Day 16: Selfies

16: Dear Selfie Bashers…

#selfiesforever

My Week in Pictures – March 17 to 20

This edition of My Week in Pictures is sponsored by cake, and dedicated to one of my favourite people on the planet, Tatty of tattyfrankland.com who celebrates her 21st birthday on Sunday.

On Wednesday we celebrated her (fake) birthday in style with cake, crown and candles, before she jetted off to Sri Lanka yesterday. I am beside myself with jealousy and have been pining quietly (not that quietly) at my desk all day, while she frolics in the rain forest with the elephants.

Pictures, left to right, top to bottom:

1. (Fake) birthday #selfie with the Queen Bee
2. I’ve made a conscious effort to record my Outfits of the Day this week. I personally bloody love an #ootd and I think they can be great for recording the days you feel good about yourself, which I am. So, yey
3. My beautiful girl, Tatty
4. This amuh-zing table in Presuming Eds was sending me subliminal (yet somehow not that subtle) messages while I caught up with a work friend over coffee. As we supped our favourite caffeine treats, we made a pact to view each other’s CVs next week. Neither of us are exactly overjoyed about our working situations at the moment, and both need a change
5. Rocking polka dots for the obligatory bathroom #ootd
6. This great piece of bizarre and beautiful #brightongraffiti (is it still graffiti if it’s basically a big sticker?)
7. Tatty making a wish. I wished for cake, and I got it straight after this picture was taken #winning
8. You can’t really see the print or the colour in this image, but this is my favourite dress, given to me for my birthday by my sister-in-law #ootd
9. Do-nut criticise me for my love of baked treats, okay?

On the subject of photography, I have fallen hopelessly behind on my #photo101 assignments. But don’t worry. I’m going to try to use this weekend and next week to catch up!

Happy weekend, all!

Mystery

Show us something uncertain, and manipulate light around you to enhance the mood of your image. Via Photography 101: Mystery (13th March 2015)

I didn’t do anything to get today’s shot, I didn’t even get up. I merely snapped a shot from the comfort of my own bed and I was away.

I did use the light from outside to create the illusion of mystery. The road outside our window is always uncertain, sometimes the hum below brings comfort and sometimes, when I’m a stressy bunny, it makes me anxious and I can’t sleep.

Either way, you know not what is out there in the middle of the night.

Happy weekend all!

Warmth

Today, capture an image of warmth, ideally using the sun as your source. Via Photography 101: Warmth (12th March 2015)

I’m not a sun worshipper. Being a ginger means I have to be careful not to spend too much time under its watchful gaze.

However, I do miss its gentle kiss in the mornings. Now it’s lighter when we wake, I feel like Spring is really around the corner.

Today’s image doesn’t feature the sun, per se, but it wouldn’t have happened without it. Darkness and light and all that.

I like my silhouette in this shot, I call it the ‘accidental Wonder Woman’ but I also remember that the sun was out and on my face and it felt good.

It felt like good things are just around the corner.

 

 

Solitude

Capture a snapshot that conveys the state of being alone. Via Photography 101: Solitude (6th March 2015)

Yes, this is a banana left in the sun

I love being alone. When I think of it, although I am surrounded by people all day and live with another human being, I am quite often on my own by choice. When I don’t get this quality time with Me, I start to get angsty and then I seek it out.

It’s usually nothing that drastic, just a wander on a Saturday or a walk in the park, but I like to be able to dissect and then reassemble my thoughts.

This image is a banana, left out too long in the sun. I feel like this banana sometimes, overlooked and no longer wanted, abandoned without thought to rot, basically.

(What am I, a 15 year old Sylvia Plath, without the talent or the authenticity?)

Really, it’s just a banana in the sun. But it’s kind of beautiful, don’t you think?

This sh*t is bananas

 

Water

For day three, we want to see your interpretation of water — how might your image reveal more about you? Via Photography 101: Water (4th March 2015)

Water is an interesting theme to me as it’s my biggest fear, however, I wanted to stay light today.

Hence this gentle reminder to self to drink more water. (There are two clues to who I am in this post, I’m a big scaredy cat and that I need to keep myself better watered, like a delicate flower).

Thanks to my boo, Tatty for coming outside for the photography session and being down with the whole concept.

Happy snapping, photo fans!

Home

I’ve been inspired by Hayley Margaret of A Stitch to Scratch to take on Photography 101, starting today. Poetry 201 was fun to begin with but I couldn’t keep up and felt a bit silly in the end. I think my future career as a beatnik poet is now firmly on hold. Sorry, world.

Photography 101 looks like lots of fun though and having seen Hayley M mention it on her blog last night, I hopped firmly on the bandwagon too. I’m very original like that.

Today’s theme is Home (and Getting Orientated). This is about taking the concept of what ‘home’ means and running with it, in whichever direction I see fit. The Orientation is more about getting to grips with my equipment (not a euphemism).

