Welcome to the first of 2020’s monthly Photo-a-Day collections, and the first of the new decade*. The prompts are set by the wonderful Chantelle who blogs as Fat Mum Slim. This has been a daily fixture of my Instagram feed (search for #FMSPAD) since January 1st 2017. It has been a wonderful community to join in with and there are some very talented photographers and artists taking part in it.
Jan 1st – This is me
This is me, straight out of the shower, all clean and ready for the new year.
Jan 2nd – Paper
Paper chains decorating my kitchen, still within the 12 days of Christmas.
Jan 3rd – A car
I don’t own a car, I have my driver’s licence and can drive , I just don’t have a car. Fortunately this toy car was kicking around the house.
Jan 4th – So colourful
A bright winter’s sky and some rosehips: oh so colourful and cheerful.
Jan 5th – A pet
I also don’t have a pet, nor any photos of other people’s pets that I haven’t already used… So this doorstop will have to do.
Jan 6th – Flowers
The flowers on my Jade plant (Crassula ovata) were glowing in the sunshine.
We rescued this plant from my Mother-in-Law’s house in Maidstone, Kent, over 10 years go (maybe more). It had been living outside (yes, really) and we didn’t have one. But being so old means that it can flower.
I was delighted that this was chosen as one of the Fab Four.
Jan 7th – The sky
As always the sky on the morning of this prompt was a flat gray, but by the time I went for a walk to the Walthamstow Wetlands, the clouds had gone.
Jan 8th – I ate here
We were back in Lockdown at this time, and so lunches were had at the kitchen table.
This turned our really well and was, amazingly, chosen as a Fab Four for this prompt.
Jan 9th – A close-up
Playing around with a new clip on macro lens for my phone…
Jan 10th – Something nice
I love the fact that citrus fruit are in season during the winter, and a family tradition has been to have grapefruit for breakfast on Christmas day, but this year we had another one going so this was New Year’s day (or sometime around then).
Jan 11th – Shoes
My shoes (or trainers really) halfway around the Wetlands.
Jan 12th – Technology
Technology fail… this doesn’t happen with a real book.
I do love both my kindle and books, they each have their place: kindles are great for holidays and travelling, whereas books are better. Textbooks and cookery books are really much better as real books.
Jan 13th – Something in nature
Something nature…
…or nature in something.
The Walthamstow Wetlands are the nearest I get to “Nature” but the city is always present in the background.
Jan 14th – Holding something small
Caring for the Child.
Totally loved The Mandalorian, and the Child (Grogu) in particular.
Jan 15th – I love this smell
Oh, so many smells that I love, but following on from the Technology photo above: books. The smell of books is just wonderful, especially the smell of a second hand bookshop.
Jan 16th – I can do this
I was completely stumped with this one, until I remembered that not everyone can do this. Somewhere between 60% & 80% can do it.
It is a scientific urban myth that this is down to genetics, as the evidence does not support it as being down to a dominant gene (there is evidence that children able to do it are born to parent who can’t).
But it’s not the most useful thing to be able to do, unless it’s really hot and you want to practice Yogic Cooling breath.
Jan 17th – In my cup
This is a blackberry & apple tea, which is one of my afternoon options. In the morning it is coffee, always coffee… in the afternoon it’s something herbal (often Lemon & Ginger).
Jan 18th – I love this food
Pasta, has to be pasta. I just love the stuff, and surprisingly there is no known Italian heritage in my family tree so no idea where my love of it comes from.
Jan 19th – More than one
It’s that time of the year when the supermarkets are full of in season citrus fruit. I do love the sharpness and flavour of clementines, mandarins and satsumas.
I do not like the fact that they are now just referred to as “Easy Peelers” so dull sounding.
Jan 20th – A Friend
A furry friend having a stretch after staying the night, and the whole morning.
Apologies to all my friends for not having photos of you all.
Jan 21st – Water
Going simple for a simple drink.
Jan 22nd – On the floor
Where I spend a lot of time at the moment, what with teaching SMFRTherapy and all.
Jan 23rd – Sunset
Sunset over Walthamstow, the PaD gods looked favourably on me and actually gave us a sunset on the day of this prompt.
Jan 24th – This is fun
Watching the birds feed at my bird feeder is an endless source of amusement, and trying to photograph them is equal measures of fun and frustration (funstration???)
Jan 25th – A sweet treat
Fiery crystalised ginger… yum!
Jan 26th – Where I stood
Where I stand to look at the birds and try to photograph them.
Jan 27th – A path
A path at the wetlands, covered in iciness after the snow and cold weather we had in London.
Jan 29th – Lucky
Lucky or not, depending on how the final dice rolls.
Jan 30th – Summer/Winter
My garden in both summer and winter, had hoped that I could match the photos up, but alas not.
Jan 31st – This is also me
This is a bookend with the cheerful, shower fresh “me” of the first photo this month. This is the other darker side of me that find late January/February difficult (always have) and the added stress of Lockdown 3.0 hasn’t been fun. I’ve also lost my mojo and Phojo.
This prompted a huge amount of support from the FMSPaD group, which is part of the reason I love it so much. With many suggestions of using a SAD lamp, I have tried one, and wasn’t terribly convinced. I was going to try again, but I can’t find my lamp anywhere.
But I do have support around me, and really it’s not a terrible thing as I know it will pass.
Bonus photo
As a juxtapose to the previous photo, here’s one from a different PaD group. Baby Yoda trying a different approach with my SMFRTherapy ball.
If you follow my Instagram feed (@relaxrenewuk), you’ll see the #pixxxls photos, this is private group (which is why I don’t make a blog out of it) but feel that a bit of humour might lift from the previous photo.
So that’s it for this month, I hope you enjoyed the photos. I was amazed to have photos chosen for the Fab Four twice this month. It is always a privilege to be chosen, and I try not to expect anything: it’s about the taking part.
There will be a constant (some might think endless) stream of photos on my Instagram feed, so if you can’t wait until next month then follow me there. There will be another summary of my photos next month.
Thanks for reading this, my lovely interonauts,
Tim
COMING UP IN 2021
SMFRTherapy online classes. Group classes are running every Wednesday between 5pm-6pm, and this will continue (I hope) after Lockdown 3.0 eases, whereas the Monday afternoon class will stop once I return to work in clinic. More info here.