anna's blog and find out about Project Black!

Can anyone tell me who is the person featured on my mug?

I filled up my car earlier and it cost me just over £60. This is really quite frightening! I am resolving to use my car less and less as well as try to be much more frugal in general. The cost of living is really going up and I'm quite concerned about our fuel bills already.

Frugality in itself is no bad thing. I have felt uneasy for some time about the "spend spend spend" society we live in, and I've been pretty care-free about buying stuff myself. I can see that in my future I'm going to be thinking a lot harder before buying anything that isn't absolutely necessary.

Project Black 2

I love this contemplative statue in its niche on a Liverpool waterfront building....

It has been a very exciting weekend. Yesterday I did another "solo" wedding, supported and assisted by Phil. It was a very long day - we set off at nine and returned home close to 11 that night! It didn't rain this time but the lighting conditions were challenging...brilliant sunshine one minute, heavy cloud the next. The couple were great and the locations gorgeous. We had a few problems and not everything went smoothly but A has already seen the photos and he's happy. He thinks there is an improvement from the last one which is encouraging :) I'm literally walking a few inches off the ground I'm so happy!! I have another booking - I guess I am a wedding photographer now :)

Phil has left for another week away - Scotland this time. It was great to spend the whole of yesterday working. I'm going to miss him..

During the ceremony yesterday the groom's sister read out this passage by Louis de Bernieres. Both Phil and I really liked it and found it meaningful.

Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just being in love which any of us can convince ourselves we are. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. Your mother and I had it, we had roots that grew towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossom had fallen from our branches we found that we were one tree and not two.

Project Black Take One!

Anna's photography projects are a lot of fun! Check out the details over on her blog

Here's my first photo - a very shiny car tyre!

I'm missing Phil loads and can't wait to see him tomorrow night!

Do I dare
Disturb the universe?
In a minute there is time
For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse.
For I have known them all already, known them all:—
Have known the evenings, mornings, afternoons,
I have measured out my life with coffee spoons;
I know the voices dying with a dying fall
Beneath the music from a farther room.
So how should I presume?

From "The love song of J Alfred Prufrock" by T.S. Eliot.

I was looking through some photos when I saw this one . When I took it, I was thinking of these lines. The part about the coffee spoons has always struck me as very poignant and very true. So much of life is "small". It slips by almost without us noticing it. I spend so much time looking forward to my days off. It's not that I don't enjoy my job, I do, but I'd rather not be at work. When I think about it, I'm wasting 3.5 days of my life EVERY WEEK just wanting them to be over. And when the days off come along, I spend most of them in coffee spoon moments doing routine chores!

This year has been a series of challenges as I've tried to make changes in my life and my attitude to it. I keep forgetting to live in the moment! I have a great job, and wonderful colleagues. A lot of my best moments have been at work. I need to remember that more.

I feel like I've been driving all day. Kate missed her bus this morning so I had to drive her to work, then double back on myself to get Sian to her orthodontist appointment. Then back into Frodsham to return her to school. Home for a little while, then I picked up Shirley and we went to RDA. Back to Helsby, dropped off Shirley, home to collect supposedly (according to Kate!) overweight Basil for his annual boosters and health check.

Well, it's official, Basil is NOT overweight BUT the vet does not want him to gain any more weight. i'm not sure exactly how I'm meant to ensure that doesn't happen!!

I am missing Phil a lot. I had a nightmare last night and it was horrible being alone when I woke up. Not that Phil is sympathetic (!!!) but at least he is there! Except when he isn't...

Sleeping owl...

Had a great day out with my friend A from the Photographer's Corner.
And her lovely daughter I aged three. We went to Blakemere Craft Centre and the Falconry Centre as well. We saw a very interesting flying display and learned an awful lot about owls. I was quite sad to learn that owls really aren't wise at all; in fact they are quite stupid! Also that many owls aren't nocturnal at all. I think the owl above probably is as he was fast asleep all the time I was there!


Snowy...
We had a good wander around the craft shops and had lunch and coffee too. The hours just fly by when I'm with A; we always seem to have loads to talk about and I still manage to come away thinking "Oh I wish I'd asked her about that" or "told her about this..."!

