It's a beautiful day....

Image Copyright: hello gorgeous design

It's the beginning of March and Spring feels like its in the air...even if it is only for a short time, more rain forecast this week...but no matter, today makes it all worth while!

Hope you've all been keeping well and busy (can't believe my last post was also about Spring...last year's!) 

May Day....

and I think Spring has sprung, finally!!

it's still on the chilly side but this week's forecast is sunshine all the way...can't wait to see more things burst into life :o)

The beginning...

...of a "new" Ice Age...

Snow has become a novelty in Britain during Winter over the last 20/30 years...the norm seems to have become wet winters, cold winters and on the odd occasion, mild winters; but for the last three years we have had snow in Winter, across the WHOLE country...I'm not just talking a light dusting either, it's "country grinding to a halt" kinda snowfall {mind you, that's not actually hard to achieve as this country, whilst proud of  "pulling together", seems to grind to a halt very easily!}

For our part of the country in particular, we have had a Red weather warning for snow...not a usual occurance...the last was in 2010 when this happened

Source: Met Office 2010

11th hour, 11th day of the 11th month....

Our gratitude goes out to each and everyone of the Armed Forces serving our country, God Bless those who sacrificed their lives to keep us free, to enable us to achieve our dreams and ambitions, our thanks are also offered to the families of those who lost a loved one 

We will never forget xxx

Would you "Adam & Eve" it!!

that's rhyming slang for "believe" it!

Now my laptop has got a blinking virus...arghhhh!!

Using mum's to catch up with all of you and trying desperately to get virus free...but I think it may have to go off to the virus spa for a wee break!

What is WRONG with people!!!! grrrr!!

hugs

hello gorgeous xxx

Sorted...

Hotmail account back in my hands, passwords for EVERYTHING now changed and a new gmail account set up.  

If you have any suspicions about emails etc from me anytime in the future, please shout...via facebook or the blog and I will jump into action {well, as quick as my 40 something bones will allow me!}

Advice thrown out to all of you...change passwords regularly and set up a second email account if you haven't already done so, it's so much easier to have an alternate address to correspond via...much better {and prettier} than being thrown in a blind panic!!

Have a great weekend lovelies....I'm off to rest my weary frustrated head

hugs

hello gorgeous xxx

Stumped...

My Hotmail account has been taken over by a crappy virus...if you receive anything from me, it's not me...

Hotmail have blocked my account but to be able to unblock it I need a code from them...unfortunately they send the code to my account which I can't access because they have blocked it!! I could have the code sent to my mobile....but I have to log onto my account to set it up!! 

I am stumped on how to fix this...I am also REALLY fed up as I do everything through Hotmail: correspondence; emails; blogger contacts; copyright blog posts...I mean everything!  For the last 8 years!!!  It's hard to just let all that go and move somewhere else...I HAVE to figure it out {and then maybe move!?!}

Gonna get my head stuck in it again today, as I had more than this to deal with yesterday which resulted in an overwhelming day....today is a better day, even tho' the weather is utter pants!

Apologies is you have received anything suspect from me....I will let you know when it's safe!

hugs

hello gorgeous xxx

Two things happened this weekend...

Firstly, the Olympic Torch Relay rolled into Cardiff at 6.00pm on 25th May, for two days.  I was aiming to go and see it on Day 1, as it literally was a stones throw from the front door, but due to other commitments that {typically} ran on longer than they should have that day we missed it.  I can't tell you how gutted I was...lump in the throat/welling tears gutted {THAT in itself took me by surprise} I think I was the only one in the house who REALLY wanted to go and see it, so it mattered to me more than them, "Mum, it's just some person running with a torch!"  

Anyway Day 2 it was to be...unfortunately it began at 6.30am at Cardiff Bay! pah!  Fortunately, I had to take my eldest to work for 6.00am and the starting point was a stones throw away from his place of work, bonus! Double bonus was, I found out late the night before that Matt Smith, the current Dr Who, was kicking off the event! YAY!!  I have come to think that the previous days events running over were fate for me to go on the second day!

