Wintergreen

I felt sluggish and grumpy on Sunday morning. It was my sunday off and so I got my hiking gear on, saddled Minty up and headed out at sunrise. It had just risen as we got up to the start of the walk up to the top of the Cairn.































One of my teams on UKS is having a Winter Scavenger Photo Hunt, inspired by how much fun some of us had following along with Rinda's Summer one. It has been lovely picking off the odd one or two but it was even better to get quite a few in one walk.
It was a wonderful walk and I felt human again afterwards :-) I didn't see anyone, the birds were singing, the sun was shining, the wood was good and wood like. Perfect.



The colour palette for the house challenge on UKS was perfect.

Thanks for reading today :-)

Down the rabbit hole.

These things have caught my eye over the past few days, I love the 'down the rabbit hole' effect of the internet. 

1. Dr Ivan Joseph at TED. My One Little Word this year is Assurance. I have been researching what it means to be assured and especially the self-confidence part. I liked his talk and especially this sentiment as to what it takes to be self-confident:

I am intending on working on this through February. Mainly in repeating what I did in January for my health.

2. I have been using it for a while but if you haven't used it before may I recommend Rhonna Farrer's apps Rhonna Designs and RD Magic which are brilliant when used on their own and even better used together. Here is the link to the iTunes app and here is the link to the android version. Easier and cheaper than photoshop! I made that quote above and use them on most of my iPhone photos. 

3. Impatiently waiting for our #snowmageddon2015, meanwhile in America. Chortle. Especially the last one.

4. I joined Sandra Paul’s Ravelry group. I really don’t know what to try first. But, if you forced me to pick and I had the skill I would make this one next.

She has just started a podcast which I like a lot, try here at A Cherry Heart.

5. I made something I pinned! Honey Cloud Pancakes. Even. Better. Than. They. Sound. 

Oh and this as well, zero untangling in my bag since I did.

6. At the top of my wishlist are these. I have the black patent version for work and they are so comfy, the most comfy work shoes I have ever had. These are so cute. They have pink ribbons for laces. I would draw the line at that though and insert the cream laces. I think I would anyway. I am pretty sure I am not a pink ribbon sort of a 41 year old :-)

Happy 'down the rabbit hole'-ing. But remember, chores and life are good too ;-)

2015-1974=41. So it must be true.

The celebrations were certainly less elaborate and extravagant this year, but nonetheless my birthday was celebrated and enjoyed. 

We lazed around in the morning and I opened my cards and was grateful for the replacement earphones for my iPhone as one of the little darlings lost mine. I was also surprised with a set of body shop goodies which smell divine.

After brunch we headed out to the beach, we were nearly derailed as, when we got to the top of North Devon we saw the snow on the top of Exmoor, but we held to the plan, time constraints mainly.

The beach was so busy and so beautiful, the dull and overcast sky seemed translucent, more interesting once we were on the beach. I dunno, maybe.

Favourite Moments:

1. Minty gnawing on a rock. If I had to eat Baker’s I would probably fancy a bit of stone too.

2. Mum & Lauren getting caught out by a wave. And, the silhouette photo I caught of them running.

3. Fudge trundling along, smiling I swear.

4. Louis and Ali playing footie.

5. Their patience as I attempted to get a photo of all of us.

I made this layout using my newestmostfavouritestpaperlineeverintheworldamen. Webster’s Pages Ocean Melody. 

I diecut the clouds on my sizzix eclips, I sewed the circles and borders, misted, a few embellies and I was done. Thanks to Sue for a fab sketch challenge, you can check out this challenge here. There will be a new one for Feb.

I made this one for a challenge over on UKS to use a quote from Frozen. 

I hope your week has some sea-spray in it (or river mist?). Although it looks much more like snow (yay!) x

One Little Word

One Little Word

One little word to guide me through the year? I don’t think the word I have chosen is a little word, it’s a bit of a scary word to me. 

If you haven’t heard about this idea then I am joining in with Ali Edwards’ year long class One Little Word which you can read about here.

I went down a bit of a rabbit warren of Pinterest and the dictionary trying to find an apt word that challenged me. And, do I need challenging this year!

Assurance

*A positive declaration intended to give confidence

*Promise or pledge, guarantee, surety

*Full confidence, freedom from doubt, certainty

*Freedom from timidity, self-confidence, belief in one’s abilities

*Presumptuous boldness, impudence

*(Chiefly British) Insurance

I am interested in the concept of having a word you examine in more depth and helps you as you try and achieve your goals. A focus.

I like that one of the definitions show how that strength can look in overdrive and whilst I admire boldness, it is a fine line before it becomes unpleasant.

I like that there is something to work on for me being braver. I need to tackle things sometimes when I don’t know the answer or don’t know how it will work out, and commit nonetheless. Not be too safe.

