Pumpkin Carving

As it was almost the end of Halloween Greg bought a pumpkin on his way home from work for us to carve.  We carved it and kept all of the seeds to toast tomorrow - Happy Halloween!

Trick or Treat

Alex wanted to go trick or treating tonight, as neither he or I have ever been before, so the two of us and Hayley went knocking on the doors in our block.  We got a few sweets - what a fun little adventure =]

Pre-Halloween party

Tonight was our Halloween party as Lea is going to her grandparents for the weekend tomorrow.

New Camera

Well, it looks ok, and seems to take good photos so far, but I miss my old camera.  I was really quite attached to it, it travelled far with me, and stayed in great condition.  Ah well, this one is a 'better camera'.  I'm sure I shall have many-a fun adventure with it too =/

Pumpkin Carving

Tom and Lea bought pumpkins this afternoon and carved them.

Bus/Camera/Shopping

Straight after my lecture this morning I walked to the bus stop about half a mile down the road to get the bus to PC world (which is in the same retail park as Asda, about three and a half miles away).  I needed to take my camera back and get them to replace it, as there are lines going across all of the photographs.  After quite a while of me persuading them that I need to have a camera with me at all times, they decided to replace it for me with the newest model, and I paid the difference.  This turns out to be a fairly good deal, as I had had my old camera for over two years, and this far better one has only cost me £40.  It's on charge at the moment, so hopefully it will be as good as it first appears.  I then walked back to Asda to do the shopping and caught the bus home.

Last Day

Today was Suzie and Ricks last day here, they came to mine at about 11 so we could walk into town and have a mooch together.  It was a nice walk in, through Rickerby park alongside the somewhat flooded river with the cows and sheep. We wondered around for a while, Mia got a lovely cardigan, had some lunch in Starbucks, wondered around for a while longer and found Freya a BUS!!!  So exciting it's untrue!  Then we walked back to halls.  They left at about half past 3.

I have had a fantastic few days with them here, it has been so nice to share where I am at the moment with them.  Thank you so much for visiting =]

Afternoon out

I had Visual Literacy this morning until 12, but then this afternoon I walked into town to meet up with Suzie, Rick, Mia and Freya.  We went to Tullie House so the girls could 'make a masterpiece' - they were given paints, pens, paper, glue, leaves and all sorts to make some very pretty pictures.  Then off to Starbucks for a coffee - the perfect thing to do on a very cold afternoon.  We walked back to their hotel later in the afternoon.  We had a lovely evening meal in the brewers fair at the hotel - it was great.  Then we went to the play area (Wacky Warehouse style) which was great fun as there was no-one else there so all of us got to have a good play.  A great evening, they brought me home at about 9 ish, everyone shattered!

Tesco Tea

We went to Tesco and picked some sandwiches up on the way back to Suzie and Ricks this evening with some other munchies and juice.  We sat about and ate and watched tv - it was a really nice night.  Then they brought me home about 8.30 ish.  Unfortunately the photo hasn't worked because my camera is broken =[

Camera Obscura

We turned our lecture room into a Camera Obscura in this afternoons lecture.  We blacked out all of the windows and the door, then made a small hole in the covering of one window (the bottom photograph is taken through the hole).  We then put backing paper up as a screen for the image to project onto for us to see. It was really successful - you could even see cars moving!  So much fun - we sat in a camera =]

Lunch

Suzie, Rick and the Girls picked me up from uni at 11 this morning to take me into town and go to Wetherspoons for lunch - the big breakfast there is SO good =]  Then they took me back just in time for my afternoon lectures while they went to Gretna.

Welcome to Carlisle!

Suzie, Rick, Mia and Freya brought me back up to Carlisle this afternoon/evening.  We left home at 9 minutes past 3, and got 3 hours 40 minutes later - really good time.  It is so exciting that they are staying up here until Wednesday, we are going to have a great time.  So, welcome to carlisle folks, hope you have a fantastic visit! x

Roast Dinner

Fabulous - what more can I say?  Roast cockerel with veggies, roast tates and yorkie puds =]

Breakfast

We all had a lovely cooked breakfast this morning after Howard and Janet had left (they were going to see friends for brunch).  Fry-up with breakfast bread donuts and breakfast muffins.  Yummy =]

Sleeps

Suzie, Rick, Mia, Freya, Mum, Dad and I are sleeping in the lounge tonight, Emma, Rob, Evan and Calum are sleeping in the Toy Room and Howard and Janet are sleeping in a bed.  Good times =]

Christmas Puddings

The time old tradition of making the Christmas Puddings and then each having three stirs and making a wish happened this evening.  And then of course the mixture must be tasted =]

Family Meal

Emma, Rob, Evan, Calum, Suzie, Rick, Mia and Freya are joining Mum, Dad, Howard, Janet and myself for the night at home.  It is so nice to have everyone together again.  We had the nicest meat pie, chips, peas and gravy with an awesome choice of puddings - chocolate fudge cake, banoffee pie, frozen mocha or ben and jerry's ice cream.  A great meal and a great evening.

Boston

This morning I went into Boston with Mum, Dad, Howard and Janet to do a few jobs.  I realized just how much I dislike Boston, firstly the traffic is a nightmare, then there is the matter of the strange people there, all together it isn't really a very pleasant place, however I did meet up with the kids to make the day somewhat brighter =]

Two out of three

This is me with Slaw and Mark, two of the chefs from the Leagate,it was great to see them again!

