with friends like these, who needs anemones?
new lipchis way
A marker in Itchenor for the New Lipchis Way, a walking trail linking Liphook and Chichester Harbour.
camber sands
Despite visiting Camber Sands with friends on such a lovely day with perfect weather, albeit a bit windy, I barely took in my surroundings. I only captured a handful of photographs with my dSLR and my iPhone.
And some of those iPhone photos were taken while I sat in the car with my mind elsewhere.
Specifically: on the outcome of the Brexit referendum, which had taken place the previous day.
I'd stayed up into the wee hours keeping an eye on updates but had finally succumbed to sleep before the result was confirmed.
I woke up a couple of hours later and checked the news on my phone. Seeing the headlines, I tossed my phone on the bed in disgust, went to the bathroom, and then returned to a fitful sleep, brought on by my disappointment and disbelief.
My mood hadn't lifted over breakfast. It wasn't helped by our B&B hosts being unashamedly pleased with the outcome. Phil and I both struggled to contain our frustrations out of politeness to our otherwise welcoming hostess.
Even now, my disappointment over the decision for Britain to exit the European Union is still present. It's reinforced every time the current Conservative government takes the Overton Window further and further to the right.
The political situation in the UK, US and Australia had already been heading that way for at least two years. But I feel Brexit was the beginning of an even more accentuated move away from common sense toward the politics of Drumpf and beyond.
And it doesn't seem to be swinging back anytime soon, unfortunately.
...and a shed in the back
I took these photos in October last year when I was in Minera, Wales, cat-sitting Meg and Mog for friends.
In a few days, I'll be cat-sitting Meg and Mog again, but it will be in a village a short distance south of Bedford.
When I went to Minera, it was because Meg and Mog's mothers were house-hunting for a new home within a more manageable commuting distance from London. They had previously been neighbours living at the other end of my street.
I'm hoping to head back to north Wales sometime this summer. But with my health issues making travel nerve-wracking at the moment, Cotton End will be a chance to test the waters, the effectiveness of my new meds and, hopefully, get my mojo back.
Cotton End is a shorter journey from my home than Bromley, where I stayed last weekend to cat-sit Sammy, Lily and Poppy. While I was there, I chose not to venture out much. Literally, two supermarket runs less than ten minutes walk from the house.
Unfortunately, the mercury is set to soar this coming week. That will make going out less appealing for me. But I hope to get out at least a little with my camera.
If possible, I'll also meet up with a friend and her mother who live in Bedford. But it will depend on their schedule and health.
ballroom blitz
The ballroom at Bletchley Park.
untitled #9
Tonight was the calm, creative and productive evening I had hoped to have last night.
Something I desperately needed after an unexpectedly stressful and emotional 24+ hours.
Tonight was an evening spent editing photos, sharing work here with you and listening to my illuminations playlist followed by Dubstar's latest album, Two.
For much of the evening, I've enjoyed the company of a brimstone moth who you can see on my Instagram, chilling on my desk. S/he's nestled in a crook of the hutch on my desk as I type this.
I guess if I don't have cat-sitting therapy this month, then at least I have the calming company of a pretty moth. Though initially, s/he had the 'zoomies' around my monitor :P
untitled #15
And here's the final season's grievings image for 2021!
I hope you've enjoyed these again this year.
Let me know in the comments if you think I should continue sharing these in December 2022, or if you've had enough of this curated series!
locked out
So today, continuing the theme for the year, the result for the PCR test I took yesterday came back positive for Covid-19.
Because, of course.
Though, hilariously, because of everything else that's already happened this year, somehow, this is the least upsetting or disappointing piece of news I've received in the past seven to eight months.
It just seems like another piece of the puzzle that is my 2021.
Thank Science, I'd already had one dose of the vaccine, so the worst of it already seems to have passed.
No thanks to all the English football fans on the Tube on Sunday shouting 'It's coming home!' at the top of their lungs. While wearing masks around their necks instead of over their massive gobs.
Even with all my obsessive hand-sanitising, masking and not touching a damned thing while commuting, I'm sure that's where I caught it. And based on my symptoms, I'd lay bets it was the much more contagious (but, thankfully, less deadly) Delta strain.
Amusingly, today, as I completed the NHS Test and Trace documentation after receiving my results, I realised I have, in fact, lost my sense of smell. Though not my sense of taste.
To confirm this, I:
sniffed heavily of my dried thyme (which has been my go-to for checking for covid previously),
stuck my nose into a large jar of peanut butter, and
sniffed rosemary and oregano in their bottles.
All registered a complete blank for scent.
Despite not having showered since leaving the flat at 11:30 yesterday to go for the PCR test, further confirmation has been provided by my apparent lack of body odour at 19:00 the next day. Anyone who knows me and knows how I sweat in 26-degree heat (yesterday's temperature), especially after walking for more than 90 minutes, knows this is a physical impossibility. My sense of smell has definitely left the building.
And, I guess, so has my shock and indignation at anything 2021 has left to throw at me.
double-crossed
lean into it
Are you looking to treat yourself as a reward for making it through 2020?
To bring some art and colour to your new year?
Now's a good time to become a patron then!
See the best of my new and newly-edited work up to a week before the rest of the world.
Enjoy new photos from my season's grievings mini-series two days early (there's some more to come!)
Read new instalments of my postcards from another's life series a week before I share them here and on my blog.
Catch up on all my posts from the past year and a half, including exclusive patron-only posts.
If you become a patron before the end of 2020, there's also the opportunity to influence what comes in 2021! You can let me know your expectations, what you're enjoying, what you want to see over the next year, and feedback on rewards through a few quick patron-only polls.
Are you worried about the 18+ warning when visiting my profile? Don't be. My Patreon is not an OnlyFans profile (I know, you're disappointed ;) )
On occasion, my artwork might be NSFW or include nudity, so I've flagged my profile as containing adult content to abide by Patreon's TOS.
At least for now, I'm keeping images containing nudity to patron-only at 'the perfect 10' tier and above. That allows those who want to follow my profile or only want early access to new work to avoid content they may not be comfortable viewing.
Not sure if you want to become a patron yet? You can sign up to Patreon and follow me to see new work as it becomes public.
The Patreon mobile app is a quick and easy way to see new work from me and other creators you might choose to follow, whether you're a patron or not.
So what are you waiting for? Become a patron.