Llawhaden Castle, West Wales

Bluebells on Sunday

Feeling a little low, I had contacted a dear friend on social media who I knew would lift my spirits. He has a beautiful soul and though I've never met him, I cherish his friendship.

I asked him if he would clone himself and send his clone to live with me. If only! Wouldn't that be great...someone who understands but never judges, someone with a pure heart who is always there to listen, someone who is intelligent, musical, as beautiful on the inside as he is on the outside, and someone I wish I had met many decades since.

Life is what life is.

After his warm and loving words, I slept with the stars and woke in the sun.

I headed out to the woods to find solace and comfort in nature. It always works for me.

Painting with Scissors Workshop with Maya Mitten

One of the reasons I moved to Narberth was to encourage myself to get involved with the art scene and the general good vibe that this little market town embodies.

Since I moved to my new home, I've been very busy up cycling my furniture and doing all the other things you need to do when you move... like finding a place for everything to go.

I saw the workshop was being held at the Oriel Q Gallery so I put my name down for it. I'm glad I did. There were only a few of us, but it was good to meet Maya and my fellow workshopees. Maya's work can be viewed at mayamitten.com She is a DJ and artist, an interesting person to talk too and a good facilitator. I really love her collage work, its so detailed and fascinating to look at.

The morning began with cutting out pictures from The National Geographic

More cutting... chatting... discussing Maya's art.... her next project

I chose my pictures and made my collage... not quite finished but I'm happy with how it materialised.

Prayer of the Snowdrop

Analogue images are so much more atmospheric than digital in my eyes. I'm not an analogue snob, I shoot with digital too, but the quality of film for me is beyond comparison. The images are grainy, organic in nature, they have more feeling within them.

When I shoot, either with film or with digital, I always allow my intuitive response to capture the picture. To most people, they mean nothing, but to me they mean a great deal because my emotions lay within them.

I photograph with my heart in the places I love to be. This church is one such place. There I am surrounded by people whom I have loved either as friend, family or neighbour. The church is no longer used for service,  Sadly all of the interior has been taken out. But it is such a special place for me. It is like many other places, it holds emotion, memories, and so much social history. A wealth of lives lived and lives remembered.

                            

North Pembrokeshire Spectacular Views

Trees in Winter Sun

My Love of Trees holds no bounds. They are Nature's sculpture. The Old, The New.... I never tire of photographing them.

Today the Winter Sun and the cloudy sky made a wonderful background to the stark branches. Totally Divine.

Spring is on its way, and soon they will once more change.

But for now, these beautiful Winter Trees will do for me!

Shrove Tuesday - I didn't know..

I love pancakes, and so Shrove Tuesday has always been one of my favourite days of the year. It is the memories of Shrove Tuesday that make this day so special for me. The memories of getting home from school, opening the door to the wonderful smell of pancakes on the griddle. Mam would have made mountains of them. When I was the only one left at home after all my brothers and sisters had left, it was up to me to eat them, and I didn't waste a crumb!

Then with my own children, I loved preparing them for their coming home from school time, always such a happy time for us all.

Now, even though there is only me, my children have left home, I still make pancakes. They make me happy, the memories, the making of, the tossing, the eating. All glorious.

I'd always known that this is a day to feast before the abstinence of Lent, but the thing I didn't know about Shrove Tuesday, is that it is a day of penitence, to rid your soul of guilt, to be forgiven for your sins, to start anew. So now my Shrove Tuesday is complete and I know its full meaning.

And now for the pancakes....

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