Blueberry Picking - Cueillette De Bleuets

Outside in the sun
Fruit ripe, ready for picking
Hair blows in the breeze

It is a wonderful day, the perfect kind; sunny but not humid, warm with a cool breeze. What better to do than to get outside with such fine weather! Mia noticed that the blueberries were beginning to ripen about a week ago, and went back to check them today to find them ready to pick! The tangy but sweet blue fruits are Miss St. Clair's favorite, so she found it especially pleasing when moving here to learn that Mondale had its own bushes out back for a continuous supply of berries throughout the late summer months.

This is the first 'harvest' that many have been looking forward to! Mia has a whole basket full of blueberries, perhaps we'll bake a pie later?

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On another note, I (Brooke) am getting very fed up with flickr/picnik. I keep trying to re-size photos and it destroys the quality of them. :/
I don't know if it's a setting on my camera or what, but it is getting really frustrating, so that is part of the reason there is a lack of pictures lately. I hope that made sense.

-Brooke

Au revoir

Adieu mes amis!

Goodbye, everyone! We will be gone today {20 July} til probably Sunday {25 July}. There are no scheduled posts, because I'm lazy. :P But there was a big picture post just a day or two ago, so I hope that compensates. Sorry that we won't be able to update, comment, or read other blogs for the next five days.

-Avery and friends

Sonali's voyage à l'étang

{Translation: Sonali's journey to the pond}

There is a little known place here in Yorkshire, the name is Wickham Pond. Most people don't know of its existence, even the locals. If they have indeed heard of it, few have ventured out that far into the wood. A complicated series of directions has you head deeper and deeper into the mysterious forest. Many turn around before they arrive. Only a few have been there, one of them being Mondale's own Kit Kittredge. The resident explorer, she came across the pond one day. With directions from Kit, Sonali thought she would do the same and try to find the area.

She stepped outside and found the followed the first step Kit had told her, head to the back of the last acre of land at Mondale, where the forest begins. Students aren't normally allowed back that far, for fear of being lost, but the girl quickly sneaked out and ran back. With a little looking at the trees' edge, she found the dark entrance to a path, like Kit had said there would be. She followed the winding trail through a birch tree grove. Sonali maneuvered through the thicket, heading down the dirt path that was not trodden down from the travels of feet, but beginning to become overgrown with grasses. Coming to a fork in the trail, she remembered to go left as her new friend had told her. Continuing on her journey, she spotted the landmark Kit had mentioned, a dilapidated old cabin that had been abandoned for years. It was here that Sonali stopped to catch her breath, taking a seat on the old porch. It was slightly early with nothing else sitting there except a rusty old watering can, and silent except for the sound of birds and the other various creatures that inhabited the area. She quickly moved on.

A little spooked at being all alone, she went on hastily and her pace quickened. Straining her ears, Sonali thought she could hear the distant trickle of water, a sound that became stronger and stronger as she continued on. Her mood brightened considerably after this, where there is water, there should be a pond! Coming out of the deep woods, there was a stone pathway leading to an old wooden bridge that stretched across a clear stream. It was quite old, and Sonali wasn't even sure if it could hold her! Kit had reassured the girl that it was safe enough to walk over, but she was still a little skeptic of the idea. Splashing and swimming in the water would be fun, but not when she was wearing a white sundress! After testing its stability, Sonali gave in, seeing it as the only way to the pond, and scampered across. She came to the other side, the stone path leading back into the woods then ending abruptly, leaving more dirt trail to travel.

Sonali progressed along the trail, all the while looking around at the tranquil, undisturbed forest. Soon the trees began to thin, and she came to a clearing of tall grasses and brightly colored wild flowers. Being the school girl that she is, she began skipping through the meadow and thoroughly enjoyed herself for a few minutes, completely forgetting the purpose of the journey as she let her imagination run free. Remembering that she still needed to get to the pond, Sonali started walking towards the other side of the pasture and came to a passage through the trees. It was a shorter distance this time, and the girl could see light coming in from the end. Stepping out into yet another clearing, she saw the pond! Stones surrounded the edges along with water plants, ferns, and more flowers. The pond's surface was as smooth as a sheet of glass. She perched herself on the edge, quickly taking off her shoes and splashing in the cool, clear water.

Sonali could tell that not many people had been here, which made it all the more special.

La Fin

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So, this is the celebratory post dedicated to my 73 followers! Thank you so much, everyone, I really appreciate you all.
I know, this post is pretty lame and not really as special as I'd like it to be. It's probably fairly boring with the copious amounts of text, and I wouldn't blame you if you just skimmed through and glanced at the (sadly mediocre) photos. But, you guys asked for outdoor, garden pictures with couture (she's wearing a Heritage Doll Fashions/Heritage Clothesline dress), and a photo story, so that's what I tried to give you! I tried putting this into a 'scrapbook' format, but I was having a tough time finding a website that was free, etc.
I hope you like it! Thanks everyone.

-Brooke

Avery-Here Celebrates 70 Followers!

