Day 59

Today has been full of work - we've got a big stock check tomorrow. However everything stops for the rugby, so at 5pm I met the boys in the pub to watch the game (it's hell not owning a television - having to go to the pub - poor me). It was very exciting and we just won (by a point). In the last 5 minutes England came back and scored a try which closed the gap. It was a very tense 2 minutes as the clock wound down.

This picture (hopefully)captures the tension of those minutes. There were a lot of relieved Ireland fans after 80 minutes. Phew.

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Day 58

This morning was a beautiful, sunny day full of wispy clouds. It reminded me of pieces of gauze hanging in the sky.

Unfortunately it didn't last and this afternoon clouded over. Still, it's getting warmer and brighter.

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Day 57

Within the shopping centre in town there are trees that are decorated with these beautiful white blue lights. I took shots in which more of the branches were visible or the whole tree but then decided that I liked this one the most. It looks like stars in the sky which is precisely what the trees made me think of when I first saw them months ago.

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Day 56

You may see a pile of rubbish here. I see a pile of twist and turn (see how I'm trying to avoid using the "S" word) making material.

I've got a fair bit to do this evening and I have a baby blanket to crack on with too. Best I get on with it.

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Day 55

Life is very weird sometimes.

I had a tutorial today at college and my course leader and I talked about what I'd been up to over the last few weeks. You may remember I'd been looking at ribbons. Well I started looking at the twists and turns within those ribbons. How they roll in on themselves. My tutor and I sat and talked about it and we started making loops out of bits and pieces - initially paper but then I got my hands on some acetate. Having (finally) acknowledged that my drawing prowess is .. shall we say lacking? ... she suggested I photograph the mini structures. So this is what you see. Some of the fun I had at college. I've now been told to make whole load for next Tuesday. From there I'll look at arrangement, size, material etc. For now I just have to make them out of different material - clay, grasses, pencil shavings ... all suggestions welcome.

So why did this make me smile so much when I came to post this evening? My eye caught Sunday's post and I realised something that hadn't occurred to me before. I'm back to bloody spirals!!! Maybe it's time to admit I am obsessed.

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Day 54

This is the labyrinth that's in Norwich. Labyrinths are different to mazes in that there is a singular path without any wrong turns and dead ends. The idea that the process of walking into the centre is a meditative one. You walk in with thoughts, problems or concerns and whilst half of your brain is focused on the path, the other half is allowed free reign to work through the problems. When you arrive in the centre, you should have arrived at a solution or at least a way forward. Then you carry that out with you as you retrace your steps out.

I went there this afternoon when I arrived back in Norwich. It was very therapeutic and enlightening.

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Day 53

This is a piece of glass that hangs near my bed. I have a love of spirals. It's not an obsession, I can stop at anytime. I control it, not it controls ... who am I kidding? I have a triple spiral tattoo on my back and they form a large part of my land art. OK, I'm a little bit obsessed.

Anyway. This hangs in my room. It's beautiful when it catches the breeze and spins, forming a never-ending twirl of glass, looping in on itself.

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Day 52

This afternoon I went for a stroll around town. My feet ended up taking me around the local river where the birds were enjoying the bright sunshine. There were so many pictures that I was spoilt for choice but eventually went with these two. I spent hours watching them together. They seemed to be indulging in a little swan courting which was mesmerising. All delicate head bobbing and neck entwining. Maybe there'll even be cygnets later in the year.

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Day 51

This was taken whilst I was having lunch in the hospital grounds. The sun was shining and the sky was blue. The air had a slight Spring warmth in it and a clean crisp smell. When I spied pussy willow outside the window of my section this morning, I decided what I wanted to photograph. It was a glorious day. After all the snow and rain, it finally felt like Spring is finally knocking.

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Day 50

Believe it or not this is the coat rack at work. There were so many photos from different angles that Incorporated the curves and reflections of the hangers, I was spoilt for choice.

