They were kids that I once knew

A few hours of sunshine snapped on the way to work.

I don't have much to talk about these days, which is why things have been really quiet for me.  Work is fine, good. I've made friends with a really nice girl I work with. Life is life, the kind of stuff that's important but personal so I don't really want to put it on here- lots and lots of marriage discussions (not discussions about marriage, just the kind of important talks that married people have with each other) important, but boring to outsiders. We are on a desperate apartment search. We've looked at two, both at each end of the niceness and money spectrum. The first was amazing, but too expensive. The second was extremely small and underwhelming but more affordable than the first, but probably overpriced for what it was. And number three. Oh, number three, how I love thee. We've only seen pictures of it online, but it looks even nicer than the first one, similar size, but more affordable. We are seeing it tonight and I can't wait. Apart from that, it's just a matter of counting our pennies and making sure we can do this.
And then doing it anyway.
That's pretty much what is consuming our time and thoughts around here. Also the ridiculous pricing of towels. We were at ASDA the other day (UK's Wal-Mart partner) and I saw some towels. I decided to have a look and a feel, knowing that we'll be needing to get some soon. The towels weren't very soft, but they were £5 each. For cheap, scratchy towels. That's like, $7.50! I couldn't believe it! And my father-in-law's girlfriend said the nice big bath sheets you can get at the good department store are £22! Is this normal? Or is it just an England thing because I can't handle it right now. But I guess that's what Argos is for. I found a bundle of 6 towels for £12, go me.
Yeah, sorry for all the towel talk- these are the mundane things that occupy my mind lately!
Mick and I are doing well. We've had some time recently to sit down and really talk, an activity that life hasn't given us the chance to do lately. We walked away from a very open and honest conversation feeling closer than we have for a long time, and a bit more full of one another's love. And I think that's something we've both really needed lately.

The other day I walked to work, listening to a song I discovered recently. It's called "Dead Hearts" by Star. It was cool, not cold (it's been a very mild winter), and I had my headphones on and nearly skipped to work in the sunshine. Yes, sunshine. Since moving to Kent in October, I haven't seen a lot of sun. In Sussex during the summer there was loads of it. For a minute, I really missed Arizona and the endless blue skies. There was a day early last week (Monday?) and a girl I work with and I were upstairs taking down all the Christmas decorations and it just started to pour. Angry rain, people. And the wind was pushing it in these clouds of water racing across rooftops. I felt like the windows were going to break. And then it stopped... and got sunny for an hour. And then the rain started again, then stopped... it was pretty crazy.
Anyway, I hope you all have a great week!

Finding Winter

I've never experienced a real winter, having grown up in Southern California and Arizona. I remember one particularly cold "winter" in Arizona, I was walking to class one morning at the college. I walked across the grass and was a bit bemused when it started to crunch beneath my feet. Frost?! That is something we're seeing more of these days, now that I'm in England.

Such amazing patterns to be found in ice and frost. Little trails, mountains, rivers and valleys to explore with the eye. I found myself hoping this morning, when I woke and heard someone coughing and rattling objects in what should have been an empty house. I could tell the cough belonged to my mother in law. At first I assumed illness, but then quickly replaced that idea with a hope of snowy roads and no way for her to get to work. A glance out the window erased this dream, and an explanation of car trouble answered my question.

This approaching winter not only brings the normal things for me - my mother and sister's birthdays, Christmas, warm fires and time spent together, keeping warm on the inside, hot drinks and snuggles. This year, winter holds more for me; an exploration of a new season, new elements and a whole world of winter wonderland to discover. Mick and I hope to make it up to London before Christmas for some shopping in Camden and Greenwich Markets, perhaps catching a musical at a theatre in the West End. This winter will be a walkway into my new life, in this new place, with my new husband. What an adventure! 

Truckin' Along...

Hello, all!

Not much to report around here. Mick and I are still house-sitting for his dad. During the day I help with the phones for the business and pretty much take it easy. This is due to what I’m pretty sure is a pinched nerve. I was having really random and harsh stabbing pains in my shoulder due to certain movements. This would then send a tingly, pins and needles type feeling down my right arm and into my fingers. Yesterday the stabbing pain was gone and I was left with a constant muscular ache from always having my shoulder tensed. And a few pins and needles. Today I’m feeling pretty much back to normal- whew! I think sleeping with a hot water bottle two nights in a row helped a bit! And thank goodness, because sleeping on my back was getting old.


Something about being in this village makes my creativity go all aflutter. I’ve been writing, cooking, and taking pictures. I think it’s just because everything is so picturesque.

The weather has been rainy, and every day the trees seem more yellow/orange/red than the day before. I can tell it’s trying to get colder, but the sun isn’t quite ready to go away for the winter. One day it’s in the high 50s, the next, in the mid 60s. One day the sky is blue, the next, grey. I guess that’s what autumn is, though- the gradual change and earth’s time to be a bit fickle about just how it wants to be.

Funny moment of the week-
Mick and I had finished dinner last night and were watching some television. We heard this really weird rubbing/scratching sound coming from downstairs. We'd heard it a couple times throughout the day but it never lasted long enough to figure out what it was. We went downstairs after it had stopped. You should know right now that I married the biggest scaredy cat of all time, though I'm only slightly better. Anyway, we got to the front door and it started again. We looked at each other in half amusement, half terror. I thought I heard a cat meow but we weren't sure. I figured it was probably the cat scratching at the door but it didn't seem to be the right sound. We decided I should text my father-in-law.

