Category: Monthly Photo Challenge

My monthly round-up in The Changing Seasons post, hosted by Su at Zimmerbitch.

In April, I added 2 new books to my collection. Dishoom is a beautiful Indian cookbook with lots of delicious recipes, stories of how the restaurants came to be and a map of traditional cafes and restaurants in Bombay or Mumbai as it’s known now.

The second book is called 500 Walks with Writers, Artists and Musicians. You can embark on walks around the world and follow in the footsteps of famous writers, artists and musicians. For example, in the Mourne Mountains of Northern Ireland where “C.S Lewis found his Narnia.”

I did some more cooking..

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And went for a couple of long walks around the Washlands..

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And along the River Nene. Click on the images to see them in full..

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I also took a trip to the stunning Everdon Stubbs to see the forest carpeted with bluebells! Click on the images to see them in full..

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Time flies and as we sped through May, I treated myself to a lovely lavender plant which attracts bees to my balcony with its luscious smell..

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Couldn’t resist this photo over the rooftops of the interesting cloud formation..

I’ll leave you with some motivational words from Bruce Lee..

About The Changing Seasons

The Changing Seasons is a monthly challenge where bloggers around the world share what’s been happening in their month.

If you would like to join me and the others in this challenge, here are the guidelines:

The Changing Seasons Version One (photographic)

• Each month, post 5-20 photos in a gallery that you feel represent your month
• Don’t use photos from your archive. Only new shots.
• Tag your posts with #MonthlyPhotoChallenge and #TheChangingSeasons so that others can find them

The Changing Seasons Version Two (you choose the format):

• Each month, post a photo, recipe, painting, drawing, video, whatever that you feel says something about your month
• Don’t use archive stuff. Only new material!
• Tag your posts with #MonthlyPhotoChallenge and #TheChangingSeasons so others can find them

My monthly round-up in The Changing Seasons post, hosted by Su at Zimmerbitch.

Welcome to Spring! I can’t believe we are in April already, but we are hopefully on the way to freedom once more!

I started my new job as an employment caseworker with Mencap in March and I am thrilled to report that I love it (already!) I am so happy that I am in a job I love once more, it really makes a difference to my frame of mind. I am once more alive and have a spring in my step! I think it will be challenging, but so rewarding. I help young adults who have lost their way a little, for one reason or another, and guide and mentor them from education into employment. No day is the same and our learners get the 1-1 support they need and deserve – these things make me smile!

I have always loved cooking, but over the last few months (and since we are in lockdown) I have been doing more of it – some new recipes, some old favourites.

Cajun dirty rice –

Chorizo and prawn jambalaya –

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Mediterranean chicken with orzo one-pot –

Cheesecake-stuffed strawberries –

D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S!

I finished yet another painting – a colourful African Savannah –

Enjoy April! And a very Happy Easter to you all. Love and peace!

About The Changing Seasons

The Changing Seasons is a monthly challenge where bloggers around the world share what’s been happening in their month.

If you would like to join me and the others in this challenge, here are the guidelines:

The Changing Seasons Version One (photographic)

• Each month, post 5-20 photos in a gallery that you feel represent your month
• Don’t use photos from your archive. Only new shots.
• Tag your posts with #MonthlyPhotoChallenge and #TheChangingSeasons so that others can find them

The Changing Seasons Version Two (you choose the format):

• Each month, post a photo, recipe, painting, drawing, video, whatever that you feel says something about your month
• Don’t use archive stuff. Only new material!
• Tag your posts with #MonthlyPhotoChallenge and #TheChangingSeasons so others can find them

My monthly round-up in The Changing Seasons post, hosted by Su at Zimmerbitch.

The weather has been so changeable lately, we’ve had a few frosty mornings..

Turning warmer throughout the day and ending in beautiful sunsets like this one… apparently the brilliant colours were caused by the dust storm in the Sahara Desert which was being blown across the UK by the Gulf Stream..

I went for a walk with my sister and when I got home, I mapped where we had gone and realised I had walked nearly 10 miles! Not bad for a Saturday afternoon.

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I made another recipe from Joe Wicks – this time a tasty Manchego Cheese, olive and chilli jam frittata with (my version) chorizo.

I started watching the Walking Dead again. It’s been so long since I watched it, I couldn’t remember where I had got to. I can’t remember half of it and I have forgotten how gory and scary it is!

I was amazed to hear that NASA’s Perserverance robot has landed on Mars. It’s journey was a mindblowing 300 million miles. National Geographic’s article states:

“It will be the first of NASA’s five rovers to sniff around for traces of long-dead Martians—inhabitants of a world that, for its first billion years or so, was warmer and wetter than the dusty planet we see today.”

WOW!

In other news, I left my job at the end of the month! YAY! I was not happy working there, so I found myself a new job with Mencap. I am so relieved and am looking forward to starting soon.

