Sweet nothings

ten on tuesday 21st June

Things I've learnt today....

1) Neem oil, in particular the super posh organic 'cold pressed' 'I think I've bought the best I can for my herd' Neem oil, smells horrible. Unfortunately it also works. If you don't know what neem oil is, you probably don't have horses and/or dogs in your life. {it fixes and helps- all skin disorders, itches, fly bites, fleas, bugs, ticks,  wounds etc etc} Today I had to smother both ponies in it, and I can still smell it on my hands. yuk! 

2) There is no hay fever tablet that works on me anymore. none. {yes I';ve tried that one. and that one. and those} And the pollen levels have been 'abnormally high'. Oh and I keep my ponies in a meadow. Of waist high grass. :(

3) Hampshire is pretty. Every time I think I know my local area I have to go somewhere I don't know and discover new routes and roads and views. Today I had to deliver photos to three clients. one down the road, one near Winchester and one totally the other way. As always, nowhere near each other!

4) Dogs look a lot like their owners. and if they don't 'look' like their owners they certainly have their personality traits. I've always thought this, today met yet another dog that confirmed it for me!  LOVE this. Not dwelling on the fact it might mean I am scatty as Winnie!

5) Even if you wear clothes covering all skin, bugs or nettles will find a way to bite or sting you. Possibly not in town, but definitely where I walk my dog. ... I am like a map of red itches. 

6) Because I work and keep animals I get up early in order to do it all. I have to say that first foot on the floor in the morning is hard to do. But, once I am up and outside I am instantly in a good mood. I am super lucky that I can work on photos or social media any time of day or night, so fit it around my animals. And yeah, I'll just sleep when I'm too old to do all this any more!

7) The good lie. Its a film I managed to watch the other day - its really good, and made me laugh/cry/think. Its no doubt fifty years old, most films are by the time I get to sit down and watch them, but do watch it if you haven't.  Sadly my life is such that the other day I sat down to scroll thro films available on the Tv.... and fell asleep. I'm so 'party'. 

8) Adele on repeat is a bit depressing. Do not listen to it if already a bit down. I love her and I adore her new album but... goodness. She and I were not a good match this afternoon!!

9) I have  group chat with my two big kids on my phone. Its the most random, fast paced, everyone talking at once, chat there is. most of the time nobody has a clue who is talking about what. Its just like they never left home ;) Wouldn't be without it. 

10) There is always too much laundry to do in this house. And never enough biscuits left to dip in my tea. And for some reason we run out of forks a lot. Is there a fork thief? is it the same thing that happens to socks? -ie; we don't know, they just disappear.  I know there are biscuit thieves... they are 10 and 13, and currently upstairs asleep! 

macro monday

when online...

I've been online for years and years now. This blog is older than my last child....!!
I think I started this blog as somewhere arty people could read about my latest photography/art things and all family news. Then it grew. At one point it was award winning {back in the day ;) } and had hundreds of readers. Due to my lack of topical updates its got a slightly more select group of readers now ;) Its photos, scrapbook work, thoughts {and offloading of too many thoughts} and is genuinely a good place for friends and family to stay up to date. Its a wonderful spot to meet people - not here in particular; the blog world I mean, and I have some great blog and Instagram friends because of it.

If you want to make lots of money from you blog, its a full time job, you need to apply for and fight for, things that companies ask you to promote. You need to link and copy, endlessly. You need to lose a tiny bit of your personality and go more corporate. You must not really divert from your blog genre - family/crafts/home design/cooking/etc .  I am rubbish at all of that. I can talk for ages about everything ;)  However the nice people at Next  blogger network have supported and followed me, as have Crafty blogs homespot, Designer Digitals and Tk Maxx.  {You'd think Canon, starbucks or Waitrose would, considering I don't stop going on about them, but then... you actually have to ask them to follow you.....}

In the time I've been wittering on online, I've also learnt about behind the scenes, adding links and badges, tiny bits of programming, websites, adverts, Facebook for Business, stats, Ip addresses, trolls and robot spam.  
Trust me, if your kids write a blog they will have to learn all of this too. And its more and more essential in todays world. 

