Month: January 2015

I have just completed the most difficult of our PhotoClub assignments ever… We had to take portraits of strangers, talk to them, get their permission and find out something about them.

No problem, I thought! I’m the type who will talk to anyone, anywhere, about anything. My chidden used to tell me off for doing it; my husband finds it very amusing/embarrassing. I’ll manage to do this one standing on my head!

Oh how the mighty fell!

There is something so very personal about taking a portrait of someone, let alone a stranger. The old adage of taking a piece of their soul seemed to spring to my mind. Let alone posing as a photography student! Which I am. Honestly. I even had cards made to prove it, and give them a link to here… I gave 1 away!

After spending most of the month getting over this ridiculous chest lurgy I eventually managed a day in London and headed up to Borough Market to see who I could find. My nerves got the better of me and I kept forgetting to ask the subject’s name, or tell them mine, and certainly forgot to give them my card!

Eventually though, despite getting to grips with my fab new camera, I managed to meet some wonderful folks who let me snap them…

These two great chaps were already laughing over their morning coffees when they agreed to let me snap them. I was so grateful I forgot to ask their names…

These are just a couple of my favourite ones…tomorrow night I will get to find out what our teacher thinks…

Lx

Is it too late to wish you Happy New Year? I hope not, as this was the week my new year was going to start…as it is I’m just getting govern this dreaded lurgy that is going around for the second time…so I may say  my new year will start next week!

Anyway, did you have a good festive time? I would have if most of it had not been in bed, but it didn’t stop the Men dragging me off on a plane to ski! I managed two mornings of brief skiing before the body reacted and told me not to be a bloody idiot. It was lovely to have our Son guiding and teaching me and I felt so safe in his hands. I even managed to get down a ridiculously icy slope that otherwise I would have scaled on my bum ( I’m not a proud skier!)

Then New Year’s Eve I told Hubby that that was my lot. I wasn’t fit to ski any more and was just going to walk the rest of the holiday. He accepted that without making me feel guilty about the cost of the ski pass or anything, which was fab!

New Year’s Day saw a strange change in me.

Since the funeral of a school friend in the Summer I had been experiencing a lot of anger and almost complete loss of faith ( well, who was I angry at if not God?). AS I walked through the beautiful, peaceful snowy landscape I thought of my friend. She seems dot be walking with me as she loved the Alps, and I felt this complete warmth fill me. And it was complete – since then I have felt so much more at ease with myself, my men, my life. I have looked after myself as this lurgy came back. I haven’t felt guilt about staying in bed, eating chocolate when I want it, not doing any of the things I thought I would…helped in this by my Fabulous cleaner who I regard as a friend and my hero! I even allowed our golf guests to look after themselves rather than rushing round like a mother hen and taxi service.

Is this a new me? I hope so. I feel very grateful to my old friend for visiting me, and helping me. She was such an amazing woman when alive, and she is obviously using her wings to still help others.

So, when I am 100% better I am hoping to continue this complete, warm new life…just to warn you! With my new camera which Father Xmas gave me I shall be showing you all why afab world I ( and you ) live in…I even have cards to give out to those who help me in my pictures – subjects who allow me to capture them etc.

I have also decided to put more things in the holiday cottage – dressing gowns, shower caps and spare toothbrush sets. All from staying in the fab self-catering apartment we used this time. Those were the things we had/ didn’t have that struck me. Hope they make  difference for my guests.

Right, I’m off to take another antibiotic and continue my recovery.

L x