I will leave you with an artist a friend introduced me to – Karolina Protsenko – an extremely talented young musician from Ukraine. This track also features the equally brilliant street artist from Italy – Daniele Vitale.

Enjoy your March! Love and peace to you all!

About The Changing Seasons

The Changing Seasons is a monthly challenge where bloggers around the world share what’s been happening in their month.

If you would like to join me and the others in this challenge, here are the guidelines:

The Changing Seasons Version One (photographic)

• Each month, post 5-20 photos in a gallery that you feel represent your month
• Don’t use photos from your archive. Only new shots.
• Tag your posts with #MonthlyPhotoChallenge and #TheChangingSeasons so that others can find them

The Changing Seasons Version Two (you choose the format):

• Each month, post a photo, recipe, painting, drawing, video, whatever that you feel says something about your month
• Don’t use archive stuff. Only new material!
• Tag your posts with #MonthlyPhotoChallenge and #TheChangingSeasons so others can find them

My monthly round-up in The Changing Seasons post, hosted by Su at Zimmerbitch.

As we speedily make our way through the new year, my January was quite productive.

I finally published my photographic book – A Book Of Photographic Images. I started this project years ago and at last got round to finishing it (lockdowns are useful for some things!) It’s a collection of photos, selected by me to match the quotes which represent how (I try) to live my life!

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I woke up to lovely snowy scenes one morning.

I made some tasty food – this is Joe Wicks’ sausage shashuka.

I went for a lovely walk along the canal.

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Let’s finish January with a couple of my favourite tunes.

The first is Moloko’s Sing it Back which reminds me of a friend who died in 2019. We had a fun evening dancing to this on Koh Chang in Thailand.

The second is Energy 52 – Cafe del Mar – played at the Royal Albert Hall as part of the Radio 1 Ibiza Prom with Pete Tong. It reminds me of my clubbing days in Ibiza and it’s definitely a show I would love to see.

Hope you are all happy and well. Love and peace!

About The Changing Seasons

The Changing Seasons is a monthly challenge where bloggers around the world share what’s been happening in their month.

If you would like to join me and the others in this challenge, here are the guidelines:

The Changing Seasons Version One (photographic)

• Each month, post 5-20 photos in a gallery that you feel represent your month
• Don’t use photos from your archive. Only new shots.
• Tag your posts with #MonthlyPhotoChallenge and #TheChangingSeasons so that others can find them

The Changing Seasons Version Two (you choose the format):

• Each month, post a photo, recipe, painting, drawing, video, whatever that you feel says something about your month
• Don’t use archive stuff. Only new material!
• Tag your posts with #MonthlyPhotoChallenge and #TheChangingSeasons so others can find them

The final months of 2020 in The Changing Seasons post, hosted by Su at Zimmerbitch.

Happy New Year!!

Time flies doesn’t it? This time last year we had no clue what was around the corner! We were all looking forward to what the new year held for us. Little did we know that our lives were soon to be restricted because a crazy virus was spreading rapidly around the world.

And it still is! But, we now have the vaccine being rolled out, so – HOPEFULLY – we can get back to looking forward to what the new year will hold for us!

In November, we said goodbye to one of my favourite actors – Sean Connery. Such a brilliant Bond (the best one in my eyes) and a beautiful man even at 90 years old!

I came across this video of a guy dancing to this cracking tune. He got some moves! Dance on and smile!

I finished reading Caleb Carr’s ‘The Alienist.’

My Goodreads review read:

‘Another great read and one that has you hooked just a few pages in. The author also has a great way of finishing each chapter with a cliffhanger, so it is really hard to stop reading! The story has also been dramatised for TV and the show is also good, however, watch it before you read the book because you will spend the whole time comparing!’

I also started my new job as a Learning Support Assistant. We are working in strange times at the moment, what with lockdowns, students studying from home, and us working from home 2 days a week, so I haven’t really had a chance to do my job fully. However, whilst I am enjoying it most of the time, I am not 100% happy with it (for reasons I will explain another time), so I am planning on doing something about that! For now though, I am just thankful I am earning again!

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!

I also had a real Christmas tree for the first time in years.

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.

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Then, on New Year’s Eve, I spent the evening at home, talking with my BFF Chris on WhatsApp from 7pm until 12.15am. Because of the time difference of 1 hour, I got to celebrate 2 New Years – one in Rotterdam and one in the UK! As someone who has never been that bothered about New Year’s Eve, I was happy that I got to share the beginning of 2021 with my friend – albeit remotely!

We are back in lockdown or tier 4 until at least mid-February. BUT, let’s all start to look forward with hope and positivity. Let’s hope we can start to live our lives again freely before long. Love and peace to you all!

