Claythorpe Watermill

I went on an adventure with Dean this weekend and adventuring we did! It was my first time visiting Claythorpe Watermill and immediately I fell in love with the place, it's beautiful... even in the dreary weather.

As soon as we entered the grounds we had ten thousand chickens and roosters crowing and wandering around our feet. I don't know about you but I love these guys, they're so adorable and full of character. I took tons of photographs that day with my Pentax SLR and Instax 210, using my mobile for general other photographs.

Claythorpe Watermill is home to a range of small animals from marmosets and chipmunks to a lovely little red squirrel. It was entertaining enough in itself just to watch Dean react to the marmosets to be honest! He was pretty much besotted with them and I was a little bit worried I'd find them hidden in his coat on the drive home. We went through to the Wildfowl Garden and fed the ducks, black swan and the incredibly inquisitive crane. There were some absolutely gorgeous birds in there and it was nice to see them all just waddling around, quite contently. I wish I had taken a look at what the breeds were but I was far too distracted at the time by their adorable little faces and waddling feet.

There's a family of otters as well that came down to peer at us through the fencing after a while - they really do make the cutest noises! I love how it took one of them to get the courage to curiously come closer before they all then trotted along after one another.

Claythorpe Mill is such a lovely little place, I really do love it. The staff were so friendly and welcoming, the food was fantastic and the animals and birds were adorable - and well looked after! I really can't wait to go back in the Summer when it's a bit warmer. It would also make for a lovely family day out as well with the huge play area across the road (believe me, if it hadn't been raining, I would've been frolicking through it quite contently).

We went for a walk afterwards and strolled past a line of about 12 tractors, the drivers of which all saying hello. Everyone was so friendly! Following little signs we made our way across fields, over bridges and through tons of mud, feeling like little Hobbits going on an adventure the whole way. I'm proud that we didn't get lost to be honest! My sense of direction is atrocious but we made it back to the car eventually (after being pelted in the face by hailstones that is). I don't know what happened to Spring but it was bloody cold on Sunday, that's for sure!

Photography

Photography has always been something that has interested me. I studied it at college and absolutely loved the film side of it. There was just something so exciting about the whole process!

Developing your own film was of course highly nerve wracking - I mean if you did one little thing wrong then that's it, you've ruined the whole roll of film that you had just shot. It always filled me with dread turning those lights off and being plunged into absolute darkness whilst trying to blindly put everything where it was supposed to be. Luckily all of mine turned out well though - I think I would've had a minor meltdown if they hadn't!

The thing I loved most was being in the darkroom. It's one of the few things I actually miss from college. Just being able to experiment and manipulate the negatives to get all sorts of effects was exciting in itself and then seeing your photographs appear on the paper slowly before your eyes was fantastic. Trying to figure out which aperture would be best to use, how long to expose it for, which effect worked well with the subject, how to manipulate the image after it was dry and looking wonderful - I miss it all.

I find myself less inclined to use my Diana Mini because the results just aren't fantastic. It's just not the same when you can't print your own photographs - they end up looking lackluster and undefined. I would love to have my own darkroom. If I had my own house and the space this would definitely be something that I would invest in!

I can dream huh!

Pentax 35mm SLR

Heaven

Today the weather was so beautiful. Seriously, it's not even technically Spring yet and I was able to wear a strappy dress without a cardigan - it was heaven!

'An Ice Lolly?! Are you mad?' I hear you yell - Yes! It was actually warm enough for ice lollies, that in itself is a sign of a good day!

Becki and I decided to go for a walk. A two and a half hour walk. A walk that my legs are now paying for. Wow I'm unfit. It was so lovely though. We walked down South Sea Lane and then through Thorpe Park and down the beach. It was brilliant to see everybody out and about - a little bit of sunshine and the whole of Cleethorpes and Grimsby come out to play.

I mentioned in one of my previous posts that I hate getting my cameras out in public so I tried to embrace my cameras today and although it was still hard not to feel just a little bit pretentious and a little hipster-like I did it and I really like the results. Note to self, try to stop caring about what others think.

I took both my Instax and Polaroid cameras with me (though this eventually murdered my back) and I did take plenty of photographs. The first few polaroids didn't exactly turn out to plan but I've emailed Impossible about that one to try and figure out what went wrong - maybe it's just how unpredictable the film is, it just seemed weird that it was only the first few shots that developed so badly and well... purple.

