It's just after 10pm on a dark, gloomy Tuesday evening and I've walked 12 miles today, a round trip to the Pedestrian Tyne Tunnel without stopping.  It's the furthest I've ever walked in one go and everything from the waist down hurts, many bits above the waist hurt too but I'm feeling like I just scaled Everest.  If someone had said to me, "do you fancy a 12-mile walk today?" I would have said "erm, no, why?" but I'd said to my friend Steph "oh let's walk to the Pedestrian Tyne Tunnel, it's only about four miles away, I didn't think that sounded like much...

So, dear reader, just to write this in case you're some years into the future, currently, we're allowed to leave our home for 1 type of exercise a day and we can go with a friend as long as it's only 1 person from another household maximum.  I could count on 1 hand the number of people I've seen since Christmas and walking has become something of a must for my sanity.  If I can get someone to accompany me on walks then even better as it definitely would have hurt more if I'd tried to do it alone.

On the way from Heaton going towards the Pedestrian Tyne Tunnel we took the Shields Road route which took around 1 hour 30, the way back via Hadrian's Cycleway was definitely a longer route but that's the one I'd go with on a better weather type of day as it's probably lovely in summer.  Not so much today in the driving rain.

I like to choose big challenges for myself and I'm always curious about our local history so I'd wanted to go to the Pedestrian Tyne Tunnel since it reopened in 2019, for anyone who doesn't know, it still has 2 of it's 4 original wooden escalators which were at one time the longest wooden escalators in the world.  I didn't realise that the wooden escalators don't actually work so you have to either walk down them slowly (with a slight feeling of vertigo as it's so steep) or you can take a lift, we took the lifts on the way up and went down the escalators.  

I am really glad I didn't do it on my own as I'd always thought it would feel quite creepy in the narrow tunnel under the tyne and it really does, it feels weirdly sinister.   I can only imagine the history of all of the shipyard workers walking out of the tunnel after travelling from Jarrow and going down to Swans shipyard where Segedunum is now.  I think it's a place to go with a friend and not on your own though it's perfectly safe.  I don't know what it is, but there's definitely an unusual feeling down there.

Over the last week I've taken to walking every day, most days it's just 5 or 6 miles which never feels too bad but I think I felt every step of the last couple of miles today.  I don't mind the aches though, I could never have thought that I was capable of walking so far without stopping.  Had it been a sunny day and not illegal to have a picnic that would have been a great idea but the most we did was take water and chocolate along for emergency sugar need and really, it was so cold and wet today, I don't think I would have gotten through it without that little square of chocolate that I carried in my pocket.

To tell you how wet it was, I popped my coat in the hall cupboard when I got home and ten minutes later wondered why there was a puddle on the floor outside of the cupboard, for a moment I thought I had a leak from the hall radiator but no, that's just how wet my coat was.

I will always remember this big long walk I did quite unexpectedly on a rainy winter Tuesday and if anyone ever asks me "Do you fancy a 12-mile walk today?" and I shall reply "yes, yes I do" but only if it's not throwing it down in the middle of January and you're actually allowed to sit down for rests on the way.

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Pay What You Can Mini Family Photo Shoots. 30th September, Tynemouth for Mind

Every year I try to do a little good for my favourite charity Mind and so on Sunday 30th September I'll be shooting a day of Pay What You Can Mini Photo Shoots, I'll also be giving 20% of the proceeds to Mind UK, a charity close to my own heart as someone who lives with bipolar disorder and chronic anxiety, every year I try and do as much good as I can and so I thought this would enable families who might not ordinarily afford family photos to have them as well as raising money for a great cause.

Sessions will begin at 10am and run every 20 mins until 5pm and there is a suggested donation of around £75 which is what a session like this would usually cost, you'll receive all of the edited digital images.

The available sessions remaining (early morning, 13/08/18)

Available Sessions - 
10am
10.20
10.40 Booked and confirmed
11 - Booked and confirmed
11.20
11.40
12
1, 
1.20
1,40
2 - booked and confirmed 
2.20 
2.40 
3 - booked and confirmed 
3.40 
4
4.20
4.40

How to book - you can either send money via my Paypal Me link making sure it's a friends and family payment to avoid the fees or you can also send a bank transfer just ask for details and then as a reference write PWYC next to your name.

