Joy365: Week Six of the Photo a Day challenge

It never rains but it pours.

I had hoped that a glimpse of blue sky earlier in the week meant that we were turning a corner (with the weather and with life), but no. This was the week that it rained every day, I lost momentum with my health journey, and we sadly said goodbye to our beautiful Alfie-cat.

But, there were glimpses of gorgeous sunsets, a sound-bath in a 14th century church, meals with friends and family, photo walks in the rain, and our daughter calling crocuses "frog flowers - because 'croak-us'..." So, in the end, I did what I'd promised myself I would - look for joy. Especially in the cloudy moments.

Start here with The ZSP Joy365 challenge, and more blogs are linked below this one.

Week Six:

Photo One: A mummy-bug afternoon out in town. Oli is obsessed with sushi at the moment (bougie child), so we tried out Hamayuu, a Japanese restaurant in town. It was super busy, but Oli was chuffed that we got to sit on the tatami mat area as we enjoyed a platter of traditional sushi. We did some shopping and enjoyed a girls' day in the city before heading home to cuddle up and watch a movie together.

Photo Two: Signs of Spring. We went round to the great-grandparents for Sunday dinner, and lost count of the crocuses (frog-flowers) that have popped up among grandma's perfectly pruned gardens. I love this time of the year for the little pops of colour that start appearing among the greys and browns of winter.

Photo Three: what are you reading at the moment? I got this as part of a haul from a National Trust bookshop, and I'm loving it! I was a fan of the Dark Materials trilogy, so it's fun to dive back into Lyra's world and escape from real-life for a while. I try to read for at least twenty minutes before bed, in a (usually vain) attempt to shut my brain up.

Photo Four: A lunchbreak photo walk during the day, and an evening out with my two best friends today. Much needed, as Alfie-cat was taken into the vet... My friends and I enjoyed dinner in the food hall at Chester Market, then attended a sound bath at this 14th century church in Chester, which was a really relaxing experience. I'd be interested to try out a similar experience that maybe went more into the actual physiology and science of soundwaves' effect on the body, as this one approached it from a very spiritual angle, which wasn't a bad thing, but I'd be intrigued by a different approach, perhaps. Sadly, when I got home, it was to the news that Alfie had gone to sleep, and the rest of the week was spent just feeling pretty blue.

Photo Five: I love a good sunset, and the view from this window in the office is particularly beautiful. I don't really have that much to say about it - beautiful view, beautiful sky, sad inside. But there is still beauty outside, even if inside isn't feeling it.

Photo Six: The new H Beauty opened in the city centre, so I took a walk past it while running errands on my lunchbreak. While I didn't go in, my attention was caught by the new artwork on the walls of the Grosvenor precinct, which brightens up this otherwise sterile part of the shopping centre.

Photo Seven: A homecooked meal to start the weekend. We were all feeling tired and blue, and have a busy weekend ahead, so needed something warm and welcoming to wind down and set ourselves up for the next few days.

A few more photos from the week: spotting sights on lunchtime walks, meals with friends, and little moments of micro-joy.

And, because I live in optimism, hopefully next week will be better...