Category: personal

I just wanted to make a little note to myself about this, because I’m no good at focusing on the…

I just wanted to make a little note to myself about this, because I’m no good at focusing on the positives in my life and I want to be better at that.

So: I’ve been doing an online digital photography course for a couple of months now and today I experimented with the manual settings on my camera for the first time, adjusting the shutter speed and aperture etc. It went really well! I took a load of shots of my dog while she was sleeping on the sofa and, yeah, some came out a bit dark or overexposed but there are a lot I really like too. Which is kind of a big deal for me! I very rarely feel proud of the stuff I create and it’s been a while since I’ve felt any sense of progress/achievement with anything. Maybe I’ll get some photos printed to celebrate!

Reading about the early history of printing in the 15th century but I keep getting distracted and…

Reading about the early history of printing in the 15th century but I keep getting distracted and giggling because the guy who succeeded the famous William Caxton after he introduced the printing press to England was called Wynkyn de Worde. Wynkyn de Worde! And he was a printer/publisher! There seems to be some debate about the name’s origin and he might actually have been John/Johannes/Jan Wynkyn but, still, what a fantastically appropiate name!

Tagged by @erinbeatty – thank you! (Answering this on my main just to keep everything in the right…

Tagged by @erinbeatty - thank you! (Answering this on my main just to keep everything in the right place.)

Name: Laura.

Nickname: Not a lot you can do with Laura really.

Zodiac: Taurus.

Favourite music/bands: Mostly folk or folk rock these days. Traditional or contemporary, it’s all good. Some particular favourites at the moment are Karine Polwart, Jim Moray, Greg Russell & Ciaran Algar, Julie Fowlis, Emily Portman, False Lights, Sam Kelly, and Ruth Notman.

Favourite sports team: Don’t really have one. I vaguely follow the England cricket team but that’s about it.

Other blogs: Just this and the writing blog. I’m thinking of setting up an Animal Crossing blog or a Welsh history blog though (hey, I contain multitudes!).

Do you get asks: Haha, no, not very often.

How many blogs do you follow: 407 apparently, which is a lot more than I expected!

Tumblr crushes: I always enjoy reading posts from @teashoesandhair, @morgauseoforkney, @lloerwyn, @lettersfromthelighthouse and @bookhobbit.

Lucky number: 3.

What are you wearing right now: A short-sleeved jersey dress - purple, navy and white with a kind of stripey pattern, navy leggings and my favourite socks (they’re purple with bees on!). With minor modifications for the seasons that’s basically my ‘uniform.’

Dream vacation: Iceland or Norway. I’d love to see the Northern Lights or go on a fjord cruise. I’d also quite like to experience Christmas markets in Germany (guess my favourite season).

Dream car: I really couldn’t care less about about cars, haha. As long as it gets me from A to B reliably I’m good. I guess maybe a Volkswagen Beetle or one of those vintage/hippie Volkswagen camper vans? They both look pretty cool!

Favourite food: I’m a crappy cook but I love food and could talk about this all day! To name only a few - lots of different kinds of curry, pad thai, sushi, burgers, cherry bakwell tarts, apple pie. Jalebis too, which I can’t eat any more. :( Oh, and ‘Swansea Fisherman’s Breakfast,’ which I had at this one B&B in Cardigan. It’s cockles, bacon, and laverbread cooked in cream and served on toast with some chopped chives. Delicious!

Drink of choice: Tea! Always tea. I even have a tea tag on this blog. Specifically Earl Grey, spicy Chai or Lapsang Souchong. When I want something cold I tend to go for ginger beer, coke or lemonade.

Instruments: I played violin throughout school and had some acoustic guitar lessons but I’m terrible at both because I never practised enough. I was also part of a djembe drumming group for a while and that was great fun.

Languages: English is my first language. I started learning Welsh as a kid and I’m sort of edging my way towards intermediate level there now. I also picked up a tiny bit of Latin at university. Other than that though it’s just what scraps of French I can remember from school. I’d love to get a grip on the basics of Icelandic or Old English but I always find it really difficult to try and teach myself things.

Celebrity crush: Dev Patel.

Random fact: I collect stuff with bees on.

Favourite ecosystem: It’s a toss up between tundra, taiga, and temperate rainforests.

Favourite cat: Maine Coons and Norwegian Forest cats. Or Scottish wildcats for a non-domestic kind.

Tagging: @troiings, @ellatholmes, @ambarwen and @allspiritandfireanddew, but only if you want to. Feel free to ignore!

All I do these days is like:Cry constantly for no real reason.Be a moody arsehole, also for no real…

All I do these days is like:

  • Cry constantly for no real reason.
  • Be a moody arsehole, also for no real reason.
  • Play Animal Crossing.
  • Internally panic about all the university work I’m not doing.
  • Internally panic about the future.
  • Scroll mindlessly through tumblr.
  • Feel bad for not reading.
  • Feel bad for writing shit that no-one apart from me will ever care about.

It’s… not good.

I very rarely remember my dreams, unless they’re particularly scary. Last night though, or this…

I very rarely remember my dreams, unless they’re particularly scary. Last night though, or this morning if you want to be technical, I dreamt I was Thomas Cromwell (yes, Tudor statesman Thomas Cromwell) and for some reason I had to hide this dog from Henry VIII. Yeah. I don’t know what my brain was on. It was so weird that I just had to record it for posterity.

Maybe it’s a sign that I should finally finish The Mirror & The Light?

At the beginning of this week a book that I used to have as a kid randomly kept popping into my…

At the beginning of this week a book that I used to have as a kid randomly kept popping into my mind. I couldn’t remember much detail about it (including the title at first) but I tracked it down and ordered it on a whim, since it was so cheap. I read it this morning and it was the best decision. Like everyone, I’ve been feeling pretty anxious about the pandemic and everything recently. Working in a hospital, even just in administration, it’s hard not to be. But for half an hour, or however long it took me to finish it, I was in a different, safer world. Countless people have said this more eloquently but the experience really brought home to me why reading and writing and the arts in general are so important.

So, I guess this is just me adding my voice to those saying that if you write or draw or create any kind of art at all then what you do is so very valuable and thank you. <3