• After being unemployed for large periods I was offered a maternity role at the University of Surrey. The money was enough to help get us back on our feet, and the hours were the most perfect as if i had hand picked them. allowing me for the first time to work part time, so not only could we think about moving into our own place again, I could concentrate more fully on my photography and make a proper go of it. It is enjoyable but very busy and feel like i have already been there for years!

• Early in the year I got a cryptic text message from my best friend asking if i fancied spending a few nights away with her, in a tent. I later found out that we were lucky enough to given a place to work at Glastonbury on behalf of WaterAid. I have never been to Glastonbury before, and I didnt think I ever would. It was an incredible experience. We were blessed with a glorious hot blue skied summer, and the driest Glastonbury for 10 years. I felt very privilaged to be able to help WaterAid with their work, and help raise awareness and money, while at the same time meeting lots of different people and experiencing the amazing atmosphere of Glastonbury. I got to spend 5 days wondering around covered in face paint and glitter, drinking tea in large tea tents and getting to see some of my very favourite bands!! It was an eye opening experience, and made me feel free and awe-struck, and although I told her at the time, I would like to say to Lis again, thank you so much for giving me this opportunity and experience, and filling my summer with sparkly joy, and a year of lovely flash backs!

• Less than a week from getting back from Glastonbury, Gareth and I moved house. After having lived at my Dads house for a year, while we tried to get back on our feet after double redundancy, we found a lovely little house in Aldershot, with everything we secretly wanted including a garden and a real open fire!!! Within days of moving in, it totally felt like home, and it is the fastest that i have ever unpacked and got settled somewhere before. A proper grown-up house, and we love being there.

• Having friends and family to come over for visits and dinner parties, allowing us to have lots of laughs, and finding out that our next door neighbours, are friendly and helpful and very supportive and have helped us massively since we have moved in.

• Having spa day with my girlfriends, followed by lovely dinners in the garden, with proper chance for us to get together

• Getting more recognition and work for my photography coming through, and business is slowly picking up.

Andrea ...... always asmartartz

The time is racing past, and even though things are manic at work and I am currently coming home too tired to do much of anything with my photos;  a nice long break where i can get some bits done, and have a spruce up of my sites is nearly upon me (Thursday in fact). In theory we will be heading back down to Sussex for 4 days on Boxing Day to be with Gareths family, and catch up with some friends. I will have the laptop though, and get a selection of images saved onto various memory sticks so i can do some catching up in those quiet moments.
It is that time when you start thinking about the coming year, and for me who lacks will power and doesnt reeally get into the whole New Year resolution thing (you only feel more dissapointed in yourself when your new sparkly promises fall by the wayside) have actually had a deep long think about how life has been for the last couple of years, and what potentially could be happening next year, and it does feel like time for a shake up and a re-evaluation of what i am doing and where i think it is heading.
I feel that it will be a new direction, for this blog at least, and a scary laying it on the line kind of honesty, that i hope i can learn from, and other people might find useful too.
Right, that is much lunch hour over so it is back to the ....... keyboard!
Always Asmartartz x

I fibbed a bit. i didnt come home and make another entry, and have been having trouble with our web connection since then. i think it likes the cold less than i do!
I have had a look through the photos I took at the WinterWonderland in London and there are some quite funny ones, so i hope to get these on here soon!
In the meantime i have got a selection of festive images ready. I cant believe there is only a week to Christmas, where has the time gone?

Here i was all keen this morning at 7.00 to try and get another entry online, and some more photos up, so i popped two memory sticks of images into my bag before i set off for work today. Telling myself that i would do it in my lunch hour and then i would have played catch up a little. Well it is lunchtime and i have a blinding headache, and am hiding in an old unused office room just to get some peace and quiet, and the images are still on the memory stick in my back next door. it has been such a manic day at work that i just cant bear the thought of spending too much time online on my time off. this is just a quick one to say that with me being back in my own office tomorrow i should hopefully have the chance to get some images up. i have gone through and selected some seasonal one for the time of year.
just as well i have some bits to do tomorrow as from all accounts we will all be deeply snowed in by tomorrow... hmmm i am not sure yet, but our journey down the the Sussex coast over the Christmas period does have a question mark over it. we are in true British style going off for some panic buying shopping tonight to stock up on long life milk (i drink soya so I am pretty stocked up already) and ingredients so we can make our own bread, though maybe stocking up the freezer in case we have to improvise our own Christmas lunch and boxing day dinner may be a plan!
Have a good day
Always Asmartartz

As i am in the middle of sorting out my Facebook page again, due to what i feel is a continual failure to promote and use the page correctly, i collected a random collection of photos together to reload onto my page again, and thought i might just put some on here. I have a tendancy (that is not very good for a photographer to have) of taking photos and not getting round to promoting or publishing them anywhere so no one knows they actually exist!
So while i have next doors cat sat next to me purring as she is in out of the snow, i will publish them below











Right this was just a quick stop, and more photos next time!
Stay warm
A