The year started with promise. I managed to cope with compressed hours and assignments and plenty of snow! As the uni year came to an end and we faced our first exhibition things got a little out of hand and I changed to a normal four day week. I travelled to Malta on a photography tour and relaxed. I was ME. I ignored my mobile and emails for a whole four days. I laughed so much that some of the younger students were convinced that I had too much to drink and I was truly only on water. I had fun, let my hair down and warmed up in the sun. I finished off assignments and I got through my first year and truly started to enjoy my summer break.
We were hoping to get away and do some camping but things didn’t work out that way. We are still trying to recover from Lance and Meagan’s trip to South Africa. I still haven’t even made it to Germany to see Angela which has been two years in the making (although we had a lovely visit from her and her family in April) and we didn’t get down to Matlock to see my lovely Aunty Liz and Uncle Mike let alone Norwich to see Uncle John and Aunty Sue.
It was trips down different lanes that I took personally this year instead. Out of nowhere Meagan at the tender age of 16 left home to live with her boyfriends parents that triggered changes. After years of giving people sound advice it was me that needed it more – I started counselling sessions – visited doctors and tried pills! It takes more than that to mend a broken heart. I really sound pathetic but when you aren’t expecting it – it’s a huge jolt. I know that for a long time I have been in a race to the finish line – huge changes that I seem to have taken in my stride like moving from one continent to another to start all over again – have all caught up with me. So please forgive me that I have needed time to reflect and catch up with myself. Please don’t take anything personally – I too will show grace and give you space when you and if you need it.
An opportunity arose for me to start a job-share in my current role which meant that I would only be working three days a week – this sounded like heaven. That would give me my uni day and an extra day to catch up. Instead I filled that time with photography work to make ends meet. I hadn’t given myself enough time to heal and that too caught up with me as I felt more useless not being able to keep up. I created this idea in my mind that this second year at uni would be a breeze and managed to get that totally wrong! I am again behind. All this is good. It has taught me that I am only human and that I need to plan my time and what I do with my time well. I have started to reflect more on who I would like to see and what I would like to do in the New Year. I haven’t had much time to come up with a plan as yet but this was the first step – to put on paper what 2011 has been and to tell the people that I care about the most that they are by far from forgotten! And maybe, a little warning to you all that you are stuck with me for another year and you won’t be so lucky that you won’t see or hear from me in 2012. So if you thought that was the case just let me know before I finalise my plans and I can work them into my overall 2012 plan. I have also come to realise that you are doomed to fail if you don’t have a plan and I am not planning another year of just living day to day. I am being given the gift of another year and I am going to make the most of it. I am going to plan every day and I plan to achieve and succeed and LIVE it to the fullest.
2011 saw a very special lady leave our lives. Aunty Kay was the first person who’s hospitality and friendliness went beyond anything we had ever experiences when we arrived in Wales. It is with great regret that I have to say we didn’t spend enough time with her towards the end – I thought I was doing the right thing by letting my Aunty Kaye spend as much time with her best friend as possible but still feel we could have and should have done more for her. Her memory will live on in our home forever, we absolutely love the diningroom table in our kitchen which has already seen some lovely family gatherings. My bureau will be treasured and restored to its former glory and has pride of place in my entrance hall. We cherish her memory and have huge boots to fill in taking care of our Aunty Kaye who truly misses her best friend.
2011 also saw the addition to our family with the quick arrival of Mia. Already in three months she has the whole Welsh family wrapped around her little finger and has us right were she wants us! She has given us all much joy and it is a pleasure to say that there is a special bond despite me being her ‘extra’ Nanny! It is also amazing to see how Kay has blossomed into motherhood. She is amazing and I am very proud of her. Grumpy Gramps is going to do what he does best and drive little Mia scatty but already she has a strong personality and a will of steel – I have no doubt she will put him in his place.
Change is inevitable and I am sure that our lives will continue to change and evolve. It is keeping up with change that is sometimes difficult but I have learnt that everything happens for a reason and in it’s own time and have come to terms with the fact that maybe this year was exactly what is was supposed to be.
Christmas is already on me – I am not fighting the crowds and venturing out Christmas shopping so it was all online for me this year. The only shops I will venture into are my own in Llantwit. I am looking forward to a lovely Christmas day with friends and family – lots of laughter and lots of fine food! Thereafter, I will be planning my new exercise routine and getting out and about a lot more to clear the cobwebs that seem to clutter when you sit in front of a PC for too long. I will have my camera in hand – both film and digital – and I will capture more of my life in 2012 through photographs and master the art of photography in the process!