I found a beautiful shop selling Thai crafts and bought a beautiful jade-green laughing buddha for my collection; he now lives in the dining room which has a green theme. Phil will go mad; he said "No more buddhas" but my laughing buddhas have come to mean a lot to me this year...I can't really describe why.

This little barn owl was very cute. All the birds flew so low over our heads we were hit by the trailing leathers on their feet! The barn owl was very chatty; talking to us all the whole time.



This female Harris Hawk was called Brandy. Apparently Harris Hawks are the only hawks who will work in packs without tearing one another apart!

It's been a really busy day - I made strawberry jam this morning using Picperfic's recipe below:

500 grammes Strawberries, hulled and mashed with a potato masher. Add juice of one and half lemons, and one and a half cups of suger, mix and put in microwave on high for 4 min. Stir and then cook on high for 15-20 mins (I found 20 mins was needed). Time to do a few rounds of sock knitting maybe? Half fill a couple of small jam jars with water and microwave for 3-4 mins to sterilise them. Fill the jars with the jam.

The only difference was I didn't mash the strawberries as I like some whole-ish ones in my jam. It worked out really well, thanks Marianne!

I am doing another wedding this weekend; you'd think I'd be less scared after the last one but no, I'm just as terrified! Still, I'm going to try NOT to think about it tomorrow but enjoy another day off and the last RDA before the summer holidays. I would like to get to the point when I'm just nervous enough to have an "edge", not stricken with terror for the two weeks proceeding each one!

What a cow!

It's been a busy few days. We have been short-staffed at work all week and on Saturday morning the summer Reading Challenge started. I was working Saturday morning and it passed in a blur as eager children signed themselves up for a summer of reading and library visiting! I have also been going into schools to promote the chalenge and will continue to do this until the end of term.

Friday night Phil came home from work exhausted and depressed after a stressful week. We ended up going out with our cameras but there was nothing much to photograph. We walked through a field of very curious cows and I took this photo...quite different from photographing brides!!

Saturday night was Sian's birthday sleepover and today was spent recovering and getting Phil ready for his week in Lancashire. I'm going to miss him!

I am feeling a bit more positive and having a long chat with J tonight helps. She really does understand how I feel and knowing that is a comfort.

My work hours are all swapped around this week - very confusing!! Wednesday is the last RDA before the summer break and after this week is over it's not long until the schools break up. I don't work as many hours during the school holidays (I take back some of the time owed me) and I'm looking forward to a bit of a break.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Sian!
Sian was 13 yesterday. Where have the years gone? Sian was born in the middle of a heatwave. She wore only a vest for the first six weeks of her life. What a contrast to the weather we are having now...wet!

This is the cake I made her. I couldn't eat any because of my wheat intolerance but apparently it tasted good. Phil's parents came round for a roast dinner.



Here is Basil on the garage door. I've not seen him be this adventurous before, bless him.

Yesterday evening A phoned with some great news...our wedding clients were "ecstatic" about the photos we took. This is the only review that really counts. I was hoping I would not let them down...they are such a great couple. I'm honoured we were part of their wedding and so happy we have done a good job for them!

Several people have mentioned hormones in connection with my low mood. You are probably right!! After the big crash I'm climbing back into the light...

Thank you all from the heart for your kind comments yesterday! I wish I knew why these waves of unhappiness and lack of confidence arrive almost without warning. I can't stop them but I hold onto the knowledge that they won't last and that eventually I'll feel better. I'm starting to feel a little better now! Your kind words mean so much to me.

And thanks to dear J, who is always such a help :)

I'm so tired of being me.

The reds...and the blues.


I was at Anfield yesterday, home of Liverpool Football Club. On Merseyside, where I was born, you decide early on if you're a "red" (support Liverpool) or a "blue" and cheer for Everton, the other great football team from Liverpool who play at Goodison Park. The two teams are at opposite sides of Stanley Park although both are in the process of getting themselves new stadia.

