Day 331 - All Change?

I'm in a business dilemma at the moment. A new portrait photography business has just arrived in Sheffield to set up a new studio. They have been trading in Leeds for a few years and are branching out. The problem is their name is: Serendipity Art!! I was devasted when I first saw an ad that they had done in a local magazine. I have had some legal advice and written them a letter but it's unlikely they'll change their name so it looks like I'll have to and I really don't want to. I feel in limbo at the moment with my business and am not looking forward to all the costs that I will have to pay out to get the name changed. Not only that but I have started to get a good client base who know me as Serendipity Photography so changing my name is not the best idea!
I did lots of brainstorming today....the only problem is that every name I came up with has already been taken. Any ideas anyone?? Please?? I'm officially struggling.

Day 330 - Ella Bean

I went to babysit for Amy and Ella this evening. They are gorgeous and it's always great to spend time with them. Ella is really growing up and becoming a real little character. She used to be very reserved and not really smile at anyone but that has all changed and she is such a giggler. We had lots of fun playing games. Peek-a-boo was a winner! Aunty Katy has become a bit of a favourite and she had to show me all her toys. There's nothing better than the innocence and unconditional love of a child, always makes you feel better if you've had a bad day. : )

Day 329 - Wrapped up.

The weather has suddenly turned and it's freezing! I've really had to wrap up warm to go outside but it's a good excuse to wear my favourite hat and lovely winter coat.

Day 328 - Wii and Breakfast

The weekend of wii continues. After a lazy breakfast the competition began all over again with girls vs boys on Brain Academy. The girls won! : )

Day 327 - Wii Spectacular

Another WWF night at the Penthouse but this time we went XL! I borrowed a friend's projector so that we could get the wii projected up onto the wall. I don't think I can go back to the TV now! I just need to come up with a business reason for needing a projector so that I can buy one!

Day 326 - Silhouette

Winter is here; cold, dark nights, trees without their leaves and amazing sunsets!

Day 325 - Satsumas

You know when Christmas is round the corner when satsumas are in the shops. We always got a satsuma, walnut and pound coin in our stockings on Christmas Day!

Day 324 - Behind Bars

This is the gate of the local primary school just up the road from me. They don't use this gate anymore but I loved the distress look of it. Quite an eerie look.

Day 323 - Swirls

I had a day of sorting out paperwork and had to get out of the house so went and met a friend for a coffee. With it being so cold I went for a creamy hot chocolate which was amazing! Just what I needed to get out of the house.

Day 322 - Gorgeously Chubby

I went to do my 3rd photo shoot for a family today. I took photos for Katherine and Mark when Katherine was 8 1/2 months pregnant and after they had their little girl I went to take her photo at 4 weeks. Today Erin is about 4 months and I went to take some more photos of her. She is gorgeous and I got some great ones of her smiling and having fun but I loved this photo of her...too cute.

Day 321 - St Pancras

Time to head back to Sheffield. I love being in London and really didn't want to go back to Sheffield today. I think spending time with family made me realise how much I miss being in the south. I caught my train from St Pancras. I love this statue and loved the way he was stationary with the man reading the newspaper behind him whilst the two ladies walked past causing a blur on the photo.

Day 320 - Family

My parents celebrated their 60th birthdays with a meal in London with family and friends. I stayed at my sister's and we spent the morning sorting out bits and pieces for the meal later. We then went to meet my dad, aunt and uncle at BBC broadcasting house where we had tickets to listen to one of Radio 3's London Jazz Festival shows. We then went for a few drinks and met up with everyone else at the restaurant for champagne and an amazing meal. It was great to meet up with old friends and get the chance to have a family photo.

