And to the end of January!

Here are the last of the January photos of the day.


I want to point out that in January, it was just me and a camera and I tried to see things in a new light, to notice stuff and to note some of the more day-to-day things that were happening to me. Some of the photos are more "artistic", while some just show where I was or what I was working on that day.


When we come to February, it will be different as I have been doing a BPS class throughout the month and it included a daily photo which was supposed to record our life NOW - so some routine things that we find around us. And March will of course, need to be different again... Ideas in the making.


Sunday 28th January

After the excitement of waiting for my AYTR package, it finally arrived on Friday but I only really got time on Sunday to explore the contents. I was very pleased with the calendar and this just shows the state of my desk on this evening!

Monday 29th January

A cold day. Enjoying a warm coffee in Starbucks as is my new Monday morning routine. I noticed the lovely pink of the scarf and decided that it would be nice to capture the folds, twists and weave.

Tuesday 30th January

Dortmund Westfallenparc underground station, on my way back to the main station. I just liked the lines and the colours. Got a few funny looks though while taking it!

Wednesday 31st January

Always a hectic day for me and I was trying to get some inspiration from things around me while I waited for my students to arrive. Working all day inside a factory complex does not make it easy for finding pictures (I am not sure they really want me wandering around the factory taking photos of the new vehicle design etc!). So I was bored and playing around - rather like the result although the quality of the picture is not really good enough as it was really close - and for the record, it is REALLY difficult to focus on something (a lens) that is just a few centimetres away from your eye!

Ongoing and trying to catch up!

I have all the best intentions, but it just does not seem to happen every day. But better late than never, here are a few more of January's photos...

Wednesday January 24th

Don't you just love paper? And the wonderful colours? Of course, one day just needed to be my cardstock pile!

Thursday 25th January

Waiting for Baby! Just waiting for the news of the safe arrival of the newest member of the Chance household in order to post my welcome gifts. Pink - don't you just love pink?

Friday 26th January

Spent the day in Düsseldorf (having my hair done!) and then it started snowing. Getting home was CHAOS but luckily we had Sir Ralph to our rescue and he drove us home safe and sound. I was aware that I wanted to capture the first settled snow of the year (and in effect our first winter weather of the season) but it was so hectic that I did not have a chance. We went out to dinner and when we came back, I took the plunge and risked a night shot of the remaining snow. I love that "snow light" that you get.

Saturday 27th January

Of course, by morning, the snow had completely disappeared and a wonderful "spring" day greeted us - here is the view from our kitchen window. The roofs of Recklinghausen and a different view from usual.

More photos of the day - Friday 19th to Tuesday 23rd January

So here we are again!

And here are a few more photos to share with me! (Because, let's face it, no one else is reading this are you???)

Friday 19th January

Because we play cards very often on a Friday evening. It is fun, and loud, and colourful, and usually full of sweets and chocolates! What more could one want?
Saturday 20th January

I dragged Ralph to Kempen where I have discovered quite a cool scrapbooking shop and he very generously bought me everything I wanted and more. It was a lovely day even though it was rainy and dull. An afternoon together, just being together and nothing more - nice. And then I saw the daffodils. A real sign of this early spring.
Sunday 21st January

Rain on the window pane. 'nuff said! I love the fact that the clouds are very faintly reflected in the drops and the contrast to the blue sky is great.

Monday 22nd January

Continuing my theme of my everyday life. Trains - my life is dictated by them. But they are mostly reliable, clean and comfortable. And I get to listen to my iPod and dream a bit - better than a car!

Tuesday 23rd January

Yet further signs of spring in the city. I just love these type of shots. Leaves, berries, buds, flowers... Doing this every day has made me realise that, far too often, I wander through the streets without noticing these things. Nature is really a wonderful thing and resilient to the core. In the middle of the city, there is so much beauty.

Failing at the blogging but managing the photos!

So, I am totally rubbish at blogging every week! But I have been thinking about it a lot! And I have been really successful at the photos every day. With no further ado, here are some more of my "masterpieces" (HA HA!!! - not really)

Saturday 13th January

Just because we were at the Gehler's for dinner and I caught this adorable snap of Lucy in Ralph's arms. Really, just because...
Sunday 14th January

Sunday - what a beautiful day to be out and walking about. We had our usual late breakfast in town and then I persuaded Ralph to take a "stroll" around town - talk about REAL Germans! The only thing that was different for us was that we were not wearing our Sunday best. But the sky was blue and our town looked so lovely. This is the church (St. Peter's Provest church) in the center of town and of course - a tree. Are you getting the idea yet that I love trees and sky!
Monday 15th January

Further to my previous post regarding my change in routine for a Monday morning, I am trying to focus on the unexpected sites around Essen that might otherwise go unseen. I love this statue. There is another one located at the Bergbau Museum (Mining Museum) in Bochum and I am not sure which is the original - need to check that out... Anyway, it shows the seam of a mine where men are working with their hands and rudimentary tools. Wolfgang has told me stories of these seams which were exactly the same as the statue. I have focused on the face of one of the miners - he looks so hard-working. Life must have been pretty tough back then.

Tuesday 16th January

Scenes of my everyday life. I liked the light and dark contrast in this photo and the focus of the trains (main station) and time all being reflected in this daily routine of mine.
Wednesday 17th January

On my way to DaimlerChrysler in Düsseldorf, I often notice scenes of nature tucked amongst the traffic, factory, office buildings or houses. On this day, I not only noticed the tree (yet again!) but also the fact that the birds are building. Is this normal? Seems a bit early to me but the weather has been so weird lately, I am prone to think that the birds are all confused and just think that it is spring already. If you look closely, you can see the magpie sitting in the tree, resting for a moment after working hard on his nest.
Thursday 18th January

Thursdays are always difficult for me to find interesting things to capture. I am on the road for most of the day, and do not get back home until late - long after it is dark which is not idea either. But this day, I looked around and saw this... Light and shadow... another theme of mine