Christmas is already on me – I am not fighting the crowds and venturing out Christmas shopping so it was all online for me this year. The only shops I will venture into are my own in Llantwit. I am looking forward to a lovely Christmas day with friends and family – lots of laughter and lots of fine food! Thereafter, I will be planning my new exercise routine and getting out and about a lot more to clear the cobwebs that seem to clutter when you sit in front of a PC for too long. I will have my camera in hand – both film and digital – and I will capture more of my life in 2012 through photographs and master the art of photography in the process!
I wish you all a Merry Christmas, may Santa bring you just what you wanted! I wish you a very happy and joyful 2012 and look forward to sharing my updates on my 100 things to do in 2012 and my progress reports! Keep safe, eat well, smile often and be blessed!
My list of 100 things to do in 2012
1. Visit Uncle Mike and Aunty Liz and take a long walk in Matlock
2. Visit Uncle John and Aunty Sue and discover Norwich
3. Renew our wedding vows
4. Project 365 – Upload a photo a day on my blog
5. Continue with Team Up (Day to be confirmed)
6. Monthly blog update
7. Remember birthday’s
8. Complete Year 2 and start year 3 of my BA Photographic Practise
9. Promote www.photographybyrhianclaire.co.uk
10. Revamp the website
11. Revamp my blog
12. Save £1000 just because
13. Visit Angela in Germany
14. Meet up with Angela in London
15. Do a Christmas Market
16. Have a sun holiday in The Canaries
17. Visit Paris
18. Make the family crazy Christmas Jumpers
19. Make the family Father Christmas Hats
20. Swimming lessons with Mia
21. Become debt free
22. Spend a weekend in St Davids
23. Visit Scotland
24. Revisit and complete the exercises in Simple Abundance
25. Have a homemade Christmas 2012
26. Have one treat day a week
27. Stick to a healthy eating plan the rest of the week
28. Have a mobile free day a week
29. Have an email free day a week
30. Have a gallery day in London
31. Do a pantomime
32. Skype Linda once a week
33. Skype Natasha once a week
34. Support Kay in starting a new business
35. Complete a crochet project a month
36. Stick to uni Deadlines
37. Stick to ILM deadlines
38. Get fit – Hey I gave up smoking 30 a day – I can do this!
39. Visit Snowdownia
40. Walk Pen y fan
41. Family Pumpkin Carving Competition
42. Reflexology at least once a month
43. Knit myself a pair of socks
44. Eye test and new glasses
45. Get my implants done
46. It’s a Wonderful Life on Ist December 2012
47. Sort out my scrapbook albums
48. Scrapbook day once a month
49. Daily routine – get out of bed at 6am
50. Use my promotion ticket to get an EO post
51. Complete Xposure financials to be on current daily
52. Visit my blog partner – Andrea
53. Explore Wales – 12 new attractions this year! Taking off Snowdownia and Pen Y Fan means only 10 more to find!
54. Write out my Christmas cards on 1st December 2012
55. Make lunch not buy
56. No More take outs – M&S Dine is ok
57. Eat out once a month with the family
58. Do the Bath Abbey tour
59. Visit a photographer (ok that’s cheating I am visiting Sylvain Guenot on 3rd January)
60. Afternoon Tea at the Ritz with Christine
61. See a musical
62. See the Northern Lights
63. Volunteer for a charity
64. Secretly pay off a stranger’s lay-by
65. Swim or walk five times a week
66. Go to my beach or Nash Point once a week
67. Attend a black tie affair
68. Car Share to work successfully sharing costs
69. Invest in a Canon 5d Mark II
70. Invest in Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM Lens
71. Invest in Canon EF 24 – 70mm f/2.8L USM Lens
72. Enter a Portrait Photography competition
73. Make Jam
74. Make Chutney
75. Paint the Kitchen
76. Redecorate the bathroom
77. Add a clock to my clockwall (not the photo frame one I already have to go up!)
78. Read Harry Potter from beginning to end
79. Only check facebook once a week
80. No Solitaire!
81. Sort out the garden for Spring
82. Plant my own hanging baskets
83. Crochet a fine lace runner for the piano
84. Crochet a fine lace runner for the Welsh Dresser
85. Do a macramé project with Lance – Diamond bag
86. Make daisy chains at Tintern Abbey
87. Photograph my tree in Llanmaes once a month
88. Have a date day a month with Skyla
89. Family picnic in St Fagans
90. Create a family calendar for 2013
91. Monthly date night with Lance
92. Monthly date with Meagan
93. Monthly date with Kay
94. Have a pedicure
95. Print my blog
96. Walk once a week with Vicky
97. Drink 2 litres of water a day - everyday
98. Visit Aunty Kaye and Uncle Briand twice a week
99. Take Jessie for a long walk once a week
100. Have fun and smile!
1 comment:
Lovely post, Claire. Hope you have a super Christmas and New Year.
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