I love photos that aren't immediately obvious. Hopefully this is one of those.

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Day 49

This is a shot of material that I'm going to make a tunic top out of. I've never made one before so will take it slowly and probably won't have it ready to wear for a while yet. However I really liked the colour and the fact that when it moves, the fabric changes colour slightly from bright red to a darker shade. I've got a couple of other things to finish off first but when it's done I may post a picture. (If it looks like something I may actually wear).

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Day 48

Today is my last day in Chester and so the last day of my word challenge. The word was "warm" in contrast to the first day's word of "chill".

As I lay in the bath this morning the answer was obvious.

I've really enjoyed this week of words for two reasons. The first being that whilst I've still had to produce a photo and think about the word, I've not had to think about "what will I photograph today?" It's been a different challenge and one that I've enjoyed. The second is that it's involved my friends more in what I'm doing. In the blurb about this blog, I said that I wanted photos that reflected my life and my friends.These last 6 days have allowed me to combine both aspects.

I think this may be something I do once a month with different friends. It takes some pressure off and gives the whole thing a different slant.

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Day 47

Today's word was "cross".

As I walked into town, I went past some building work. Looking around at the scaffolding, I realised that the poles formed criss-crosses and lines and very interesting shapes.

So this is today's picture. Not what I thought I'd photograph but I guess that's the joy of this project. It never quite goes the way you think it will.

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Day 46

Today I was given "caramel"

I actually didn't mind this one as much as yesterday's, although I loved the challenge of "classic".

Anyway, I went for brunch with friends and swapped gossip (and had a long cuddle with my friend's gorgeous new son). This is a shot of the honey and maple syrup we had with our pancakes. Hmmmm. Why caramel? The colours. The stickiness. Sweet. Take your pick. I took a shot of the caramel centre from the box of chocolates that have been winking at my friend and I but I preferred this picture. Funny how these things work out.

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Day 45

Today's word was "classic".



Having had a relatively easy day yesterday, I was filled with a certain amount of "Oh dear God!" Classic?! My mind immediately went to "cars" but almost as quickly dismissed the idea. My friend and I spent the day shopping and wandering and I started taking pictures of classic architecture. As we headed home, we went into a very salubrious hotel to buy some spa vouchers for a gift. I'd never been to the hotel before, having only walked past it, but was immediately struck by it's air of opulence. The decor is 1930's chic and I couldn't resist photographing the interior. As I walked round, I spotted these gorgeous lights. It was only as I sat at my computer, trying to decide which picture to post, that it occurred to me that this is a two-fold classic. Not only does the light itself have a timeless elegance and therefore arguably a classic design, but also that I tend to take quite a few photographs of lights - therefore making it classic Hottie. Either way it works



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Day 44

So today's word is "green".

Again I wandered sunny Chester, photographing all manner of random things - signs, moss, plants, pigeons (they have that iridescent green in their feathers. They're also a pain in the arse to snap because they fly off in a split second). I even went into a shop and asked if I could snap a display of limes - which they kindly allowed. I was walking past a material shop I used to frequent and popped in to browse. Of course this turned out to be perfect because they group their fabrics in colour families. I explained to the sales assistant that I'm an art student, it's a project. Would she mind? She couldn't have been more helpful and even asked about my course and future degree plans. I got some fantastic shots and ended up buying some material too - so everyone was happy.

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Day 43

I'm currently on holiday at a friend's. She loves the idea of my photography project so whilst I'm with her, I've set us both a challenge. In the morning, before she heads off to work, she has to give me a word. I then have to take a picture that relates to that word. Simple.

Today's word was "chill" - as in what I'm supposed to be doing. I eventually went into town for some lunch and, whilst in my favourite bar, got chatting to the staff. I explained that I'm an art student and that this was a kind of project and could I photograph their ice buckets?. They looked a little perplexed but were really helpful. I realise this is quite literal but I really liked the shot so I'm using it!