My dad was a huge Liverpool fan and I grew up an ardent "red". My first serious boyfriend was also a Liverpool fan and for several years we both had season tickets on the Kop, I will never forget the first time I climbed the steps to the top of the ground and emerged onto the Kop; the sights and sounds took my breath away. I also remember asking my boyfriend in a puzzled way why the steps were wet when it wasn't raining!! In all my time on the Kop I was always treated with great courtesy by the male supporters and no-one ever wee'd down my coat - I'd been told this was standard practice at football matches!

When i got married I remember Dad and I waiting alone for the wedding car to take us to church. Dad got hold of my hand and looked at me and his eyes filled - I knew he was going to say something emotional. "Dad, don't make me cry!" I said - thinking of how my mascara would run! "Ok love," he replied and at once turned the conversation to the latest Liverpool performance :)

The thing was though, I married a "blue". Phil supports Everton, as does his dad. In the Liverpool area ours is known as a "mixed marriage". Phil even took me to watch Liverpool once (he liked me more then I suppose!) but after Dad died I was very isolated in my support of the Reds, especially as Kate grew up a true blue.

So, eventually I came to sort of support Everton. To be honest, the Liverpool Football Club of today is not the one I grew up with. Everton is far more like the traditional club of former times and the manager, David Moyes, has integrity and character (and he's friendly too, I've met him!)

It was an emotional day - the ground was empty and the Kop is now all seats (standing areas at football grounds in the UK were abolished after the Hillsborough tragedy)but looking around me I could almost hear the crowd again and feel the excitement. The crowd on the Kop roared and moved and reacted like one body - and the singing was something to hear. I'll never, ever forget it. Yesterday I walked out of the players' entrance, past the sign reading "this is Anfield" with my heart full of memories and my eyes full of tears.

1. At what age do you wish tomarry?
A: I married at 26 and that felt exactly right - still does!

2. If the end was near and you had the chance, what would you say to your beloved?
A: I TOLD YOU THERE WAS SOMETHING WRONG WITH ME!!

3. If sex is a game … would you be good at it?
A: I like to think so :)

4. Where is the place that you want to go the most?
A: New York City...we'd like to show the girls our favourite city.


5. If you could have 1 dream come true, what would it be?
A: A cure for all types of cancer would be found – I’ve lost people very dear to me through it.


6. Do you believe you can survive without money?
A: I could survive on less but could anyone survive without ANY money in today's UK society.

7. What are you most afraid to lose?
A :My family and my cats.


8. If you won £1 million, what would you do?
A: Make sure all my family have enough for their needs, then my friends, then I’d travel the world.


9. If someone broke your hand, what would you do?
A: Go to hospital!!


10. List 3 good points of the person who tagged you.
A: A didn’t tag me she just proferred the baton but I’d say 1. She’s a warm and caring person. 2. She makes me laugh 3. She is very good with words.



11. How would you feel if your parents stopped giving you cash to spend?
A: My parents are sadly deceased.


12. Describe your fantasized-life.
A: I would have enough money to be able help my family and friends financially and travel the world with my family.I would be a professional photographer with a size 8 figure and very long legs (shallow, moi???)


13. What is your ambition?
A: To make a success of wedding photography.


14. What is the one thing that would make you think someone is bad?
A: Anyone who hurts a child is evil and do not deserve to be on this Earth. I loathe cruelty to animals.


15. What are the most important things in your life?
A: My family, friends and my cats.

16. Are you a shopaholic or not?
A: Definitely!


17. If you had the chance, which part of your character would you like to change?
A: I am far too needy.


18. Do you believe in yourself?
A: More than I used to.


19. Honestly, do you think life is fair?
A: On balance probably.


20. Are you an optimist or pessimist?
A: I'm naturally pessimistic but struggle against it!

Blowing bubbles...



I did my first professional wedding with me as chief photographer on Saturday, supported and helped by my wonderful husband! The weather was terrible; it rained almost the entire day but I loved every minute. The couple and their families were lovely; you could not wish for nicer people to work for. The wedding was chock-full of incredibly photogenic people - apart from the bride this gorgeous lady was my favourite subject.