Day 319 - Banksy

I came down to London today for my parents' 60th birthday celebrations tomorrow. I caught the train down which was very relaxing. I booked early enough so was able to get cheap 1st class tickets...only travel in style! I met my friend Marion at the Champagne Bar at St Pancras but we didn't have any as it was ridiculously expensive! Instead we went into town and found a great little Japanese restaurant in Soho. We then met up with my sister, Fiona and went to find a bar for a glass/bottle of wine and a chance to carry on catching up. As we walked to the bar we came across this Banksy artwork. He is infamous all over the world for his grafitti art which appears over night. This was on the wall of a Post Office Sorting Office round the back of Oxford Street. The irony was great and I had to get a photo of it.

Day 318 - Wedding Album

I am going down to London tomorrow for my parents' 60th birthdays so wanted to get this wedding album done to take with me. I took the photographs for Charlotte and Perry's wedding in August and wanted to be able to take their completed album down to London with me to save on postage! I managed to get it all done today which was a relief and I am really pleased with how it has come out. They chose a lovely selection of photos and kept the album really simple which looks lovely. I just hope they like it as much as I do!

Day 317 - Autumn

This is the view out of my living room window. I am really fortunate to over look a small park which means that it's very quiet and peaceful. The changing colours of the seasons are great to watch and although I don't like the cold and dark evenings of autumn, the colours of the trees are beautiful.

Day 316 - Rememberance Day

My mum's 60th birthday and Remembrance Day.

For the Fallen by Laurenc Binyon With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children, England mourns for her dead across the sea. Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit, Fallen in the cause of the free. Solemn the drums thrill; Death august and royal Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres, There is music in the midst of desolation And a glory that shines upon our tears. They went with songs to the battle, they were young, Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow. They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted; They fell with their faces to the foe. They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years contemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them. They mingle not with their laughing comrades again; They sit no more at familiar tables of home; They have no lot in our labour of the day-time; They sleep beyond England's foam. But where our desires are and our hopes profound, Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight, To the innermost heart of their own land they are known As the stars are known to the Night; As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust, Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain; As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness, To the end, to the end, they remain.

DAY 315 - New Hair

A trip to the hair dressers and I have new hair! : )

Day 314 - Chocolate...thank you

I bought these chocolates to take round to Kim's today. I've been having an odd couple of weeks with lots playing on my mind and she has been brilliant at listening, advising and being someone to drink wine with. I have a few really amazing friends who have been brilliant recently and so although I bought these to take round to Kim's they are also to say a big thank you to all of them to being there, supporting me and encouraging me when I've found things a little difficult. x x

Day 313 - Rugby and Beer

It was the first England International rugby match today and I made sure I found a pub showing the game. Michelle and I went down to the Walkabout pub to watch England beat the Pacific Islanders. A brilliant afternoon and I think we could be doing something similar to watch the other matches over the next couple of weeks. There's nothing better than having a beer and watching the rugby...especially when the boys pull off a win! Bring on Australia next weekend!

Day 312 - Warm Glow

It was a miserable day outside today so it didn't take much persuasion to curl up under the duvet, light a few candles, open a bottle of wine and watch a movie with a few friends.

I bought these candle holders in Marrakech so it was good to put them to good use.

I also want to say HAPPY 60th BIRTHDAY to my dad today. He's celebrating the arrival of his free bus pass!

Day 311 - Winning Streak!

I had a really manic day today where I was going from appointment to appointment. I popped in to see my friend Kim before going out this evening and persuaded her to come along to the bingo with me....she didn't take much persuading! We went and joined a group from the walking group for a night at Mecca Bingo. Kim won £20 within the first few games and then had another £50 under her belt which was great. Then.....I got a full house and won £100!!! Amazing and very exciting! Not a bad night out for us both. Now I just need to work out what to spend it on......

Day 310 - Remember, remember the 5th of November...

Guy Fawkes night! I love bonfire night with all the fireworks and sparklers. I get a great view of all the fireworks going off around me from my balcony so went up there before going out to see a display. It was a bit miserable and wet but the fireworks were great.

