Love and Hope

Well, first of all I would just like to say an enormous thank you for the many messages, texts, emails, phone calls and comments I have received wishing me a swift recovery. I can't tell you how much I appreciate the kindness I have been shown - often by strangers. If anything good has come out of this episode, I think I have made some new friends as a result, and become closer to some previous contacts, and for that, I am truly grateful.

I am much better now. Not yet 100%, but it takes time to recover from surgery. My bruises are still visible, but fading. I have had most of my stitches out (a couple of stubborn ones were too tight to remove, but they are theoretically dissolvable). I am much more mobile than I was, but still not quite ready to run a marathon! It has been challenging being off my feet, both physically and emotionally, but I am well on the road to recovery.

It looks like I may be able to resume my European tour, and will probably fly out again on the 1st of March. As yet, I'm just awaiting confirmation on this, but since my blood tests are now all normal, there is no reason to believe I will not be fit enough to pick up where I left off. I've missed half the tour, but at least I can still do half of it! And after all, I am still alive, so I really can't complain!

I felt so much better today that I wanted to do something creative. It was also the first day of the year with nice weather, and it felt decidedly 'springy' today. With that in mind, I decided to use the warmth and the light, and the fact I was feeling much better to produce a few photos to get back into the swing of things, and prove that I'm still alive! It was the first time in over two weeks that I have styled my hair or worn makeup, so it helped to make me feel like a human being again. With the use of a few subtle props to hide my (not too noticeable) scars, I set about producing something light and airy with Dave Ayerst Davies.

These flowers were purchased a few days after Valentine's Day, which I didn't get to celebrate this year. I know the symbolism of red roses (who doesn't?) but I'm not too sure about the yellow ones. (If you know, please don't correct me.) Because to me these flowers symbolise 'love and hope,' and that seemed an appropriate summary of what I wanted these images to represent.

I won't claim these are my best images yet, but considering that two weeks ago today I was undergoing emergency surgery, I'm fairly pleased to be in a position to create them.

Happy belated Valentine's Day! And may the rest of your year be filled with love and hope. Thank you for sending both in my direction over the past weeks.

xxx

Images by and copyright of Dave Ayerst Davies.