Confessions of a procrastinator

Way back here I blogged about my grandiose plan to participate in Fat Mum Slim's photographic challenge by composing diptych photos and blogging about them every day.  Ha!  What a crock of the proverbial. 

I must confess that I got to day 18 and failed my self imposed challenge miserably.  Sunday wasn't completed due to a dreaded migraine however that indeed signalled the death knell as I must confess that I have done nothing but procrastinate since.

So in the spirit of a true confessional, I'm linking up with Kirsty over at My Home Truths as part of her I Must Confess weekly link up.  Note that I'm not actually a religious zealot or the like, it's a case of confession cleansing the bloggy soul.

 

As a side note, I will probably (note I didn't definitely commit!) randonly participate in the remainder of the FMS photographic challenge however I won't be sharing here.  You'll be able to keep up with any photos on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

 

Do you have anything you'd like to get off your chest or confess? If so, link up or leave a comment over at My Home Truths - you'll feel better for it, trust me!

G. xx

The opener

Today is Day Seventeen of the November Photo A Day Challenge. The prompt for today is Last thing you bought (You can read here about my self imposed twist to this month's challenge).

The last thing I bought was a new can opener!  Yes I know I'm the last of the big spenders.  As I purchased just the one solitary item, today's diptych composition is essentially two halves of the one photo.  They've just been edited slightly differently - both high contrast but half colour and half black and white.  Who'd have thought I'd be taking photos of everyday kitchen implements?!

G. xx

Inside looking out

Today is Day Sixteen of the November Photo A Day Challenge.  The prompt for today is The view from your window (You can read here about my self imposed twist to this month's challenge).

The two photos in today's diptych composition were each taken through very different windows at very different views.  The top part was taken through the windscreen of my car looking up at the tree I was parked under today and is a perfect example of our wonderful natural environment.  The bottom part is quite the opposite.  It was taken through a house window and is of the concrete jungle that is Sydney.  Just to clarify, the house window was not our house, it was taken whilst visiting my sister and brother-in-law.  Suffice to say, in both photos I was on the inside looking out!

G. xx

It's in the bag

Here I am half way through the photographic challenge.  The prompt for day Fifteen of the November Photo A Day Challenge is In your bag (You can read here about my self imposed twist to this month's challenge).

Today's diptych composition consists of the contents of my bag (my backpack) and a close-up of said backpack.  As today was weigh-in day for Weight Watchers I had my Weight Watchers folder in my bag as well as the latest edition of the Weight Watchers magazine (it has some fabbo ideas and recipes for Christmas).  Also in my bag today were gum, tissues, a pen and my umbrella.

 

As an aside,despite the food I consumed yesterday I still had a very good loss at the Weight Watchers weigh-in today.  My total loss for my first three weeks is 4.6kg.  Very happy.  I'm starting to feel the changes in my life with increased energy, better sleep and some items of clothing aren't as snug-fitting as they were.

G. xx

The birthday boy

Today is Day Fourteen of the November Photo A Day Challenge and it's also my birthday!  The prompt for today is Man made (You can read here about my self imposed twist to this month's challenge).

 

 

Let me get to the photo first then I'll fill you in on my birthday.  Today's diptych composition consists of a large wall clock which I bought from a fabbo little boutique in Leura in the Blue Mountains, and a chocolate bouquet.  Both are man made and both are loved by yours truly!

 

Okay enough about the photos, lets talk about my birthday (coz it's all about me today, right?!).  Lets start at the beginning.  A few weeks ago I mentioned a routine visit to my doctor and how he wanted me to have all manner of tests undertaken.  Well due to my procrastination with the barrage of blood tests, I needed to have them done TODAY, my birthday!  So this morning we (yes I made the lovely Wayne accompany me) toddled off to the pathologist so they could take what seemed like 90% of the blood out of my body - happy bloody birthday!  At least the pathology nurse wished me happy birthday.  Speaking of said nurse, it turns out that we worked together 25 years ago so had a great little catch-up chat whilst I was drained of almost all my blood (I am sooo not a drama queen).