Yep, we did it! Thank you so much everyone! I can't believe how many people read this blog, it's really quite surprising. All of you who read and comment mean so much to me. No seriously, you do! This blog has really given me a place to share my interest with others who "get it", through posting photos and telling stories. Thank you all so much for putting up with me over a year and a half now. :P Looking back on old posts, I can see how much I've grown, as a writer, photographer, and person in general.

Now, moving on from that mushy-gushy stuff above. Who's ready to partayyy?!? :) Haha, I know I am! If you have suggestions for things to do to celebrate (example: stop motion, photo story, Q & A) please post them as a comment here. < That post also explains it a little more, plus it's easier to keep it all organized in just one post. I'll try to do as much as I can for you guys. Suggestions will be closed by July 16.

Thank you all so much!
-Brooke

*Please excuse my horrible handwriting ;)

Guess What...?!?

I just realized that this blog has 68 followers! Thank you so much you guys. :D
So to thank my readers, I'm going to have a 70 followers "celebration", of sorts. You guys can suggest things (in the comments) to do when I reach 70 (which I consider a milestone, and that's only 2 more!).

For example; photos of a certain doll or outfit you want to see, a stop motion, any video, photo stories, a contest, a Q & A, etc. Things like that. I'm open for anything and everything, so keep the suggestions coming!

Once again, thank you all so much.
-Brooke and Avery

Out By The Flowers

It's a sunny day here, and Jasmine/Lina/Jocelyn (her name is all over the place, as is her "personality") took advantage of the warm (VERY WARM) weather. ;P
The garden is slowly wilting in the summer heat and most of the flowers have had their reign, but a few remain.

There's been a major heat wave as of late, making for miserable times. The temperature I could maybe handle, but it's the humidity that really zaps the energy right out of you. Especially when you live where temperatures rarely get over 85 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer!

But, even with the heat, I have newfound inspiration for taking pictures, so stay tuned!

Liz in The Garden

There has been surprisingly wonderful weather here in Yorkshire as of late, just the kind we enjoy. Warm and sunny, with a bright blue sky dotted with puffs of white clouds, and just the slightest hint of a cool breeze. Doesn't that paint of lovely picture?

Now, imagine a blonde girl with shiny golden pin curls framing her face, in a butter yellow summer dress. She's running about the garden in her bare feet, her fair skin turning red from the sun. Her blue eyes are filled with wonder as she roams about the colourful flowers. A dream-like atmosphere ensues, with only the slightest of sound and a blur of beautiful scenery.

I'm feeling rather descriptive today, can you tell? (:

-Brooke

Photography Feature

Art Photography/Color Select

Experimenting with some new editing techniques today, and posting some long over due photos! I stumbled across this picture, and used it as an inspiration for my own AG version.

It kinda looks like the eye is messed up, but it is just the way the light happened to fall. I had fun with this shoot though, it's a bit more artsy than other things that I have done before, and I've never really used a pre existing photograph for inspiration before.
-Brooke

Summer

Summer is here soon! You know what that means? MORE TIME TO POST! Sorry for being non-existent. :)

Rosenbrock Academy Orientation

I accepted the invitation to visit Rosenbrock for an orientation, meeting teachers, students, and looking around the campus. I went this Friday (5/28/10) and it actually went very well! I was shown around by Emma Adani, eighth grade student council president, Katie Kennedy, president of the Nation Junior Honor Society Rosenbrock Chapter, and Elle Sanders, president of Student Activities committee. The assistant principal, Miss Finley, also accompanied us on the tour.

Emma Adani

Emma: president of Rosenbrock's student council, and possibly the United States some day. She truly is the 'go-to' kind of girl, very loyal and reliable. From spending the day with her, I could tell she's very organized and on top of things all of the time. Emma is very helpful and gave me a lot of tips if I ended up coming to Rosenbrock. She loves to help out where ever she can and is very involved in the school and its many organizations and activities.

Katherine "Katie" Kennedy

Katie: president of NJHS and one of the most genuinely nice people I have ever met. She has a very happy demeanor and is extremely friendly. Katie talks a lot and is great at getting people into conversation. Even though we were basically complete strangers, she made me feel like I was her best friend.

Hazelle "Elle" Sanders

Elle: president of the Student Activities committee, and though not as personable and charismatic as Katie, she really knows how to handle things well. Elle's in charge of everything from sports teams, to the school paper, to the various clubs. She is bluntly honest and tells it like it is. Elle isn't quite mean, but doesn't sugar-coat anything. The truth hurts, I supposed, and she warned me of a few things at Rosenbrock.

Miss Jane Finley

Miss Finley: assistant principal at Rosenbrock and one of those teachers that are strict, yet nice. She doesn't tolerate nonsense, but is very nice if you stay on her good side. She taught English for twenty years before coming to her current position. She cares a lot about her students and wants the best for them.

Avery-Marie "Avery" Voisin

Avery: also known as me, the potential, brainy, new girl. After seeing Rosenbrock, I'm really not sure what to think. Mondale's still great... but things here aren't half bad, either.

Still thinking,
~Avery