Apartment in 2009 © 2012 Mufidah Kassalias
With 9 days left before we jump in our ’98 Fiat Punto and head for the Dover–Calais ferry, life has become crazy busy and our apartment strewn with our various possessions.
Lewes Rooftops © 2012 Mufidah Kassalias
It’s now two weeks since we gave our landlord the requisite one month’s notice of leaving our beloved apartment in Lewes, and in just over two weeks from now — on Monday, 14th May — we’ll be packing ourselves and a relative few belongings into our ’98 Fiat Punto and heading for the ferry port at Dover. Only sixteen days to departure and there’s still much to be done and considered.
Cuckmere © 2012 Mufidah Kassalias
Many of my regular readers won’t fail to notice a change of theme for this blog — from a black photoblog to a more reader-friendly theme with classic typography. And if you look closely at the tagline you’ll see that Writing and Photography has been extended to Writing and Photography on the Road — Travelling in Europe on a Shoestring. So what on earth is going on?
Easter Sunday, 2012. The day began as any other Sunday with a cosy lie-in followed by showers, breakfast, checking emails and a delicious brunch, the kind that sets you up for the rest of the day: a glass of OJ, pancakes with strawberries, ricotta, maple syrup and veggie sausages, plus a cup of freshly ground and Bialetti-brewed coffee.
This is the second post inspired by Sean’s #wpthu writing prompt, aka Writing Prompt Thursday, with the following piece of writing being a response to yesterday’s question: “What’s important — what really matters — to me?”
Not so long ago I’d have had a really hard time responding to such a big question. I’d feel the pressure of searching my soul for the definitive answer — after all, I thought, if I am going to do justice to the question then surely I have to know, unequivocally, what, above all else, really matters to me. And of course I’d feel trapped by the prospect of limiting myself to that one response, knowing that there are many things that matter to me — some more than others in the morning or on the weekend, others when I’m working or out walking, and yet more when I’m spending time with other people or with myself.
West Pier: No Horizon © 2012 Mufidah Kassalias
This piece of writing is the result of my taking part in Writing Prompt Thursday (#wpthu), a new community created by my partner Sean M. Madden of Mindful Living Guide. Today’s prompt was “to put pen to paper and write about a place which you treasure.” And so, after a busy day meeting with my Mac Made Easy clients, I duly put pen to paper, discovering along the way that, for me, Brighton is one of those places. The photographs were taken yesterday with my compact Canon.
Hanging Out at the Bookstore © 2012 Mufidah Kassalias
Early morning walks around Lewes are good for witnessing the town come to life, as the townsfolk emerge in an ever-increasing stream, gradually filling all corners of every street, shop and café. These dawn strolls can also be good opportunities to see remnants of the night before — often simply trash that’s yet to be cleared, but in the summer of 2009 I came upon this red padded bra hanging from the 15th Century Bookshop at the top of Keere Street. How it got there, I’ve no idea.