The Shire

I am now officially back in Lincolnshire - well, I have been for about the past four hours after the 215ish mile drive, but hey.  We picked up fish and chips on the way home, then I went back to the Leagate for an hour or so for a catch-up, then came home.  It is so great to be back, I love Carlisle, but I miss it here so much - it's home.  It is so great to see Mum and Dad, and it's nice that Howard and Janet are here too.  Now I'm looking forward to seeing all of the Kids and little people tomorrow - good times guys, it's good to be home =]

Home

I'm just about to start packing because I am going home today - Mum and Dad are coming to pick me up this afternoon then taking me home for the weekend and Suzie, Rick and the girls will be bringing me back on Sunday, then staying till Wednesday.  I am SO excited - can't wait to see everyone =]

Celebrations and merrimentations

As Greg was at work tonight and Tom has gone home me and Lea decided to order in Chinese tonight to celebrate the end of our first brief.  We watched Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion and ate chinese.  It was a great night - well done team =]  Now I'm off to hoover and clean rady for my visitors on Sunday...

First Critique

I have just got back from my first critique of a fully assessed brief - I was so nervous!  It seemed to go really well, the head of Photography Mike England came to look at our work before our critique, and he said he was very impressed that I had ventured into the studio, and that I had used the lighting very effectively which I was really pleased about.  Then it was time for the critique:  this is where you present your work to the whole class and lecturer as well as some students from other years who come and sit in, and then they ask questions and make observations about the work.  People seemed to be quite interested and reacted very well to my images.  A third year student commented that I used the lighting effectively, and that it was a great first attempt at being in the studio.  My portfolio which has my research sketchbook, contact prints, final prints and critical appraisal in, along with the feedback sheets from today.  We should get it back at some point over the next two weeks - so fingers crossed for at least 40% (that is the pass mark).

Books

I ordered two photography books from Amazon the other day, and they just arrived.  I am so excited - I love new books.  One is on an artist called Christian Boltanski, and the other is the book accompanying the television series The Genius of Photography - I am so excited!

Tutorial

I had my tutorial with Sam this morning - it went really well, she looked through my sketchbook and seemed really impressed with it.  She thought I had done a very thorough job.  I left my critical appraisal with her so she could go through it on her own, I got it back at lunchtime.  She said that it was very honest and reflective and really good for the first project.  I am so pleased as this is the first time I have ever had to write a critical appraisal.  I'm feeling happier about my work now, but am still nervous about the critique tomorrow...

Meat Pie

I had meat pie, chips peas and gravy for my luch today - it was SO good.  Thanks Mum and Dad for bringing the pie chips and gravy =]

Work work work

All I seem to have been doing for the past few days especially is getting up at 7.30am and going to bed at 1am and just working on Sam's brief the whole day, with like half an hour off for meals and time to go to lectures.  It started to get really frustrating!  But now my sketchbook work is completed, my contact sheets are analyzed, my final piece is printed and my critical appraisal is written!  Thats a day earlier than it needs to be done - not at all like me.  I have a tutorial with Sam tomorrow morning so she can look through my sketchbook and critical appraisal to check it, then it's just waiting for the critique on Thursday.  I am so relieved to have it done and out of the way, although it did end up being kind of enjoyable.

Visual Literacy Round Five

This week we were doing collage again, but this time we had to choose from four starting points and visually represent them.  I chose "object of desire", and looked through magazines for objects and situations which could be considered desirable.  I found this quite a good lecture, which was nice.

Parcel

Today an 11kg parcel arrived for Tom from his Mum - it was full of random food and was so fun I felt it was necessary for it to be included here.

Mourning Dill Fisher

Next doors fish Dill just died - he survived almost two weeks, Hayley has made a small box to bury him in outside.  Bye Dill, you will be sadly missed =[

Happy Birthday Suzie!

Hope you have a great day!

Sorry I can't be there, but I'm so looking forward to seeing you next weekend.

Proper student

I believe that Greg is now a proper student, this evening he ate his first meal of mashed potato out of the sauce pan with a serving spoon. Good times.

Visitors

Howard and Janet have been to visit me today, I've had a great day.  We had a coffee at the flat, then went to Le Gall for lunch - yummy.  This afternoon we have been to look round the castle, which was quite interesting - great views from up on the walls.  Really nice to see them again, thanks for coming to visit.

Girls on the town

Hayley, Lea and I decided that it was time for a night out - Thursday being student night seemed the perfect opportunity.  We went to a couple of bars and then on to Concrete of course - it was a great night which sadly came to a close when Concrete shut at 3am.  Good times girls!

American Adventure

This afternoon I started printing out some of my photographs from last summer's adventure in America.  They are so great, sadly some of the files wouldn't open, but I still printed about 40 off which are now on the wall above my desk - looking great =]

First time in the studio

This morning I went into the studio to take the photographs for one of my briefs on exploring the style of another artist.  I was really nervous about it, but it turned out really well, I am pleased with the final images and have now edited and printed them too.

Owls

I've just got into bed, and all I can hear are owls in the woods at the back of the field behind halls - it is such a peaceful sound, and yet so loud.  Hopefully it won't keep me awake, but I am enjoying it for the moment.

Visual Literacy Round Four

Today was our fourth day of Visual literacy lectures, and the most fun by far.  We were looking at collage and how it is used in so many ways.  We had to make dadist poems and then illustrate them with collage.  The poems were made by cutting up a paragraph of a magazine article into individual words, and then selecting them in a random order to make the poem.  It is a form of non-conformist, nonsense poetry.  I'm quite pleased with the collage, especially the goldfish.

Monday morning?!?

I decided to go into town this morning for 9 to get some jobs done - I'm a student, 9am Monday morning, this makes no sense!  But anyways, I did my jobs and then decided to go to Starbucks for breakfast courtesy of Suzie and Rick - thanks guys, nice cinnamon swirl and vanilla late.  On the way back I walked through Rickerby Park instead of along the road, it was so nice, the Highland cows were grazing right next to the path.