superia duper.

I had a day off this Thursday as there were no clinics for me to go to, and so instead I did something that I'd been meaning to do for a while. I started a roll of colour film (Superia 100) in my camera last summer, and somehow hadn't finished it, although I had been out recently to take some photos when it was very cold. Jack and I had planned to go and see three of our best friends in Sheffield for a coffee in the morning, so the old Nikon came with me and I finished my last few shots.

I then made a bit of an error by taking the film to be processed at Boots, but I was just so excited about seeing my photos that I needed them there and then... well, within 1 hour! And as I was looking through the photos once they were processed, I really relished in the memories that were attached to them. A day trip to Alton Towers in the Summer with friends (cheekily changed this to mono); spending time in the Peaks with Jack's family when they came to visit; wrapping up warm on a cold Sunday and capturing the shapes of Winter; finding some space, peace, and fresh air at Burbage in the snow; crocuses opening up to bring in the Spring; and, of course, great coffee with great friends.

coming back.

Well, it has been a while since I last even looked at my blog, let alone wrote in it. I had a wonderful burst of passion for it over Christmas when I started writing, and felt that I had all of these things that I wanted to say, for myself but also to share with others. And then recently I hit a little metaphorical wall, and realised that there were lots of thoughts that I wanted to write about, but that I really didn't want other people to read about. And I think that panicked me a bit, so I stopped writing on here altogether, maybe fearing that I might write a little something that I would regret.

So, I have addressed this issue, and am enjoying the luxury that I can write and share whatever I like on here, whilst also having my personal paper journal for my own private thoughts. And that suits me fine!

And in fact there is some progress for my blog as well, since my good friend, Miki, who is hoping to go into illustration as a career, and who has massive talent, is creating a header for my blog. I have to hold my hands up and admit that the current one is just a bit of a rushed job on Paint, because I wanted something there that was more than just text. Miki and I are collaborating ideas at the moment and we will hopefully have created something soon. Exciting!

In other life news, I am about to finish my first proper clinical placement, which has been in psychiatry for six weeks. After my confidence blip before Christmas, I was feeling quite nervous about starting this placement. The thought of taking a history from a nice old lady was daunting enough for me, let alone somebody who was potentially psychotic or irritable. To add to this, my lack of experience of the subject had painted me a picture of a very negative place that was lacking in hope for the patients. It turned out to be quite the opposite, and I have really enjoyed this placement to the point that I am considering it as a career. I have felt very privileged to be let into the lives (which are often unbelievably troubled) of people who have never met me, but just trust that I will try my hardest to understand how they are feeling, and to help in any way I can...