A year of blogging...

I'm celebrating a year of blogging today! The last year seems to have flown past without many changes in my life. I'm really happy I decided to start this blog, it has given me a positive focus for times when things aren't so good but also a place to record memories and I have enjoyed looking back at my posts. The 52 Weeks of Happy posts, which I started this year, have made me look for the happy things through the week. Being a carer, it's sometimes emotionally challenging so having the happy things to look for gives me something else to focus on. 

Blogging has made me notice things more than before because I'm always thinking about photos I could take for my blog. The changing seasons, flowers, insects, my outside space are all things I've taken more of an interest in, over the last year. I've learnt things from other bloggers too, such as the names of flowers in my garden and the identification of a caterpillar I'd found in the garden.

I first came across blogs when I was looking for how to/patterns/ideas for crochet. My nan has always crocheted but she found it hard to teach it so I looked at YouTube videos and on blogs. I started crocheting in April last year, just doing practice pieces at first. When I came across Lucy @Attic24 and her granny stripe blanket, I knew straight away I'd like to make one. Not long after I found Jacquie @BunnyMummy who had made the same blanket but in seaside colours, this was perfect for me as my favourite place is the beach so I started on my own blanket. I have been getting on with the blanket over the past couple of weeks but there is still a long way to go!

Thank you for all your lovely comments over the last year! All in all, blogging is great and I've really enjoyed it so here's to another year!

I'll leave you with some of my favourite photos from the last year.

Ladybirds galore, a Christmas book and a cake!

After not seeing many ladybirds this year, last Monday I saw at least 20 over the road from my mum's by the little wooded area and they were mostly on the stinging nettles. (There is a handy identification sheet on the link above)

There were lots of orange ones with lots of spots.

Quite a few blacks ones with some orange markings.

One red one with lots of spots. 

There was also a funny looking, bumpy one which I think was the Pupa (it looked similar to the Pupa in my book), this photo is a bit blurry though.

I was looking for the book The Night before Christmas last week while I was in the town but I found this book instead in The Works and it was 3 for £10 so I got one for myself, my mum and my sister.

I loved this story when I was younger.

I made this cake today with my nephew, it was a packet cake my mum gave me that was going out of date.

We aren't having a very good week here the shower is broken and the electric went off last night and now there is no power to the boiler. Unfortunately, at times like this, when things are going wrong my nan takes it out on me and has a go at me quite a bit. Although I'm fairly used to it now and I tend to know when it will happen, it still upsets me and makes me annoyed as it's not my fault.

I hope you're all having a better week than me.

Halfway point...

I can't believe we're halfway through the year already! I think this most years but time just seems to be passing by so quickly and I'm not doing much with my life. I'm currently looking for work but being a carer and helping family out doesn't leave a lot of time to look - I will tell you more about that another time.

I saw my first ladybird on 30th June, it was a yellow one with white spots, I have looked it up and it was an Orange Ladybird. I found it in my trousers that had been drying on the line! I didn't get a good picture as I couldn't get my camera to focus so here is a blurred one!

This flower is growing in one of my pots, I'm not sure what it is though. There seem to be a lot more weeds growing in the garden this year.

It's set to be a hot, sunny weekend here, I hope you have a great weekend and good weather too!

 

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New camera

It's been a tough few days in my world of being a carer. I care for a grandparent and there has been quite a bit of being moaned at, shouted at and having a go at. There is quite a lot of negativity here, I try to be positive but sometimes it's not easy. Sometimes I think about the things I've given up and it makes me sad - but more on that another time.

So, I treated myself to a new camera as it was reduced and I've recently had some money come through. I only usually use my phone camera because its always with me but also because I don't have a computer, I couldn't get the photos off of a camera - until now! As well as the camera, I bought a wire to connect the camera to the iPad and voilà, I just plug it in and up come the photos.

These are some of the photos I took yesterday to practice with my new camera. I really like the macro shots and the water drops on the flowers where I had just watered them. These pots are still in the greenhouse as we had frosts last week. Both of the Violas were reduced to 99p so were a bargain!

I also took these photos from underneath the water table. The one of the robin is using the zoom, although its ok I prefer not to zoom in but move closer to the subject.

You may be wondering how I make the collages of photos in my blog. Well, I use the PicCollage app for the iPad. Although it doesn't have that many different frames for the photos, it's ok for me.

I'm hoping to get some photos of Red Kites now I have a better camera, they sometimes come down quite low over the garden.

It's been a lovely sunny day here but not particularly warm, I have seen some butterflies in the garden, I think they are the Large White, I also saw a pair of Robins on the bird feeders.

Whatever you're up to this week, I hope you enjoy it!

 

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Hello and welcome...

Hello and welcome to my first post. This is a blog about me! I'm 31 and a carer for my nan so I might use this as a place to vent when I'm having a hard day or just post about everyday things. I'm hoping to put some photos up too, I only really use the camera on my phone so the photos aren't always brilliant.

I'm quite new to blogging but having been reading some over the past few months.

I looked at the Bunnymummy blog as I have just started doing some crocheting and the blog has lots of great ideas. I'm just practising at the moment but hopefully I will be able to make something soon!
Here is my first square...looks a bit lopsided!

It's been a bit of a hard weekend so I thought I would put up this picture of Weymouth beach, which is one of my favourite places. This was taken in 2008 when I was on holiday there with my friend, her two children and my sister.

Well, that's all for this first post. Happy reading!

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