Indian Summer

The autumnal mood is officially on in Edinburgh and after the coldest summer in last two decades (with temperatures averaging +12 degrees...) we have entered the period of so called Indian Summer. The images to illustrate it come from a birthday party of our friend Michelle that actually happened a while ago but that setting sun view from a kitchen window perfectly illustrate the feeling of an end of summer.

Monica is back with us from her visit up in the North of Scotland and Sky (and she summed her experience with stating that she would be happy to move there tomorrow if she could!) so watch this space for some new images as we will be doing some more visiting!

Cloud Atlas goes big screen in Berlin!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/jun/22/cloud-atlas-filmed-berlin

Tom Tykwer will be co-directing with Wachowsky brothers the film adaptation of David Mitchell's novel. It is going to be entirely filmed in Berlin! Adam, oh how I envy you!

I hope it to be more Run, Lola run than Perfume...

Auction time!

Simon has two prints for sale at the prestigeous viennese West Licht Photographica Auction! The bidding finishes on 28th of May so go, have a look and buy yourself a Crofts! While you still can afford it...

Images courtesy of Simon Crofts.

Winter - continuation!

Winter - part 2

Wow! Edinburgh looked today as if we all moved to Poland w/o travelling. I went out just after noon to catch up with my friend Simon (one of not many of my friends who were not snowed in or down with a cold) and ended up in a blizzard of a decade:

The time was approximately 1.30 pm but it was dark as if the night was about to fall! Cold wet wind was smacking one's face with falling snow and I had to wear my heavy winter boots (I call them 'walonki Puma's style') and my famously burned puffa winter coat (that I subsequently had to chop off at the bottom). And all that just for a 10 minutes walk to Peter's Yard. Of course it all stopped when I settled down over my ham soup at PY and sun came out again so Simon arrived all rosy from the cold not even knowing what he had missed while working at the library over his essay.

Winter!

So we are in the middle of the snowiest winter in Scottish history. Not that it differs too much from what is happening in Poland at the moment... However I have still managed today to spot a lady in 11 inch heels on bare perfectly pedicured feet, fighting her way Bambi style through the snow drifts. But I have not seen any people in t-shirts, at least that.

Several days ago:

Today:

My Mum on the net

A beautiful portrait of my mum was featured today at an excellent blog Pictures of My Mother.
Here just a sneaky peek, go and have a look and read the story behind it for yourself:

Can you get a vintage coffin?

A charity shop's window in Dunblane:

Temptation at Haymarket

Resistance is useless...

Upsss

Luckily a friend's one, not mine!

Driving

Next week I am starting my driving-reminder driving lessons. After 8 years of break, I will be driving again. On the left side this time. I am scared shitless!

Stepping on the first rays of Spring

And then...

Cold

So winter made a u-turn and we are back to traditional wintery sleet, snow and dark, gloomy mornings. In addition to unconvenient weather forecast I must have lost my favourite gloves while in Glasgow and I have brought a nasty cold instead. Anyway, I am stuffed with Gripex up to my snotty nose and off to see A Single Man by Tom Ford tonight at the Filmhouse. And infect the whole cinema as well.

Picture is from a couple of weeks ago when we thought that that was the Winter's last breath. How badly mistaken we were...

Happy Bday, Kochanie!

All day yesterday we were in a no man's land but today, on 13th of February, Simon is celebrating his birthday! Lots of love, plenty of hugs and so much more, Kochanie! I know that you have lots of exciting plans and projects in a pipeline so I just would like to wish you that they all wark and prosper the way you would like them to! Happy bday!

P.S. Simon is actually working in the next room now so I am just closing my comp for today and we are off to celebrate!

11th

My birthday is also the day when William Henry Fox Talbot was born. He invented the negative/positive photograph process thanks to which I am now able to earn my living and fullfill artistic ambitions.

There were many more ways to celebrate my birthday today. When I saw this t-shirt in Urban Outfitters I knew I had to have it!

And this is what it says:

And a gift from Simon:

So what was that what made Alexander McQueen so unhappy ?

Many happy returns

It is my second birthday that I am celebrating in Scotland. Simon took me for my breakfast to Tea Tree Tea cafe across the road and when Jamie and Drew learnt that I am a bday girl, my sandwich was brought to me with a little lit candle and with a Happy Birthday sung from a set of strong, Scottish lungs! I was really deeply moved, said my wish and blew the candle. But I would not be me if I had not taken a pic before!

P.S.The title of today's post is a quote from Jamie's wishes for my 32nd birthday!

Shelf

I know, we are really slow with our house decoration. This shelf was actually purchased at the same time as the plant from my previous post.

To my surprise, Simon got up and started assembling it tonight! Here it holds most of our collection of favourite films and records. Well, some are still in boxes that we brought from Krakow. However it gives a little clue of how much junk we acumulate and how much of it we really do not need. However I will always need Woody Allen's 'Love and Death' (which we watched couple of nights ago - it was my first complete viewing of the film after 20 years as the first time, I have managed to watch the very last 20 minutes! I must have been about 10 years old, it was my first Allen's film and I loved his comedies and short stories ever since. I must have been lucky to be able to watch tv late into the night! Though I must say I find Allen's latest oeuvres a bit spooky.).

A scene in a slapstick joke's style, when Boris repeatedly hits Sonia in the head with a bottle, brought me to  tears of laugther. I must say I am seeing lots of simmilarities between us and this couple! Except that the roles should be reversed...If I ever have a daughter I am planing to call her Sonia - one just has to love Diane Keaton!

Christmas meal of the photography department

Yesterday the annual Christmas meal of the photo department took place.

Or rather it was supposed to take place in a Mexican restaurant where we have managed to squeeze in last year. When I arrived there, the restaurant was dark, cold and people waiting in front of it were really upset. More and more students were arriving and at first they were thinking that it was some sort of a practical joke. Unfortunately it was just the credit crunch in practice - the restaurant went bust, our prepaid dosh went towards paying their lease and nothing has left for them to run their business. We were all disturbed but as it was supposed to be a BYOB party, corks started to pop and finally we decided to talk our way into college and have our little party there. As Claudine put it frankly, nobody was going to have space for 40 people with their own booze so we might have as well go and speak with joanitors - we had nothing to loose.

Surprisingly they allowed us to stay in a little gallery space until 11 pm thanks to Claudine's charm and this gorgeous girl also organised pizzas for everybody (with a little subsidy from the pocket of the head of the department)! A normal practice of exchanging presents took place, we put our presents into a big bag (the head of department acted as Santa, wearing a flashing red nose and Rudol's fleece antlers - Agata, you have to try that one day!) and I was lucky again! Last year I got a set of 35 mm films and this year was a David Williams book signed by the author!

Photo of me with my Christmas present courtesy of my friend Sejin who wore beautiful Christmas tree earrings on the day and Viv Westwood heels which are feature in the picture with her holding her little camera she got from the department's Santa.

I am desperately trying to finish all my comissions before I got for 10 days to Poland so bear with me if posting will be somehow...erratic within next couple of weeks!

Projection

The City Chambers on a freezing almost-winter afternoon:

Santa is approaching

The post office kindly decided to postpone their strike until the time after Christmas so I can sit down and start making my Illustrious cards with a light heart. I have spotted first Christmas decorations back in September but now they are sprouting everywhere. Soon it will be time for an artificial snow!