Sunday 11 January 2015

Bright (and a bit of brave)


This post is not a cop-out. You see, I'd fully intended to go out with my camera and thermals and find little beacons of brightness in this grey January. But I haven't. Yet.

The wind, the hail, the rain, the biting cold - I've retreated. I've done something which, thus far in my blogging career, I haven't yet resorted to: gone back through the archives. I actually enjoyed doing it, looking at all those pictures and noticing how my photography has changed (progressed?) over the past two years. Seeing Joe as a little baby. Re-living summers and places visited and small pleasures had.


A few blogs I visit have done this recently. I've admired their colourful collages and looked at all those bright hues. I believe there is definitely something to be said for colour therapy.


So here you are. Some of these images and collages may be familiar to longer-term readers. If you've recently found the blog, welcome - and I hope you like looking back through a little pictorial history of Mitenska.


I've been trying to stick to my 2015 plan to be more brave. It's been interesting so far; at least one challenge each day. Yesterday I braved the weather and went to a yoga class with a friend. It was pretty daunting: a room full of very flexible people and us two the only newbies. But the teacher was great, I somehow managed to coordinate myself to follow the sequences and I'm going again next week. I'm even trying a fitness class tomorrow. There's a creche so Joe will be taken care of while I pant and sweat and try to keep up.


I've made enquiries about possible work opportunities, contacted some lovely helpful people (you know who you are) about a possible blog redesign, reached the end of all the formalities regarding my mum's will, and made some important appointments.

Tonight I'm trying a new recipe from one of my cookbooks. It involves mincing chicken so we'll be dusting off the (as yet unused) mincing machine and giving that a whirl. Apparently you shove a slice of bread through first to ensure it's clean then off you go. I quite like culinary contraptions. This could be the start of a short-lived novelty beautiful relationship.


There's also been much reorganising and tidying-out of drawers and so on. 

Last week I brought some of my mum's books home. When I say some, I mean quite a lot. It's an eclectic mix: Polish history, classic fiction, cookery books, scuffed old paperbacks I can remember from being little. I set up a little bookcase in the bedroom to house them all safely and will not be stuck for anything to read for a very long time.


Looks like I've got a bit of momentum going here. And as soon as the weather calms down I'll be out snapping away. But not yet - there's tea to drink and firelight to be cosied up beside.

27 comments:

  1. There is nothing wrong with looking back, if you don't remember the past you will never get to the future! xx

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  2. On a cold, blustery day is there anything better than cosying down with a cup of tea and looking back over old photos? Enjoy your week, and enjoy your hunkering down.

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  3. I'm glad the year is starting on such a high note for you. I really love these collages, they're so interesting and the colors are gorgeous.

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  4. I love your colourful collages, they are just what my wind and rain battered soul needs. Thank you. Cx

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  5. I can't tell you how much I love that each collage is colour themed as I would do exactly the same! Love it, love it, love it. Txx

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  6. I love your photo collages! How do you do that? So good to see so much colour in a grey and green world.

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    1. Hello! I use PicMonkey - you can do large or small collages but it can get a bit addictive... Have a go, and have fun :)

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  7. What a beautiful splash of colour!! Certain to brighten up the greyest winter day. Sarah

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  8. Hi Sarah, I love your colour themed mosaics. Glad the new year has got off to such a positive start for you.
    Jacquie x

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  9. It sounds like an exciting time for you, that January energy is serving you well. The colour co-ordinated pictures are beautiful, it's so very effective. Wishing you good luck with everything, and also a good week. CJ xx

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  10. A perfect rainbow of collages. So much beautiful colour. And all to look forward to this year. Bee xx

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  11. Hey Sarah,
    Beautiful collages. I needed a hit of colour today. Rain and grey cloud today and forecast for much of the week here. Yuk. Bravo on going to yoga. I find things like that very hard, and would probably find an excuse not to go. Have a lovely week.
    Leanne xx

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    1. Hi Leanne - I'm due back at yoga tomorrow. Leaving the house in this grim weather (wearing workout gear) will require superhuman levels of determination.
      Now I get why they tell you to do these things with a friend. If I was going alone there's every chance I'd cop out. x

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  12. I always love your photos and looking through your collages is a real treat :)

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    1. Thank you. I quite enjoyed the trip down memory lane - seeing Joe as a little baby made me a bit wistful though!

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  13. really beautiful mosiacs! colour coordinated is lovely. It's nice to see all the pictures together. You must very proud of these! Nicely done. Here's to being Brave and doing Yoga! X

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  14. I love all your pictures. I don't think I'd ever be brave enough for yoga.

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    1. I thought that too! The worst thing about it was the room itself: bright lighting, a wall covered entirely in mirrors and the sight of me trying to balance and stretch - not good!

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  15. gorgeous mosiacs. I love looking back through my photos, brings back all the memories x

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  16. I love these mosaics of colour - beautiful x

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  17. I really love these mosaics, seeing all the colours together looks so lovely! Well done on being brave and going to a new class, I'm glad the New Year is going well for you. xx

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  18. Sounds like a very good start to 2015 and being brave so well done. Funny thing though, out of all those fab pictures it's the one of the chips which is jumping out. Such delicious looking chips.....

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    1. Fried in dripping too, they are. And now I'm craving them all over again!

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  19. You really should be selling some of your images you know, perhaps as postcards (have you tried Moo?), beause I'm sure people would buy them.

    I think I need an injection of brave just now ... there are quite a few things I'm avoiding doing something about.

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    1. It can be quite liberating to try new things (this from the least daring person there ever was) - I'm determined to break out of my comfort zone this year!
      And yes, I'm hoping to somehow sell some images. Another potentially daunting (but potentially rewarding) step...

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  20. Ooh, I love, LOVE, your collages. Just beautiful. Well done on the brave yoga. I went to my first ever pilates session on Monday night. Dear god. My (apparently non-existent tummy muscles) still hurt five days later! x

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  21. I have been making colour-coordinated collages for several years now, fun innit?
    Margaret P

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