Photography Rebuilding My Sanity

I give a lot of thought to what I do and that's no different to my photography , I'll make no bones about it I have a phenomenal eye by that I mean my photographic eye .

 

    

I'm photograghing my way to sanity and I'm really not sure that I'll ever be sane so I'm just going to have to keep taking photographs , photograghpy has really kept me going particularly in my darkest of days .

 

I find photography is not lonely at all but instead I find it empowering and all encapsulating. I love to capture the moments and look back on them mostly fondly and sometimes painful but a continuing therapy none the less . Whilst I prefer bluebird skies I'm really adaptable to any weather situation as there is a myriad of opportunities with the colours that are thrown up.

 

Photography as a thererapy I find very satisfying as I can say " I took that picture " the sense of accomplishment is second to none , I don't take pictures for the admiration I get at times it's purely in a sense a somewhat selfish reason sometimes . 

I enjoy showing my photography off in my blog and the community that I'm part of , and I'm always learning new skills. If you 'be thought there's no way I can take pictures I really urge you to try and with digital photography you can delete the image if you don't like it .

I'm always on the look out for pictures to take and it really gets me out into the fresh air and it's helping me exercise.

 

Photography makes me want to get out and for a person with depression and anxiety that really is monumental. I can't struggle to talk in social situations I struggle to get my voice across , I struggle to be heard. But as soon as I put my photography on line then I spark conversation and I get back people talking .

Easy Mexican Tortilla Stack

Faced earlier this week with doing tea and I was really unsure of what to cook so upon opening the fridge I gazed upon a pack of steak mince , I didn't want to go with the typical spaghetti bolognaise or shepherds pies.

Ingredients 

Packet of Mince 

Chopped onion 

100g of sweet corn 

1 diced pepper
Splash of red wine
can of tinned tomatoes
squeeze of tomato puree
drained can of red kidney beans
splash of worcestershire sauce
1 clove of garlic
2 teaspoons of chilli powder more or less ( I am quite weak in my chilli taste as I can't handle the heat )

A  cup of grated cheese


Method 

Preheat your oven to 180 c

Line a oven tray with baking parchment

Brown your mince and then add the onion and garlic in the pan

I tend not to add oil as the mince  gives off its own juices

Add in the rest  of the ingredients and simmer for around 15 minutes then take off the heat

Place the first tortilla on the parchment lined baking tray then spoon some of the mince mixture on the tortilla then sprinkle with a bit of cheese repeat until you have a stack of about 4 finally top with some more of the mice mixture and add some cheese nachos and sprinkle some more cheese over . Place in the oven for around 15 minutes then one you have got it out of the oven leave to cool for 5 minutes , cut and serve with perhaps some Guacamole .

Finding Your Crafting Way

I promised Jane a blog post as a few weeks back she graciously wrote a blog post for me on finding your crafting mojo , this was the crafting version of throwing a gauntlet down but instead it would be scissors  As I've had a lot of time on my hands recently I thought I'd better follow the advice on Jane's blog post. 

1. Planning What You want to do.

I think once you've established your crafting project then you can get planning with what you need to do , the first time I did was establish as to what crafting goodies I had in the house . I opened magazines abundant about the place and sorted them out , I then decided upon a small project and it was all systems go . Planning has also included writing this blog post ~ coughs I'm about 2 weeks late but I don't think Jane has noticed , you'll not tell her will you now ?! You could get yourself a notebook and write down any ideas you might have so then you've a point of reference when your crafting mojo goes awol.

2. Recycle and reuse 

Recycle and reuse what you've got , how many times do you get a present that's wrapped in some sort of ribbon / lace and thought that's pretty . You'll be amazed when you start looking around what you can reuse even the pretty insides of envelopes can be a crafting inspiration.

3 .Beginning to craft 

If you've never crafting before in your life and haven't a clue where to start then buying a magazine like Quick cards is a good start as they'll cope with free gifts that can help you start your craft stash . Trust me once you start crafting you'll soon amass a crafting stash and you might even find that people start giving you things and of course there are always the competitions you can enter . Start off simply and build up your skills gracefully , using prefolded cards can help you as once you know what your dealing with you can have a go yourself.

4 .Seeking Inspiration 

As mentioned in point 1 planning is a good way to helping you were your inspiration as is Pinterest also getting out with your camera is another way of getting inpisired . Inspirational ideas can hit you at any point so do keep a look out !! 

