For Auld Lang Syne....

As the last minutes pass of 2010, I hope that the coming New Year brings us all lots of joy, good health, success and happiness.

Thank you for all your comments, love and support, it is really appreciated for auld lang syne.

Timeless message, sang all over the world year after year after year.

Happy Hogmanay!

Fireworks and torch parade

Just back from a the torchlight procession which is beautiful.  It starts in the high street and huge crowds of people walk down the Mound, along Princes Street and to Carlton Hill where there is a great big bonfire and fireworks.  I still have the photographs to download, but for now, enjoy the magic that is the torchlight parade followed by fireworks...

White on red on black

A time to reflect, ponder the snow that fell down from the sky, so crisp and white, so beautiful and pure in its newness.

The year has flown by, and as I think about it much like the snow that has now melted and gone.  Our streets  and the ground are black with grime much like the build up of old dirt and dust which gets cleaned with the old to see the shine of the new.  With the death of the old year fast approaching (or at least that is how people seem to portray the end of something like the passing of a year) why does it seem that each year passes faster than the year before?  I know in reality that is not so but it feels that way at times.

I watch my beautiful red dogs who are alert to everything and never seem to miss a trick, I am reminded of white on red on black.  So long as red runs, it skips, plays, gets excited and seeks out whatever like the blood in my veins, black will be held back and seem like white, red and colours in between are fighting back black and despair at what could have, should have, would have!

Not that I  have regrets I am just musing over what new year is all about!  To me it seems that with each passing of a year, people reflect on the things they have done, didn't, and wish they had done or done differently, and vow to put it all right in the following year!  If that is the case, then make it so .....

Turning away from the dark.....

We watched Dr Who on Christmas Day.  It was the Dr Who Christmas Story, and this year it was about saying that Christmas day is (in the planet they were on) when you turn away from the dark and into the light.  

Whilst watching it Anders, Dexter and I were full to the brim of yummy food and had settled down in front of the telly all snuggled up and warm, happy to be cuddled up on the floor.  We were felling relaxed enough and just in the right mood for a story in front of the telly snuggled under warm blankets lying on the floor in one big pack (in our case that really is the case as it includes our dogs and cat)!

So the Christmas Dr Who tale begun, and whilst watching it I was struck by the message behind their Christmas Special - which was a scrooge tale but also being the half way point in winter in which people everywhere turn away from the dark and into the light.  Is that something subconsciously we started to feel?  Was Christmas Day the half way point of Winter where we started to look forward to the beginning of spring?

the glow of a fire

The end of a year

The start of new beginnings

What the future will bring is never clear

Except for knowing those you love you will love
The joy and light that they bring is what, if you keep a focus on, will make everything bright.
A new year will dawn and the darkness which marks the end of a year will pass!

Would you like some of my spicy hot chocolate?

I did, it made me laugh a dirty laugh and it was yummy!

So my happiness over the past day has been being able to get out of the house as I have been so unwell.  This is what I got to see with these short video clips that I took!

One thing about having flu (and it does make me happy) is that my voice gets even more deep and husky - the only time I like hearing it!

Then back home to watch Dexter get so excited at playing his main Christmas Present, Kinetic with the Sports game which he just loves and I have to say, it is extremely good.

So despite being unwell, I have been happy spending time with the people that I love very much and hope you are all having a wonderfully happy time too ;-)

Scavenger Hunt Sunday but on Monday!

Family, not always picture perfect, but it is what you make it.  

Well this was the picture I submitted (not thinking it would ever be accepted) and it was accepted and as a result was featured on Lenscratch and is being published along with the other entries in this category that were featured by Aline Smithson.  In a way, getting this accolade has been the catalyst for me really starting to think about what photographs can say and mean and lead onto, a bit like this blog. 

Family.
  

My immediate family is Anders the husband I adore, me and the son which we both absolutely wholeheartedly adore, Dexter.

As I have been really very unwell with the flu, I am so glad to have had my two boys with me and we have had a lovely time together.  My sister didn't manage to make it over after all which was a disappointment, but given that I was so unwell, it was probably for the best as I would not have wanted her to catch this.  We did however have a wonderful Christmas, and one of the presents I received was a fantastic book on the past 150 years of photo journalism.  I have not picked up the camera for the last few days, but now that I am feeling a lot better I am about to start playing with it and the new lenses which were under the tree.

