Oops!

So, the past few months have been fairly up and down - as most are! It took me the better part of my absence from updating this blog to remember the mindfulness course I took last year - and let me tell you, I was absolutely gutted when I realised I'd pretty much lapsed back into my old negative thought patterns. I did remember, though, the incredible passion I had for mindful meditation and compassionate thinking - and the powerful effect it had on my everyday life. I'd really like to do another course at some point (perhaps when I have a little more time on my hands so I can drag Nick with me) so will have to look into where I can find them in Sheffield. I know there's a buddhist meditation centre which practices the same principles as mindfulness: think I may have to give it a go!

On a totally different note, about a month or so ago I went to Kew Gardens for the first time to see their Orchid Festival. There are probably hundreds of different words I could use to describe how utterly wonderful the whole experience was - but now I'm here, thinking about it all over again, I can't think of a single one! Honestly? It was incredible, and I won't be forgetting about it any time soon. Thanks to my mum and her window-ledge orchid rescue-turned-mini-rainforest, I do rather like these finicky plants (despite my gardening abilities being more suited to cacti) so to see all the rare varieties in what was made to look like a wholly natural environment was absolutely stunning. Nick and I spent so long in the Princess Of Wales Conservatory that we only had about half an hour to dash around as much of the gardens that we left as we could afterwards! I reaaaally want to go back in the summer when the weather is a wee bit nicer. :')
Here are some of my favourite snaps (because of course I took my camera!):

Ah, so gorgeous! Not going to lie, I kind of wanted to find a quiet little spot to stick a tent and just, y'know, live there. Forever.

I've also been trying to produce more sketches, give my inspiration/motivation a bit of a kick up the arse. It sort of worked, I suppose - I've certainly been playing with different mediums a lot more! Still faithful to my watercolours, though. :')

Left: sketchy sketch of some hands. I hate hands - but quite like these.
Right: Little doodle of Daisy Buchannon from The Great Gatsby, mainly 

because I was watching it at the time.

Scribbly watercolour for a friend. I love this little piggy's lovely white eyelashes!

PS. I ran out of peppermint tea. I think I may die.