A year in review…

“Maybe who we are isn’t so much about what we do, but rather what we’re capable of when we least expect it.”

– Jodi Picoult

It’s funny how things change in the space of six months – and priorities realign. Anyone stumbling across this blog would think it’s been abandoned – nearly six months ago I last wrote about the heatwave! Those in the future would have found this blog and think that the heatwave wiped us all out… Therefore it was definitely necessary to write a new entry to alleviate any fears that future readers might have. Of course in the online world I haven’t been quiet, but my blog entries have mainly focused on my book reviews over at Tea Leaves and Reads as well as getting stuck into the third and final year of University.

2018 is almost over and what a year it has been. The biggest highlight definitely has to be engagement – and the exciting wedding planning that has been underway ever since. There are so many little achievements alongside that, too many to list, but definitely another reason to dust off the Good Things Jar for 2019 and start to keep track again.



(This picture sums up our new car… Maisy was, for the first time, confined to the ‘Boot’ (Trunk if you’re American) and absolutely hated it. We love it! No more hairy seats!)

2019 brings excitement – my sister’s Wedding is in March, the first three months of the year will be spent preparing for that.. and then my Thirtieth Birthday (needs capital letters) will be upon me in April. Whilst navigating the first quarter of the year I’ll also be doubling up on my University ‘years’ – doing two at once from January until August to get the pesky thing finished. It means a brand new job (placement) for me from the 2nd of January as although I am employed full-time part of my third year means going on placement with a completely different team and client group. By October I should know whether I’ve survived enough and done enough to become an NQSW – Newly Qualified Social Worker.. and then follows a year of assessment in employment to ensure that I can meet the standards required. Social Work is no easy feat… anyone who thinks it is needs a good talking to!

This year we made the decision to turn our guest room into a library… it was the best decision we ever made! Courtesy of IKEA and their amazing bookcases, it turned out the size of the room was the absolute perfect fit for their corner mahooosive bookshelf. So here are the in progress and ‘after’ shots. We’re still working on the room and once the massive pile of Christmas presents is dispersed over the next few days we will be able to straighten it out and take a few more photos (especially of the Reading Chair, very important.) The best thing about having this set up is that now every book I own can be accessible.. rather than in the loft making me feel guilty. And there are also at least five spare shelves… ;)

So for various reasons, photography with the Proper Camera, has taken a backseat. Wedding photography this year has been on hold and will be again for 2019 – as my weekends are spent either writing essays and reading (uni) books, or attending tutorials. Who knows what the future holds.. but one of my goals for 2019 is to enjoy photography for fun again, before I decide whether to go back to it professionally. It’s also so easy these days to just snap a photo on the iPhone.. in fact every photo in this blog entry is brought to you courtesy of an Apple Product. Fancy that. Camera phones are a game changer these days.

I also got the chance to meet my hero – Jodi Picoult – the woman who continues to inspire my love of reading (and attempting to write!) She visited the UK on her ‘A Spark of Light’ Tour with the release of her new book. It was absolutely amazing to hear her speak about the book and her writing… Truly an experience I will never forget.

There are so many other things to mention that have happened in the last quarter of 2018 – and prior to that! The most wonderful baby was born in the Summer and lots of memories have been created and experiences shared with his amazing parents and the rest of the friendship group around him as well as family times and just evenings spent with William where it’s us two and we play a board game, or watch a series, or just chill… The year has been good in so many ways.

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Once you have slept on an island…

“The island is ours. Here, in some way, we are young forever.”
― E. Lockhart

We recently ventured over to the Isle of Wight, something we try and do at least once a year, and a had a week of sunshine and breathtaking views. We chose a coach house in the grounds of a larger property and we weren’t sure until we arrived whether the views would be any good for Photography… Well they were absolutely amazing. On a good day there was a great view of The Needles and each sunset was incredible. The property itself was gorgeous with lots of traditional farmhouse charm.

We had no specific agenda, we knew the views that we wanted to revisit and we had a few ideas of new places that we wanted to explore. With my health not being in top form this year, we couldn’t plan to walk too far and yet we ended up covering miles in the end. Totally unplanned which I think made it easier to achieve!

The Isle of Wight has traditional views such as Freshwater Bay, Ventnor, Brading Downs, The Needles and of course all of the stunning seascapes you can capture from the end of the Military Road. But this time we wanted to capture the harder places, and there are definitely some gems hidden away. We had kept an eye on local Photographers works leading up to the trip and our first stop was to try and get to St Catherine’s Lighthouse without walking too far…

Once we found it though, with the sun briskly setting behind us, we decided that the only thing to do to explore the views further was to climb. And so we did. We climbed the hill overlooking the Lighthouse (later in the holiday finding a car park at the top but nevermind!) and we were not disappointed.

St Catherine’s Lighthouse is not accessible by road. It’s one of the oldest Lighthouses in the UK… constructed in 1838. (Some sites state that it was 1323, actually that seems to be when a Lighthouse further away on St Catherine’s Down was built, this is now just a ‘shell’ of stone and is known locally as ‘The Pepperpot’).

Another view that we wanted to capture was Steephill Cove. This is again on the sunny side of the Island and is located in Ventnor, home to the Botanical Gardens (which were INCREDIBLE!) We walked through the gardens to the coastal path and then on down to Steephill Cove as again, this is a cove that is untouched by motor vehicles and is only accessible by a steep climb down…and back up again.

Time stood still in this beautiful place  which was just a glorious suntrap. A little hut selling cold drinks meant that we could walk along the beach sipping ginger beer (or cream soda in my case!) and then induling in a New Forest Ice Cream further along. The fact that you couldn’t just turn up in your car made this even more special.

The Isle of Wight is greatly underestimated in terms of a holiday destination… and even a place to live. Although the crossing on the Ferry is quite expensive I think that’s what protects this Island from being overrun. We went via Wightlink Ferries, known affectionately by many as Shitelink..and yet they had just upgraded and the ferry had cosy sofa’s, coffee bars and excellent seating. ll very surreal compared to the old days of plastic chairs, smelly corridors and sticky floors…

It has taken me absolutely ages to finish this blog, with one thing or another creeping up on me and essays that needed to be written. The actual holiday was about a month ago! There are lots of fabulous meadow photos and memories to blog next from Father’s Day…

I also started a book review blog. Tea Leaves and reads! Head over and check it out on Facebook or on WordPress.

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