 

Following this, the lovely Wayne took me out for breakfast to a fave cafe with gorgeous lake views not far from home.  Whilst there, the cafe proprietor advised us that it was the cafe's first birthday today and as such, all patrons could have a free slice of celebratory birthday cake, so we did!  What made this extra special was that unbeknownst to me, the lovely Wayne had advised the proprietor that it was also my birthday.  My slice of cake arrived with a candle on it ;-)

 

 

We didn't do lunch as we were both still too full from our breakfast grazing.  Dinner however necessitated food, and of course wine.  As a starter we enjoyed large juicy pacific ocean oysters naturale with a glass or two of champagne.  This was followed by a large amount of king prawns enjoyed with a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc.  The evening feast concluded with a serve of cookies and cream ice cream - yummmm.

 

 

 

Presents.  Yes I know that's what you really want to know about.  Let me just say CD's, clothes, champagne, chocolates and a washing machine!  Yes, a washing machine.  No, the lovely Wayne isn't an unromantic man, it was all about timing.  A new washing machine was required and just happened to be purchased on my birthday!

 

As I sit here this evening enjoying (another) glass of wine, I'm very thankful that I've again had a wonderful birthday and have received lots of wonderful birthday wishes from lots of lovely people.  Thank you.

 

G. xx

 

 

Sweet dreams

Today is Day Thirteen of the November Photo A Day Challenge - the prompt for which is Where you slept (Read here about my self imposed twist to this month's challenge).

 

 

I have to confess that part of today's diptych composition is a re-edit of an old photo.  That part would be the photo of the bed.  I forgot to take the photo this morning and whilst I was at work the lovely Wayne stripped the bed and as yet he (ok, we) haven't remade it.  No doubt it will be a last minute thing before climbing into it tonight!  The second part of the composition is a close up of the plush puppy that sits on (guards) the bed - his name is Boo and he's actually a wheat pack.  Yes I know, it looks soooo wrong when he's going around in circles in the microwave heating up!

 

Sweet dreams.

 

G. xx

 

 

Thirst quencher

Today is Day Twelve of the November Photo A Day Challenge - the prompt for which is Drink (Read here about my self imposed twist to this month's challenge).

My diptych composition for today was shot whilst out on a long walk this afternoon with the lovely Wayne.  As we walked through the local park we noiced a bright yellow water bubbler.  It truly was bright and was screaming out to be photographed - so what's a guy to do?  As luck would have it, the lovely Wayne was also in need of a quick sip of water.  The end result is the photo of the lovely Wayne having a drink (edited to black and white) and the bubbler itself in all its colourful glory.

 

As an aside, I must say that there is no way I would drink out of a bubbler like that (we have differing opinions on this matter).  I mean who knows what has graced the surface of the water outlet!!!

 

Would you, or do you, drink out of a public bubbler?  No judgements will be made, I'm just curious!

G. xx

Night time

Today is Day Eleven of the November Photo A Day Challenge - the prompt for which is Night (Read here about my self imposed twist to this month's challenge).

I've waited all day to take the photos for today's diptych composition.  The planned shots were to be a distant shot of the moon and a zoomed shot - both edited to black and white.  What happened you say?  There's no blasted moon visible here at the moment!  Ok, time to improvise.  I've utilised a previous shot of the night sky and a shot of my fave tea-light holder.

 

And with that, I'm going to toddle off to bed.  Good night!

G. xx

Lost without....

It's Day Ten of the November Photo A Day Challenge which means I'm a third of the way through!  The prompt for today is Can't (won't) live without.  Read here about my self imposed twist to this month's challenge.

Two things came to mind straight away when I read today's photo prompt - the lovely Wayne and my iPhone.  I don't like being too far away from either of them!  So they're my diptych components for today - the lovely Wayne and my iPhone (I've chosen to feature my fave photo apps).

 

What's two things that you can't or won't live without?

G. xx

Food on my mind

Today is Day Nine of the November Photo A Day Challenge - the prompt for which is Small (Read here about my self imposed twist to this month's challenge).