Please message before sending your donation, and because I expect these sessions to go super fast I can't hold sessions without the accompanying donation for more than 24 hours.

There's been a lot of interest, and I mean a lot, you can see that on the link and that's so heartening, I've already raised money and with a bit of luck by the end of this week I'll be able to send my donation to Mind.

Last year I raised money by selling old digital images, I'd love to raise over £500 this time and there is the possibility of doing 2 days at Tynemouth instead of just the one but I don't want to get ahead of myself so I'm going to fill Sunday 30th first and then decide.

I'm thankful that I've managed to get Harriet, Abigail and her lovely friend involved, if anything, this is a portrait marathon, it's the most sessions I've ever shot in one day so if I extend it to 2 days, I think I'll need to do some training, hehe.  I may even add another 2 sessions so I can do 20 in one day.  People are being very generous and I do like a challenge.  What I would say is I won't be making a profit from this.  I'm taking an entire weekend out of my calendar to do it and I'll definitely not be working during the week after.  I do hope that everyone goes away with at least 5-10 edited digital images , for some families this may be the first time they've had photos together whilst in others, my clients are doing it simply to do a good thing!

So, I'm ready for the challenge and together we're going to do good, come book me and let's make this the biggest portrait marathon in the northeast of England ever!

Summer In The North East of England, The Ordinary Moments and Extraordinary Memories

Sunday evening, somewhere in the middle of August, summer in the Northeast of England is always a special time for me, I love all of the challenges and joys of being self employed, my favourite part is that I get to spend lots of time with my children and friends during the long summer days, it might not have been the brightest, hottest summer we've ever seen but it's on the whole been pretty good so far I think, I haven't had to wear a coat and that's something.

Since I bought my every day in my handbag camera, my Fuji X70 I thought I'd just take more time to share the general stuff I've been up to, I'm literally never without a camera now, in fact I'm sitting on my super comfy bed with my camera right next to me!

Summer in the Northeast of England is fleeting and you have to remember to record each memory, even if it's only in your mind, the passing sunshine and scattered showers can be as momentary as each new and special memory.  On Friday I was walking along Alnmouth beach with Holly and KT, our friends dog and it was so breezy that the winds were whipping up the sand grains and scattering them in the air, almost sandblasting my calfs,  Holly's ears were stood up at 180 degrees blowing in the freak gusts of what felt like almost storm force winds, at least against my ankles anyway.

Saturday started bright and then became cloud covered only for the sunshine to recover later in the day leading to the most beautiful of evenings, an evening spent walking to the quayside with Iain and Looby, they were hot on the case of Dratini's, I just wanted to take photographs but I can't even begin to tell you of my joy that Pokemon Go has brought us all together for the first time in years, it's got Iain out of his bedroom and it's introduced the concept of evening family walks, a chance to take in our surroundings, enjoy the company of each other, some time to catch up and chat about our days, as I sat there on the Baltic Quays with my dog, my children and I enjoying a Starbucks hot chocolate each I felt  joyous contentment and was at one with my life just for a while.  In as much as I adore and love all of my friends I am at my happiest when I am simply with my children for I know that they will grow up and go their own ways, I embrace each moment of their young lives, a celebration of the now, of the ordinary because it is often the most ordinary of moments which is the loveliest and the most extraordinary.  These are the moments of my life, the moments I live for and the moments I will always remember and cherish for ever.

Burrito Bars in Newcastle Upon Tyne, Zapatista

Until yesterday I have to admit that I'd never ever tried a burrito and I'd never been to Zapatista, yes I'm sorry but I don't usually like food which touches other food, although I'm a long time fan of Mexican food and I openly admit to loving a good steak fajita so when Zapatista got in touch to see if I wanted to sample some of their Mexican delights and perhaps, just perhaps, a burrito I had to accept.

There are 2 branches of Zapatista in Newcastle upon Tyne, one on Grainger Street, and one on Ridley Place, yesterday I tried the Grainger Street branch, I'd not eaten all day so I was ready and with a big appetite.

