The Ongoing Adventure

May has whizzed past me and my final Uni deadline has come and gone. It's the end of the academic year and this should feel big - I should feel free, liberated, wild and filled with energy and excitement of the wide summer and promise of adventure spread out before me. Nothing feels different, nothing at all. Perhaps it hasn't sunk in yet. Perhaps it won't until I take the Ocean road homewards on the 30th June. I am counting down the days. 

I love summer, absolutely love it. I love the long balmy days and evenings spent on the beach waiting for the shooting stars. I love the open air gigs and eating dinner outside and the sea spray on my face. I spent a lot of time categorising time into transitions but it's not really working for me. Time is flowing, like a river. It's continuous. I didn't wake up one morning and suddenly the flowers were in bloom - I watched the tiny buds appear with excitement and joy until they grew into blossoms and wildflowers. There's no 'beginning' of the adventure and there's no 'end'. These past few years, I've been really working on living in the moment and making time count and I've had beautiful adventures on autumn days - bicycle trips down the canal, trudging through the deer park in the crispy leaves to winter picnics and rambling through old mine houses on the coast. The adventure never ends - it is ongoing. It is always. 

This year has been big. I braved the decision to switch to an entirely different degree - Photography to Creative Writing. I started in the second year and with no previous experience in the subject, I threw myself into it entirely and explored wonderful new areas and challenged myself in Playwrighting (one of my favourite modules!) Poetry, Writers Workshop, Short stories and Genre Fiction (bleh). I have met some truly incredible lecturers and cherished every moment on my new degree. I have learned so much and met wonderful people and really had the Academic experience I was longing for before at Art School. 

George moved up to Bath and gave Uni a shot although he has had a truly difficult time and it seems that Uni is just not for everyone and certainly not him. But that's okay. We've remained resolute and helped each other through the hard dreary days and the emotional strain has strengthened our partnership immensely. Sometimes you just need to give something a shot to realise it's not the right path and then you know, your curiosity sated. You will walk bolder and with more confidence down the other route knowing that you made the right decision and never left with the niggling 'what if' feeling. 

This spring, I've been taking some photos for Crown and Glory, a local accessories company from my home county :) Jess and I have been working on styling and photographing pieces from the Gliterati boxes which you can find on her blog here although I've refrained from sharing mine as I'm not sure yet how I feel about style posting here. At the moment, Salty Sea is a journal of adventure, art (in various guises) & thoughts and I'm undecided if adding styling advice or talking about my clothes/accessories is a part of my blog I feel okay expanding into. What do you guys think?

I've always wanted to do this. ^ 

I love photographing feet and shoes :) I'm really not sure why

I am delighted with all the weird and wonderful turns that this year has took, not only on Creative writing did I receive my first ever 'First' grade, but I've attained grades to be proud of all year long and I'm so delighted to finally make my Dadda and Nan proud :) They have both worked so darn hard for me over the years, supporting me, helping me through Falmouth art school, through driving lessons, they supported my decisions (Even if they weren't great ones) and supported the ones that looked scary but actually turned out to be good :) They even put up with the odd rubbishy (ex)boyfriend over the years and waited until he was long gone before doing the 'Well, I didn't want to say anything but...' :P I couldn't ask for a more supportive family who are unconditional, brilliant listeners and selfless. I will never forget the night only a week after starting Uni that I was crying on the phone to my dad about how homesick I was and he drove 200 miles across 3 counties to come 'rescue' me in the dead of night and bring me home. He's the best, they both are. And I flipping miss them (Oh dear biscuits, this is turning soppy). While I'm on the mention of family, I've also gained a wonderful expansion to my crazy pack. Big shout out to the Sanger's and Niki's family who have welcomed me into their clan and made me feel truly included, valued and loved. I am so darn lucky to be surrounded by incredible people. I guess what this post is about, is reflection on what's been achieved this year and what I have to be thankful for in precious people around me. I know they read this, and this post is dedicated for them. For every single one of them. You know who you all are you fabulous humans. I am thankful for you. And you too, dear readers who have taken the time and compassion to get caught up in my stories and care. You are wonderful :) <3