About The Changing Seasons

The Changing Seasons is a monthly challenge where bloggers around the world share what’s been happening in their month.

If you would like to join me and the others in this challenge, here are the guidelines:

The Changing Seasons Version One (photographic)

• Each month, post 5-20 photos in a gallery that you feel represent your month
• Don’t use photos from your archive. Only new shots.
• Tag your posts with #MonthlyPhotoChallenge and #TheChangingSeasons so that others can find them

The Changing Seasons Version Two (you choose the format):

• Each month, post a photo, recipe, painting, drawing, video, whatever that you feel says something about your month
• Don’t use archive stuff. Only new material!
• Tag your posts with #MonthlyPhotoChallenge and #TheChangingSeasons so others can find them

It’s time again for my monthly roundup in The Changing Seasons post, hosted by Su at Zimmerbitch. But, this time it covers what I have been up to since August!

What have I been up to? Well, like everyone, not much we can do these days and I have nothing to report for the month of 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.

My stomach turned and my heart was in my throat, although I didn’t know who would be going at that point. However, I had a sneaky suspicion that I may be one of the unlucky ones. Mainly because I had not been at the company for over 2 years and also my colleague had been doing her job as well as mine since the end of March.

A week later, at the beginning of September, I went back into work to meet my boss. She 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.

At that has been my life for the past 2 months!

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!

Last week, I counted the number of applications I have submitted and I’ve applied for 40 or so and have had 4 interviews! Not good odds! 40 applications is nothing compared to others I have heard about, one person even submitted 200!

In these terrible times we are all living in, redundancies are happening all over! People are applying for anything and everything! It’s affecting people’s mental health and it’s totally soul-destroying!

Then, last week and after all the stress, I was finally offered a job! It turns 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 feel like the weight of the world has been lifted off my shoulders!

So, all I will say to others who may be going through this! Keep going! I believe everything works out for the best in the end – you just have to keep positive and be determined!

Prior to all this, I did manage to enjoy a couple of nights out.

I went to my friends for a Tapas night, lots of lovely food, wine and sangria!

I also 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 go 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.

How life has changed!

And now, we are all in lockdown again! Only 3 weeks to go (hopefully)!

I hope everyone is safe and well around the world! 🙂

About The Changing Seasons

The Changing Seasons is a monthly challenge where bloggers around the world share what’s been happening in their month.

If you would like to join me and the others in this challenge, here are the guidelines:

The Changing Seasons Version One (photographic)

• Each month, post 5-20 photos in a gallery that you feel represent your month
• Don’t use photos from your archive. Only new shots.
• Tag your posts with #MonthlyPhotoChallenge and #TheChangingSeasons so that others can find them

The Changing Seasons Version Two (you choose the format):

• Each month, post a photo, recipe, painting, drawing, video, whatever that you feel says something about your month
• Don’t use archive stuff. Only new material!
• Tag your posts with #MonthlyPhotoChallenge and #TheChangingSeasons so others can find them

It’s time again for my monthly roundup in The Changing Seasons post, hosted by Su at Zimmerbitch.

Since lockdown was eased some more, 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.

The following weekend, I went to Rotterdam to visit Chris.

The journey there was surreal, everywhere was like a ghost town, devoid of people!

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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!

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The next weekend, my sister and I ventured out for a few Sunday afternoon drinks. It was just so lovely to be able to sit in a pub garden in the sunshine again!

I finished July with drinks and a book on my balcony watching the colours of the sunset fill the sky 🙂

About The Changing Seasons

The Changing Seasons is a monthly challenge where bloggers around the world share what’s been happening in their month.

If you would like to join me and the others in this challenge, here are the guidelines:

The Changing Seasons Version One (photographic)

• Each month, post 5-20 photos in a gallery that you feel represent your month
• Don’t use photos from your archive. Only new shots.
• Tag your posts with #MonthlyPhotoChallenge and #TheChangingSeasons so that others can find them

The Changing Seasons Version Two (you choose the format):

• Each month, post a photo, recipe, painting, drawing, video, whatever that you feel says something about your month
• Don’t use archive stuff. Only new material!
• Tag your posts with #MonthlyPhotoChallenge and #TheChangingSeasons so others can find them

The Changing Seasons post, hosted by Su at Zimmerbitch.

Considering we are staying at home, the days seem to go by quickly still and here we are almost in May!

It was my birthday on 28th April – 35 again!! – It was probably the quietist birthday on record. It would have been nice to see all of my family and friends, but I celebrated with wine and a curry and spent time with my brother and soon to be sister-in-law. The party can wait til later!

Most days, I do some sort of exercise and I have been going for walks – some longer than others. This is one of the things that is keeping me sane! I went out yesterday and chose to follow a different path. I walked as far as I could before I saw a sign which said “No admittance.” So, reluctantly, I thought it best to backtrack for fear of getting shot by a farmer! 😉

Sometimes I just walk along with music in my ears and sometimes I take lots of photographs.