I will eventually post both the Instax and Polaroids on here though I can't promise when exactly.

The Small Things

I've fallen in love with music again over the past few months. The Used's new album looks like it is going to be truly amazing and I've preordered American Author's album also... the latter is just one of those albums that's wonderfully fun, you can't help but be happy listening to it.

Six of the songs have already been released and driving home from Leeds in the bright sunshine, sunglasses on with the American Authors and The Airborne Toxic Event blasting out was wonderful. It's the small things after all.

I've also recently fallen in love with the song below.




I want to be creative again. I am determined to get more use out of my cameras this year. I don't want to be afraid of pulling out my camera, I just want it to be second nature without feeling self-conscious. It may sound silly but sometimes I just feel like a tit. I may not be the most imaginative photographer and it even pains me greatly to experiment with destructive manipulations but it's something I enjoy and where is the harm in that?

I have plans, things to look forward to; no one but me can stop 2014 from being a fantastic year and I honestly plan to make the most of it!

-

Just to clarify, this will be the permanent new name of this blog; 'Quinly' is no long affiliated with me, I have nothing to do with that blog or it's content.

Fresh Start

Sharpen up your teeth
Your dreams are more than worth defending
In a fight that's never ending
Go on, go ahead and prove me wrong

Finally. Finally I want to write again.

I hate those months, the ones where I just can't find the energy or the inspiration. It's finally hit me though and I've been delving into a new piece of fiction, one that I'm handwriting first before then typing up. I'm finding this way a lot easier as it gives me the chance to review slightly without being tempted to get too involved in editing at this stage - and well, any excuse to just type without having to really think about it works for me. I love touch-typing. I just absolutely love it. I find it quite relaxing and would quite happily enjoy endlessly typing from a piece of paper.

Admittedly the time that I find it best to write at is at two in the morning which is unfortunate for my sleeping pattern and anyone that has to deal with me the following day.

Life has been quite busy recently. Well busier than I'm used to anyway. 2014 is looking like it's going to be a fantastic year though with so many exciting things going on; my 21st, best friend's baby boy will be arriving in a few months, Russell Howard, Asylum 12, a potential holiday. I can't wait.
 

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New Year

It's a new year! It's a fresh start! I've seen that many people saying that they're sick of seeing everyone saying 'new year, new me' etc, but where's the harm in that? Where is the harm in treating the new year as a fresh start - especially if you had a particularly rotten year in 2013. If people want to make new years resolutions let them, who are you to stop them?

I started a new job yesterday so it really is a fresh start for me this year. It's all so exciting right now though it's also a lot to take in; lots of things to learn, not much time to do it in. In a way none of it feels too real right now, it doesn't particularly feel like I have left Primark after how long I had been there for. Exciting times ahead anyway.

Goodbye Primark. Hello World!  

I wanted to get a quick post out. A lot has happened since I last posted, from Donna Nook adventures (the above image) to the small deal that is Christmas, and I really need to get back into the swing of things; maybe even break from the norm.


Currently watching: Battlestar Galactica
Currently looking forward to: Asylum 12
Currently in my car: The Used - Artwork

October

[1] TK Maxx Notebook   [2] Makeup   [3] A Game Of Thrones

I feel like I haven't relaxed for the past few weeks. It has been really good though, it's kept my mind preoccupied which is what I need as Winter rolls in. I just absolutely hate these months; the dark nights and the bitter weather just aren't enjoyable for me.

I know I go on about it tons but NaNoWriMo is just around the corner yet again. It was a really enjoyable (and slightly stressful) experience last year so I think I'll give it a go again. The whole experience helped me so much to be honest; I'm terrible with sticking to just one piece of writing. I often dabble in several pieces and lose track of them but NaNo forced me to focus on just one piece and the fact that it was a huge collection of people doing it was great. To be honest I haven't been in one of my writing moods in a while - I suppose it's because I've been on my laptop a lot less these past few months compared to before. I want to get back to writing by hand anyway, I'll be less tempted to edit as I go along then and to be honest it's just something I miss doing. From where I'm sat now I can see all of the notebooks that I filled as a teenager but if you go through the newer ones everything is so sporadic as I would just end up typing most of it straight into word. I'm learning to pace myself as well instead of rushing everything and just word vomiting everywhere; one of my biggest problems is time lapsing. 

Recently I've been delving into books a lot more, reading more than I had done in the past year combined. It's taken me a while but I've nearly finished 'A Game Of Thrones' as well; I have sixty pages left and after that I think I'm just going to concentrate on writing for a bit before getting into another book.

