Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Out in the fresh air...

After two days in the library (which I thoroughly enjoyed) I spent much of today enjoying some of our glorious late fall weather here on the Coast, which has done wonders for our grass:

It was sunny and about 8ยบ C, so I put on my work clothes and went out to haul pruned branches and assorted deadfall from various areas around the house:

Of course, I managed to get distracted by the sun and the scenery, and took this cool b/w photo:

I love playing with the black and white setting on my camera and have considered getting Digital SLR camera at some point - it will give me more flexibility and allow me to get even more artistic with my photos.

By the end of the afternoon, I'd achieved more than enough for one day:

Yes, I could've been indoors writing, but the weather just couldn't be ignored. The rain starts again tomorrow, leaving me with ample opportunity to add to my NaNo word count. Plot points have been flitting through my head, so I know the story is still percolating there. By tomorrow it will be ready to move from my head to the computer.

After I finished my work, I went for a walk to get the mail. Along the way I took another arty shot:


followed by one of the hill down which I walk and the mountain in the distance:

It sure felt good to light a fire and relax with my book, a sandwich for dinner (Sean was out at work) and a glass of wine.

How about you? Do you enjoy outdoor work - even the kind that makes you ache the next day?

Teresa

Currently Reading: Wedding Season by Katie Fforde
Link of the Day:
Tufts Digital Library

9 comments:

Melissa Amateis said...

Y'know, I do enjoy outdoor work - when I'm in the mood. When I was growing up on the farm and was told to go work in the field or cleaning up something, I hated it. But there's something pretty satisfying about it now. :-) (Shhhh...don't tell my dad!)

Melissa Amateis said...

Oh! Forgot to tell you - LOVE the B&W photos!

Tess said...

Yeah - I'm with you on that! We had two huge maple trees in our back garden when I was a kid, so it meant LOTS of raking in the fall. I HATED it. Now I'm more than happy to go out and work outside, but on my terms and as we have no deciduous trees, it means no raking *g*.

Glad you liked the photos :)

Lynn said...

Nice pictures!

I enjoy outdoor work when I'm in the mood for outdoor work. Outdoor play (i.e. hiking) is much better, though. :)

Natalie J. Damschroder said...

Wow, you live in a gorgeous area. If I lived like that, maybe I'd like outdoor work, too. I detest the raking and shoveling and mulching and weeding we have to do in our corner of boring suburbia. :)

Tess said...

Lynn - no arguments here. I have to be in the right mood for outdoor work and ALWAYS prefer outdoor play :) We have lots of great hiking trails here.

Natalie - yep, no question the outdoor work here is way more fun than anything in suburbia (been there, done that). I do, however, have to keep a sharp eye out for the local bear!

Cindy Procter-King said...

Great photos.

No, I don't enjoy outdoor work. My mom and one sister are gardeners, but outdoor work gives me the shivvies. I do it when I have to, but it's never an enjoyable activity for me. I'd rather be walking or hiking in the outdoors, not tending to.

Tess said...

Cindy - you're not alone :) Lots of people I know don't enjoy gardening etc. In the end, I'll almost always prefer a hike to other kinds of out, but for some reason, gardening does appeal too.

Pattern-chaser said...

Haven't visited for a while. It's always a treat to read what you're up to, Tess. I especially enjoy outdoor work when it makes you ache the next day. Some sort of masochism, I suppose! :-)

Pattern-chaser

"Who cares, wins"