I really like this picture, the rose buds on pause, waiting for Spring to arrive so they can open and become beautiful roses. I think they look pretty interesting now though; a sea of rustic, orangey-red, wavering in the soft breeze, an image of patience for what’s soon to come.
In my travels around London recently I happened across St Katharine Docks. It seemed hidden away in the centre of London near Tower Bridge and the River Thames. This is one of the things I love about London, there’s so much history and interesting things to discover when you least expect it.
St Katherine Docks was built around the 18th century and although it has been around for almost 200 years it has been well kept with some modern embellishments
The colourful tiles just outside the entrance to the docks display facts of London and of the kings and queens of old. The inside of the entrance has larges panels of colourful tiles depicting different prints and scenes.
The boats that were tied to the docks were quite beautiful; with painted names and adornments added to the exterior, adding colour and personality.
I think what I liked the most though, were the details of the old, used ropes and chains, with lots of textures and colours, and with each one having their own story to tell
I enjoyed seeing something unexpected in the middle of London and I look forward to discovering more hidden gems
We’re in the first week of the New Year and there’s already been some excitement in my house, well kind of; we had a blackout. The downside was there wasn’t a lot to do while we waited for the power to come back on, but the upside was being able to make the most of the situation and taking some photos of the pretty candles that we lit. Good thing my camera was charged.
Well, we’ve reached the end of 2014, and it’s been an interesting one for me, in terms of family related events and photo opportunities, both of which I hope have allowed me to grow in my skills and as a person. I would like to share below my favourite photos from this year, and to also wish you all a happy New Year wherever you are and whatever you decide to do to welcome in 2015. I hope its a happy, healthy adventurous 2015 for all of us
I thought this was a nice photo opportunity; to capture a lone floating leaf in clear blue water which fills the fountains in Trafalger Square, London. I really like how the light dances on the surface of the water, creating a sense of movement with the worn tiles on the bottom adding texture and detail.
So, I’ve guided you through all the preperations and pre-wedding parties and events that have been leading up to the ‘Big day’, and I can now finally share some of the pictures. The weather was nice and bright and although the wedding was indoors it really helped put everyone in a good mood. The room we hired was set up by the venue and it looked really good. The stage was ready for the bride and groom, tables set for the guests and what I especially loved were large rose balls of vibrant red on the head table
There were other nice touches that we added too (aside from the fruit and sweet tables). My sister picked out her favour boxes which whilst took us ages to put together and then fill with tasty treats, I thought looked elegant and really pretty. There were also welcome drinks for our guests to help themselves to while they socialised
But the thing that really stole the show (apart from the bride of course) was the beatiful wedding cake made my talented sister. She made the cake and the edible lace to go onto it and also made some matching cupcakes to help set the cake off. My sister’s friend made the swirly cupcakes to add to the cake table to help fill it out
My nieces and nephews looked really cute; tuxes for the boys and white flouncy bridesmaids dresses for the girls. (I don’t have great pictures of the girls as they didn’t stand still long enough). The rest of us were smartly dressed too; suits for the men and pastel coloured outfits for the ladies
In South Asian culture the bride traditionally wears red on her wedding day and in keeping with this tradition my sister spent weeks designing her outfit. She decided to make her oufit in a deeper shade of red but to make it look more modern and show some of her personality she added stripes of bright colours at the hem of her skirt and around the edges of her scarf.
On the day, dressed up in her beautiful outfit and made up by the professional makeup artist and hair stylist, my sister looked stunning. I can’t show you pictures of my sister’s face but here’s how her outfit looked with gorgeous accessories
And with her groom, they made for a handsome couple
All the preperations leading up to the wedding were really stressful, but it was worth it, as on the day everything went well and the bride and groom looked happy and seemed to enjoy the day, with everyone else looking like they were having fun too.
I wish them both well amd may they be really happy together and enjoy the adventure that lies ahead of them.
If you’d like to see the really good, professional photographes of the wedding then you can see them on my sister’s blog
For my other posts on my sister’s wedding see the links below:
Bridal shower – Vintage
Bridal shower – 1920s
Henna party
Fruit tables
This is such a peaceful, aesthetic place to rest, I wouldn’t mind taking a seat and enjoying the Autumnal view right now
During my visit to London recently I came across these interesting, small(ish) buses that have been painted in different styles by artists. These and many other painted buses can be found scattered across London to encourage walking around the city.
I really like the waterpainted bus with the hazy outlines of famous London landmarks in bright colours. The second one in the style of pop art I also quite like, depicting the Queen’s guards, in a simple but effective way.
I’d also heard about the ‘Paddington trail’ in London so on my travels I kept an eye out for bears too, and to my excitement I found one!
These statues of Paddington bear, like the buses have been scattered around London, each one painted by a celebrity in a different way. The idea behind this one seems to be to celebrate the new Paddington film just out but also raise money for charity when they will be sold early next year. In addition to the statues the London high street seems to be Paddington crazy at the minute with all things Peruvian bear being displayed in windows and posters.
In the past I have encountered painted bright giant eggs, colourful elephants and artsy phone boxes, all of which I am always pleased to find and to me they make a nice addition to the London streets, especially as its always for a good cause. I look forward to seeing what they decide to paint next.
I’ve been trying to post more frequently but things have been super busy over the last few months with Eid, weddings and birthdays, (not to mention dodgy internet connections which hasn’t helped either!), but hopefully it seems a bit calmer now which means that I can get up to speed with my posts.
I wanted to share more pictures from my younger sister’s wedding that took place a couple of months ago. In Pakistan and other South Asian countries it is tradition for the bride-to-be to decorate her hands and feet with henna/mehndi a couple of nights before the wedding. The design my sister chose was intricate and very delicate and with the steady, skilled hands of the mehndi artist it came out beautifully
These patterns soon became much more complex and full, with henna being applied on both sides of my sisters’ hands and parts of her arms. You can click on the pictures below to view larger images, and close ups, (maybe if you look close enough you’ll find the name of the groom which he is supposed to look for on the night of the wedding).
I didn’t get a chance to have any henna applied to my hands, but a number of the guests did, including my baby niece who had a butterfly pattern applied (and which lasted about 10 minutes before it got smudged).
I think the finished result of my sister’s hennaed hands was beautiful, reminding me of lace gloves with intricate, delicate patterns. My sister kept the henna on until the following morning before washing it off to make sure the dye was as dark as possible, which you will be able to see soon in photos that I am hoping to post of the wedding
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