It was a glorious morning, bright and sunny with just a slight hint of a breeze...truly beautiful!  The crowds were out in force too...we positioned ourselves on the steps of The Senedd {Welsh Assembly} as that is where the first handover was going to be and, to my mind, my best chance of seeing "the Dr".

"The Kiss"

Matt Smith handing the flame to 14 year old swimmer Lilo Roberts

 ranked top 3 for her age in Wales at the 100m freestyle

It was a great morning, over in a flash, but the atmosphere was fab....street entertainers, merry-go rounds, people queuing for ice-cream at 6.45am {WTH!} and if that wasn't satisfying enough, why not sit outside a bay side cafe/bar and munch on a burger and a capaccino!

The second thing that happened this weekend...Picmonkey released their long-awaited Collage editing programme...wahoo! 

I have put a little collage together of "the Dr and the torch"...ooo, that could be the title of a future episode! ;o)

Today, I am having a day of rest...sun is shining, sat in the garden, reading the latest book, glass of vino in hand.

Hope your weekend was truly as nice ;o)

hugs

hello gorgeous xxx 

New Colours...

Time for a change up again....am about to order a new sofa for the living room, we've had ours for about 8/9 years now and the leather on it is looking a bit worse for wear, especially on the two seats that seem to  be used the most.  I have decided that brown is SO out now {fed up with the neutrel colour pallete these days} so am going for Charcoal....."charcoal is the new brown!" haha!  This also means, obviously, that we get to re-decorate the living/dining rooms!! yay! *insert happy dance*  

I am loving the blue/green that's in season, albeit probably the end of the season, {but then I am always slightly behind with things!!}  We have decided on a gorgeous modern look paper - Arthouse Opera Retro Leaf - it has the blues and greens in as well as the charcoal and light greys too, double yay!! *insert another happy dance here!*

With this change up in mind and the thought of a nice charcoal sofa, I felt I wanted to extend this change to the blog AND, hopefully, link up the website with the same look.  I had to move my domain name from Windows Live Small Business as they were closing their site, so am using my domain name through blogger....it is a work in progress {like my new venture in photography!} but with a bit of luck, over the next few months, all will become clear ;o)

I have gone with a mustardy feel to marry up with the charcoal on the blog/website....let me know what you think {good or bad}, it's the only way I can gauge what's pleasing to the viewer, :o)

We've had a busy two weeks with one thing and another....but that I will leave for another post, soon.

The weekend is here, yay! What are your plans? Would love to here....

hugs

hello gorgeous xxx

Just a few clicks.....

This little beauty came into my possession recently...and I can't STOP stroking it!  I am smitten!!

I have also found Instagram...and I am hooked!!

Here are a few clicks of the camera this past week...

homemade toasted egg muffin...a recent favourite with the teenagers in the house

the Olympic Rings erected outside City Hall....

we, as a City, are hosting some of the football matches

left side of Cardiff Castle...caught, whilst stuck in rush-hour traffic, on the way to football

right side of Cardiff Castle...caught again whilst stuck in rush-hour traffic

What are you smitten with lately?

hugs

hello gorgeous xxx

April Showers....

We had the strangest day weather wise yesterday....it started off bathed in glorious sunshine, even if it was a little chilly!  Sat in the house looking through the window at the beautiful day thinking it looked really balmy out there when suddenly the MOST enormous thunderous noise suddenly fell upon us....both the dog and I looked all around us, Millie running off all over the house, barking, checking out the "baddy" and me actually ducking on the sofa! 

taken quickly from the garden whilst diving out there to bring in the washing

We were both actually shaken by it...once Millie had realised there was no "baddy" in the house she came straight back to the living room and sat so close to me on the sofa it felt like she was attached at the hip...her body shaking uncontrollably. 

Confused as to what/where this noise came from I looked out of the back window only to see this approaching...there was NO hint of it arriving until the thunder clap overhead,

Running to the garden, shoeless, to grab in the washing that was 99% dry, throwing it on the dining table, swiping up my camera to capture the storm that was approaching us, within five minutes there was torrential rain as well as more thunder and lightening....this continued for the next hour, then just as suddenly the sun and blues skies appeared again.  