Christmas, much like motion has passed in a blur.  The one thing that for us that has held true is sharing of lots of unconditional love for us make us feel safe and secure.  We had a lovely Christmas Day, it was simple and really nice.

and the prettiest package of all was Dexter as he is just one big bundle of wrapped up love and was just so happy on Christmas morning seeing what Santa had brought him for being such a great boy.

Glow, well that is something that you feel when all is right with the world.

and then you feel all sparkly and happy!

Holiday Magic.....

Twas the eve before Christmas...

Hope you have a lovely time.

The lovely Ian

I saw Ian the other day again, (for those of you who don't know what I am referring to you can see my original post here).  Last Wednesday was is the first time I had seen him since I took his photograph in the cafe which I met him at, before the snow set in and ground Edinburgh to a standstill we kept missing each other ;-( but then there he was and his face lit up as did mine and Anders as he is just such a delightful man.

He was sitting there having a coffee, and Anders and I asked if we could join him which he was keen to have us do.  We chatted, and he said he had been thrilled to get copies of the photos together with a photograph of Marvin wishing him a Merry Christmas.  We asked him how he had been keeping as I was genuinely concerned how he had been with all the snow we had had.  We had not been across town for nearly 3 weeks because of the snow, so wasn't sure how he had been, but he said fine.  He had dressed up warmly, and gone outside he wasn't going to let some snow stop him from living, and you know that really made me so happy.

Proudly showing us the other photographs that had been taken  as he knew I had been keen to see them.

We carried on talking, and he showed me some more boxes of sweeties he had purchased to give to people for Christmas.  He said he had bought each of the people who lived in the sheltered housing complex where he lived a box, and also all of the staff in the cafe and had even gone to the effort of purchasing Polish sweeties for them as there are a few there who are from Poland.  Anders and I were just so genuinely happy to see him and to see the joy in his face and knowing he was doing something nice to the people who he felt made his every day special too.  What a charming man he really is.

As we were now chatting like friends, I asked him what he had done in his younger years and he said he had been "a rover".  I burst out laughing and said "a charming rover I bet" to which he giggled.  He then explained that he had had many different jobs and said the main thing in life is to know the basics.  If you know the basics you can survive and get on in life and clearly that principal worked so well for him as here he was happy and content.  

He said he wanted to bring in the other photographs that had been taken to show me so we agreed to meet him in the cafe the following day at 12.30 which we did.  He was there waiting for us and as soon as he saw us his face lit up and we sat down.  Anders and I had our usual bowl of soups and Ian said he just wanted a Latte as he had already had a nice bowl of soup.  He then proudly showed me the photographs which I just loved as they had captured the man Ian wanted to be, relaxed and confident.  In his head he said he was still young, but he was aware every time he saw himself that he was no longer a young man, but in his head he was and it was hard for him to sometimes accept that.  He wasn't sad about it, he said it in a very matter of fact way, and I looked at him and smiled and said, I think that is true of us all, if we are lucky enough to be all there upstairs, then that is how old we feel which usually is a lot younger than we really are.

Ian and the favourite of the two pictures he had had taken by the Photography student because he looked so relaxed.

He then presented me with a copy of his favourite of these two photographs as a Christmas present which I was so shocked and delighted at getting.  It is such a sweet thing for him to have done and I told him I would have it framed and would cherish it, which I really will.  Anders and I were both really blown away by it as clearly the chance encounter we had because of my camera was something that made an impact on us all.

Posing 

I told him I was so touched and delighted by it and also that he really had not needed to to which he replied "you did a kind thing for me by taking my photo and keeping your word in saying you would give me copies.  Not only that but you also gave me a Christmas photograph which you didn't have to and it is something that meant a lot to me".  I replied "Ian, you were the one that did me the great kindness in allowing me to photograph you" and we all smiled and then I just gave him a huge hug and kiss to say thank you to which he said "you have sparkly eyes too" and then looked at Anders and said "your wife said I had sparkly eyes, but she has them too" and I did at that very moment, how could I not, he was just so delightful and had done such a kind gesture that was so completely unexpected and so heartfelt and welcomed.  

