Four Seasons Photo Challenge

Oh, it is that time of the year, when I don't know what date it is, what time it is, what am I supposed to be doing, who am I supposed to be meeting... the only sure thing I know-there is a lot of food and good food! And though I find it very tempting to lay down all day long, stuffing my face, this year I decided to use the time wisely and share with you some forgotten shots and perhaps one or two thoughts.

This year has been quite interesting for me, I finally moved to my dream city or as I like to call it the Big Mad London (well... I don't call it that actually, just came up with it and thought it sounds cool... one thought down... but it is big indeed, and a whole lot of MAD). Luckily I found a job quickly and went straight into the busy life of the city. And trust me when I tell you, it is not easy to catch up with friends, even with the ones, living down the road, 15 minutes away.

Well..., next thing I know, me and my creative and extremely talented friend Vickie (you guessed it, the one living 15 minutes away) decided to set up a photo challenge each season, which would give us the much needed time to catch up, moan about life, come up with new exciting project and ideas and obviously practise our hobbies. And naturally at the end of this rollercoaster year, here is what we discovered, what we uncovered and what spoke to us-four challenges, four seasons, four themes, and a few coffee stops, because... you know me, coffee is a must and an indispensable companion.

Signs of Spring

Few months after moving to London, the excitement was very much alive, we had to explore, we had to see, we had to try... Spring was almost transitioning into summer and our aim was to catch the remaining signs of spring, plus photograph as much of the picturesque wisterias popping around the city. Instagram led us to South Kensington and Chelsea and this was definitely the part of London to explore. Colourful streets, peculiar mews, charming houses, beautiful facades, extraordinary gardens, classic doors, classic cars, captivating spectacular cars, bricks and tiles, bikes and purple blossom, you get it! We got so excited about the weather, and maybe because payday was somewhere very close to our periphery, we ended up buying a pair each of some new trainers, which would keep us going through the day.

Start from: Sloan Square Station (District and Circle line) and walk down King's Road

Walk around: Elm Place, Bywater Street, Selwood Place, Park Walk

Try: brunch or lunch at Megan's, their iced coffee is a must!

Summer Adventures

Summer came quickly after, we packed our bags and flew over to Brittany, France. Gathered once again by a happy and very special event (and probably the best wedding I have been to so far in my life and the sweetest couple and most welcoming family), this time we explored two lovely little towns-in French Countryside- Pornic and Nantes. What do you associate summer with? Sun, sea, salty air and messy hair, well that was all of it! In addition to all of that magic, we got caught in a typical summer thunder storm-rain, wind, broken umbrellas and one or two cocktails-ah, dream!

Signs of Autumn

It's Autumn, and we are back to London. This year I got to truly appreciate the beauty of the season, the colours, the scents. The weather was so graceful, warm and sunny until quite late, which gave me more time to explore the city. This time Vickie and I decided to explore Richmond Park and visit its special inhabitants. Now is probably the time to say that I have never met deers in real life and was very pleasantly surprised by their grace, elegance and calmness. Richmond is a perfect place to escape from the city, yet, it is so close to shops, cozy cafes and charming restaurants.

Start from: Richmond Station (District line and Overground) and walk down the Quadrant

Walk around: Richmond Park, Richmond Hill, Petersham Road, Northumberland Place

Try: coffee at Coffeeology, lunch at Hollyhock Cafe

catching Christmas Spirit

Finally December, the most enchanting month of all. It is truly a blessing to live in this wonder-full city and have a little bit of time to explore its festive magic. The theme this time-Catching Christmas Spirit. Our choice of area was once again South Kensington. It offers plenty of things to see, explore and do, plus we managed to avoid the busy streets, taking the smaller and secluded ones. In addition the area is the heart of many of London’s best museums (Victoria and Albert Museum, the Science Museum and the very beautiful Natural History Museum), two royal parks and many beautiful shops.

Start from: South Kensington Station (Piccadilly, Circle and District line) and walk down Exhibition Road

Walk around: Cromwell Road, Sydney Street, Walton Street, Walton Place, Wilton Place

Try: breakfast at Fernandez and Wells, The famous carousel just outside the Natural history museum and the adjacent ice rink-jump straight back into childhood and an absolute highlight of the season!

If you made it until the end, Thank you! I guess you enjoyed seeing my surroundings and being part of my seasonal strolls in search of inspiration. I promise in the new year I will bring you more of these, and I am sure Vickie will be happy to come along again. In the mean time you can check Vickie's work here.