I am on Cloud Nine today as A said my pictures were fine :)

Swing!

A photo from a wedding a week or so ago when it didn't rain all day! Unlike Saturday...

We had a lot of weather this past few days.Friday was sunny, Saturday was chilly and it rained all day - Sunday we had gales and today it's fairly sunny if not very warm. There's certainly plenty of variety.

I'm pottering around tidying the house and doing ironing today. I don't seem to be getting very far - bit of a headless chicken day I think.

A night out with the girls....


When I'm feeling down and lacking in confidence I watch my DVDs of "Sex and the city". For me, the best thing about the series is the relationship between the women. And of course the great New York locations...the shoes and the outfits. Whatever...the combination is a tonic.

And I still have the movie to look forward to...

My Sian is so good; she lets me practice photography techniques on her! Yesterday she kindly sat in the back of my car pretending to be the bride as I tried out different ways of getting the "inside the car" shots!

Sian has been through some difficult times lately but she is very strong...stronger than she realises...and I'm so proud of her!



This is my fabulous new bracelet! On Tuesday my friend and colleague G appeared wearing a beautiful beaded bracelet in shades of orange and peach...I admired it and she offered to make me one in my fave colour. Today she appeared with this custom made work of art...I had to take this quick snap to show you how gorgeous it is - and how talented G is!

Smile!

I mentioned I'd been editing some recent photos. I was going to discard this as I'd forgotten to change to a lower ISO and the result was blown highlights. I had a little fiddle with it, converting to B&W and adding a bit of glow...and liked the result. I think she has the most amazing smile!

I had an accident with some hair removing cream yesterday. I won't say anymore but when I told Phil he laughed harder than I have ever seen him laugh before :( My mum used to say it was cruel to mock the afflicted!!

In my cups...
It's been a very busy few days! Saturday I went to a wedding and on Sunday (Fathers Day) we went over to Liverpool to do some shopping (not Phil's idea, poor man!) However we all got some essentials. In the evening Phil's parents came round for Chinese food.

I spent one evening last week editing photos and updating my website. I still have loads to do. I am so lucky to have built up a reasonable portfolio in the last six months.

Today's photo was (you've guessed it!) from a wedding shoot...I was taking photos of the table settings and somehow got locked in the room on my own. I eventually escaped through a fire door but before that amised myself by taking photos of the stack of crockery in the corner...



Does anyone remember Furbys? Sian's Furby woke up in the middle of last night for the first time in years, giving her a real fright and then chatting to her on and off for the next few hours. I have a bit of a soft spot for Furbies and he's now perched on the printer keeping me company as I type :)

I have just collected my new specs :) I really like them. So far the monovision contact lens are working out ok too. I've also got 4 Growbags to plant my runner and broad beans in later. Time to get going...

The Blissful Artist is getting new glasses...and so am I (see above). I really like them and am looking forward to collecting them.

Now I'm getting older, I've been having problems with my contact lenses. I am shortsigted but as I've aged I've noticed I can read better without my glasses or lenses. With my glasses it's easy; I just look underneath them. Can't do that with my lenses obviously! So i've not been wearing them that much.

My optician suggested I try monovision with my lenses. This idea seemed really strange. Basically, one lens corrects a single eye for distance; the other lens corrects the other eye for close-up vision. The brain sorts out the resulting confusion to give decent vision in all circumstances. You can get bifocal lenses but apparently they are less stable than single vision ones.

So I am test-driving my monovision lenses and so far so good. Who would have believed it???

I have saved my favourite Project Blue photo for last! I wonder what Anna's next project will be??

This is R & A from a recent wedding shoot. It has to have been one of my favourites as it was a combined Hindu/British wedding. It was so much more colourful than I ever hoped for. This is P's evening outfit. Earlier in the day she was wearing deep red with gold accessories. Stunning...but this blue took my breath away.

They are a lovely couple, with wonderful friends and family. I hope they are always as happy as they were when this photo was taken.