Who would have thought that my Olympus Pen would have made such an old man happy because of taking his photograph, that is really lovely.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas spirit captured on the i-phone

I took this picture on the i-phone the other day of the Christmas Tree, and it appears to have come to life - is this a little Christmas Spirit!!!

This is the snowman Dexter made for me which was really sweet of him.

Even though he and I are both coughing and spluttering with some cold bug, we are both finding pieces of magic in this run up to Christmas.  Anders, he is too, and is even going to be one of Santa's messengers on Christmas Eve for a friend from Dexter's school's daughters birthday party.  Her daughter is in one of the younger classes so doesn't know Andrew or I from School, but either way, even if she did recognise him it would be ok as he is a designated "official Santa helper based in Edinburgh" who has been called in to make sure all will be fantastic!!!

  The kids are all going to write out last minute wishes to Santa and Andrew (who is going to be dressed up as an "official Santa helper based in Edinburgh") is going to arrive to collect them and make sure Santa gets them in time for Christmas Day, hope I get to capture this, but even if I don't I will get to see the letters!

Snow sculptures.....

Love it how when the snow falls, people sometimes chose to make sculptures, these seem to be becoming much more creative now than just jolly snowmen!

These ones were made from leaves and dressed up with some little pieces of clothing, but with the snow having fallen on them, and the fact it was dark outside, something about them looked haunting, like ghosts of people who had been frozen in some other dimension.

Homeless person 

In loving memory 

It's a Wonderful Life

Homeless person

In loving memory

And then there was this one that just made me laugh, and it really did make me laugh a lot - I thought it was great as from the front he had a face like a snowman including a carrot for a nose!

Red Light

William the Snowman!

Snow Willie however is no more, he was kicked down to a pile of snow ;-(  clearly someone didn't see the humour of him but I did and I am glad I managed to capture him.   Hope he makes you laugh too.

I don't know what it was but it was lovely....

I had such a strange and surreal dream on Thursday night, but when I woke up I was completely in the Christmas spirit!  I can't remember anything about how I got to the end of the dream and what the build up of it was, but what I do remember was the image at the end as it lasted for what seemed like ages, whilst simultaneously in my mind thinking "what is going on"?

Your curious I can tell - ha, ha!  Well, the end of my dream was a scene which was very bright white, like fluffy and iridescent clouds backdrop to, yep you guessed it, a beautiful white lamb.  It was sitting down just like this one photographed above (except it was a bit more of a pop art style) which I saw in the entrance way of Dexter's school set amongst their nativity display!  It felt very lovely and calming and I really didn't want to wake up!

When I did surface, I was a bit confused thinking, where is the lamb and then I thought I have just had a dream with the lamb of God - wow!  It was really pretty and lovely, and clearly I had it because the evening before part of Dexter's homework had been for him to draw two things which related to Christmas and then to give the reason why they did.  Dexter chose the Christmas Pudding and Present (tree had already been given as an example which explained the homework).

Suppose there is nothing like a dream that makes you wake up all warm and happy and for me it got me right into the spirit of Christmas.  It was a bit like having had an audience with Clarence the angel from It's a Wonderful Life except I didn't hear any bells ringing to signify someone getting their wings!  I don't know what it was but it was a really lovely dream.

Remember when we had snow...

I took this photograph on Thursday.  Do you remember when you played in school grounds, it doesn't seem so long ago, and as I looked at these little girls it seems like the routines hardly change.  Little girls still like to wear red coats and walk around arm in arm in solidarity and it seems like such a timeless thing when I saw it again just this week in the playground of my son Dexter's school.

As you can see, the snow melted and so it felt like winter had gone.  It is hard to believe that only just over a week ago we had lots of snow and it felt like winter with everything all crisp and white? Remember how beautiful it was and then it all melted?  Well this morning woke up, opened the curtains and it was all white, about an inch of white - yey!

You never know what is round the corner that is why you have to love every moment of it and enjoy the ride holding on for as long as you can and feel the rush of it all as it is one big blast if you want it to be and I definitely do.

I never understand why people don't grab onto living life.  

Seasons come and go but time does not stop.

Frame each moment of your life and remember to cherish them.

You just never know what is going to blow into or out of your life....

Santa will still make his deliveries though even if the post doesn't!