 [1] Gifts   [2] Inks - Harley Quinn   [3] Cuddles

[4] Cheesecake Trips   [5] Once Upon A Time   [6] Tow Trucks

I couldn't have asked for better friends this past month; they've been there for me a lot more than I could have hoped for. Seriously, these ladies even bought me little presents to cheer me up, their selflessness just amazes me - I don't know what I would do without them now. I was also taken to Once Upon A Time, a little cheese cake place in Laceby which I highly recommend to anyone with a sweet tooth. It was such a nice day just gorging on delicious food and then being a big kid again on seesaws, I hadn't laughed that much in a long time.

'All I can think is that it must be a kind of Rebellion,
To arm your fears like soldiers and slay them.'

In the evening three of us had decided to take a trip to Nocton to try and find the old abandoned hospital/asylum - why we thought that would be a good idea I have no idea. Just before we were about to give up and head home we took a turn that would lead to a residential home to the left and down a tiny road (if you could even call it that) to the right. So of course we went right, all the while I was terrified. Thick bushes surrounded us either side and there were absolute no lights at all except for my full beams to guide the way... and then we came to a large gate covered in signs. And then my car broke down. 

The timing was just terrible, absolutely terrible. As soon as the gate came into view my clutch flopped and juddered, my brake went and we rolled to a very slow stop as the car died. At this point I'm proud to say that I didn't just break down myself considering I'm not very good in stressful situations - nope, instead I just got angry, very angry. It went something along the lines of 'I FUCKING TOLD THEM SOMETHING WAS WRONG! I TOLD THEM! AND THEY SAID I WAS IMAGINING IT! THIS IS WHAT I DIDN'T WANT TO HAPPEN, I FUCKING TOLD THEM.' Cue a panicked phone call to my sister asking what to do and then the most terrifying walk of my life. If that road was bad enough driving down it was even worse with just a tiny little torch and my phone torch. I have never gripped someone's hand so tight. This is why I don't watch horror films, I'm too paranoid for that kind of thing. Finally we came to the fork in the road and headed for the residential home just so that we could have some light at least and not have to worry about being alone. I tried ringing my breakdown cover twice at this point but it cut off mid-conversation both times - fun thing about Nocton, the signals terrible. Whilst I was having fun with that an elderly man was opening the locked door with a spoon for us... yep, a spoon. The careworkers face when she saw us and asked how we got in was a picture that's for sure. I couldn't get through on their phone either though so back onto the street it was. 

It was an adventure at least. Eventually the tow truck came - you could hear the thing coming a mile off, I bet the residents loved us! The guy was lovely though and skillfully managed to back the truck all the way down the tiny road to get to my car. I have a new clutch finally at least, it's just a shame I had to break down where I did. My car has never run so smoothly now. 

[1] Noah   [2] Mikel, Anna, Steven   [3] Anna

The following day Becki and I went to see The Airborne Toxic Event in Leeds. We queued at the wrong doors for almost an hour (thus leading to everyone else queuing at the wrong doors as well) but thankfully we were still right at the front. And when I say right at the front I mean I was actually leaning against the stage - which may I add was really handy considering we put our bags on it as well. The support act was The Drowning Men; they were pretty damn good and wonderfully hairy. TATE themselves were fantastic as always. Seriously the atmosphere was just brilliant and we had Noah in front of us for the entire gig which was beautiful... it was even better when he came to the edge of the stage and nearly knocked me out with his bass he got that close. I love seeing bands live, there is nothing better than that euphoric feeling. I managed to get tons of decent photographs and videos but none of Daren, unfortunately his drum kit was just too far back and the lighting wasn't good enough. Still, the vibe was absolutely fantastic. A little bit gutted that they didn't actually play more songs off of the new album, 'Bride and Groom' would've been a fun one but never mind, I'm sure there was a reason for that. Hopefully we won't have to wait another two years until they come back to the UK!

Oh and not to forget Jason Manford, he was absolutely fantastic also. I didn't know what to expect to be honest and I'm glad that I didn't watch any of his stand up before we went to see him. The tickets had originally been a gift to our parents but they weren't able to go in the end - we truly did feel guilty enjoying it so much!

Next it is Imagine Dragons and then Panic! At The Disco. The latter I've been waiting for since I was about fourteen years old.

'Deep within dwells the creature.'