We endured this eratic weather for the rest of the day with the addition of winds and hailstones....it was truly amazing!

The upside to this weather was, when dropping off the hubby around teatime to play football, witnessing the MOST gorgeous cloud formations from the brightest of whites and fluffiness to the darkest of black and squally-ness....nature is just awesome and SO BIG!!!

I managed to grab a quick shot or two.....but they really don't do justice to some of the formations I saw whilst in the driving seat {sadly not being able pull over to capture them!}  

{these two pictures are taken on the same road, the top one looking to the right and the bottom looking to the left}

Another amazing site was seeing a prism of light shining up towards the clouds bouncing off a copper roofed arts centre...it was like the Bat signal from Batman & Robin!  Again sadly not in a position to capture it as I was driving...but it was mesmerising!

Today the forecast  is for sunny skies with rain later on....but hopefully nothing like yesterday!

How's your weather been lately....expected or unexpected?

hugs

hello gorgeous xxx

We had THE most....

...glorious day today!

It definitely lifts the spirits....

hugs

hello gorgeous xxx

Here's to.....

St David

the Patron Saint of Wales

he died 1st March 589

today, across the country, we celebrate his life...

{Daffodils, the National flower of Wales}

Happy St David's Day!

hugs

hello gorgeous xxx

Round and round it goes....

everyday...like a never-ending circle, I mentally go through each step, never really getting anywhere.

...for two years I was stuck on Step 2 with no ability of moving off it, then the fog shifted a bit and I found myself hopping up to Step 3 without any kinda notice whatsoever....I felt a sense of wonderment that I could actually grasp onto this thought, that "I want to do it!"  Because, before that jump I didn't want to do anything; eat, breathe, sleep, nurture...nothing, nada...so the excitement of thinking that and possibly doing that was overwhelming and of course, I expected things to happen straight away but no, it was a frustrating and tantalising tidbit thrown out in my mind...as if it were a piece of paper falling from a file and then being placed back inside and re-filed in the cabinet!

And that's where I've been for the last 730 days....on Step 3....always thinking, always pushing these steps around my head but never ACTUALLY getting anywhere....I am staying positive tho' because I can see myself at the top of the stairs {and THAT'S a positive thing in itself right there!}

Here's a few things I want to do:

physically create more blog posts instead of just mentally creating them...I miss it!;

keeping hold of my thought process instead of being distracted in a blink of an eye;

be brave instead of fearful;

creatively take a step forward

Which step have you reached today?

hugs

hello gorgeous xxx

Something to shout about.....

Mum got the thumbs up from the hospital today....the treatment worked!

barring scheduled check-ups....they don't want to see her

{unless she finds anything untoward}...happy day!

Hope you've had a "happy day" ;o)

hugs

hello gorgeous xxx

In Memoriam

{source}

xxxxx

Flick, Flick, Flick, Flick, FLICKR!!!

arctic, a photo by hello-gorgeous on Flickr.

I have just opened an account at Flickr....got me a nice little side bar badge too!

Since taking photos of my jewellery with a simple point and shoot Samsung digital camera I have become more and more addicted to taking photos {the kids HATE it when they see camera in hand...I have NEVER seen them move so quick!}

I have ALREADY written my letter to Santa asking for a little something special to be left under the Christmas tree...or anywhere else in the house really!....only another 15 weeks till I find out HOW good I've been!

Have you written yours yet??? ;op~

hugs

hello gorgeous xxx

Getting back to "normality"

{warning: photo depicting after surgery scar included in post}

or as close to it as possible.....

I can't believe we are in September already and in two days school starts again for another year of learning.  It will be strange having only one son in education now....the time just seemed to have whizzed by in a flash for the other two!  I think I need to grab these last two days tho' if I want Ellis to go properly attired {I've yet to get any form of uniform for him}....so guess who will be uniform shopping later!  It's an exciting year for Ellis, being his penultimate, he has chosen his subjects ready for his GSCE's: French, P.E. and Car Mechanics {besides the compulsory Maths, English, Welsh, R.E, P.E. and Science}....who knows which direction this little lot will take him in.....