Me: Does Sox ever scratch at the front door?
Him: Yes, sometimes when he wants in or out.
Me: Are you sure it's not an axe murderer?
Him: Could be, but he tends to smash through the door.

I've been giggling about that all day.
And yes, we opened the door and Sox came struttin' in.

 I guess I’ll leave you with some pictures, as always!

Wrotham Church. It's old. And Mick used to sing there when he was wee. In the choir. Haha.

Fall colors at the park.

My father-in-law has this tree in his garden that's completely bursting with apples. The branches are really heavy and the weight of the apples is bending them down towards the ground. I've been instructed to use as many of the apples as possible, so we've been feasting on homemade, homegrown cinnamon apples. Yum!

My favorite Halloween movie of all time ever ever ever. And popcorn made on the stove with nothing but kernels, olive oil and a pan. This is new to me, and I'm so excited that I made it all by myself. Silly, I know. But every time I do it I feel like Tom Hanks in Castaway when he finally makes fire and puffs his chest out proudly and cries, "Look what I have created! I have made fire! I!!!! (gesticulating madly) Have made fire!!!" It's the little things, you know?

This is Sox, my FIL's (way easier) cat. He's pure evil. But he's cute because he sleeps funny, with all his feet piled on top of each other. I'm not even really sure how it's physically possible, but he does.

The Daily Shoot- Humor and Laughter

Today's Daily Shoot assignment was a tough one.

October 3, 2011 (Day 687) Assignment
Make a photograph that expresses humor or laughter today.

Now, I know I should have figured out a way to make Mick laugh and take a picture of it but I honestly just couldn't be bothered today, and he hates having his photo taken. So I cheated. This is an old photo I took a few years ago of a lawn gnome my mom has stashed in the house somewhere, and I'm not sure why. But seriously, who doesn't think lawn gnomes are funny? They make me laugh.

Not much going on around here today. It's finally cooled down a bit, my feet are actually cold as I sit here and type this. Just been doing little things around the house today, planning what to do for dinner tonight, finishing touches on wedding thank you notes. Can you believe the wedding was a month ago yesterday? It feels like so much more to me!

Have a nice Monday, folks! :)

Daily Shoot- Equinox? (not really)

I'm a little bit confused by today's Daily Shoot assignment.

October 2, 2011 (Day 686) Assignment:
It's the solstice. Make a photo that captures the day for you wherever you are.

I'm confused by this because I'm about 99% sure that the autumnal equinox was last week? It's always September 23rd, isn't it? And I'm not even sure that there is a solstice this time of year?
Anyway, the last thing it feels like around here is autumn. About 80F again today. As we walked along the beach, I couldn't believe the amount of people that were there day camping, BBQing, paddling around in inflatable boats, and watching their children splash around in the shallows. The water was really calm, with only a few tiny waves. It was so quiet and still, apart from all the people. It feels like July out there.
However, it is in fact autumn and one of my very favorite holidays is only 29 days away. Halloween! While Mick was mowing the lawn today, I wandered around the garden snapping photos for the assignment. I love how creepy this brick wall looks with the vines that seem to have died while creeping up the bricks. Feels very Halloween-y doesn't it?

Mick and I filled out the forms for my visa application today. We're basically done, we just have to call the border agency tomorrow and clear up a few questions then we can send it off, wait to hear about when my biometrics appointment will be, and then we're done with this step and I can work soon (hopefully)!

What have you done with your Sunday?

The Daily Shoot- Break the Rules

 Today's assignment at The Daily Shoot was actually kind of hard for me, as I'm only a baby photographer and don't know tons of "rules" of composition and whatnot. I took a class a few years ago, but I've forgotten a lot in the time my photo taking has been stagnant.

September 30, 2011 (Day 684), Assignment:
"Rules" can be stifling if taken to extremes. Break the rules today with focus, composition, etc, and see what happens

Here's my homework...

I didn't go full blown rebel on this one. I played with composition a bit, mostly just that the object is slightly out of the frame. My photography teacher always said you want to be really careful when you cut something off in a photo- it either needs to be dramatic or not at all, basically. There needs to be a point in cutting something off. I only cut off a bit at the edge, and I also did the focus a bit differently with the parts closest to the camera out of focus and the bottom right in focus, which is the part of the object that's further away. This isn't really rule breaking, just a bit different from what I'd normally do. I'm not sure if it's a big success as the assignment, but I like it.

Not much news- it's been unseasonably warm, I'm told. I have no other English Autumns to compare it to, but it's in the mid-high seventies farenheit this week. Mick said it shouldn't be freezing yet, but it should be a lot cooler. The back of the house where the tv room and kitchen are catch the sun all day. This is also where I spend most of my time. Our bedroom/Mick's office is also on the back of the house. These rooms are really hot and stuffy and uncomfortable when it's warm. We've both retreated to the front sitting room which stays nice and cool all day.

Feeling less homesick, which is good.
Mick bought me some spicy candles that I can burn in the house, which reminds me of home, because mom always had spicy candles in autumn and winter.

Later guys :)