Soma Acharya

I seriously needed to turn off the world and get away from it all. Find some comfort in the little things. I worked in the garden while listening to the trees swishing in the morning breeze, my favourite way to wake up. I painted a bookmark and revisited my Simple365 photos of things that make me happy. Let me share these little stories with you in the hope of bringing some joy to your world as well.

Early last year in February I started taking daily photos of simple, everyday things. This set was taken during the last half of May. I didn’t leave the house, so the photos are of my everyday surroundings around the house, garden and my atelier where I spent most of my days.

Simple 365 – Set 6

Please Click on the image thumbnails to see the photos and read the captions.

I also created a page with all the previously shared photos from Simple365. I will add more photos to that page as well, as I share them here.

A little tradition

When we travel abroad, my husband sends me a postcard from that place. That way I have something in the mail after I come home. I rotate these postcards on my desk. My little desk friend loves to pose in front of them.

A little joy from the garden

Japanese Indigo loves hot weather. I mistakenly sowed some seeds at the worst time of the year, in autumn. They were indoors in their little nursery for the longest time until I couldn’t keep them there any longer. Unfortunately, I had to replant them in large pots right around winter. We tucked them in at night under big shrouds, and used my husband’s halogen task lights to keep them warm.

They not only made it through the winter, but are now blooming with the most beautiful tiny little flowers. I love it when plants survive and thrive. Do you talk to your plants? I quite often pet them and talk to them.

A quill story

However, even the garden work came to a sudden halt. A few weeks back, it was quite abysmal outside due to the bad air from the wildfires. By that Friday, I hadn’t seen a natural sky for days, only a smoke-filled grey-red sky. My eyes kept burning, and only stopped when we filtered the air in the house. All this from fires that were not even very close to us.

I decided to close the windows so I didn’t have to see the outside, sat tight inside and worked on making a bookmark out of a scrap piece of paper.

I have collected quite a few ink bottles and writing instruments from our travels to medieval castles and abbeys. I transported myself into a place where a scribe is working by candlelight.

Art can be such a wonderful balm, and it really helped that day when I was so emotionally exhausted. Working on this bookmark while listening to one of my favourite audiobooks was just perfect.

I feel much more refreshed and ready to take on the world once again. The air around us has cleared, and I can go outside and play/work in the garden again. Little stories that make everyday special.

I hope this provided you some escape from the everyday and made you smile. I would love to know which photo is your favourite.

Until next time,
-Soma

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Comments (49)

Hi Everyone! Welcome back to Wandering Camera, a monthly photo and art link-up. I am looking forward to sharing my travel and wandering photos with you, as well as seeing a bit of your world too. When I was hosting it before, I started sharing photos and an account of my visit to England in 2016. I love old architecture. Naturally, my travel started with exploring Oxford University and some of its architecture.

After visiting the Christ Church and Magdalen colleges, my husband and I walked up to Catte Street. At the very beginning of the street is the university church of St. Mary. The 90ft thirteenth century tower is the oldest part of the church, topped with a 101ft spire which was added in the early fourteenth century.

It was the end of the day, and we had just enough time to climb the 127 steps to the top of the tower, where you see the clock in the photo above. We were rewarded with a magnificent bird’s eye view of the city and the nearby colleges.

High Street down below, with the countryside in the distance

All Souls College along Catte Street

The Radcliffe Camera is in front of the church of St. Mary, with Catte Street on the right. It was designed by James Gibbs as a circular library, the very first of its kind in Britain. Now it is used as reading rooms of the Bodleian library.

Please click on the image thumbnails to see the photos.

I had to use my long lens to get a few close-up photos of the beautiful dome.

From my travel sketchbook – The Radcliffe Camera dome and the Sheldonian dome in the distance.

After enjoying the wonderful view, tea and cakes were in order at the cafe downstairs, with the beautiful Radcliffe Camera as our view. Afterwards, we walked up Catte Street toward the Sheldonian theatre. Once we reached there, I walked past Hertford Bridge on New College Lane to take a picture of the theatre dome framed by the curvature of the bridge.

The Sheldonian theatre was built between 1664 and 1669. It is not a theatre in the conventional sense but the principal assembly room of the university.

The reason it is called a theatre is because Christopher Wren was inspired by Roman theatres, and designed this D-shaped building so. However, load bearing columns in the centre space to support the ceiling would not be aesthetically pleasing. He avoided adding the columns by designing a roof truss that spanned the required 70ft, a great technical achievement in roof construction.

I have long been fascinated by Sir Christopher Wren’s work. A visit to the theatre was therefore a must for me and I had the most amazing time walking around and taking it all in in person.

I hope you enjoyed this very concise walk along the historic Catte Street in Oxford.

Here are my previous posts and photos from England, 2016 –

Christ Church, Oxford Part I

Christ Church, Oxford Part II

Magdalen College, Oxford

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