With a pretty shit couple of weeks ahead, this weekend seemed a good time to get away for a little while. So after work, I headed up to Gisborough Hall, for a mini spa break with my mam. She’s not been very well, and it’s not very often we get to go away and spend some time together, so it was the perfect remedy for a pretty stressful week. When you’ve got loads going through your head, sometimes the best thing to do is just break away from it all.

Nestled just outside of Guisborough, an old market town, Gisborough Hall is a mid 19th Century hall that offers a pretty picturesque setting for any weekend getaway. Technically the weekend was my Mam’s Christmas present from my little brother, and we’d been saving it as a treat for a rainy day. The packaged included an overnight stay at the hotel, 4 course meal and a spa visit. So having enjoyed a feast of panna cotta goats cheese, beetroot and walnut, followed by pavé rump steak and a delicious selection of desserts, we spent Friday night drinking prosecco and unwinding after a stressful week. Which left Saturday to relax, enjoy deep tissue massages and wander around the grounds after a hearty breakfast and sitting watching the morning snowfall.

Since the last time I posted, I made a pretty big impulse purchase and treated myself to a new camera! I’ve been deliberating it a while now, and finally settled on the D70. So after it arrived wandering around the grounds of Gisborough Hall yesterday was the perfect opportunity to have a play. I decided to opt for body only and bought a 50mm f/1.8 (because the 1.4 just seemed soooo expensive), so I’m still getting used to using a prime lens (and a Canon), but so far I’m hooked. I feel like I need a project at the moment, and since I’ve just started a photography course with work, now seemed like the right time to invest in a new camera.

I still feel like I’m getting the hang of it and after spending a few freezing hours wandering around the grounds and then the town itself, I feel like I’m getting to grips with it more. I’m hoping that it’ll help me get back into blogging and I can’t wait to start shooting more posts.. I don’t know if it’s just having some time to myself to clear my head or glimpse of tiny little snowdrops peeking out of snowy ground, but Spring seems just around the corner. And with the months of warm weather and better light starting to feel closer, it feels like there’s a lot to look forward to all of a sudden.

outfit details:
jacket: Barbour, cardigan: Mango (similar here), skirt: Topshop, boots: Kurt Geiger, bag: Mulberry