 

 

What can I say about this diptych composition - food was definitely on my mind!  I know it's pretty obvious, but I'll tell you that the photos are of a punnet of blueberries and a punnet of grape tomatoes.  Both are small and absolutely delish (though not necessarily together!).  I've always loved both and will often grab a small handful of either as a snack (even before Weight Watchers).

 

Do you have a fave healthy snack?  Please share below as I'm after any/all suggestions.

 

G. xx

 

 

The Loser

Today is Day Eight of the November Photo A Day Challenge - the prompt for which is Something you do everyday (Read here about my self imposed twist to this month's challenge).

As I've mentioned previously, I'm currently undertaking the Weight Watchers 13 week program to create a healthier me.  As part of that, I fill out what is known as a points tracker - it's a kind of food diary.  This has been quite an eye-opener.  Go on give it a go and keep a diary of everything that passes your lips for a week - I guarantee you'll be surprised.  Anyhoo, I digress.  Back to today's diptych composition. It's a shot of a page out of my points tracker and part of the front cover. I'm currently filling this out religiously every day.

 

Something that struck me today (weigh-in day) is that there's now one day a week when I want to be a loser!  Who would have thought?!  FYI, I've now lost 3.5kg and I'm only 2 weeks in!  I'm a loser and I'm loving it! 

 

Note that I may or may not have indulged in a glass of wine this evening to celebrate being a loser!

G. xx

Light: Reflected

Wow, here I am a week into the November Photo A Day Challenge - the prompt for day 7 is Reflection. Read here about my self imposed twist to this month's challenge.

Today's diptych composition is all about light being reflected.  The first part is both the moon and a street type light reflecting across the water at the ocean baths.  The second part is the flash from my iPhone reflecting in a mirror.  And as an added bonus there's a reflection of moi!  I know, I know, it's what makes the whole composition!

G. xx

On the shore

It's Day Six of the November Photo A Day Challenge - the prompt for which is A Favourite Thing. Read here about my self imposed twist to this month's challenge.

Where do you start with this one?  I mean I have all sorts of favourite things - there's material things, human things, animal things, and life or lifestyle things.  In the end I decided that besides the lovely Wayne, my fave thing is where I live - a five minute walk from the shore of beautiful Lake Macquarie.  I always feel at peace when I'm at the lake.  So there you have my diptych composition for today - the shore of Lake Macquarie.

 

Do you have a fave or special place where you feel at peace?  I'd love to hear about it.

G. xx

Five o'clock shadow

It's Day Five of the November Photo A Day Challenge - the prompt for which is 5 o'clock. Read here about my self imposed twist to this month's challenge.

Today's diptych photo composition consists of two represntations of 5 o'clock - 12 hours apart.  The first part is a screen shot of my iPhone at 5.00am when my alarm went off - yes I did hit snooze (a few times!).  The second part was snapped this afternoon - 5 o'clock shadow.  Now just to clarify, this 5 o'clock shadow belongs to the lovely Wayne who modelled for me under intensely tying conditions (according to him).  I mean really, I think it was me working under trying conditions - damn models and their demands!  Oh yes, I've again indulged my passion for black and white photography.

G. xx

Total Control

Here I am at Day Four of the November Photo A Day Challenge - the prompt for which is TV.  Read here about my self imposed twist to this month's challenge.

There's not really a lot I can say about today's diptych composition.  I did take an arty shot of the TV itself however the reflections in it looked very ordinary so it was duly deleted (the pic, not the TV!).  Instead, there's a photo of the remote and a screen shot from my iPhone of one of my more used apps.  It's the OzTV app.  If you haven't used it, do yourself a favour (said in my best Molly Meldrum voice) and try it out.  It has all program details for the majority of free to air television stations in Australia and can be configured however you like.  Armed with this and the remote, I truly am in total control - the TV master if you please!  Ok, well sometimes I am!

 

Are you the TV master or TV mistress in your household?  Hmmm, TV mistress sounds a bit kinky doesn't it?!  Ah well, whateva floats ya boat!