Theres a downside of writing blogs. Its a guaranteed conversation stopper. 'Oh yeah, I know I read it on your blog' halts a lot of news, LOL. Then there is the 'is that about me' brigade who rings/text/accuse you if that writing about bad drivers/weather/parties/cheese cake was actually about them and in a bad way. Honestly? no.  
Its a bit of writers block tho, having to watch what you say incase bob/frank/sally/auntie so and so thinks it about them.  I stopped writing a lot of posts because of that.  But... I realised if the cap fits!!! If I was just rambling on about the nightmare that is town driving and you thought it was a dig at your parking.... then maybe you have the issue. Ditto if you think a conversation about my horse is a bitch at all people I hate -erm... absolutely your paranoia not my writing.  Took me a while to realise how plain and simple it is - reading my blog is not compulsory.  

Blogs are a little more rare, as Facebook has become everyones blog for ranting and sharing. But blogs are still a soft spot of mine. I write for six companies, three business blogs, one newsletter, and my own stuff here and there. Its a lot of writing places. Hard to keep on track of what you've already said where!

BEST thing about blogs? the little close insight into peoples worlds you get - real blogs cannot be posted in too often - beware the intermittent blog poster, with twenty months between posts, impossible to grasp the writer-  and the wonderful way of keeping in touch with far away friends.  Love you blogging world. Thank you for weeding out the not so writers and filling my world with good souls. 

 

 

 

Five ...

Five places I love to eat...

 

1) Anywhere that knows their goats cheeses. ;)

2) Tiny back street uber posh London restaurants. Just now and again but oh....

3) The three tuns. A local pub with divine food.

4) Anywhere with small, short, menus. Rather they cooked five things well, than had a choice of twenty frozen badly cooked things!

5) And if its high street food - you cant beat Wagamamas, Pauls, Starbucks toasties, Pret and Wahaca :) 

throwback thursday

POTD 14th June

five things that make me SO MAD

Cyclists who don't shout they are coming by the horse when out riding. If neither the horse or I know you are coming by at billions of miles an hour, silently in bright clothing, them is it our fault if we jump,  leap sideways and trample you?? 

Brides who post on social media 'looking for wedding photographers' {but not searching?} and are basically touting for the cheapest package in the comments... then lots of 'have camera' types post saying ooh I can shoot your wedding for £200! yes the entire day, 8am til 8pm! you can have free prints too!' Not only do they make a mockery of themselves {- really you have done the maths right? you realise including shooting and editing you're working for about 30p an hour? well if thats what you're worth...} but the work will be terrible and the bride and groom AFTER the wedding will realise cheap has never equalled good in photography. HA!! Don't get me started on lack of insurance, contracts, back up, and experience or I might explode....

people at petrol pumps who take up the entire gap between pumps, when there is room for two cars. so we either line up or have to squeeeeeeeze beside them. I drive a truck and can manage to leave room so why cant you!?

Know it alls. example -if you're in great shape and feeling amazing, by all means tell me how to be healthier, but if you're overweight; do shut up. If you have several naturally trained beautiful horses that you own then by all means share your top tips, if you don't own a horse, or your horse looks half dead, then shut the hell up. If you... well you get the idea- ditto for all occasions in life. 

People who forget how to be HUMBLE. Google it, you might need to relearn it. Pride comes before a fall etc etc. If you have just learnt how to do something - wonderful! and if you have just found your calling in life - fabulous. Just you know, remember you never stop learning, you do not know it all and the nicest people have faith in their work whilst never forgetting they don't know everything. 

 

Also things that make me mad ----Distance between loved ones. bad coffee. texts that are passive aggressive. exceptionally late people. mess. ranting about politics. and cake that taste like car sponges. 

 

Annnnnnnnnd breatheeee ;) 

five things

You have to work with adobe/cameras/photoshop to understand.

 

Macro monday

...grass seeds ... long grass with tiny tiny pink seeds. Beautiful!

Five reasons Horses are better than football!!

 

Never ever seen a bunch of horse fans rioting on television . 

We don't lie down and cry at a kicked ankle. 

Top riders are worth the money

No top rider's wife feels the need to appear in Hello magazine.

Britain is actually rather good at equestrian sports...

 

#tiredofEuro2016already