word of the week #9

As you may have established from all of the black and white photos taken late at night, I have had a long few days at work this week. It was long in a positive way, as some of the late evenings were due to meals out with colleagues, so it was good to socialise and catch up with people. It still felt good to get home at the end of each day though, and after another lengthy day today, I am glad it is now the weekend.

Another thing that made the week longer, again in a good way, was joining in with the 5 day black and white challenge. I know if I hadn't chosen to join in I wouldn't have blogged at all this week, convincing myself that I didn't have the time. It's good to look back and see the days punctuated by posts, and stopped the time passing by in a blur of working, eating and sleeping.

I'm also managing to keep getting up early at the weekends, and it is making such a difference to how balanced the weeks feel. It is great to look at the clock and realise it is still mid-morning, and that I have achieved loads already, especially when previously I wouldn't have been surfacing until later, revelling in a lie in. The days feel much more substantial, and I also feel like I properly switch off for a few hours, knowing that I've got done what I wanted to earlier in the day.

It's easy to think I've chosen this word as a negative reflection of the past seven days. Before I get too saccharine, there were definitely moments this week when I couldn't wait for Friday to come, and after the late nights and early starts I am excited at the prospect of a gentler pace to the next few days. But, I much prefer feeling like the days aren't flying by, and time not passing unnoticed, and so, perhaps with the comforting prospect of the weekend ahead, I can genuinely say I've enjoyed my long week.

day 5

For my final day of the "5 day black and white challenge" I have done a little time travelling. Four weeks ago today we were still in Australia, The Husband, Grandad and I celebrated the final evening of our trip with a meal at the top of the Sydney Tower, in the revolving restaurant. For a couple of hours we had a delicious meal and watched the sun set over the city and its suburbs. We slowly saw the landscape change, taking in the landmarks, trying to locate familiar places and pinpoint areas where our beloved family lived. It was a lovely end to a memorable trip, and it seems such a long time ago now already. Life has settled back into the daily routine, work fills the days, and yet something remains. As well as the relationships forged with our relatives, and the memories created, I have continued to feel buoyed by our travels. Partly because our parents had done such a wonderful job of making our home so welcoming for our return, partly because I have managed to maintain the readjusted body clock and life feels so much better for being a morning person, and partly just a simple sense of joy that has stayed with me. The trip reminded me how lucky we are, and just how much good the days can be filled with, and so it is with much happiness that I choose this picture, taken of one of the incredible lights on our final night. 

For the last nomination I have chosen two people! I'm not sure if that's allowed, but in my defence, Laura from Circle of Pine Trees, who I nominated yesterday, had already done the challenge over on Instagram! I have not yet succumbed to what I am sure would be another daily distraction and don't have an account, so I hadn't seen them, but I have checked them out and they are as beautiful as I would have thought. So I go to two extremes with my choices today, Tess from driftwood whose fabulous blog I have followed for a long time now, and who even used to be kind enough to comment on my old blog, and Kim from Spiral Spun who I have only just begun to follow, but who has a beautiful blog that I am enjoying exploring. As with Penny, Kriss and 76sunflowers, do not feel any pressure to join in straight away or at any point. Finally, thank you so much to Jane for the kind nomination, it has been a really enjoyable challenge, and it encouraged me to blog in a week when I would otherwise have ignored this site altogether, and I feel all the better for it!

day four

My fourth day of the 5 day black and white photo challenge. I really enjoyed taking a bit more time over this picture, rather than snapping it as I strode down the street! This has been a great little project to join in with so far, and it has been lovely to link up with other blogs that I really admire.

Today's nomination is for Laura at Circle of Pines, another blog I adore, I always enjoy visiting. Her recent post immediately made me think of the project, but please do not feel you have to join in! My previous nominees have been Penny. Kriss, and 76sunflowers, if you want to look around their blogs too - I highly recommend it!

day three

Another architectural image tonight, and another picture taken as I dashed across the city in the dark after a long day at work. Hopefully a bit of variation tomorrow, I will perhaps take a picture indoors, or maybe in daylight!

This photo is my third entry for the 5 Day Black and White Challenge. I was very kindly nominated by Jane, and my nominees so far are Penny and Kriss. For tonight's nomination I choose 76sunflowers, another recently discovered blog full of great photography. I first thought that 76sunflowers was already taking part, but now realise, thanks to her comment* on yesterday's post, that is a different black and white photography project running on a weekly basis. As previously, no obligation to take part, but please do if you would like to!

*Thank you so much all for your recent comments, and I will reply to each and every one soon. I do so love getting them, I just haven't been home much to reply these last few days. In the meantime, a general thank you to everyone who has visited these pages!

day two

I was dashing through the rain tonight to meet The Husband, who had so kindly come to pick me up after I saw those three dreaded words - rail replacement service, such an unpleasant phrase, particularly at 10.30pm after a long and busy day. As I headed over to where he was waiting, I couldn't resist taking a moment to pause and take a quick picture of the Cathedral doors by lamplight. Another beautiful building I walk past really regularly, and I finally got the chance to photograph it tonight, as no-one else was around. I did feel guilty for keeping The Husband waiting after he had driven all the way to pick me up so late in the evening. I'm pleased with the end result though, so hopefully he would agree it was worth it!

This photo is my second entry for the '5 Day Black and White Challenge' which I am joining in with this week. For today I would like to nominate Kriss from Wild About Here, a blog full of beautiful pictures which I have discovered fairly recently. Again, please don't feel you have to join in immediately, or at all. Thank you again to Jane for my nomination, I'm really enjoying joining in.

challenge accepted

I visited Jane's wonderful blog yesterday, and saw that she had been invited to do a photo challenge which sounded particularly promising. Popping back there today to see her second part of the challenge, I was thrilled to see that she had nominated me to join in.

It is called the '5 Day Black & White Challenge', and the title is fairly self-explanatory! The two rules are:

1. Post a black and white photograph each day for 5 days.

2. Invite another photographer to participate each day.

So here is my first of five, taken today on our visit to Manchester. I walk past these gardens fairly regularly and always want to stop and take photos of the sculptures in the water. Having earlier spotted Jane's nomination I thought this challenge was the perfect excuse to finally take a photo, helped along by the fact that The Husband was with me so I felt slightly less conspicuous sheltering under the umbrella with him as I took it.

For my first nomination (this feels very apt for the evening of the Oscars!), I choose the lovely Penny of The Homemade Heart. As Jane said to me, no pressure if you don't wish to take part straight away, or at all!

Hope you all had lovely weekends.

365: week 8

46. Beautiful new pyjamas that my very kind grandad bought me as birthday present. A lovely way to finish the weekend, although Millie did try to claim them as hers.

47. The bright lights of the city at night as I walked from work to meet The Husband and my parents for a lovely dinner and a fabulous gig.

48. Millie refusing to make eye contact with me when I came downstairs to find she had destroyed her pillow. I think she knew she had done something she shouldn't!

49. One of the lovely dinners we cooked as part of the HelloFresh box we bought this week. Expect a longer post soon; this Korean beef dish was delicious.

50. Finished this book, and handed it immediately over to my mum with the strongest of recommendations. More on this when I do my year in books post at the end of the month. (Also, how are we 50 days into 2015 already?!)

51. Millie looking on enviously as we tucked into our third and final HelloFresh dinner. She is an expert at those pleading eyes, luckily we are immune!

52. Spring is definitely in the air. So cheerful to have blue skies and sunshine as we walk the dog, although I still regretted not wearing gloves!

Linking in with The Boy and Me