G. xx

Just Peachy

Well here we are at Day Three of the November Photo A Day Challenge - the prompt for which is Breakfast.   Read here about my self imposed twist to this month's challenge.

 

 

As I've mentioned previously here, I've embarked on a weight-loss/healthier-me journey.  One of the ways I'm doing this is by undertaking the Weight Watchers program.  I'm learning heaps about food and sensible food choices and how little changes can contribute towards a healthier me.

 

What's this have to do with today's photo you ask?  Well it's a photo of one of the little changes that I've made.  I have weetbix for breakfast most days (ever the creature of habit) and previously always drizzled a little honey on them - only a little!  Now I have fruit on them.  Some days it's strawberries, others it's banana and others, like today, it's peaches.  So there you have my diptych for today - my bowl of weetbix with peaches, and a close up of the peaches.

 

Note that I usually have half that amount of peaches but the shot needed the additional pieces of peach to work.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

 

What do you have for breakfast?  And are you a (brekkie) creature of habit?

 

G. xx

 

 

Colourful Lights & Magnets

Here I am on Day Two of the November Photo A Day Challenge - the prompt for which is Colour.  Read here about my twist to this month's challenge.

Today's diptych is nothing like what I had planned - yes, I've begun planning my photos for the month!  Before I talk about this photo, let me tell you about the planned photo.  At my place of employ, there's some pretty funky decor/fixtures throughout the building in a myriad of colours which were going to form the basis of today's shot - think artistic angled shot of a multi coloured room divider.  There's also an in-house cafeteria which stocks re-usable keep cups for coffee in a range of bright colours (the shelf display is great) - a shot of these was to be the other part of today's diptych.  So, what happened?  I was too unwell to go to work today (damn migraine).  I'm ok this evening (lotsa drugs and sleep does wonders!).

 

This brings me to the photo above.  I found these funny magnetic thingys (technical term) in a box in our bookcase so made the word colour - yes I know, my artistic creativity truly knows no bounds!  Also in said bookcase was a set of Christmas fairy lights.  These were draped over my bedside lamp to create a colourful ambiance - oh alright, they were thrown across the lamp-shade and plugged in!  Not too bad a result I guess as the fairy lights cast some really pretty rainbows on the wall.

 

And that, dear reader, is the story of today's photo.

 

G. xx

Crimson Clouds

Okay, off I go with Day One of the November Photo A Day Challenge.  Today's prompt is Something beginning with 'C'.  Read here about my twist to the challenge.

Today's diptych consists of a photo of some amazing storm clouds that were rolling in this afternoon and a close up shot of the gorgeous crimson bougainvillea growing along the fence between us and our neighbour.

G. xx

November Photo A Day

Once again I've decided to participate in Fat Mum Slim's Photographic Challenge, this time for the month of November.  Below are the photo prompts for November.

Just like the last time I partcipated (in September with 30 days of black & white), I'm adding my own twist just to keep it interesting (well for me anyhoo).  For the November challenge, all my photos will be Diptych photos.  What on earth is that I hear you ask - well let me explain.  A diptych photograph is a photograph that uses two different or identical images side by side to form one single artistic statement.  The two images can literally be in contact with each other, or separated by a border or frame.  In essence, this means I will be taking two photos for each prompt during November and joining them as a single photo.

 

Another facet for this month is that I've set myself the challenge to blog every day.  I was inspired to do this by Elizabeth from Scarlet Words who is participating in the NaBloPoMo November Blogging Challenge.  Now although I'm not technically participating in this blogging challenge I thought I'd have a go by proxy.  My blogging will, at the very least, be about the photo composition for each day, but may well include other random posts along the way.  Hey, I like to mix it up a bit, and I have to keep you readers on your toes don't I?!

 

As usual, you can follow my progress with the photographic challenge on Instagram or Twitter.  I'll be tagging all my photos with #30DaysOfDiptych.

 

Are you participating in this month's photographic challenge?  If so, leave a link in the comments below - I'd love to see your photos.

G. xx