Some more photos

I took these last weekend as I was given a beautiful end of term bouquet of roses. They put out a lovely display so obviously the camera came out.

A couple photos taken on my phone

I do take quite a few photos on my phone as it's just so damned convenient and as I have a relatively decent camera on my phone (HTC Desire HD) the quality isn't too shabby.


This is a photo that I took through a train window travelling down to Cannes for the festival in 2011. It's probably the best one I took through the window but the scenery was breathtaking and I wanted to try and capture it even it was just a snap on my phone.

This one (also 2011) was taken whilst I was out for a drink with a friend. We were in docklands and drinking out on the balcony of a hotel and I could see the potential as the sun began to set. I just needed to wait for the right moment and get the right angle. This was the third and final snap I took. The first chopped off the top, the second looked pissed and this one was alright. It's time's like this that I am thankful for my camera phone but slightly sad as before camera phones I always carried a compact camera with me and I took some pretty good frames with that. I think whilst camera phones have made it easy for everyone to take pictures, it has made me lazy and opportunistic with my picture taking. I need to go out more often with my camera, whether it be my DSLR or my compact as I'd be more inclined to look for those photography chances. Living in London you never know what you may get the chance to snap.

Is there much point in apologising?

Yes, I'm really, really, really appalling at blogging but for some reason decided that today I would write something. Not quite sure what as I seem to be rambling at present (never a good thing). I've been a very busy bumble recently (it's not an excuse...just true). I've been studying (childcare), painting more, writing, taking pictures when I can (mostly in the back garden but there are lots of wee critters in there to find) and going through old bits of writing. And of course working (you know...the bill paying part of my life which occasionally sets me up with some nice topics to be creative with).

I'm going to have a hunt for some photographs that I like and post them and hopefully that will give me a bit of a shove in the right direction. I'll also post some other bits (including some pictures of my latest paintings) and generally ramble away to myself.

For the fallen

Breath on the winter air

Pale sunlight scratching treetops

Frozen ground, frozen toes, frozen hearts

All is thinning around

Hasty retreats, cautious forays

In the dead of night, the mind wanders

In the silence and the dark before dawn

So does the soul.

Visions of light, all colours around

Walking upon the plains

Towards somewhere to see old faces

Those you have lost in the short days gone by

Too many to visit just once

Dawn breaks and brings you back

To the cold of the morning

The clouds have gone

Light touches the faces

Of those chosen this day

Today is one of forays

Whistles will call them forward

The sun will keep them safe

Shinning upon them forever.

Devonshire honey cake

Ingredients

250g clear honey

225g unsalted butter in small pieces

100g dark muscovado sugar

3 medium eggs , beaten

300g self-raising flour

Preheat the oven to fan 140C/ conventional 160C/gas 3.

Butter and line a 20cm round loose bottomed cake tin (or use fairy cake cases-makes around 40).

Melt butter, sugar and honey in a pan over a low heat, when the mixture has become liquid increase heat and boil for one minute. Turn off heat and wait and an eternity (around 40 minutes) for it to cool down. The smell will make you very hungry…don’t be tempted to dip your finger in for a taste, the mixture is rather hot.

Once it has cooled down and you have run your finger under cold water for not listening to the previous instruction, beat the eggs into the melted honey mixture using a wooden spoon.

Sift the flour into a large bowl and pour in the egg and honey mixture, mixing until you have a smooth, runny batter.

Pour the mixture into the tin (or place spoonfuls in cases) and bake for an hour until the cake is well-risen, golden brown and springs back when pressed. A skewer pushed into the centre of the cake should come out clean. (In cases its around 15 minutes, but can vary with ovens-check with a toothpick if unsure).

Turn the cake out on a wire rack and try not to scoff the lot in one sitting.

An old one but it came back to me last night in my dreams

Any moment, any saying, any being

Always here and always seeing

But never really knowing

the things we are doing, 

but always going.

Going on and going up

flying so high

All that ever keeps us going

a chance to touch the stars.

5th May 2006 (rewrites 2011).

I'm a bad blogger...

But always wanting to do better. Occasionally I read other blogs and it makes me go "Ooh, I have one of those. Oh, bugger, it's been weeks since I posted."

I'd say once again, that I promise to do better, but it sounds a little insincere, but what I will say is I promise to do better by myself. So, today, I shall post a few things I've been doing recently. First up, I got a new die for my Big Shot. I splashed out on Tattered Florals which are just gorgeous and I want to play with them all the time. I decided to play with some denim that I have and I made some flowers. There are layered up with an offcut of a net curtain. and stuck together with my hot melt glue gun (fantastic purchase from The Works for only £2.99). The denim is various jeans that have holes in which I keep in a bag for craftiness.


I also bought myself a lot of necklaces in sales recently and have pulled them apart and used the pieces to create a few new ones. My most recent one is this which I love. It's a piece of organza ribbon with various charms tied on and then I have made a fairly simple slip knot for getting it on and off. I've left the ends fairly ragged as I quite like it like that, gives it a partially finished look which knowing me and my art work seems quite apt.

That's all from me for now, hope to see you soon x