I have been absent from here for a long time. This is because I have been concentrating on my new website Chequer Creative which reflects a more personal take on life from me, though still including lots of photography. However, reflecting on the past year I though it might be fun to pick 12 of my favourite photos and do a kind of review of the year. So here goes!
January
In January we had a fabulous holiday in Cuba (see previous posts for more about our Cuban trip). I took so many photos I love that it was very hard to pick one, but in the end I chose this one with the vibrant colours that represent the Island so well.
February
This was taken on the beach on the Isle of Wight, it is the evening sky reflected in a pool surrounded by sand. I think it looks rather like a cathedral!
March
The March photo was taken on Poole Harbour on an extraordinarily cold and raw day. You could definitely say that exploring Poole was not a pleasure on this occasion, with half the shops and restaurants closed and a biting wind whipping round every corner.
April
This is one from our visit to the Subodh Gupta (see April blog post for more on this) exhibition at the wonderful Hauser & Wirth Somerset - and yes we had a delicious lunch there too.
May
In May we were lucky enough to be invited to visit my cousins at their villa in Menorca. This was one of several lighthouses we saw during our travels round the island
June
In June I want on a three day art retreat in the beautiful Dorset countryside run by Wild Art Retreats. We both explored nature at the wonderful Kingcombe Centre and painted and collaged about our findings. One of the leaders Catherine helped us identify the different species of plants and insects that abounded.
July
Back to the Isle of Wight for July - love the colour of this house on the Parade at Cowes. I'm such a fan of colour co-ordination!
August
We spent a lot of August on the Isle of Wight and although I don't think this is necessarily the most artistic photo I took, it is the one that best sums up the month. I love the British seaside in August. This year for the first time in ages it was hot enough for oldies like us to sit on the beach and eat ice cream as well as swim, instead of going down for a quick dip and rushing straight back to put on something warm. It's great to see families having fun, rock pooling, playing beach games and building sandcastles.
September
My 93 year old mother in-law came for a few days in September. She is very active and we were out and about a lot, mostly visiting gardens.
October
We spent a couple of nights in West Dorset to celebrate our 43rd wedding anniversary with friends who got married on the same day. The light was amazing as we drove along the road overlooking Chesil Beach and the Fleet
November
At the beginning of November we visited Stourhead Gardens to see the autumn colour. I haven't been in the autumn before and it was amazing. As you can imagine I took loads of pictures of the colours and the reflections, this was my favourite.
December
At the beginning of the month I went to a Christmas Fair at Larmer Tree Gardens. The weather was stunning and there was an opportunity to see the gardens as well as shop. The garden is strewn with Raj influenced follies. I loved the afternoon light on this concert platform.
And finally