We’ve come to the end of 2023. I was able to see some beautiful things this year like flower fields and the Peaks, as well as some truly wonderful art. But sadly the end of this year is a one with war ongoing in too many parts of the world. I pray that people find peace, justice and safety soon.
Here are some of my favourite photos from 2023, looking back is always a nice way to end a year. I wish you all Happy New Year and pray that 2024 is filled with peace and happiness for all of us.
I went to a Monet art exhibition in London. A lot of new exhibitions on artists work are ‘immersive‘ meaning that the art is projected onto huge walls where you can sit and take in the art, with music playing while you watch.
The Monet exhibition was also immersive but it did have sections where there were props, like this bridge over a lily pond, a reflection of one of his most famous art works.
In the main room, there were lots of seats that you could take to enjoy the art as they were shown. I liked how the artworks were collated together to show themes.
Some of Monet’s most famous artwork pieces were shown and it was nice to be able to see some of the greater details.
The show lasts about 20 minutes and includes some animation to help bring the art to life. It wasn’t busy when I went so it was calming just to sit and enjoy the art. At the end there was a VR section you pay for and a place for kids to colour in some of Monet’s art.
I’d recommend a visit but personally I enjoy exhibitions that allow me to learn about the artists and their influences and that make me think about what they are trying to portray.
I spotted this ladybird taking a rest on this lovely pink rose. It was tucked away so I was pleased to notice it. I’m sure it’ll be on it’s way again soon enough.
I’ve always wanted to visit the tulips fields in the Netherlands (Holland), as these are some of my favourite flowers, but in it’s stead I was able to visit some tulip fields in Norfolk. They are only open to the public for a couple of weeks and my sister was lucky enough to get some tickets for us.
There were several fields full of tulips, with rows and rows of various colours. They really were beautiful to see.
I love how block colours had sprinklings of others. And I also like the ones that looked almost hybrid, colours varying and also shapes.
We spent a couple of hours walking among the rows taking in the sight and then relaxing on one of the nearby hay bales that were dotted about the field
It was a really lovely to take in the vibrant colours of the beautiful flowers and to visit a place that you wouldn’t imagine would exist in the UK.
These purple crocus flowers are a lovely sight to see early in the year. I spotted these from some way away but had to go and take a closer look.
I love the vibrant colour against the lovely green grass.
We’ve had an usually cold December in London. I woke up one morning to find everything covered in frost. It did make for some cool finds in the garden though.
I found white threads around the garden and upon closer inspection saw they were in fact spider webs!
And this poor rose looked quite beautiful but sad as it was covered in ice
It turned even colder in the following days and we had a good dousing of snow that was quite unusual. I didn’t venture out much but it does look so pretty and calm.
I hope everyone is staying warm and safe this Winter amidst any snow and blizzards that may arrive.
I don’t often get to travel, in fact I have been abroad for a very long time, so when the chance arose I grabbed it. I went to Istanbul for a few days with my mum and sisters and we made the most of the time we had.
We went to Topkapi palace which was home to all the Ottoman sultans. The palace was huge it took a few hours to get around. There were several throne rooms and reading rooms, each with beautiful mosaic embellishment all around.
I loved some of the ceilings, just so beautifully and intricately detailed.
Every room was covered in tiled and mosaics and I couldn’t get enough of it. I loved these tiles where the same colours were used but they each had a different design.
There was one special place within the palace that we were all keen to visit. It was a room that held holy relics of Prophet Mohammed (SAW), of his companions and also other Prophets. We weren’t allowed to take photos, but there was Prophet Moses’ (AS) staff, Prophet David’s (AS) sword, Prophet Mohammed’s(SAW) footprint and hair strands. It was quite astonishing and moving to see belongings of Prophets that we all revered so much.
Having walked around most of the palace we decided to get some lunch. I really enjoyed Tokapi palace and it’s a place I would definitely want to come back and visit.
Our neighbours have a cherry tree in their garden and this year it grew a huge amount of cherries. Our neighbours were generous enough to pick and share some, but encouraged us to pick all the cherries we wanted from the side of the tree that was hanging over our garden. With my mum and niece’s help I climbed up the tree and picked all that I could reach, with cherry juice running down my arm. Here’s some of what we picked, with about three times as much being shared with other family members and neighbours.
Spring has been in full force in London these last few weeks, with flowers and greenery sprouting everywhere. My sister and I visited a small park where there were some beautiful trees full of blossoms. Most parks are full of snappers but this one was tucked away, so we managed to take some pictures calmly and without lots of people around.
The blossom trees were full of pink and white blossoms. They looked so beautiful in the sunlight.
We took some time taking photos and just soaking in the lovely quiet atmosphere.
These blossoms and others really are a joy to look at and I hope to enjoy them for as long as they last.
The weather has been really sunny and mild recently so I decided to make a trip to Central London.
I headed towards Regents Park where there were plenty of blossoms that looked lovely and Spring-like
I then decided to walk to the other end of Regents park, up to Primrose Hill to look at the London skyline. It looked great on this sunny and clear day
I then walked back to the other end (via the London Zoo entrance where I spotted some zebras) and walked through the well kept pretty gardens and near the lake where I saw a statue like Herring.
I left the park and made my way to Trafalgar Square and then Covent Garden. There was huge rainbow made of cans to encourage recycling which I though was a cool idea.
At this point, having walked almost 27k steps I was exhausted and made my way home to put my feet up. It’s always a joy to visit London, even more as things are starting to get back to normal after a couple of difficult years.
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