Project Blue...our front door :)

I have been tagged by Picperfic

1. What was I doing 10 years ago?
In many ways nothing much has changed; then my girls were five and three...Kate was at school and Sian at playgroup. I was working a 17 hour week (less than now!)I was NOT interested in photography (hard to believe!) I had discovered the joys of the Internet and was developing friendships all over the world via emails, many of which I still enjoy today. My dog Charlie was still alive and walking him was one of my greatest pleasures.

2. Five things on my to-do list for today:

1. Buy tea
2. Reorganise the freezer
3. Get my eyes tested
4. The ironing
5. Water the garden

3.Snacks I enjoy.
Hummus with grapes & carrot sticks, cashew nuts, tortilla chips & salsa.
4. Things I would do if I was a billionaire
Give all my friends, family, neighbours and work colleagues some cash :)
Give a lot to charity (I'd be uncomfortable being too rich!)
Buy horses for me and for Sian
Buy a new house in the country with land and stables for horses.
Travel.

5. Places I have lived
Thingwall
Moreton
Helsby

I'm not going to tag anyone but feel free to do it and if you do, let me know :)

A few years ago our Californian friends Quiet Rage & family visited us. We all made efforts to spruce the house up before they arrived. One of the things i did was invest in some beautiful and expensive blue glazed pots for either side of the front door. I planted them up and thdey looked spectacular!

Until the day I forgot to apply my handbrake fully and the car rolled forward, cracking one pot into pieces. I was really upset. Phil comforted me with the fact I still had one pot left. A few days later (and how I managed this I do not know!) I drove into the remaining pot and broke that, too :( It was too expensive and risky to replace them with identical pots so I bought plastic ones. However, I couldn't bear to just chuck out my lovely pots so I sank them into the soil and grew plants around them...and here is one of them.

I have new pots in the front now; but they are aluminium and unlikely to crack if I once again drive into them.

Happy Project Blue Sunday, everyone.

One of the flowers growing by the pond. I love these. They are great value. Once they've bloomed once, if you cut them down they'll grow again. A good choice for Project Blue I thought!

I had a great Friday. A wasn't picking me up for the wedding until 2.20 so I spent the morning doing chores and running errands but at an enjoyable rather than frenzied blue-bottle pace. A did throw me by being 5 minutes early and I was still packing my camera bag! This unreadiness was caused by me deciding it was too hot to wear my suit and then being totally unable to decide on what I COULD wear and still look reasonably smart and professional!

The wedding was a lot of fun - well, it was for me. The ceremony was long and then we had a lengthy drive to the venue for the reception; but the countryside was very scenic and I enjoyed it. There were some very attractive people to photograph (I have discovered the people I like to photograph most are either beautiful and young or have those aged, craggy yet arresting faces - how shallow am I? I did not realise my prejudice for the beautiful/interesting until I got into wedding photography!) and I managed to get my "good" child photo...at each wedding I go to I try to get one really good picture of a child - a personal challenge and harder than you'd think!

We didn't get home until around ten, despite leaving right after the speeches, before the meal and the cake cutting!

Arriving at work this morning I was was astonished to find a continental market set up outside the library. It is rather nice and lends a pleasingly exotic air to our hideously unimpressive courtyard area. I bought olives for lunch, ate too many and am now reeking of garlic AND feeling a bit....er...sick :(

I overheard an earnest lady telling a storeholder his array of wares should be kept in a refridgerated area and not just on trestle tables. She had an impressive number of facts and figures supporting her case but he seemed sublimely unimpressed...he kept smiling and nodding but not doing anything else. I fully expect to see the Health & Safety enforcers cart him off to jail later on.....

Speaking of H&S, I read in today's paper that council workers can refuse to empty wheelie bins if they feel they are "too heavy". This is an interesting counterpoint to a story I read on Thursday in which an elderly lady living up a country lane has been told refuse collectors will no longer be coming to her house but instead she must either wheel her bin to the end of the lane each week or carry black bags down there. This is despite her paying nearly £2000 a year for council services. Has the world gone mad or is it just England???

Thursday....and another Project Blue post...this cheery chicken hangs on a cupboard door...and probably annoys the hell out of Phil every time he goes to open it!

