365 Days...

And so it begins....
I recently discovered Project 365 on Flickr. I used to take so many photos, of the sproglets, friends, daily life... and somewhere, somehow, I just stopped.
Seeing all the lovely photography on Flickr, images of people's lives, family and homes, art, friends... reminded me how important it is to preserve our memories this way.
Photographs provide such a poignant link to our pasts, a snapshot view into the lives we once lived, the good times we shared, the members of our family who are no longer with us and those that passed long before our own time even began, it is such a beautiful and creative way of preserving a little piece of ourselves, our history, our views.

Project 365 requires that you post one photo for each day, for one year. The subject matter is your own choice, it might be this morning's breakfast, a pile of laundry, your new car, the kids on their way to school, anything goes.

I have been riding my bicycle a lot lately, now that Simon is working away from home I am relying more and more on my two wheels to get to the village and back to buy supplies, go to the post office, or just to pass by the kid's school during their lunch break to say Hello.
So my Day 1 of 365 photo is this...



This is my humble bicycle parked outside the village cafe, or more accurately, a derelict house beside the cafe.
I never used to cycle anywhere in England, I went everywhere on foot. It is lovely being able to get places a little quicker, but golly is it hard work, if all this cycling doesn't get me fit I don't know what will!

I am enjoying it though, the lane to the village is on a steady incline, which means on the way there I literally fly down the hill at full speed, with very little effort at all. I love this journey, whizzing through open countryside, with the sun shining, the cow's and sheep greeting me noisily as I pass, and all I can see is lush, never ending green fields and the glorious blue skies above, the wind whips my hair all around me, and not a car to be seen, it is totally exhilirating, it reminds me why I am here, how blessed I am to be here, I feel so happy that I think my heart might burst out of my chest, and I want to shout it out over the tree top's, sometimes, I do...

Coming home, is another story, the first part of my journey is tough but not crippling, then as I reach the last mile the hill steepens, I can see the beginning of it curving up and away into the distance, and I dread it, absolutely dread it.
As I reach the hill I lift my wobbling rear end off the seat to put all my weight on the pedals and grit my teeth, I'm telling you, it bloody hurts, but it gets easier every time I do it, maybe some day soon I will be able to do it without grimacing.

Anyhooo, I seriously need to reconsider my cycling attire... When I parked up outside the cafe today, I noticed a group of men outside, all smiling in my direction. I am not exactly a super model, so I can be certain they weren't admiring my looks, I smiled a cheerful "Bonjour" and didn't think much of it, until I got home and realised I had a hole in the CROTCH of my jeans, as I zoomed round the corner in front of the cafe they must have had a less than charming view, at least I was wearing my nice polka dotted undies :)

I have a zillion and one crafty swaps to be getting on with my lufflies, so I bid you a heart felt aurevoir and a Bonjournee (good day) mes amis!