Abel Tasman National Park is located at the north end of the South Island of New Zealand and is named after Abel Tasman who was the first European explorer to sight the country in 1642.
Back in 2008, I visited the park with a fellow traveller. We started our hike on a deserted beach, picking up a coastal trail which took us inland around headlands and lush forest with so many different species of trees. There are gorgeous beaches and estuaries which showcased the diversity of the place. And, as this was July, and the low-season in New Zealand, there was nobody else about, so we had the place all to ourselves, which was a very special experience.
I love cooking and trying different recipes – some old, some new. This was my homemade pizza in the making.
Homemade Pizza
It was delicious!
I had a day out at Avoncroft Museum of Historic Buildings – a fabulous outdoor space with beautiful buildings, re-enactments, and history. More on that later but, for now, here’s the windmill.
Avoncroft Museum of Historic Buildings
I can’t resist taking photos of the moon from my bathroom window late at night.
Moon over the town centre
Two more weeks and two more recipes – pizza pasta and stuffed tomatoes.
Pizza PastaStuffed Tomatoes
October
As we head towards the end of the year, the colours around us are changing.
Colour of Autumn
I sold my car, so I’ve been getting to work on public transport and foot which has it’s advantages – namely this lovely sunset.
Sunset in Northampton
Sometimes I walk all the way home and get to capture this view across the River Nene near the town centre.
The Changing Seasons is a monthly project where bloggers around the world share their thoughts and feelings about the month just gone. We all approach this slightly differently — though generally with an emphasis on the photos we’ve taken during the month.
For many of us, looking back over these photos provides the structure and narrative of our post, so each month is different. Some focus on documenting the changes in a particular project — such as a garden, an art or craft project, or a photographic diary of a familiar landscape.
But in the end, it is your changing season, and you should approach it however works for you.
There are no fixed rules around post length or photo number — just a request that you respect your readers’ time and engagement.
Tag your photos with #MonthlyPhotoChallenge and #TheChangingSeasons so that others can find them.
Well, what a start to 2020! The very first day of the new year, I got to spend a glorious day with my best friend and life partner – Chris! (He loves it when I call him my life partner! Hee hee)
Chris and me
I was on a trip to Brussels and Chris came to meet me for the day. We had such a lovely day together – reminiscing about the past, making new memories for the future, but more than that – we had a lot of fun, as always. You know when you just get on with someone – that’s Chris and I!
I also went to Bruges for the day and spent 4 hours wandering around, snapping away with my camera.
Canal Spiegelrei, Bruges
February
On the TV, news of a virus made me really think about whether I should go on my trip to Barcelona, but I was glad I did, it would be the last time I went anywhere for a while. It was my first time there and I had a fabulous time wandering around the city. I was especially ‘wowed’ by the Sagrada Familia.
Sagrada Familia
March
We all found ourselves in lockdown! What surreal times those were! Now, it seems a lifetime ago and I still can’t believe it actually happened. Not much else to do apart from exploring the garden!
Exploring the garden
April
My birthday in 2020 was probably the quietist on record, but I celebrated with wine and a curry and spent time with my brother and sister-in-law.
I went for a walk most days which kept me sane while we were locked up. Sometimes I just walked along with music in my ears and sometimes I took lots of photographs. Who would have thought there was a waterfall in the woods behind my brother’s house.
Waterfall in Little Billing
May
Still in lockdown, we had to find new ways to amuse ourselves and my brother Trev came home with his hair dyed blonde! We took to calling him Slim Shady. Now, will the real one please stand up!
The Real Slim Shady?
Trev then decided he was going to go one step further and dye his hair all the colours of the rainbow, so I ordered some hair dye. This is how it turned out. Rocking the rainbow bro, and his tribute to the NHS. Thank god it was temporary and washed out!
Hair dye number 2
June
Still off work, I went to meet my mum, sister and niece in the park for a picnic. It was lovely to spend time with them, enjoying the sunshine, playing Frisbee and looking at the birds. For me, the simple pleasures are always the nicest.
A trip to the park
The biggest news of the month was that I have moved into my own place. A lovely little duplex apartment near the town centre. I was anxious about moving whilst in lockdown, so I waited until things had eased a bit. Then I was worried about finances, so I waited some more. In the end, I decided to take the risk and just go for it. I have always said, if I become unhappy I will do something about it. I loved living with my brother and his fiancé, but it was time to move on.
