Archive for the ‘About Amanda’ Category

I’ve waited for so long for it to snow like it has and it looked so magical when I attempted to travel to work this morning using public transport.  Big mistake!

I could feel the bus sliding and at one point I thought it had lost its back end when navigating a corner.  I saw cars stuck on the opposite side of the expressway as they couldn’t get up the hill and traffic came to a standstill.  The bus was stationary for about 15 minutes and I was debating getting off the bus at the next stop, because if it carries on snowing, there would be no way of me getting back home. 

To make matters worse, my boyfriend phones me telling me that my daughters house has flooded and that it has come through the ceiling.  Noooo!

Everything was against me trying to get into work, so there was no alternative, but to get off the bus and walk back home which was roughly 2.3 miles home.  It was fabulous walking in all that snow and watching the cars stranded on the expressway.  I phoned work and they told me not to worry as they might be shutting down as not enough staff could get in.

The only thing that has totally gutted me about this morning is that I didn’t have my camera when I set off to work.  With the streetlights on and lots of shadows, it looked like a fairytale.  It was beautiful and I will be out tonight as it starts to get dark in the hope that I can take some cracking photographs.  For now though, I’ve got one photograph of what it looks like outside my home and I’m off out to take some more photographs.

I hope some of you enjoy the snow as much as I do.

I’ve waited for years for it to snow like it has to take photographs in a snowy cemetery and now that it has, I can’t get out to take advantage of it. BAH BLOODY HUMBUG!

I WANT TO GO TO THE CEMETERY!!!!

The reason is that last night on the 22nd of December, little Holly arrived weighing in at 7lb 12oz.  I’m now officially a grandma and my time will be taken up helping my daughter.

Isn’t she a beauty?

Hopefully she will be coming home tomorrow and I am excited, so if I’m being honest, I don’t mind too much that I can’t visit the cemetery.  I bet you any money that as soon as I’m able to visit, the snow would have melted and then I’ll have to wait another 50yrs, ‘she says sarcastically’.

I don’t like the word ‘grandma’ or ‘nana’ or ‘granny’ or ‘grandmother’.  In my mind they represent grey haired women who sit around knitting and looking forward to spoiling their grandkids with sweets and cake.  I’m not even 40yrs old!  I need a modern name that sounds good or else I will have to stick with ‘granny Mandy’.  Hmmm!

Any ideas on a modern name?

The night before last, I visited my childhood playground, which is the old churchyard of St Peter’s Church in Heysham.

Although it was deep in the night, I was almost floating amongst the graves bathed in sunlight. My curiosity was growing by the minute as the once so familiar place took on an air of mystery. The surroundings were slightly different and then I came across a mound of Earth next to the church.

My eyes lit up as I’ve always wanted to take a photograph of a freshly dug grave. My excitement was building as I drew nearer to the graves edge. ‘What would I do if I seen a coffin in there?’ All sorts of images running through my wild imagination, but they came to a sharp halt when I peered over the edge.

The pit must have been about 7 foot long, 4 foot wide and 6 foot deep. It was swept clean of loose Earth as though it had been left by some recent archaeologists. The walls were made of brick so it looked like a discovered room, or could it have been a mass grave?

I stepped back and into a large stone wall that I didn’t recognise as being there from my previous visits. On closer inspection, it was a massive headstone and the lettering was severely worn out due to its old age. Was this the headstone to the mass grave?

A chill ran down my spine and I moved away seeking more familiar surroundings.

Of course it was only a dream!

I can’t stop thinking about my mini adventure hence me writing about it here. Surely it should mean something to me?

If you would like to view more photographs from the churchyard of St Peter’s in Heysham, visit my gallery by clicking here.

Halloween is most definitely my favourite time of the year.

I love the orange tones of Autumn and the sound of the leaves crunching under foot. My eyes light up at the spooky goodies on display in the supermarket. I usually buy some of these goodies and they remain in place all year round. I love skeletons, skulls, ghouls and monsters that you can hang on the wall.  Below are some photographs of my collection.

 

The images above can be purchase on posters within my Zazzle store.  Simply click on them to view.