Since I am going to simply point and click my trusty Samsung Galaxy S4 whenever the mood takes me, I’m already pretty comfortable. However, there are a few features I’m sure I haven’t explored yet, and this might well be the opportunity I’ve been waiting for!

To the theme!

Home

I’ve taken the word home and gone quite literal for my first assignment. This is my front door. I’ve always liked it despite it’s slight shabbiness and ugly wiring up the side of the building.

This morning’s light was gorgeous and although there is a subtle filter on this image, I still think it captures the small stab of joy I felt when I got to the bottom of the stairs and looked back up towards that baby blue door.

Home to me is wherever I am with my love. That sounds incredibly cliché but it’s honest. We have a good deal on a nice place now, having had varying degrees of luck with our previous living situations, both together and apart. But I could live anywhere with him, if I had to.

When I think about joy and love and living together, I think of the lyrics in Cell Block Tango from Chicago (stay with me):

So, we started living together.
He’d go to work, he’d come home, I’d
mix him a drink, We’d have dinner.
It was like heaven in two and a half rooms.

Sure, the relationship takes a turn for the worse when she finds out she’s just one of his wives and poisons him with Arsenic but until then, I know exactly how she feels.

Our home is heaven to me, even when the washing up is piled high, there’s nowhere to hang my knickers and I’ve tripped over his shoes for the seventh time that afternoon. But it’s wherever he is.

Photography 101

New Blogs: A Round-up of What I Am Reading Right Now

It’s not all picnics down Memory Lane round here, you know.

I may have shed loads of unresolved issues to work through via the medium of blogging (and some light disco) but I also read a lot of great stuff too. I am particularly happy this month as three of my friends have started blogs and they are all magnificent creatures with a lot to say, so my Reader has never looked so good.

Don’t worry though, I’m more than happy to share. Without further ado, my favourite new blogs. Enjoy!

• MashHead – this is the mind mince of my colleague and friend, Becky and covers all manner of genre, from music and film through to festival survival, delicious snacking and moreish recipe goodness. I am lucky enough to be in the same team as my creative and interesting pal, so although our work (Co-ordinator) can be a pain in the butt, at least we have each other. Go read!

Stand out post: Beck looks back on her trip to Primavera Sound 2014
Read for: New listens

• Double Gym & Tonic – This blog’s tagline, “I squat in front of the refrigerator” sets the tone right away. Honest and funny, it’s author, Frannie is one of the best things to have come out of Canada since Ryan Gosling and poutine (both together?). She is also my friend and I’m grateful for that every day. If you’re into exercise, food or just fancy a lol, get involved.

Stand out post: Why run?
Read for: An honest account of why this girl exercises

• The Bohemian Within – Col is another relatively new friend which is sad in a way, since she just moved back to Oz but fabulous in another because at least we got to meet at all right? You’ve gotta count your blessings in this life and this bohemian soul is one of them. Read for an injection of loveliness with a bite and stay for all the talk of Gluten Free cupcakes. YUMMY!

Stand out post: There’s something wonderfully nostalgic about this and it’s subject matter, of course
Read for: Life ponderings that we can all identify with

• Cloud in a Teacup – Who says pretty things aren’t always what they appear to be? Shivani has a blog that consists of gorgeous imagery and content that is a genuine pleasure to read. We have a lot of similar tastes and so one day I hope to take a little tour Up North to see some of the great places she has blogged about first hand. Read for some great inspiration and a lovely view of the world as Shivani sees it.

Stand out post: There are loads but I like this most recent one because HATERS
Read for: Genuine love for local spots like The Butterfly Cabinet plus did I mention the photography?

• Hannah Reads Stuff – I was a fan of Hannah Writes Stuff back in the day (it wasn’t that long ago) so I already knew I dug this girl. As a massive book fiend I am firmly behind what Hannah blogs about, I’ve never read a review I didn’t appreciate even if our opinions have differed on a particular title. Again, I think we have quite similar tastes (I was outraged by the ending of Gone Girl, while Hannah was also not a fan) which is nice when you want to discuss books and I can’t get enough of her recommendations. Basically, I would read an old shopping list passed off as a blog post and still be satisfied.

Stand out post: All of them, sorry not picking just one!
Read for: Thoughtful reviews like this one and also some great introductions to covers I might otherwise have missed

• Jordan and Eddie (The Movie Guys) – I had to include this movie review blog because I just love it. I love when a new post pops up in my reader as it is invariably something I have just seen, want to see or had forgotten about thus must see immediately! The reviews are very well done, detailed and… look don’t waste another minute with me waffling on about them, go and see for yourself. Go.

Stand out post: It’s hard but my favourite posts to date have been: this, this and this
Read for: No nonsense reviewing of a wide range of films including some underrated gems and some good horror (my favourite genre)

So there you are. Some fun new blogs to get stuck in to. I hope you find as much joy in them as I do on a day-to-day basis.

Now, give me some recommendations please! It’s only fair.