To say it's been a brain numbing, hectic year would be THE understatement of all time....trying to remain positive and push myself  further in 2011, then hearing of and coping with Dad's unexpected Cancer battle and the double {triple} whammy...Mum being diagnosed with Cancer in the same week as Dad.  

Late February/early March was a whirlwind of hospice visits by friends and family to see Dad and say their last goodbyes, long days spent by us at his bedside...all of which were filled with laughter and reminiscing and.....funeral planning.   Whilst this was taking place, mum was also having tests which resulted in her being scheduled for surgery to remove a lump from her neck....

THAT was surreal trying to visit both in hospital {on opposites side of the City} and to have them speak to each other by phone from their hospital beds...VERY surreal! 

Following Dad's funeral, mum and I spent a week in North Wales {mum's birthplace} visiting family and trying to come to terms with what had just taken place, also to help mentally charge us for what we were both about to head into.....the diagnoses from her surgery was that she had Hodgkin Lymphoma...rare in older people...that treatment would be 3 months of Chemotherapy followed by 1 {possibly 2} doses of Radiotherapy, so having this time with her family was important.  Even tho' her cancer was at Stage 1, the outcome was unknown.

The journey was rough, mum only managed one month of chemo...a particularly aggressive dose given to her {which, we were told, even the younger generation found difficult to handle} the decision was to take her off chemo and start earlier than planned with the radiotherapy but instead of 1/2 doses she would have fifteen....one a day for three weeks.  This form of treatment was much "kinder" to mum, the chemo had knocked every ounce of mental and physical strength out of her {I feel she would have coped better mentally if this had been the plan first}. 

{Mum}

Treatment finished 11th July, she had her first appointment with the Consultant last week to see how she was getting on since treatment stopped.  She is doing amazing....her strength is slowly returning, she has set herself a few goals to achieve to continue regaining her strength...mentally her brain is starting to retain information, she is not so confused by everything and I feel she has a small spark of hope about her.  Her first scan will come in October {three months after treatment stopped} we will know what the outcome is then.....so, no point putting life on hold...time to make some plans and set those goals.

We also had an unexpected trip back up to North Wales in August, only this time the hubby and three boys came with us. I can't tell you how stoked I was to have all of us there.  The kids are all teenagers and, two at least, are at the point of probably not wanting to "go on holiday with the parents"...but I felt I had to ask them anyway, to my amazement they said yes before I had even finished the sentence! One happy mamma!

I LOVE going to Pwllheli {North Wales}....it's a seaside town and gets extremely busy in the Summer but is as dead as a dodo in the Winter....there's really nothing to do there except chill and go to the beach!

{will display photos individually over the coming weeks for a better view!}

I LOVE IT!

I LOVE the smell....the sound of the waves...the seagulls...the yatchts...the water...the relaxed atmosphere....ooo, I could go on and on...

One thing the boys decided to do during the week was pop to the driving range as well as play a round of golf

If I could...I would move there...in a heartbeat!

The down side to the visit was, the weekend before we visited, my Uncle {mum's brother} had two serious strokes...the visits to see him were painful {because of recent events} emotions were bubbling under the surface anyway....he's got a long way to go but, fingers crossed, he will be improving by Christmas....it's a slow process...but staying positive helps.

So September begins and plans are to be made......watch this space!

hugs

hello gorgeous xxx

EDITED: shopping done, uniform complete...all achieved in 20 mins...yeah baby!!

Grabbing it by the balls.....hopefully!

I am FED UP of being in a rut....of being in a melancholy/apathetic mood which seems to have taken over my whole being...I've tried {on countless occasions} to shift it but nothing's doing...I WANT to get on with life, but I need to pass through this force field first. I feel like my days are just passing me by...I have a mind full of things I want to do/achieve...within the confines of my four walls {getting out is a whole other issue!} but they are not getting past the "thought about" stage.....I AM FRUSTRATED people!!!!