First night in my new flat
July
I took a trip to Newark to visit my friends – Doyle and Mel. It was so lovely to see them and their kids again. Mel and I went out to the garden centre and, on the way back, we went to the marina in Farndon and had a cheeky drink by the river.
Photo Credit: Melody Armstrong
The following weekend, I went to Rotterdam to visit Chris.
We had such a fun weekend, as we always do when we get together. Chris was an exceptional tour guide and he took me to new parts of the city. It was such a lovely couple of days making new memories!
Exploring Rotterdam
August
I had been on furlough since the end of March with no clue as to when I would be returning to work, but then we were asked to attend a meeting. We were told that, due to the virus, there would be redundancies.
With this news, I took up painting by numbers to try and stop the constant sick feeling in my stomach.
Painting by Numbers – Amsterdam
September
I was made redundant! My boss came right out with it… “we have to let you go.” Even though I kind of knew, it was still horrible to hear it. I could feel the tears coming, but I didn’t want to cry in front of her – it wasn’t her fault. I got back into the car to drive home and I cracked!
I got home and immediately set about looking for a job.
I have never felt so stressed, I felt sick every day with a feeling of dread in my stomach. I lost all motivation to do anything – even exercise! I was applying for 2-3 jobs a day, every day, and feeling very frustrated because NO-ONE replied!
October
I was finally offered a job! It turned out, it was all just a matter of time! Time that I didn’t think I could bear to wait! I could not be happier and I felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off my shoulders!
To celebrate, I went out with my sister which was fun, albeit strange. Groups of people absolutely plastered at 6pm on a Saturday night, temperature checks and ID checks before you went into a pub and bouncers telling people ” YOU CAN’T PASS WITHOUT A MASK!” which I thought was quite amusing and that became the quote of the day.
My sister and me
November
I went for a wintery walk in the park with my lovely mum. She is always great company to be around.
A walk with my mum
December
We came out of a mini-lockdown at the beginning of December and I made my own Christmas wreath. I was quite proud of my creation!
My homemade wreath
Christmas day came around and, although everyone was under a 1-day restriction, I was lucky enough to be able to have a lovely day with my mum, dad, sister and niece – memories to be treasured.
My sister and I on Christmas Day
Then, on New Year’s Eve, I spent the evening at home, talking with Chris online. I even got to celebrate two New Years – one in Rotterdam and one in the UK because of the time difference.
Then, we were back in lockdown or tier 4 until at least mid-February 2021.
Despite 2020 being a strange year, I still managed to experience many moments to be grateful for.
Walking around Barcelona is easy and there are many alleyways and streets to explore. There are buildings, parks, street art and many other attractions. There is so much to see and on a day out in this wonderful city, I took to the streets to see what I could find.
Carrer de la Reina Cristina
Street Art
Street Art
Escola Ramon Llull
Parc de la Ciutadella, Passeig de Picasso
Parc de la Ciutadella
Basílica de Santa Maria del Mar
Barcelona History Museum MUHBA
Barcelona History Museum MUHBA
Catalonia Plaça Catalunya, Carrer de Bergara
Carrer de l’Hospital
La Rambla
I will definitely go back to Barcelona, there is still so much I haven’t seen.
More than half-way through the year and 4 months on since the last Changing Seasons post, it always amazes me how time flies. Here’s a quick snippet of the things I’ve gotten up to since May.
May
We’ll start with a splash of colour on my daily lunch-time walk with this lovely cherry blossom.
I went to the theatre with a work colleague to see Wuthering Heights at the Royal & Derngate theatre. This performance was in the original theatre – it’s beautiful! I loved it so much, I went again on my own to see another show on another Saturday afternoon in May.
We had a team celebration at work one weekend and it also happened to be my mum’s birthday, so we went together.
A shoot from my money tree fell off the main plant, so I just stuck it in the soil and it continued to grow (it still is).
June
A new recipe – Tahini and Citrus Kebabs – delicious!
I finished another painting – the colours are bright and fabulous.
July
My July was fairly busy, not the norm in my life, but what fun it was. I had a day out at a concert with my brothers and sisters.
A trip to Nottingham to meet up with a couple of friends who I used to teach with in Bangkok. We found a fantastic Thai street-food restaurant with tuk tuks and Thai signs. We loved it and it brought back some good memories.