Day 309 - My Mum and Dad

I love this photo of my parents! I wanted to take a photo of them both and mum is usually quite conscious of having her photo taken so the first photo had her looking away, the 2nd one had dad looking away so I made a comment about them being rubbish, they laughed and hey presto I got a lovely shot of them! ; )

It was lovely having them to stay. Dad helped me to hang some of my photos on my stairs and mum took in some of my dresses which no longer fit at the moment. I don't think it matters how old you are, you still need your mum and dad for things like that! They are both turning 60 this month so I'm looking forward to a big family celebration later in the month.

Day 308 - Poppy

My parents came up for a couple of days today, it was so lovely to see them. We went out for a meal this evening to Dim Sum on London Road which was great. Mum was wearing this lovely red coat with her poppy which I thought was really striking. Mum's birthday is on 11th November which is Remembrance Day and we wear poppies to remember those who have fought in wars past and present. I thought it was quite apt to be taking a photo of mum's poppy as it's a special day for her too, she'll be 60!!

Day 307 - Post Holiday Washing

You know when your holiday is finished when you get home and have to do all the unpacking and washing! I got home today and started the first load of washing whilst catching up on all the emails and post which had piled up whilst I was away. The reality of coming home is starting to hit hard! I still have lots of photos from my holiday to look at though so that will help with the holiday blues.

Day 306 - My godson

This is my gorgeous godson Malo. Whilst I was in Luton I popped round to see my friends Caroline & Lee and their 3 boys. Malo is their eldest son and my godson. It's always so lovely to see him. He's 4 on Tuesday so I wanted to give him his present and spend some time with him as I won't be there on the day. It was a hectic couple of hours at their house and I honestly don't know how Caroline and Lee cope with a 5 year old, 2 1/2 year old and 7 month old plus hold down jobs!! Gorgeous family though and very special to me. x x

Day 305 - Moroccan Art

Time to say good bye to Marrakech, the end of the holiday and head home. : (
It was sad to go because we'd had a great time. We'd also heard it had been snowing back in Luton so none of us really wanted to leave the sunshine and get back to that!
This photo was taken at the airport. I'd been really impressed with the roof as I'd arrived so I wanted to take a photo of it before we went to check in. I love the architecture in Morocco and this is another stunning example of the art work and detail they put into their buildings.

Day 304 - Sunset

Today was out last full day in Marrakech. We had a wander around the main shopping area this morning in the hunt for a wooden sculpture which Nick really wanted to buy. He'd seen some in Essouaira but hadn't bought one because he thought there'd be plenty to choose from in Marrakech but we struggled to find anything which was very frustrating! We then went back to the hotel to lie by the pool for a few hours and top up the freckles/tan before heading back into town to visit the tanneries and the markets again.
The tanneries were quite interesting but reaked! They gave us a sprig of mint as our "gas masks" as we wandered around. This is the place where they prepare leather from getting rid of the fat and hair from the skin to softening it in "pigeon poo" and then dying it using natural dyes. After spending some time at the tanneries we walked back into town and got to the main square in time to see the sunset which is what we'd wanted to do. We went and sat up in a restaurant to get a better view and watched the square come to life. It was amazing and I'd love to be back there now. It was one of my favourite moments.

Day 303 - Relaxing

Leanne and Nick wanted to go off on another day trip today to a place where they have shot films like "Gladiator" and "Jesus of Nazareth". It was about a 3 1/2 hour drive away and I didn't really fancy being sat in a car for that length of time so I stayed back at the hotel and spent the day relaxing by the pool which was just what I needed. I read my book and had some quality "me" time which was perfect.
Leanne and Nick had a brilliant day too and got some amazing photos from their trip. They went up into the mountains and found snow which was such a contrast to me lying by the pool for the day!

Day 302 - Moroccan Man

We went up into the Atlas Mountains today as it was a little cloudy and we didn't think we'd be missing any tanning time by the pool! We went to Valley D'ourika which was about an hour from the city. We walked up to some waterfalls which were beautiful. It was great to get out into the mountains and see a different part of Morocco. On our walk back down from the falls there we passed this guy who was convinced we were Australian! I wanted to get a photo of him as he was dressed up in traditional dress. In order to do it he wanted to dress Nick up which Leanne and I were happy to do. I then got some great photos of Nick and him and snuck in this portrait. Again I took loads of photos today and it was difficult to choose just one for my "photo of the day" but I'm a portrait girl and I loved this shot.

