Jul
Once again I have had to close my windows tonight as the heavens are pouring buckets onto the world below. British weather is *particularly* unpredictable this summer, one minute we just about have a bit of good weather, the next minute it’s back to grey cloud and rain. It’s almost as if the journey to summer is taking two steps forward and one step back the whole time. Just when we get there it will probably be time for Autumn!
My reasons for wanting it to be nice tomorrow are twofold: In the morning I’m going out hacking for the first time since spring. I cannot tell you how excited I am as galloping through the countryside on horseback is incomparible to any other feeling.
The other reason I want it to be nice is that my sister has recently applied for and has been accepted to feature on Not On The High Street which is an online marketplace for unique handmade items, kind of like a more professional version of Etsy. They are apparently very discerning about who they will accept, and claim to turn down 95% of applicants. So this is quite a big deal *ESPECIALLY* because they also act as agents and send out PR to all the big magazines like Marie Claire and Country Living and all that sort of thing.
Anyway, one of the things they’ve asked for in order to do the PR is a portfolio of nice ultra-high quality photographs (they actually said that that the pictures in her application were what made her stand out), so that’s what tomorrow afternoon is about. Even though my mum usually takes most of the pics for her, Malph asked if this time I’d mind taking them as the resolution on my camera is a lot bigger than hers and the NOTHS people are quite strict on the formatting. I’ve been searching through my hard drives to see if there is anything that we might have already, but she’s been so busy making new things these past few months that my pictures are all a bit out of date. The last time I took pictures for her was last November, which is ages ago. She didn’t have a shop then, just her blog on which she’d post pictures of all the things she’d made. I remember that day well, and it was also the time that I think I took one of my all time favourite pictures (above)- it was just before the coming of a big storm that we could see coming over the hills in the distance and we were increasingly fighting the ever-buffeting wind. And then it got too dark for any more camera fun, so we picked some blackberries and got in the car to go back home. I think we still have some of the berries left in the freezer, ooh I should bake a pie this weekend!
The NOTHS “photoshoot” (hehe) is “scheduled” (hehehe) for tomorrow afternoon so we have until then to decide where we’re going to do it. We’ve been trying to think all day where might be a good spot as we want it to pick up the same rustic theme of her sewing (barley field? in front of the old barn??), but looking at that November photo again, I think that’s actually quite a nice spot. We so desperately want everything to turn out ok, as if we can get some really nice photos there might be just a very small chance that they might get featured in a magazine, and how exciting would that be??!! I can’t bear thinking about it.
Oh, by the way, my sister’s “rustic chic” shop is also open too and can be found over at MalphiStyle.com. She’s worked really hard at setting it up, and I hope you like it. Please wander over and see what you think, we’d appreciate your feedback
On that note I should get to bed so I’m actually awake for all that needs to be done tomorrow