I am, however, trying to grab it by the balls, so to speak {no offence fellas!} today I am messing with the blog, so excuse the transition stage {the way I am feeling it may last a while!}...other things I want to tackle this week are: giving a shout out to my Bead Soup partner, getting organised with a "to do" list, a catch-up blog post and some housework {shakes head at this one!}...that will do for now, I have SO much stored in my head that just thinking about it is overwhelming me...

I hope you are all gearing up for a busy/eventful week....I think I may be jealous if you are!

hugs

hello gorgeous xxx

Who would have thought, me...

...a photographer!

Well I suppose, when you think about it, we all are!  Afterall, you don't have to be a "professional" to be a photographer....you just point and shoot, don't you?

Millie: my sweet souled girl

I have captured "moments in time" throughout my life, from toddling around with toy cameras, school trips, family holidays, teenage years to having my own kids and "freeze framing" special moments: a first Christmas or birthday, cutting a tooth, first day of school etc, but all of these moments have happened IF I've had a camera on or near me....it was never a case of  "can't leave the house without my camera", "where's my camera, I must have it with me" ~ if it happened, it happened!

A Rainy Cardiff Bay

Then, there was a looong period of not taking a single photo...I mean long, as in years! 

That was until I started creating/blogging a few years back...I would makes things, take a picture and post it on my blog...but still, that was all it was.

Last year I decided I wanted to get back on track with the garden and so started Project Flowerpot, I thought it would be nice to keep a photographic record of the garden year and to share it on my blog/facebook page...not only did I do this but also took photos of the food we were eating, books I would dive into, if we went out & about...I was snapping just about anything and everything!

Cajun chicken, Feta salad and new potatoes in seasoned olive oil

At the same time I discovered a "new love"...the Macro button! 

W.O.W!

I LOVE IT!

 If I can shoot it in Macro, I do! 

Right now flowers are my passion using the Magic Macro button...you "get" what beauty is all about, and....I can't stop!

My camera is attached to my hip!

garden Clematis

I have to stress, I am NOT obsessed, in any way, hell I don't even "KNOW" how to take photos!

I JUST POINT AND SHOOT and hope for the best...

 Of course, there are a million photos to get just one good one, but boy when you see "the one" it's like your hearts pings!

It IS magic!

I have been participating {for the last 12 weeks} in a challenge in blogland, which takes place every Sunday called I heart Macro, hosted by Lori.....you link a photo you have taken in Macro mode on her blog and then bloghop to everyone else who is taking part.....

Now, I love my "novice" photos, but truly, you MUST go and take a peak at some of the submissions in this challenge...I am awestruck! 

The comments some of them have left about my entries are very inspiring too, to think they see my photo as "beautiful", "fabulous", "stunning" or "gorgeous" simply makes me smile and want to get better....although to achieve this I will definitely need to change cameras....my cheap little Samsung point & shoot is not gonna cut it, quite frankly!  

underside of hanging basket during severe winter of 2010

This challenge has ignited a spark within me, I am SO inspired {I am even dreaming of cameras}...I want to be as good as these awesome photographers...

And then last week, whilst watching Countryfile on tv, my mother mentioned they announced their annual amateur photographic compeition was open and "you should send yours in"....well, I nearly snorted my coffee out through my nose! 

But do you know what, I HAVEN'T STOPPED THINKING ABOUT IT!

So I have entered! Arrgghhh! 

It's exciting just to be taking part, the winning photos will be made into a calender, with monies raised by the sale of them going to Children in Need.  Very worthwhile. 

There are 12 categories, of which you can only choose four to enter. 

The winning photo, chosen by the public, will get to choose camera equipment to the value of £1,000.  The winning photo chosen by the judges will get to choose camera equipment to the value of £500. 

As I said earlier, I am a complete novice so my expectations are not high, but being part of it is a great feeling ;o)

Here are my entries:

Category: Water Worlds {taken at Roath Park}

Category: In All Weathers {a favourite tree}

Category: Leisure and Pleasure {taken at South Beach, Pwllheli}

Category: Plant Life {a wild flower}

I'll let you know if anything happens! ;o)

hugs

hello gorgeous xxx