Wear Lots of Colours (and 'Frankenpants')!

Kind of.

I wore lots of clothes. Which were all different colours.

This would have been much more effective (and colourful in a totally tasteless wacky kind of way) had it been an intentional wearing of lots of colours, but it wasn't. Disappointingly it all came about as the result of a practical necessity.

With the advent of recent chilly weather (quite frankly it's been bloody freezing) my flat has once again assumed sub-zero conditions. In time honoured tradition (every winter I've lived in it) I unpacked the blankets, furry slippers, furry PJ jackets and my indoor hats, fingerless gloves and scarves (yes, I actually own these items specifically to wear whilst sat on my sofa indulging in the seasonal entertainment of comparing the steam coming from the cup of tea almost permanently clamped in my mitts to the breath I'm breathing out condensing in the frigid air in front of me).

Anyway, Bernie came over and we decided to watch a Christmas film or two (stop right there with the disapproval, there was one on the TV which I considered official permission to proceed) so we both got wrapped up in multi-layer (and coloured) insulation (believe it or not the central heating was actually on all day too) which in my case included my 'Frankenpants'.

Now I love my 'Frankenpants' despite what the rest of the world says about them and, although I'll concede that admittedly they could be referred to as a little past their best, I find myself unable to part with them. Originally known as Clownpants (due to the fact that they're very big on me and I'm permanently hitching them up/falling over them) the fraying around the bottom of the legs finally reached epic proportions resulting in a rip in one leg halfway up to my knee. I haphazardly repaired the tear (they're only for indoor use so care and attention wasn't required) and continued to wear them. Until I foolishly ventured outside in them.

In the rain.

Heavy rain.

The frayed bits and previous repair didn't take kindly to this careless treatment and by the time I got home my trousers looked suspiciously like I'd borrowed them from Bruce/David Banner after he's resumed his own form. So, after some pretty major surgery the legs are now held together (just about) with zig zag rows of stiches all over the place - although some minor surgery is still required.

But, speaking of wearing lots of colours I was reminded of this awesome clip!

Nicola Radford - Photographer Extraordinaire!

“ You don’t take a photograph, you make it." - Ansel Adams

So, I thought I'd take the opportunity to tell you all about my lovely and incredibly talented friend Nikki.

The official blurb is that she's a British photographer and painter who studied fine art at Leeds college of Art and Design and has spent a lot of time travelling around North America, South East Asia and Europe.  She now lives in Harrogate, North Yorkshire and works from Rift Systems on Bower Street.

What the official stuff doesn't tell you is that she's a fantastic artist in so many fields, her drawing, painting and photography are simply stunning and she has a beautiful writing style which I thoroughly enjoyed reading whilst she was on her travels.

Her shoots are a perfect balance of professionalism and relaxation, I can speak from experience when I say that she has an intuitive ability to put you totally at ease while she's busy capturing images and her creativity and enthusiasm are contagious .

In addition to all this she's also wife to Jerome, mother to the gorgeous Niamh and friend (and inspiration) to so many.  One of the bravest people I know, she's achieved so much to be proud of in the several years I've known her and I'm looking forward to seeing her continue to grow and build on her successes.

Anyway, until Christmas she is offering a 1 hour location shoot with a disc of photos for only £60.00! Ideal as a Christmas gift for a loved one or simply for beautiful pictures of you or your family. If you'd like to book please either email her at shootlife@gmail.com or call on 07922855749.

And check out her website http://nicolaradford.wordpress.com/

Big Bang Saturday!

Last year I was on my way back from York hospital while the fireworks were going on, I just have a vague memory of being slumped against the window seeing the sky light up every so often.

This year was much better!  Wandered down to the Stray with Bernie, lit a sparkler, managed to successfully resist the temptation to raid the hot dog stand and enjoyed 15-20 minutes of ooohing and aaaaahing (no matter how much you're determined to not stand there making stupid noises along with everyone else it's a totally involuntary reaction and you just can't help it!) - I love the ones that reverberate right through the ground and you can feel in the pit of your stomach - awesome!

Of course this was then followed by the obligatory 10 minutes of cursing as we tried to make our way back home amongst the hundreds of idiots that seem to come out of the woodwork at this event.  I saw some staggering (literally in some cases) examples of sheer stupidity, there was more chance of injury, maiming or death in getting home than there ever would be in attending the firework display!!

(I'm also starting to think that when I say that I never want to live with anyone again I actually need to think about it in terms of miles and radius!)

Apologies for the amount of photos - just be grateful I deleted the many, many others!

 

Speaking of photos - check out my talented friend's website, and she's offering special discounts on portraits for Christmas!

 

Nicola Radford Art and Photography

Practice Your Evil Laugh!

I think we can safely say that this one was achieved!

And it was good to actually use the decoration etc that were put up and hastily removed again when I was hospitalised (not as a result of the decorations I hasten to add!)!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pumpkin carving competition

Debbie's creation

My creation

 

 

 

 

I didn't dare take it home!

Proud 'parents'

 

There's something not right about all our eyes on this one - and I look more like a pilgrim than anything else!

Slime tarts and mini muffins

 

Debbie''s homemade cupcakes and Sara's bat biscuits