February// Ahh February – the month of Valentines and grand gestures….cheesiness and vomit. Look, I’m a Wedding Photographer – I love people and I love being around all the love on a wedding day. It really is a privilege and a beautiful thing but a highly flammable teddy bear holding a heart saying, “I love you to the moon and back can f*ck right off.”

Where it all began

It won’t only be feminists amongst us that find the origins of Valentines Day barf worthy. Valentines Day originates from the Roman festival of Lupercalia, a festival which celebrated the coming of spring and included fertility rites and the pairing off of women with men by lottery. Read that last bit again. Later on in the 5th Century Pope Gerlasius replaced Lupercalia with St Valentines – I wonder if he bagged a deal with Hallmarks too?

Love for me is not about the promise to move mountains or presenting me with a Pandora bracelet (a divorce-able offence in this house just in case you are reading, Dave.) Love is bringing me a cup of tea.

The best things in life are free

In the month of February where grand gestures will be shoved down our throats I thought I’d share a list of my fave simple pleasures:

• So about that cup of tea… (I take mine wet and with milk if you were wondering. I’m a mum so even cold cups get drank, Don’t judge!)
• Sitting down to eat with family.
• Spending time with a friend.
• Putting on some music and having a dance in the front room with my children.
• Listening to a podcast on a journey. (I’m all ears to new recommendations)
• Doing something nice for someone else.
• Getting into the countryside to quieten my mind and relax.
• Keeping all my plants alive.
• Reading a book that resonates with me. Just finished Solitude by Michael Harris which gets the double thumbs up.
• Making other people smile.
• A perfectly boiled dippy egg. Does life get any better?!
• Being in open water.
• Watching a stunning sunset.

I could go on and on. (Some might say I already have!) What are some of your favourite simple pleasures in life?

These posts are only meant to be a bit of fun. I hope this put a little smile on your faces today.