Photo Post #8

Personification: Autumn.

Dear Autumn,
Hi, I think that we've met before, but never really been fully acquainted. I mean I've enjoyed your past endeavors, and I've definitely noticed you before but only recently have I really been able to call myself a fan. Your previous work has passed me by slightly, so the new collection of colours you've brought to the table have really surpassed earlier times, because I'm definitely loving it.
Orange is a difficult colour to make work, but you've definitely done wonders with it, and fancy bringing in the yellows and slight greens! I never thought that would work, but congratulations, you've achieved colour success.
I often wonder if it's more difficult for you to follow the success of my good friend Summer, but I suppose it's probably easier for you as you just tend to strip the trees to their bare essentials and let them get on with it. Wise choice.
Anyway, hope that this letter of encouragement finds you well and I look forward to experiencing a bit more of you come October.
Yours in fallen leaves,
Emmah xo

Massively Great Quotes #25

"'You were a million years of work,'
Said God and His angels, with needle and thread.
They kissed your head and said,
'You’re a good kid and you make us proud.
So just give your best and the rest will come,
And we’ll see you soon.'"
- Needle & Thread, Sleeping at Last

My Friends Are Talented #2

Hello! Welcome to the second part of My Friends Are Talented! Last time I featured Adam Guest, Luke Leighfield and Kim Masters and now it's the turn of some other lovely person to be talked up via Tension & Thrill.

And so brings us to the brilliant and marvelous Dave Shearn.

He takes photos of lots of things in life: gigs, weddings, people... I'm sure he'd do your gig or wedding or person if you asked him nicely. He is a very funny, great and handsome chap who loves Jesus and photography a lot. He has taken these brilliant photos and you can visit his Flickr to look at some more of his wicked photography.

The Best Thing About Today #22

image from www.myspace.com/imogenheap

IMOGEN HEAP'S ALBUM IS OUT TODAY!

Massively Great Quotes #24

"People travel to wonder at the height of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars; and they pass by themselves without wondering."
- St. Augustine

Great Things About Life This Week #16

• Northern Ireland! I'm in Bangor in Northern Ireland this week and today me and my boyfriend, his dad and his brother are off on an adventure across the border to Ireland for some camping and some traditional Irish music!
• Meeting new people is wicked.
• The sun is shining!
  

Great Things About Life This Week #15

• Weddings: I went to a lovely lovely wedding on Saturday! My friends Si and Jo from University got married and they both looked wonderful and celebrated the best day of their lives in style complete with all things Cath Kidston, Laura Ashley and with plenty of sunshine.
• Books: I have received 2 amazing books in the post this week, one is called Jesus For President by Shane Clairborne, and another is called Drop Like Stars: Some Thoughts on Creativity and Suffering by Rob Bell. Both have some amazing photography in and feature some wise words on how God and Jesus are oh so relevant to today's society, and the economic and social suffering going on all around us.
• My new camera lens: I got a 50mm lens (known online as the nifty fifty) and it's a massive winner so far. I can't wait to use it when I go on holiday to Northern Ireland on Saturday. Win.
  

Massively Great Quotes #23

"I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination.
Imagination is more important than knowledge.
Knowledge is limited.
Imagination encircles the world."
- Albert Einstein

Photo Post #7

Massively Great Quotes #22

"Patience is waiting. Not passively waiting. That is laziness. But to keep going when the going is hard and slow - that is patience.”
- Unknown

Great Things About Life This Week #14

• My mum: Yesterday we had a BBQ for my mum's birthday which was on Saturday. My mum is a great mum. It's hard living with her after 4 years of independence at University but she is such a wonderful person. Giving, loving and everything a mum should be and more. So I'm glad she had a lovely day, she's a winner.
• Holga: My new Holga camera arrived this week! It's brilliant and I have had lots of fun taking photos with it today. The problem I have is that after years of using digital cameras, I need to work on my patience. My 4 year old niece didn't understand why she couldn't see the photo after I took it!
• Watersports: On Saturday I went to my friends hen party and we did loads of watersports like water skiing and banana boating (not quite sure that counts as a sport but still). It was so much fun, I ached all weekend from it and have some impressive war wounds but great times!
  

Massively Great Quotes #21

"Even the smallest person can change the course of the future."
- Galadriel, Lord Of The Rings

Great Things About Life This Week #13

• My weekend was spent in 2 of my favourite places: Winchester and Weymouth. In Winchester I searched for a new house with a best friend, in Weymouth I slobbed out in an old house with a best friend.
• Holga cameras: I'm sure you will be hearing much more about this, but I ordered a Holga camera this week, and I'm very excited about receiving it and messing around with it! They are 80s toy cameras that produce amazing light distortion effects and I have loved looking at Holga images on flickr for ages now, so am eager to get started with mine soon, exciting.
  
• New babies: my friend Abi had a beautiful beautiful little girl very early this morning. Her name is Amelie Victoria and I'm very excited about meeting her soon.
  

Great Things About Life This Week #12

• Longleat Safari Park! My friend Massimo came to visit, and we went to Longleat with my mum, and it was amazing! We held a tarantula called Rosie and I also held a snake called... wait for it... Orville. Amazing.
• Tarantulas are proper amazing creatures. I don't like spiders, don't get me wrong, but this tarantula was just beautiful. I'm sure 90% of you disagree with me, but it was just incredible to see it up close and realise that it wasn't going to hurt me. It just sat there all light and furry chillin' out. Amazing.
• Today I get to see lots of my favourite people, including my lovely boyfriend, my wonderful nieces and sister, my wicked friends Laura and Vicky, and I also get to top all this off with a Chinese. Excellent.
  

The Best Thing About Today #17

This photo:

Massively Great Quotes #20

Therefore we do not lose heart.
Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.
For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen but on what is unseen.
For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
- The Bible,
2 Corinthians 4 v. 16 - 18

Great Things About Life This Week #11

• My new lumberjack shirt. Cost too much than I want to say, but it's really wonderful and I love it. (NB: Note the completely shattered/retarded look I manage to pull off in this photo. Not everyone can do that with such ease.)
  
• I also bought a t-shirt with Madonna on. And I'm not talking about leotard Madonna who adopts Africans. I'm talking about super rad goth/eighties Madonna in the Like A Virgin video.
• This lead to my Saturday night dancing around my room in leggings and said Madonna top to eighties classics and singing very loudly whilst tidying out my cupboards. Therapeutic and satisfying.
  

Photo Post #6

Great Things About Life This Week #10

THE BIG TENTH EDITION! But don't get excited it's the same as every week.

• Idlewild! I saw them on Saturday night at a free festival in Coventry (http://www.godivafestival.co.uk/) and they were really amazing. They played some new songs which sound great, and I hope that they do a tour so that I can see them again in an environment that doesn't involve loads of drunk screaming chavs.
• Cow vintage shop in Birmingham. I bought a lovely vintage denim skirt for £6ish today and my boyfriend bought some amazing brogues. Great value.
• Thunderstorms. There hasn't been a good enough one to satisfy my longing for one, but I think that there might be a big one on the way this week. I fully intend to watch it from my bedroom window thinking about how amazing creation is and how I am but a mere insignificant blip in the grand scheme of things.