Teddy came to stay while my sister and niece went on holiday. He enjoyed his Pilates session a lot.
My mum and I enjoyed some more Hilton hospitality with dinner and drinks.
August
After months of feeling unwell and not feeling able to workout, I finally started a new exercise journey and it’s going well. I am enjoying being back in the gym.
The Changing Seasons is a monthly project where bloggers around the world share their thoughts and feelings about the month just gone. We all approach this slightly differently — though generally with an emphasis on the photos we’ve taken during the month.
For many of us, looking back over these photos provides the structure and narrative of our post, so each month is different. Some focus on documenting the changes in a particular project — such as a garden, an art or craft project, or a photographic diary of a familiar landscape.
But in the end, it is your changing season, and you should approach it however works for you.
There are no fixed rules around post length or photo number — just a request that you respect your readers’ time and engagement.
Tag your photos with #MonthlyPhotoChallenge and #TheChangingSeasons so that others can find them.
This post is dedicated to Guju Slang Kid – a talented and creative artist who happens to be my friend.
He has recently released his first single – After Party – a feel good tune with uplifting beats which will have you moving to the music before you know it!
Guju Slang Kid – After Party
Guju Slang Kid brings his mother tongue Gujarati to the rap scene by combining it with a house/club beat which creates a blend of modern elements whilst rapping in his first language.
I caught up with Guju Slang Kid to ask him a few questions about his music journey.
Where are you originally from?
I was born in Nairobi, Kenya and I moved to Northampton at the age of 11. In terms of origin, my family is from Gujurat in India
What got you into rapping?
From an early age, I have had a passion for music and for writing my own lyrics and songs in various languages. Myfriends and I used to beat box and rap together at the basketball court and we hung around in the area where we lived. Rapping is a reminder of those great times and simple pleasures that makes us smile
What music did you grow up listening to?
I used to listen to mixtapes of UK and US artists such as Kano, Stormzy, So Solid Crew, Dizzy Rascal, and Skepta, Tupac, Dr Dre, 50 Cent, Eminem, Snoop Dog and so many more, but I also listened to Northampton artists who I went to school with
What inspired you most to release your first single?
I have been writing lyrics since a young age, and I wanted to put them into motion and make them a reality. My goal is to bring good vibes and inspire more people to make music. I find immense joy in knowing that my music can uplift and bring a smile to people’s faces
Do you think you can be any better as a musician and how would you like to achieve it?
Everybody can grow with experience and by having a can do attitude and learning from others, I believe that anybody can be a better musician
How do you feel now your 1st single has been released?
I feel happy that people can finally listen to my track. It feels like all the hard work has paid off
What is the song about?
The song celebrates great humour between friends and family along with coming together, dancing, letting loose and enjoying yourself
Why have you chosen to create this tune in a different language?
Growing up in Kenya whilst having an Indian origin allowed me to learn different languages. My grandmother’s influence helped me become fluent in Gujarati and I learned Hindi by watching Bollywood soaps and films. Also, listening to a diverse range of music has inspired me to integrate rapping in various languages with modern style beats in the hope of bringing a wide range of audiences to my music
What are your plans to make a difference?
By raising more awareness in the hope that more people can relate to what the words mean and bring that extra bit of joy into their life
Where do you see your career going?
I don’t see this as a career, I see this as a hobby and a passion for music and a way to get my vibes heard
I enjoyed finding out a bit more about Guju Slang Kid and his debut single. He says he is ‘determined to bring authentic and relatable music to the industry.’ I say we should celebrate anyone who is creative and is brave enough to put themselves out there – it’s an inspiration to all!
I, for one, will look forward to seeing his new journey unfold.
To get ‘After Party’ go to Guju Slang Kid’s website, but for those that can’t wait, listen below! Enjoy!
The Knife Angel sculpture, made from over 100,000 seized blades, was specifically created to highlight the negative effects of violent behaviour whilst solidifying our critical need for social change. Not only does the Angel act as a catalyst for turning the tide on violent and aggressive behaviour, but it is also acts as a beautiful memorial designed to celebrate those lives who have been lost through these violent and thoughtless actions (taken from the website for the Knife Angel).
In January 2022, the Knife Angel came to Northampton, so I popped along to take a look.
I think this is a good way to bring people’s attention to some of the violent crimes that happen on our streets. What do you think?
