It's my birthday tomorrow - whooooo!
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The 9th March began unremarkably. I woke up earlier than usual with my usual morning in-bed routine. I opened the blinds via an app (the ultimate in opulence) and spent my 45 minutes of phone time for the day whilst the sun rose.
It's the only time of the day when I sit solidly on my phone, and I have a pretty solid routine nailed down. I find I spend a lot less time overall on my phone getting it all out of the way at the start of the day and leaves me feeling more productive overall.
First off, CardioBot and Apple Health apps. Checking my overnight heart rate and strain. Since starting beta blockers, I keep a really close eye on this. I'm also currently using Lingo, which tracks my blood glucose levels, so I check it too.
Next, a quick scan through the BBC news app. I haven't yet found a news source that I totally like. I stick with the Beeb, but their questionable choices in some clickbait-style titles and their decision to cover 'news' of things like an EastEnders special really hurt their credibility. Often, the New York Times covers UK news better than the UK news sources I've found – and it's a lot less biased and witch-hunty.
Then rolls in the games, in this order: Wordle, Connections, 5 levels of Crossword Jam, ending with all the NYT levels of Sudoku.
Finally, 10 minutes of Duolingo, currently learning Spanish.
Positive life update! Saw the orthopaedic consultant at the fracture clinic and my elbow has healed well. I've been green-lighted for all exercise and have already had a swimming sesh. Super happy!
Going to try going out on my bike later, which is going to hurt, but I"ve been told it's just pain from scar tissue now so I can push through it. CANNOT FREAKING WAIT.
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Life has been slow. I've been slow to write, despite starting this blog for exactly this purpose. Healing bones is draining. And once you factor in day-to-day life and work, the energy left over is minimal. But Spring is here, the magnolia tree in the garden is in bloom, next to it the camellia tree is bursting to life with big, ballsy red blooms. As if the two are in some sort of competition.
My office is a mess. A new standing desk lies on the floor in pieces. I'm putting it together the best I can, but with only one good arm to lift, progress is slow. I've plans, lots of plans, but traction is slow, and that frustrates me.
Scanning day today. I have a dozen sets of negatives from our Tenerife trip to try to get through, and already I've accepted that realistically, these won't get done. Not because I can't scan them, logistically, my elbow is still healing, and there's not that much more I can physically do at the moment. My mind and my body are not in sync. My body says, 'I hurt, rest. My mind says, 'I want to go out exploring the forest and take photos'. My mind responds, 'You still can't lift your camera.
I'm in a bit of a fug.
But looking out from my bedroom window, I can see the magnolia tree has started to bloom, a glimpse of pink. Next to it, the camellia tree is flashing its first few red blooms. I walk to the local Waitrose, and the trees are starting to blossom; the daffodils are cheerily waving me as I pass by.
Spring is coming and I'm content in the knowledge that my elbow is healing and I will be able to enjoy these things a lot more in the coming weeks. Hang in there Spratty.
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The evening before we were due to head to Tenerife, I grabbed a few handfuls of 35mm film to pack for the trip. The only self-imposed rule was that no two rolls could be the same. I wanted to capture the mini-break in as many different ways as possible.
Of course, the sensible thing to do would be to shoot a photo of the film packaging at the start of each roll (nice tip, thanks Tanya), but obviously I got carried away and didn't do that, ah, to be blessed with a creative brain with zero % practicality.
But I knew as soon as I started scanning this roll in just what it was due to the effect. RASP film from Revolog gives a colored line effect, akin to scratches, on your finished photos. Lines run horizontally when shooting in landscape format or vertically when shooting in portrait format.
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This is going to sound a bit woo woo and not at all like me, but I connected to this place; barren, lunar-like, the geology, the history. And in that moment, in the car, I knew I was meant to be there.
I was only going to Tenerife with Al as he wanted to ride to keep him company after long rides and get a bit of sunshine. I hadn't looked up what there was to do beforehand, and I hadn't seen a photo of Tiede before, or at least not that I could recall, so I went into the holiday with no expectations and no wish-list of places to visit. I think that's why Tiede hit so hard.
It totally stole my heart. And I was only there for 20 minutes, 15 of which were in a car, on a tour, driving through. I got out for 5 minutes at a touristy spot and fired off a roll of film like a maniac. Feeling despondent that I had only just found this place and already had to be on my way, I returned to the car, sad but exhilarated.
I connected to this place; barren, lunar-like, the geology, the history. And in that moment, in the car, I knew I was meant to be there.
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Last week we were in Tenerife, escaping the UK's longest-ever-rain spell for the promise of sunshine. Al left early to cycle up Mount Teide on the second day, so I took a stroll down from Adege to Playa de las Américas.
Even at 8 am, the sun warmed my face as I ambled from the hotel. I noticed that the hustle and bustle of tourism from the previous afternoon had gone, and instead I was greeted by locals on their morning jogs, elderly, tanned bodies meditating on the sand along the route. As I walked to the water's edge to start taking photos, I became aware that a couple of the swimmers coming out of the water were naked, so I quickly let the camera hang loose and moseyed along.
The morning light was beautiful, and I cannot wait to share photos of it once my film negatives return and I scan them in. A wave of contentment washed over me in time with the tide, and as I got closer, I could see dozens of surfers bobbing out at sea, along with some big waves. I picked up the pace, excited to get closer and watch the action.
These images were taken on a roll of Hanalogital Agate 400, a souped film from the talented Hanna, and I'm thrilled how they turned out.