I sometimes spot things along the way. Cool bark and not a dog in sight 😉

There’s also lots to photograph in the garden.

Happy May everyone and stay safe 🙂

About The Changing Seasons

The Changing Seasons is a monthly challenge where bloggers around the world share what’s been happening in their month.

If you would like to join me and the others in this challenge, here are the guidelines:

The Changing Seasons Version One (photographic)

• Each month, post 5-20 photos in a gallery that you feel represent your month
• Don’t use photos from your archive. Only new shots.
• Tag your posts with #MonthlyPhotoChallenge and #TheChangingSeasons so that others can find them

The Changing Seasons Version Two (you choose the format):

• Each month, post a photo, recipe, painting, drawing, video, whatever that you feel says something about your month
• Don’t use archive stuff. Only new material!
• Tag your posts with #MonthlyPhotoChallenge and #TheChangingSeasons so others can find them

The Changing Seasons post, hosted by Su at Zimmerbitch.

Well, I didn’t do much in March apart from visiting the living room, bedroom and garden, so there really isn’t much to tell.

So, we are in lockdown! What a horrible time for all of us at the moment and who knows when it will end. We have been separated from our loved ones, our freedom has been taken away and hundreds are dying every day. My heart and thoughts go out to everyone who has lost loved ones. It’s just heartbreaking.

We can’t control what is happening, but we can control how we react to it. Try to keep positive and look for silver linings in everything you do. Look after your emotional and physical health – getting out for exercise helps. Use your time productively and work on any projects that you never usually have time for or take advantage of art galleries and travel websites that have ventured into the virtual world allowing you to see art or visit destinations online.

https://bk.asia-city.com/things-to-do-bangkok/news/19-online-courses-you-can-take-free-while-youre-stuck-home

www.tate.org.uk/art

www.southbankcentre.co.uk/blog

www.wanderlust.co.uk/content/best-virtual-tours-museums-iconic-sites

All I can say is, we will get through this (positivity) and we will get back to some sort of normality soon! In the meantime, stay safe and keep healthy. Much love to all of you 🙂

I’ll leave you with this uplifting tune from The Thrillseekers – guaranteed to make you smile, dance or both!

About The Changing Seasons

The Changing Seasons is a monthly challenge where bloggers around the world share what’s been happening in their month.

If you would like to join me and the others in this challenge, here are the guidelines:

The Changing Seasons Version One (photographic)

• Each month, post 5-20 photos in a gallery that you feel represent your month
  
• Don’t use photos from your archive. Only new shots.
• Tag your posts with #MonthlyPhotoChallenge and #TheChangingSeasons so that others can find them

The Changing Seasons Version Two (you choose the format):

• Each month, post a photo, recipe, painting, drawing, video, whatever that you feel says something about your month
• Don’t use archive stuff. Only new material!
• Tag your posts with #MonthlyPhotoChallenge and #TheChangingSeasons so others can find them.

The Changing Seasons post, hosted by Su at Zimmerbitch.

What crazy times we are truly living in at the moment. Who knows what the next few weeks or months will hold for us, but I hope everyone of you is safe and healthy.

I had a quiet February, but I learned a few interesting things. The first of which was the date of the 2nd February 2020 is a Palindrome – a number which reads the same forwards as it does backwards. So, 02022020 – 02022020. 2nd February 2020 will be the only time a Palindrome appears this century.

Also, in February, storms Ciara, Dennis and Jorge have made this the wettest February we’ve had for a while. Storm names go in alphabet order and alternative between male and female names. So, why did we have Jorge instead of Ellen after Dennis? Well, I learned that storm Jorge has affected a lot of Spain, so AEMET – the Spainish Met Office named it, so our Met Office decided to keep the name. This means that the next storm to hit the UK will be called Ellen.

I spent the last day of February being a tourist in Barcelona. It was my first time there and I had a fabulous time wandering around the city. I will write about my trip in more detail, but for now, here are a few of the places I visited.

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About The Changing Seasons

The Changing Seasons is a monthly challenge where bloggers around the world share what’s been happening in their month.

If you would like to join me and the others in this challenge, here are the guidelines:

The Changing Seasons Version One (photographic)

• Each month, post 5-20 photos in a gallery that you feel represent your month
  
• Don’t use photos from your archive. Only new shots.
• Tag your posts with #MonthlyPhotoChallenge and #TheChangingSeasons so that others can find them

The Changing Seasons Version Two (you choose the format):

• Each month, post a photo, recipe, painting, drawing, video, whatever that you feel says something about your month
• Don’t use archive stuff. Only new material!
• Tag your posts with #MonthlyPhotoChallenge and #TheChangingSeasons so others can find them.