5. The Finished Article 

I used a kit that came with my craft magazine and it was really easy and knowing that I could take my time with it even though it was a relatively simple kit really boosted my confidence. I made the card and I even tweeted out a picture to the magazine the kit had come with.

 

I've joined with a linky called "Shopping our  stash "

"shopping our stash "

Coping When Structure Goes Out The Window

Coping when structure goes out the window is very hard and that's what I've been having to deal with over the past few weeks work wise . I'll not go into reasons but for my self who needs the structure it's been a little disconcerting. I've had to try and implement my own structure and this has included making Chutney for the first time , washing the car , and taking myself to the NEC Uk Photograghy show . 

Going places on my own is very daunting I do have to say and this is where I have to be brave and plan to within an inch of my life , I have to know that I'm going to get there . The NEC is a huge place and previously I had been there in the car with my husband for various shows . This is where I looked on the internet and asked my friends on Twitter , I checked and tripled checked , it was then I booked my train tickets standard going out with seats reserved . Coming back I booked first class for a £5 upgrade as I knew the crowds coming back would freak me and I really could not be doing with the hustle and bustle.

The need to prepare physically comes with with the social anxiety side , I'm not sure about anyone else but sometimes I play out scenarios in my head that never comes to fruition , I tell my brain that this is a time space thief that is not welcome.

I have and this is completely essential have events planned ahead in order to function although this may completely alien to someone in my shoes again it comes down to preparing myself socially , mentally and physically.  

1. I set myself self small achievable goals in order to face my fears.

2. Excercise I'm getting on my bicycle and walking more , this where point 1 comes in for me .

3. Keep talking I know this might sound counter intuitive but I talk to lots of people about how I'm feeling , how I might feel and what happened when I did something . There are all many of talking therapies including CBT now when I tried CBT it didn't work for me but what worked instead was finding out about the therapy myself and working through it. 

4. Healthy eating I'm doing my very best to make sure I eat healthily and combine this with excercise so far I've lost half a stone slow and steady gets the cake . I'm really not sure I can throw myself into any slimming groups , I'd rather gather up a bit of everything .

5. Treat yourself once in a while and one of my favourite places to treat myself in Derby is the Cathedral tea rooms and it really is a hidden gem and when I went there on Friday it looked like my secret was out.

Why Do Cats Live High Places ?

Why do cats love high places?

As a friend of the felines, you will have observed them making their way up frighteningly-tall trees, bookcases and cabinets, on multiple occasions. But what’s with the love of heights? We share a few reasons for cats’ daredevil behaviour in this post:

Dominance

For cats, height serves a purpose. It’s not for the purrrfectview – oh no. Cats associate height with dominance. If you’ve got more than one cat, you’ll notice it’s the most dominant cat who wants to get the highest point available – there’s a pet hierarchy in every home, so it will always be the cheekiest chappy who is first to the top of the tower.

Observation

As cats are observational by nature, being high up allows them to cast an eye over their territory. It also allows them to make eye contact with the people in their home, giving them a greater sense of security and to feel accepted there.

Cats also feel that they’re in some way camouflaged because they are higher up and therefore, is a great place for them to practise their hunting skills and scan the ground for morsels of food.

Anxiety

Anxiety is a genetic explanation of why our cats look for elevated places to perch. In a high place, such as a shelf, our furry friends feel safe, as they are out of reach of potential claws and other threats. Cats will also retreat to a grand placeto relieve any anxiety they’re feeling in terms of noise, other animals or other things that they might be worried about.

Warmth

We all know that hot air rises. Well, so do cats, so they often get higher up to keep warm. This is why cats love radiators so much, as that fur just isn’t doing the trick in winter. This shouldn’t be dangerous for your pet, as long as they are wise enough to move when they get too hot!  

 

 

 

Entertainment

Oh, and then there’s the sheer fun element. Cats love climbing to high places for the entertainment-value. As they have loadsof energy to burn off each day and often get bored, climbing is a fabulous way for them to expel some calories.

Climbing is also good for their claws, their ability to balanceand their musculoskeletal system. 

If you worry about your cat being so high up in your home, you can get carpeted shelves that are in easy-reach or buy them a cat tower, which will also serve as an exercise activity.Always ensure you have cat insurance to cover your pets in the event of an accident.

This is a guest post collaboration