The Race for Life event last night at Chester Zoo was great. I really enjoyed it, although my lovely friend J couldn't be with us as she has a poorly leg. D walked the whole route with me and we seemed to talk mainly about food...thanks for your company, D! We all finished up at the pub for a quick drink and a chat. It was good to catch up with everyone's news.

It's J's birthday today...MANY HAPPY RETURNS to you!!

It's my long day at work and I've not had much chance for blog visiting. I'm at a wedding tomorrow afternoon but hope to have a little time in the morning to catch up on Project Blue and my other blogfriends.

Two blue bottles......

When Phil goes to Spain he always manages to bring us back some lovely presents; even though the only shops he gets to visit are in the airport! We have had nice pens and writing paper, bags with "Madrid" on them, last visit I got a beautiful bull keyring. He has also brought me these beautiful bottles. The water served at the villa comes in these and Phil thought I would like them as he knows how much I love blue! He has promised to bring me another one on his last trip in July, as I think a group of three will look even better!

I love Wednesdays. Wednesdays are like a mini-weekend in the middle of the week. I get a morning to myself and in the afternoon I have RDA. Bliss.

This Wednesday I also have the Race for Life at Chester Zoo in the evening.

A blue butterfly for Project Blue...

My friend bought me this lovely wall plaque for my birthday last year...all the way from Madeira! It normally hangs on my kitchen wall but I moved it outside onto the patio table for an uncluttered background and better lighting. I like the way the weathered wood looks against the pottery.

Today one of my staff retired. M was there when I got the job at WK. We've been friends as well as colleagues. I will really REALLY miss her!

I have been reading a book that grew out of a blog today ..."Petite Anglaise" by Catherine Sanderson. It's quite an interesting read. Catherine starts blogging on an impulse but quickly becomes addicted. Her blog chronicles her life as an English girl in Paris, her relationship with a Frenchman and the eventual breakdown of their life together. She becomes involved with a guy she "met" from her comments box but that relationship too founders.

Catherine got sacked from her job because of her blog; she took her former employers to court and won compensation, then was offered a book deal!

I've read both favourable and critical reviews of the book but I have to say I rather liked Catherine - she seems pretty honest about herself. I related to a lot of the stuff she writes about blogging - the way she experiences some event or other and immediately starts composing a blog post in her head about it! She also mentions that sometimes she pours out her soul in a blog post but then hits DELETE instead of PUBLISH! Sometimes it's enough just to write it down...and then erase it.

Thanks for the supportive messages on yesterday's post. They mean a lot :)

My second post for Project Blue is a suncatcher ball hanging un my kitchen window!


Last night I had another of my "photography nightmares". This time I was trying to take photos of a bride and groom outside the church. The photos looked weird and I realised I had no lens attached to my camera. I looked around in my bag and found a lens but couldn't attach it...this dream joins an increasing list of photo-related night terrors that started a while back with one in which no matter what I did I couldn't focus....!


Tiara......

When I awoke I spent a little time thinking "Why am I doing this? Why am I TRYING to be a wedding photographer when it is causing me so much anxiety I'm even dreaming about it?" The answer was because I'm tired of remaining in my comfort zone. I like my "real" job but I've been doing it so long there isn't a load of challenge there any more; I'm not learning much new. It doesn't excite me as much as it once did. It doesn't stretch me mentally as much as I need to be stretched now I'm in my late forties. I'm scared of failing but I'm even more scared of not at least trying...

I'm doing it because fate (and A!) have given me a great opportunity that I can't pass on.

And I do it because gives me such a thrill on the (rare) occasions that I press the shutter, look at the screen and realise I've captured a real "moment", a special "look" :)

In a couple of months I might have egg all over my face and be writing in my blog about what a spectacularily useless mess I've made of everything, it's certainly on the cards! If that happens at least I'll know I took a gamble on doing something that wasn't safe.

Ibsen said “'Live, work, act. Don't sit here and brood and grope among insoluble enigmas.'

I'm treating my anxiety by indulging in my "Sex & the City" DVDs, starting from Series 1. Great clothes, great shoes, great writing, lots of laughs, the joy of female friendship and some sensational men too :)