January, we had fun

January was a great month on the blog.

I made some delicious soup (Honey-roasted parsnip and carrot soup), took part in a photo challenge (highlights below) and published the post which was Freshly Pressed, to my delight, on February 1!

I kick-started January with the First Thirty-one Photo Challenge, welcoming in 2013 with a photo a day.

Browse highlights from my entries below:

Day 1: Resolution:

Resolution: to get outside and go places

Day 10: Gorgeous hand-knitted socks, knitted by a friend

A wintry photo entry for day 14’s “Frost” theme

Day 19: Fur

Day 31: snowdrops signal the end of winter

I also enjoyed challenging my writing skills with challenges from The Daily Post

My dream trip: a writing challenge about traveling set my imagination on fire.

Another writing challenge: Starting Over, a short story set in Mexico.

Cultural Life celebrated the 200th anniversary of the publication of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice with this post:

January 28 1813.

And on January 31, I published this weekly writing challenge post, about saying an emotional goodbye to my mother at the doors of the operating suite. It was Freshly Pressed! I don’t often use the word “awesome” but being Freshly Pressed was the embodiment of that word. Thank you to everyone who commented, liked and shared my post. Welcome to my new followers and thank you for helping to create a great blogging month here at Cultural Life!

Photo challenge day 31: End

It’s day thirty-one of the First Thirty-one Photo Challenge from Fourtuitous, celebrating the first thirty-one days of the year with a photo a day, and that means it’s the end.

Snowdrop flowers signal that winter is coming to an end and spring will soon arrive.

 

Snowdrops signal the end of winter

First Thirty-one Photo Challenge catch-up

I have missed a few days of the First Thirty-one Photo Challenge over at Fourtuitous. Here are the photos for days 27, 28, 29 and 30 of the challenge.

DAY 27 – Something beginning with ‘J’

A pretty journal cover:

DAY 28 – Windows

“A house without books is like a room without windows” (Horace Mann)

A pile of books; two of them I am reading for the first time, two of them I am re-reading.

Books

DAY 29 – Kin

Challenging theme today! I chose to post this photo of a gnome garden I made for my niece one Christmas: the gnomes look like kin!

DAY 30 – Sign

When I put these shoes on, it’s a sign I’m ready to go dancing. The chunky heels are perfect for salsa!

Dancing shoes!

Photo challenge day 26: Chill

First Thirty-one Photo Challenge. Day 26. Theme: chill.

The chill of a winter afternoon walk in the snow.

Photo challenge day 25: Heat

I didn’t have time to post for days 23 and 24 of the First Thirty-one Photo Challenge. And I wasn’t feeling very motivated: I haven’t really liked many of the photos I have taken and posted so far. Some are embarrassingly bad but oh well, such is life!

Here’s day 25 on the theme of heat.

The spark that caught alight and started a rebellion….Catching Fire, the second book in The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins

Photo challenge day 22: Laughter

Day 22 of the First Thirty-one Photo Challenge at Fourtuitous!

This is a (bad – sorry, didn’t have time to take a good pic!) photo of a photo from page 175 of Yann Arthus Bertrand’s beautiful book of horse photography. This Auxois stallion looks like he is laughing (or, more likely, champing at the bit!)

An Auxois stallion on page 175 of Yann Arthus Bertrand’s book, Horses.

Photo challenge day 21: Flannel

It’s day 21 of the First Thirty-one Photo Challenge at Fourtuitous! Today’s theme: Flannel.

On a cold winter evening, few things are as cozy as curling up in a pair of soft cotton flannel pjs.

Cozy!

Photo challenge day 20: Bargain

It’s day 20 of the First Thirty-one Photo Challenge at Fourtuitous!

This pair of boots was a bargain I found in the sales this month. They arrived a couple of days ago: just in time for this onslaught of snowy weather!

Boots

Photo challenge day 19: Fur

It’s Day 19 of the First Thirty-one Photo Challenge (from Fourtuitous)! Today’s theme is “Fur”.

I have to admit: I forgot about taking a photo for today’s challenge. And now it’s dark, it’s the end of the day, I’m tired and the cat is not being photogenic.
I’m not gonna lie. This is an old photo, taken last January. I know that is probably cheating but I thought any photo was better than no photo. I’m determined to see this challenge through!

Day 19: Fur.
I love the way the sun is shining on Kitty’s fur.

Photo challenge day 18: Close up

First Thirty-one Photo Challenge (from Fourtuitous). Day 18’s theme is “Close up”.

A close up of the title of my current read: Into the Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea. It is a novel set in Mexico and the United States and I am really enjoying it. I will post a review on here next week, when I finish reading it!

Into the Beautiful North