OOTD: Peculiar Fortune

There's a well-known phrase that goes along the lines of 'Everything happens for a reason'. I'm a particularly clumsy human and as far as winning things like raffles, tombolas and lotteries my luck is pretty dire. I lose at most board games and if I have a fifty fifty chance to picking heads, I'll pick tails.

When I was younger, I was forever frustrated at my luck and how I seemed to always pick the wrong thing and cause a right mess for myself. Nan would constantly tell me to 'Look at the bigger picture' and emphasise that 'It's happening for a reason' and even though neither of us are especially religious, (we are agnostic) this saying has always helped me get through the tough and frustrating situations. I truly began to apply this to my life when I was 18. I had been with who I thought to be 'the love of my life'  for years. After he suggested we get engaged, I freaked out because my life was nowhere near that stage yet and after that awkward moment our relationship quickly spiraled downwards into a chaotic pit of hell-fire. Obviously I was pretty miserable at that time, I had invested so much time into that relationship (probably 4 years) I had built my life around the 'future' we had planned and at that point, found myself single, moved back home with my Nan and relying on the support of my new pool of friends that I had recently met. It was tough at first, but Nan reminded me that everything happened for a reason. I couldn't think for the life of me what that reason was; I was torn up, it was hard to see past the next day. But for the first time in my life I found myself among a truly incredible and supportive group of friends who were to become the greatest friends I'd ever have and still have :) 

I recovered quicker than I thought and my new friends built up my confidence and helped me to overcome my social anxiety in a way my ex never could. I became a stronger person and I was able to look back on the past 4 years not with a heavy heart and bitter sadness for a chapter of my life I'd never return to, but a happiness and warm pride for all the experiences I had enjoyed. Without those four years, I never would have learned to speak fluent French, discover Bath (that unlocked my future decisions to study here!) visit amazing places in France and decide to study A Levels and start learning Photography. Those four years weren't wasted at all, I just had to look at the bigger picture. 

My next 'mistake' that really bummed me out was the decision to go to Art School. When I finished my A levels, I was torn between taking up my offered place at Falmouth Uni Art School and going to Bath Uni to study French. Because I wasn't quite ready to leave Cornwall and my friends, I opted for Art & Design at Falmouth which I realised pretty soon into the course was NOT the course for me! I love art & design but I seemed to make all of the wrong decisions throughout the course. I picked modules that didn't suit me in a bid to try something out of my comfort zone, I skipped alot of classes and put together half hearted projects that didn't play to my strengths. The story goes on, until I finally made the decision to continue my degree at Bath Spa University and pursue Photography (It's a long story). I had wasted nearly £1500 on tuition fees that I and family had paid in cash and came out with a so-so portfolio and a grim impression of Art School. What was the bigger picture in that? Perhaps it's just optimistic thinking, but that was the year that George and I both plucked up the guts to end our deteriorating relationships with our significant others and not only did our friendship grow, but we no longer had to hide our fascinations and affinities for each other. I'll give you the story of mine and George's charmed meeting another time, but that year at Falmouth solidified my decision to move to Bath, taught me to (don't laugh) Breton Folk Dance and enabled me to pass my driving test :) 

I could list forever all the tiny details of my life where what seemed like horrific luck turned into a much better future opportunities but what I'm really trying to say is 'Don't waste time in despair, because there's a better plan for you! and it's just around the corner'. Sometimes I believe in fate, because often things fall into place far too suspiciously. I can complain all I like that my 'game luck' is poor (unlike George who is a serial tombola champion and raffle extraordinaire) but actually, I do live a charmed life. Impossible things always seem to happen for me in my favour somehow (I don't want to jinks this) and fortune has steered me (albeit sometimes on a very windy path)  towards finding my soul mate, best friends and perfect university. I am blessed. 

There is a theme behind these cameras. Somehow, my fortune seems to attract gifts of vintage cameras. Once, I was at work as a waitress chatting to a customer about photography and the next day he came back to the restaurant and presented me with his Vintage Fujica (now Fuji) 1970's SLR complete with a pack of lenses and flashes as a gift. I was speechless at his kindness as he didn't know me from Adam and here he was offering me his fully functional beautiful camera in the hopes it would get a new lease of life. 

Another time, I received a mysterious package in the form of a Box Brownie projector complete with a fully functional cine Camera and the entire kit for editing the film and making slides. This was from a distant relative who heard down the grapevine that I took photographs and wanted me to have it. I've also been given by my Grandad his 1970's Polaroid colour which arrived by post a year ago.  THEN, just a few weeks back my auntie brought me a Pentax with a bag of lens goodies from my step granddad who decided to send it to me as a gift. Now, I have quite the collection of vintage cameras, all fully functional that have found themselves to me somehow and I figured it was time to celebrate some of them! Some people (Like George) win raffles. Other people, receive cameras. We have Peculiar fortunes indeed. What do you seem to attract? 

In this post, I'm also featuring one of my favourite snazzy hats. I had mentioned before that I have a bit of a Hat obsession and George and I have a bad habit of 'borrowing' each others possessions. I once tea-leaffed a flat cap of his and subsequently lost it and so I bought a replacement as I had loved it so much. It has a lovely autumnal/wintery feel and felt very appropriate when we were sat around the pubs log fire warming our frozen fingers.

Smock Dress: ASOS Cap: ASOS 

Boots: Red or Dead  

 George's obsession is photographing birds. He's not what you'd call a 'nature photographer' though. He just loves talking to birds (it's a little puzzling sometimes) and then trying to photograph them being birds.

Peculiar Fortunes. Have you ever been to a fortune teller? I went once to a man who set up his stool in Truro over the Christmas period. He claimed to be a gypsy who made predictions for the rich and famous but he couldn't tell me the slightest thing about my future except that I'd leave the catering industry soon (this was 8 years ago and that still hasn't happened!) I've heard people talk about their experiences with strangers that have given them incredible predictions and that fascinates me. The prospect that potentially our future is mapped out for us. I could do something utterly random on a whim, but was it part of the plan? Maybe, Maybe not. 

I love hearing stories about peculiar fortunes so please share with me yours