Oxford, in a day

We are fortunate to live within a relatively short drive of some must-see sights in England. I count Oxford as one of these places, and when my parents arrived for their last visit to England before we move back to America, I thought it would be nice to take a day trip to this oh-so-famous university town.

If you are visiting Oxford for the day, Christ Church college is certainly one of the highlights. The grounds are stunning, and it is fascinating to see its 16th century foundation fit in with the modern day university setting.

And if you visit during Autumn, you are in for a real treat: Christ Church's facade, decked out in red. 

In addition, if you time your visit right, you might be able to sneak a peak into the Hall of Christ Church, where current students dine during term time, and where Harry Potter dined while attending Hogwarts.  Just watch out for the tourists posing with their wands.  (Seriously.  It happens.  A lot.)

I was quite taken with the autumn light on this early October day.  The light and shadow play was beautiful both inside ....

... and out.

But my favorite part of the day was climbing the tower of The University Church of St. Mary and getting that spectacular 360 degree view.  Words don't do it justice.

View of Radcliffe Camera from The University Church of St. Mary, Oxford.

View of All Soul's College from The University Church of St. Mary, Oxford.

View of High Street, from The University Church of St. Mary, Oxford.

View of High Street from The University Church of St. Mary, Oxford.

Truly, a spectacular town.  One I'm glad to have visited more than once during our time here.

My first awkward blog post, hopefully saved by a few photos from The New Forest

Over the summer, I set a deadline for myself.  Rather than a date to complete something, it was a start date.  Kind of like how people make resolutions for the new year, I made a resolution for September 1st:  as of this day, I was going to put forward an honest effort to make something of being a photographer.

Admittedly, that's a bit vague, but I wanted to give myself some room as I have quite a bit to figure out.  Here's a little background: it has been five years since I held a regular job.  It has been four years since I was in school pursuing post-graduate work.  And for the past three and half years, I have been a full time, stay at home mom.  I will be the first to defend that this exhausting, tedious, but oh-so-satisfying responsibility qualifies as a job as much, if not more, than anything else, but, like many women in my situation, I am craving something more.  Something that excites me. Something that exercises my brain in a new and different way.  And something that is wholly mine.

But this venture is not really about a mom looking to reclaim her life outside of the home.  It is more about a woman who spent many years in a fast-paced, challenging and very technical environment who is ready to shed her corporate skin and explore her creative side.  This is about the reality that we are leaving England next Spring for new adventures, that my daughter is getting to be school age, and that it will soon be time for me to go back to work.  Rather than falling straight back into what's comfortable, I want to embrace this rare gift that I have been given: the opportunity - and the flexibility - to explore a second career.  And I don't want to waste it.  I want to pursue the one thing that has developed into a real passion these last few years:  photography.

So, I'm starting with this website.  The groundwork for this was unknowingly laid about a year ago when I opened up a public Instagram account and started sharing my photos in the hopes that a few people might be interested in seeing them.  Fortunately, some were, and the engagement that ensued became a part of my daily life, motivating me to get out and shoot and share with a supportive community that I've grown to have more affection for than I should probably admit.

The confidence I gained as a result of my interactions on Instagram was just what I needed to put this website together.  The thing of it is, I'm a bit of an introvert.  I've always been the reserved one of the group - the one who sits back and quietly takes it all in.  So making my portfolio public?  Sharing my work with complete strangers?  Writing down my thoughts about photography, travel ... life?  Admitting publicly that I'm ready to take a bit of a risk and pursue this photography hobby as a career?  Throwing this all out on the internet and hoping it resonates with someone?  No.Way.  No way.  Well, maybe.  Oh, okay, let's give this a go.

So here we are.

A fairytale thatched cottage in The New Forest, Hampshire, England.

A fairytale thatched cottage in The New Forest, Hampshire, England.

And here are some photos of The New Forest, a gorgeous area of Hampshire that is home to not only an extensive forest, as the name suggests, but sweet little villages and beautiful countryside.  I had a few hours last week to explore some areas I hadn't yet visited and was, as always, completely taken with its charm and beauty.

So, thank you for visiting.  And for reading this far.  Stay tuned for additions to the portfolio and more blog posts featuring my adventures around the England and beyond.  There are some exciting holidays in our future that I'm looking forward to sharing with you.

SHP xx