Check out my Grim Reaper that I purchased about 3 years ago. Until last week, he hung on my bathroom door, but sadly, he scared too many people and my daughter couldn’t take him swinging out at her during the middle of the night when she went to the bathroom. It was always fun listening to people scream as they unexpectedly opened the bathroom door and he swung out in their face.

I’m already planning my Halloween party and this year I’m planning on a ‘Blair Witch’ style walk through the woods with my camera to catch the unfolding events. Perhaps I’ll tell some ghost stories beforehand to get everyone in the right frame of mind, or better still, watch a scary movie.

I want my Halloween party to be memorable, so I’ve been trawling the Internet for some good ideas and the websites below are highly recommended for chills and thrills.

FEWDIO – http://www.fewdio.com

As you might already know, I’m a HUGE fan of Fewdio. They create nightmares!

They film short horror stories about 2 to 6 minutes long. The emphasis is fear, getting deep into your mind to really scare you. There’s no need for blood, guts and gore to scare you.

Check out their YouTube page to view their nightmares by clicking here.

Also, Drew Daywalt one of the Fewdio boys is currently working on Camera Obscura, a web series for the Internet. The series focuses on a woman who has demons chasing her. To read more about it and watch a teaser, please visit FEARNET by clicking here.

The Unclean – http://theunclean.com/halloween/

The Unclean is a website showcasing subculture art, entertainment, news and resources. To celebrate Halloween this year, Bane Unreinen (owner) will be providing a series of giveaways occurring throughout the month of October. The prize packages will be awarded on October 3rd, 17th and 31st.

One of these prizes will be Fewdio’s Nightmare House Volume 1 DVD. How good is that?

Finally, if you are planning your own Halloween party and you want some Halloween invitation cards and horror and Gothic posters to adorn your walls with, then please check out my Zazzle store.

Horror business cards and greetings cards that you can add your information on are also available.  Simply click on the Gothic & Horror banner.

All products feature my photography and these items will certainly make you stand out in the crowd.

Can anyone be happy and go lucky every single day?

Lately, I find myself wondering about the state of living and I find it hard to remain positive.  It’s like I’m on the edge of a plate, balancing and not wanting to fall off.

I’ve been made redundant in the past, but this time it is a lot scarier.  I daren’t even turn on the news because it is all gloom and doom as they talk about the economy and the recession.  I’m finding it very hard to even get an interview and within a month, my money is going to run out and I’ll be hit left, right and centre with bills and debt.

The only thing that keeps me going is knowing that I’m not alone.  I absolutely refuse to be bogged down by it, but I admit that lately, I do feel degraded.

It’s quite funny really, because I’ve often thought that I should write a blog about how I feel, then I think that I shouldn’t because  I don’t want to depress you with my worries, but sometimes, you just have to get it off your chest.

It’s been about two months since I last did a day’s work and during this time, I’ve kept myself busy working on promoting my photography and creating customisable cards that are available within my Zazzle store.  Shameless promotion I know, but please please buy from me if you’re in need of a business card, greeting card of Halloween invitation card.

I’m making new friends all the time on Twitter and this is keeping me occupied rather than dwelling on the negative.  I’ve gotten to know some great people and I especially enjoy the Fewdio gang.  Their love of horror really does inspire mine.  I can’t wait to see what their next nightmare will be.  Do check them out at http://www.fewdio.com.

I’ve learned that I’m very dependent on having the Internet and I would hate to lose it.  The thought of getting disconnected scares me more than not having money to buy food.  Isn’t that crazy?

I’m 37yrs old and by the end of this year I will be a grandma.  I don’t like the word ‘grandma’ as it is so old fashioned.  I can’t think of a trendy name to replace ‘granny Mandy’.  Help?

I’ve got so many things really to look forward to, hence why I don’t want to give in to the hardship of living.  I’ve also got the support of my gorgeous partner Luke who is also out of work.

My photography is my passion and trying to promote it is a job in itself and right now I can work on it full time.  This is what is keeping me going and hopefully it will all be worthwhile?

Rant over!