I like the idea of being less timid in social situations or work situations when I don’t already know people. Small talk, I don’t have any. Although wine helps ;-)

I like the idea of insurance, specifically health insurance, in a figurative sense; I value my health and don’t take it for granted but I am unhealthy and risk losing it and that is just crazy. So I would like to feel assured about my health and I would like to have good health to feel assured about it.

I am looking forward to seeing how this year goes. It is certainly exciting after last year when I was too tied up with work to even contemplate new challenges. I did work on things in my own fashion but this year feels as though I will have more time outside of work and Hooray for that.

Hello January :-)

I like January, it's the calm after the Christmas storm. I adore Christmas and I don't think I have ever missed the twinkle lights before but I miss them this year. I have been glad of a few quiet days sorting and decluttering and eating more sensibly. It is my birthday month so I have that to enjoy (it was my 40th last year so not so much pressure this year either ;-)). I also have a week of holiday from work to look forward to in a couple of weeks, recharge my batteries. It feels like a long time since my last break in September and the madness of retail at Christmas has taken a toll too.

So, yes, I like January.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and are enjoying the New Year.

I ushered in the new year with a bottle of champagne and that is the final layout I have scrapped for my project life album for last year.

I have just about used up all my stash of paper completely so I can now buy some more 😊

I'll be along again in a little bit with my One Little Word for the year, oh and details of new photo challenges I am joining in and one I am hosting.

Rinda's 2014 Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt.

I hope I am only fashionably late to the party. If I am unfashionably late then I apologise. Life eh.

Edit: I wrote those words a fortnight ago when I was only maybe fashionably late. A huge project at work and horrible lurgy have knocked me out, long hours and then reading in bed dosed up is all I have been doing!

I loved the challenge, I wouldn't say I finished it, I definitely didn't nail it.

However, after digging back through my photo stream for the summer, I have managed to find a couple of ok entries just from looking back through them with a keener eye.

Ok, here we go. I guess the only invigilators are myself and Rinda. But please feel free to yell out if you disagree with any of my takes :-) I guess the main thing is that I enjoyed it.

#1 A sign welcoming people to your own town.


#2 A garden gnome.


#3 Birds on a wire.
Good lord, I have photos of birds next to wire, on poles next to wire, on metal rigid wires and despite trying very hard all summer, this was the best I could do! This was 5am and those lights were red for so long I had time to wonder if I had time to get the photo of the birds, decide there was, take the photo and then decide that the lights were broken and I should just go through them. I really wanted a better photo, but by the 23rd September this was the best and only one I had.


#4 A group of tourists.


#5 A rack of postcards.


#6 An urban street scene.
It didn't get more urban for me this year, I was loitering for a while hoping a whole crowd of urbanites would wander along but it wasn't to be.


#7 A rural landscape.
This is the edge of the Pincombe farm lands, and the Bristol Channel.


#8 A tattoo.
Lauren's henna tattoo.


#9 A bakery.
This bakery. If you are in North Devon, go there for the rolls. Just scrumptious and they win many many awards.


#10 A photobomb.
Louis :-) It's funny when you are interested in photography you learn not to do this at all and be aware at all times of what is in the frame so I was wondering how to get an authentic photobomb. My Mum who is less familiar with the DSLR didn't see Louis.


#11 A horn.
I didn't think I had one at all, but on closer inspection of Ali being 'sorted' in the Harry Potter Studio Tour gift shop he had a unicorn behind him :-)


#12 A mascot.
I don't know if this qualifies but really, why wouldn't a Morris Dancer be a mascot of Devon?


#13 A sunrise.
A lovely memory of this summer, I have woken at stupid o' clock for the past 3 summers just for a sunrise shot at midsummer and it has been some of my loveliest memories. It is something I think and hope I will always do.


#14 A parade.
Ilfracombe Carnival and of course, Uncle Tom Cobley. That is Kevin and Christian at the back, friends from school days.


#15 A juggler.
An amateur juggler.

#16 A sign not in english A birdhouse.
We don't have a birdhouse for them, the dizzy rascals as we have named them treat the whole of our tiny garden as their birdhouse. There has been 20 of them from the same family regularly throughout the day using the whole garden as their bath and feeding station and outlook. We love them all.


#17 A lamppost.
Southsea parade. I have seen a lot of lampposts this summer, but these were the nicest.


#18 A waterfall.
Watersmeet, Exmoor.


#19 A public garden.
Bicclescombe Park, Ilfracombe.


#20 A bus with a picture on the side.


#21 A photo of me representing the season.
At a wedding, very seasonal.


The layouts I have finally finished. Made using a kit I put together for the Simple Recipes challenge on UKS. I made a 12x12...


...and 4 6x6's. I used papers from Heidi Swapp & Simple Stories along with some gold glitter cardstock and gold foil paper.


This is how they look all together and as they will go in my album.

I am looking forward to doing the other side of the 6x6 pocket page. It is such a challenge to do a 6x6 after 12x12s.

Thank you Rinda for such a great photo challenge, it definitely added to my summer experience.