Day 301 - Marrakech

We went exploring around the souqs today which was amazing. So many colours, sites and sounds. I was in my element for taking photos and could easily have spent hours photographing life. There were a lot of people wanting money from you if you were taking their photo in the main square. We decided to go and sit on a terrace overlooking the main square where I got out my BIG lens and happily snapped away taking loads of photos of people without having to spend a penny...apart from the drinks we bought but that's OK!
We then wandered around the markets and got very lost but it was great to see the bustle of life in Marrakech. I loved this scene of the man selling herbs off his bike to the locals. The blue of his coat against the terracota wall was so typical of the colours in Marrakech. This is definitely one of my favourite photos....of which there were a few today!

Day 300 - A room with a view

I'm on holiday!! 5 days in Marrakech....5 days away from work....5 days to relax and enjoy myself.
I arrived at about 10am in Marrakech and had a potential problem at customs when they saw that my job was a "photographer". They were convinced I was a journalist even though I kept telling them I did weddings & portraits. I think they were worried I was an undercover journalist! Anyway I finally managed to convince them and have now learnt to put down "private photographer" for my career.
I then got a taxi to the hotel which was only about 5 minutes from the airport. I had about an hour to wait until the room was ready so went and sat by the pool and soaked up the sunshine...bliss. This photo is the view from mine and Leanne's room. Our hotel was quite fancy but it was great to have a bit of luxury and enjoy the pool. Leanne and Nick had spent the last 2 days by the coast so got back to Marrakech this evening. Their faces as they walked into the lobby of the hotel was a picture with their rucksacs on their backs! I think they felt a little out of place!

Day 299 - Sarah & Andrew

Before heading out to Marrakech I had my last wedding of the year to photograph. Sarah is the daughter of an ex teaching colleague of mine. I was looking forward to photographing their wedding because they are such a lovely couple. It was a fairly miserable and cold day but Sarah and Andrew had an amazing day and it was lovely to be part of it all. I packed up my car at home with everything I needed for the wedding as well as for going on holiday as I was driving straight down to Luton after I finished the wedding. I got to Sarah's parents' house at about 11:45am and was taking photos until about 8pm when I took this shot of their first dance. This was actually a mock up shot as Sarah & Andrew were very sweet and knew I had to drive down to Luton so said they'd stage this shot so I could get away sooner. I was really grateful for that as it would have been nearer 9pm before I got away and I was really tired. I love this shot as it really shows off Sarah's stunning dress. They both like it as it makes them look tall!

Day 298 - Getting excited!

More preparation for my holiday! The weather has been quite nice here over the last few days, sunny but a bit cold. I wanted to check that we were going to get some sunshine and warmth in Marrakech so checked out the weather on the BBC website. I booked us a hotel with a pool because I wanted to spend at least one day chilling out by the pool so needed to check the weather to make sure it was going to happen. My friends Leanne and Nick have already flown out to Marrakech and I got a text today to say they'd arrived, it was raining and they'd seen a camel plowing a field! It looks like Sunday's going to be a good day when I arrive so the bikini and sun cream are at the top of my rucksac ready to be the first things I unpack when I arrive.

Day 297 - Packing

I am starting to get just a little bit excited about going on holiday! I have been desperate to get away for ages and can't wait to get to the airport, board the plane and fly out to Morocco on Sunday morning. I started to sort out what I'd need to take with me today as I am photographing a wedding up here, near Sheffield on Saturday. I then have to drive down to Luton after I've done the wedding and grab a couple of hours sleep before getting a taxi at 4am to go to the airport! All a bit mad but it'll result in me being in Marrakech on Sunday for 5 days of bliss...I can't wait!