We live by the River

I've had a realisation recently that I am utterly disillusioned by eating out in restaurants. I'm living on a rather tight budget (as my car has thoroughly drained my finances) but I still want to be able to enjoy life without scrimping and passing off opportunities for fun and adventure. After a recent restaurant visit to celebrate the end of my academic year, I was left feeling as though I had paid a ton of money for something that I wasn't going to truly remember and think 'Hey, that was worth trading hours of my time spent working in the shop for'. 

George and I have made a rule: this summer we are going to replace eating out with cheap picnicking. If we are out for the day, we will pack our own food and a rug and eat it alfresco - which really, is more appealing and exciting to me anyway  ^.^

Today, a few friends and I took some sandwiches, fruit and drinks to the Bath boating station where people can rent punts, canoes and old fashioned rowing boats or sit in the beautiful gardens, have a picnic (like us) read a book and soak up the very English-Countryside atmosphere. 

I really loved the Bath Boating Station and it was my first ever visit and I'll definitely be back. It costs £1 to spectate and use their lovely gardens or £7 to rent a punt/boat/canoe for an hour. We didn't rent a boat this time as the weather turned cold after our picnic but George and I would love to go back and do some rowing on the river. We watched the mayflies flit about the flowers and skim the river and bumped into lots of different people that I knew who seemed to either work there or be visiting like us! 

It's a brilliant spot if you're in Bath for the day and you can find it by following the signs from the Holborne Museum just opposite Sydney Gardens. 

There was such peace, even with the rowers passing us by. I could sit there all day with a book and a rug but the cloudy coldness got to my friends and we retired home eventually. Even on the bleak grey days, I refuse to stay indoors. Like that quote- there's no such thing as bad weather, just different types of good weather. I like all the weather but my favourite is the autumn seafog that rolls in back home and shrouds all the little seaside villages in a thick, almost ethereal mist. Fog is enchanting, dangerous but beautiful. I also live for the sunny afternoons where I can lie on the grass and cloud-spot. 

Jess and her boyfriend Mark 

My wonderful George-thing

Here are some balconies where you can spectate the rowers 

And then we spotted a canoe with some friends, Iram and Jo! We bumped into quite a few people here that we knew one way or another and even met some extremely friendly poochies.

And then I bumped into a friend, Dean who now works here (it's his perfect job as he lives on a boat!) I was extremely envious, I did admit. What a peaceful place to be!

Iram and Jo making Daisy chains with their friends

Some of these boats are over 150 years old, and this dog below who was called 'Spot' was the most intelligent labrador I have ever met. He was even smarter than some humans :P

(He did get his ball in the end)

T-shirt: FatFace |   Floral Shorts: Old (like, seriously ancient)

Shoes: CO from Under Jesses bed  | Hat: New look 

One more week and I'm sneaking back home temporarily to work the Royal Cornwall Show (and a much needed visit to the Ocean). I'm really excited for planning all of our minimal-cost adventures.
They say the best things in life are free, and they couldn't be more right. I may invest in a National trust pass to save on parking and entrance and also a better picnic basket and blanket and then, we'll be making the most of what the outdoors has to offer and avoiding splurging on dining out, theme park tickets and unnecessary shopping. I hate caring about money issues, but it's dawned on me that every moment I'm cooped up indoors working for money, it's moments of freedom lost and I start to think more carefully about 'blowing it all away' on things that won't last.

I've got a few photoshoots coming up (which I really need to start posting on the blog) and a few people on this space have asked me some photography questions/requested a photography post.
I've decided to put together a photography post but I'm not sure where to begin so I decided a Q&A was best :) If you guys suggest some questions via the comments and ask away, I will happily answer them and compile them into a photography themed post ^.^ Does that sound good? You guys take the roles of the interviewers! (Since I've no idea what sort of thing people want to know about) >.<