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Day 42

This rather uninspired looking tangle of redness is my latest knitting thing. I'm about half-way through it and have to get it done by the weekend when I'm supposed to give it to my friend as a gift. Best I get on with it.

I promise it does look better in the flesh than this picture possibly indicates.

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Day 41

Whilst out walking earlier today, I spotted some rose hips. They were in various stage of decomposition and decay and some were brighter shades than others. This was one of my favourite pictures from the afternoon. The leaves form a beautiful pentacle. It reminded me that the Goddess is everywhere - even when it looks as though life is on it's way out - she is there with seeds of hope.

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Day 40

This one is a bit of fun. One of my obsessions is music. I'm usually plugged into my iPod which my family often refer to as my life support system (not far off the truth). I used to work with a chap who was even more obsessive and during a conversation concerning what we had recently discovered, he told me about emusic. Each month, I pay £20 and get 100 downloads and this morning they arrived in my account. Unfortunately they never last long - I always have lots of albums that are saved for later. This morning I had 100, now I have 10 which will be gone by the end of the day. I'll sit and listen, enjoying new discoveries and remembering old favourites. Then about 2 weeks before my next lot of downloads, I'll start making a list of what I'll get next from my saved list.

Hours of fun.

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Day 39

I went out for an early morning stroll this morning. In the grounds of my building are some beautiful old trees. I find the bark and branch formation fascinating and spent ages photographing different close-ups of one particular tree. Sitting with my mug of tea, I found it almost impossible to select just one picture but this one won.

It made me smile as I walked back to my building and heard loud gospel music spilling out. It is after all Sunday. Whilst taking my photographs in the peace and tranquility of the morning, I felt I had been at one with something Divine.

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Day 38

This is a painting I did a while ago. It's based on the colours I observed whilst people watching one day. There's a shirt a guy was wearing, a dress his missus had on, the pint my friend was drinking. the bricks in a wall etc. I love painting in oils - they're rich and textured. I find that I start off with thin paint and gradually it gets thicker and thicker until I'm less painting and more sticking colour on. Yum.

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Day 37

I knew I wasn't going to get much chance for a photo today - I had no staff and I'm going for what turns out to be a well deserved meal out with some friends tonight. I was also mindful of yesterday's late post and really didn't want to fail my challenge so early in. Anyway, I took my camera into work and whilst having a quick sandwich, I spotted a missing tile in our ceiling. Being a curious soul ,I had a nose at what was inside. I was really struck by the reflective quality of the pipework. Perfect for today's shot.

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Day 36

I know this is late.

A boy made me go to the pub. I'm sorry.

This was taken whilst sober.

I'd like to say this was a one off but I know it probably won't be.

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Day 35

Today's offering is a photo of my Malla beads. They're used in Buddhist meditation when reciting a mantra. There are 108 beads on a string and the mantra should be repeated that many times - guess like the Catholic Rosary. Being wooden they have a lovely tactile quality which makes them nice to hold whilst chanting.

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Day 34

As suspected, another snow photo. I had to pop to the shop after work and on my way home it started snowing again. I stood there as it got thicker snapping away. I got odd looks from people hurrying past me to get out of the cold but I had loads of fun trying some of the settings on my new toy. Still getting to grips with them so this could have been better but I'm still happy with it.

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Day 33

We finally had snow today. And snow and snow! I had to pop home at lunchtime and grab my camera. I then spent the next hour taking as many shots as I could. I guess this is one of the shots I actually thought about - the trunk and the side branch are kinda framing the shot. It was getting late though so the light was going a bit. I think that just adds to the stark feeling.

We're supposed to have more tomorrow but we'll wait and see. Day 34 may well be puddles!

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Day 32

As promised, an outside shot. Whilst wandering around London with a friend this afternoon, I spotted the 3rd floor of a building covered in these huge, jutting, reflective panels. I was really interested in how it broke up the buildings on the opposite side of the road into this mosaic effect. Reminded me of patchwork.

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