Photo Update :)

This summer has been incredible! So many blessings and great things have happened!

mi madre <3

Fountains Abbey

my Family and I went to Fountains Abbey the other weekend, which was lovely! The light was quite flat, which gave an interesting effect to the photos, and the historic ruins of the abbey as SO picturesque!!!

How beautiful is the sun?

Everyday I am reminded of God of God's grace and beautiful creation! There is literally splendour everywhere I look! Every morning and evening there is beautiful light and the sun never fails to surprise me.

Sunset

I love the airplane trails on this one!

New Camera!

So, big news! After about 2 years of saving up, I have finally purchased a brand new DSLR! I went for the Canon 100D, mainly because it is affordable, small and a good all rounder. My first shots have been basic flowers and family members (I am only just getting to grip with what shutter speed even means!) and I have uploaded the first few onto here. I still have a lot to learn, but I am hoping that it should be a relaxing activity along side the stress of exams, which is all piling on at the moment.

 

Brand New

I've updated the banner of my blog! Taking the photo for it was harder than you'd imagine! I don't have a tripod or a willing volunteer to hold the camera, so it ended up balanced on a pile of books.
I also seemed unable to use the timer device. I ended up moving just before the shot took!

I finally got a shot I could use :) I am designing other changed to make to the side bar too, so look out for an updated look! Its about 25 degrees c here in England. And just my luck in that my uniform for school is all black. I literally eat heat in it!

One Sheepish Girl Give Away :)

I have to say, I adore this blog

http://onesheepishgirl.blogspot.co.uk/

Every new post brightens my day!

And when I saw she was doing a give away for the gorgeous merriweather council http://www.etsy.com/shop/merriweathercouncil I was absolutely over the moon! Her creations are beautiful!

So, a way to enter is to repost the give away to your blog. And so I did x

Romeo + Juliet

This is a review I wrote for my English Work. Its meant for a blog or magazine, so I thought I'd copy it up onto my blog :)

If you’re looking for an educational portrayal of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, then this probably isn’t the film for you. However, if you want a fresh, heart tugging, breath stealing, modern adaptation that will make you love the story forever more, then this is perfect for you!

Not only do you get action, thrills, blood, car chases, tears and a class A example of reckless youth, but you’re also given love, romance AND Leonardo Di Caprio, ALL in one DVD! The editing is painfully effective, switching from quick shots, to slow, heart beating dragged out scenes. Utterly fantastic!

Gun fights. Helicopters. Drama. Your heart rate will be set racing by the opening scene of Romeo & Juliet; however dull the title may sound, DO NOT be fooled! Fast scenes and dramatic music (which continues to be fantastic throughout) perfectly highlights the huge rift between the Capulet’s and the Montague’s. The adrenaline fuelled introduction is coupled, however with the eerie silence of a television looming at you from the screen. Your peaceful viewing is suddenly shattered by explosions, fire and enough drama to fuel an episode of Eastenders, as you get the first taste of this incredible film! Baz Luhrman really lays on the cheese thick, with this sequence, however – not a cheese fan – I know it works. You’re left speechless with excitement, and on the edge of the seat, just be careful not to fall off when you see what’s coming next...

The film reaches a dramatic turning point half way in, when our supposedly angelic hero, brutally slaughters, the spectacularly hate-able Tybalt (John Leguizamo). The audience is thrown about whilst watching a quick paced, fast changing loud fight scene. We then reach the disturbing moment, where Romeo guns down Tybalt and we are treated to a 20 second close-up of the rather gorgeous, grief stricken Leonardo Di Caprio, giving you ample time to breathe, and calm down after being whipped into frenzy. And boy, do you need it! Baz Luhrmanz successful attempt to exhaust the audience is a scene that is reminiscent to Bambi’s mother’s death in the Disney hit. Utterly disturbing. He effortlessly converts Shakespeare’s boring play –important to history, yet unbearably slow, into a modern box office hit!

I think my favourite part of this incredible film is –though it was hard to choose – the cheeky Mercutio’s death. The camera angles in this scene are unusual, to say the least. A mix of close-ups, over the shoulder and quick pans keep you on your toes. Emotions run high too. You hate Tybalt as he attacks Romeo. You cheer Mercutio as he defends his friends. You feel Romeo’s searing grief as he screams over his best friend’s dead body. The pathetic fallacy used is reminiscent to Han’s Anderson’s fairy tales. The grief and rage flowing through the characters veins goes straight to your heart. Moving. Dramatic. Fantastic. Three words that fit this scene perfectly.

But watch out guys! When you reach the end of this amazing film, tragedy strikes! (Although, you probably already know that, considering you were told at the beginning. Spoiler or what?) Our two main characters end up killing themselves when the likeable Friar Laurence (Pete Postlethwaite) designs an overly complicated plan, which was bound to fail. Tissues at the ready, as the beautiful Juliet (Claire Danes) wakes just in time to witness her beloved Romeo – who she’s know for all of two days – top himself in front of her, while she supposedly lies on her death bed. Complicated, I know, but just hang in there. Our dashing hero was doomed from the word go, but then Juliet shoots herself in sympathy, which was totally un-necessary and overly dramatic, but there we go. (I guess it was either that or she set herself on fire on the massive pyre of candles that surrounds her.) All in all, a devastating ending, with the cast two members down. Shame Really.

So if you haven’t already worked out, I absolutely adore this film. The mise en scene if perfect! The costumes set the scene. The props and backgrounds look like they were sourced directly from the era this film is set in. The sound just hits the spot. The camera angles and movement are innovative. Baz Luhrman has created something to be proud of. If you are looking to spend an evening in, with high emotions, heart wrenching tragedy, great acting (give or take a bit of Clare Dane’s still performance) drama, blood, sweat and tears, then I thoroughly recommend this original adaptation that brings life to Romeo and Juliet! It’s got my stamp of approval.

Life This October

Things have been going well recently. God has blessed me and my family. The weather has been beautiful, and my brother recently took me to Alton Towers for a day trip :)

Up at 6, like the early birds we were masquerading as.

It truly was too early. It was pitch black outside, and the birds were most definitely not singing a dawn chorus. Wiping sleep from our eyes, we tumbled into the car to collect Vicky, Chris's friend, and then onto the station to get caught up in the early morning commute, full of business people in posh suits with shiny shoes and brief cases (which I am almost certain are empty, and only there to look the part).

After a quick dive into M&S for a bag of grapes for a quid, we queued for centuries to access one of two ticket machines. Sensible really. To have only two ticket machines in a major city railway station. I can really understand there though process on that one ;)

On the train, dawn broke :) It was rather picturesque, even though we were too busy chatting and eating our breakfast to really notice...

Anyway, after a full day of G-force and hair wrecking wind speeds, we collapsed onto the Alton Towers bus. It was, naturally late, but this was alright, due to the simple fact that we had a box of jaffa cakes. They do tend to sweeten situations such as this. Anywa

y, our train got cancelled, but that too was alright, because we would have missed it anyway...

So we got onto another train, of which there are SO many, and travelled to the half way point. Here we entered a cafe, and purchased a snack. The man serving was, and this is the only nice way to put it, utterly GRUMPY. I do not care whether he had had a hard day, he still could have tried to smile, whether it came out as a wince, or a grimace, I would not have cared, if only he had tried. But no. He did not try. So I did not smile at him. That is how it works.

So all in all it was a great day :) I got wet, but there you go, it was after all, 27 degree's so I dried VERY quickly. And I returned home to tumble into my bed.

I then promptly had a nose bleed.

This is what excitement does to you.

Be warned.