I'm going to openly admit that burritos are not what you would call Instagram worthy food, there are just too many things all wrapped up in a tortilla and then all wrapped up in foil so I shan't be sharing a ton of food photos but believe me when I say I am now a convert to burritos and even eating things wrapped in foil (something which previously set my teeth on edge).

Zapatista is essentially Mexican fast food, you are served just as quickly as you are in other fast food outlets but the difference is that the food is delicious and it's all made fresh, right there in front of you.  There are a myriad of choices which quite frankly blew my mind but in the end I went for a butternut squash with halloumi filling, mild pinto beans, a special sweetcorn salsa, lime and coriander rice, cheese and sour cream, that's all then rolled up in a tortilla (although the healthy amongst you may want to have the filling in a salad bowl, that's a naked burrito or fajita) and finally wrapped in foil so that it's not too messy.

Zapatista do serve alcohol but I'm on a self imposed alcohol ban other than on holidays and special occasions so I just went with a large diet coke.  Zaps (as the locals call it) have also started doing Churros at the Grainger street branch, now they take 7-10 minutes and come with either a chocolate or caramel sauce, let me prepare you in advance and say "get the caramel" I love salted caramel and it goes perfectly with that crispy on the outside soft in the middle Churros, something I wouldn't usually have due to the calories involved in sweet fried dough but I made an exception for review purposes!

I think Zapatista is probably the perfect place to have a first date if you've just met someone through Tinder or Plenty of Fish, it's fast enough so that if it's a disaster you can get out quickly, they serve alcohol just in case you're nervous, it's cheap (so you don't have to spend a fortune on a potential date that may not go your way) and if you do have a fab time you're in town and can always continue the evening, plus it'll give you lots of opportunities to go and try all the various plentiful fillings and flavours.

I loved my first trip to Zapatista, I'm not sure if I'll be mixing all of my food together and I definitely won't be eating other things wrapped in foil and popped in a plastic basket (The Churros came on proper platters) but I really enjoyed my first burrito bar experience and will definitely be back in the future, maybe with my own internet dating story!

Christmas photo shoots in Newcastle with Mandy Charlton Photography

Another later in the morning blog from me today, I went to bed with a migraine and I've woken up with a really dull throbbing migraine which is just ridiculously annoying, I think I have decorators neck, if that isn't a condition I am naming it now, I think it comes from having your arms in the air with the brush for too long!  I did finish decorating the downstairs loo and actually it looks better than it has for years, i'm quite chuffed with it all, just Abigails room to go and that's pretty much ready to paint but I'm having a couple of days off to allow the swelling to go down in my neck and spine.

I am going to go for a visitors permit today so that I can openly welcome visitors into my house, maybe they'll come armed with a paint brush ;)

The hall and stairs are still desperate for redecoration but I just can't see how we can do all 3 floors before Christmas so I'll just ask visitors to shut their eyes when they're going up and down the stairs, maybe I could blindfold them?  Might be a little dangerous on the stairs!

Can I talk about work for a bit today?  So, it's not all that long until Christmas and do still have some availability in my diary for weekends and weekdays so here's the full rundown

I have availability on the following days - 

Thursday 6th December, Friday 12th December, Saturday 13th December at Tynemouth Longsands, Sunday 14th of December at Saltwell Park in the morning and Jesmond Dene in the afternoon.

Wednesday 16th December, Thursday 18th December, Saturday 20th December in Jesmond Dene and Sunday 21st of December

All orders placed by Midnight on 15/12 will be dispatched to reach you in time for Christmas, Orders placed before 22/12 will be with you in time for Christmas as long as you can pick them up from me in Heaton.  Time is running out to book your sessions though so do it today via email, my website or my facebook page

Half hour sessions are £25 at Saltwell Park, Tynemouth Longsands and Jesmond Dene, All other locations, in the home and larger family portraits are from £40 and these prices are due to rise in January 2015 so book your sessions today and you get them at this years prices.  With each photo shoot you get a web gallery for 30 days, 15% off for the first 7 days your gallery is live and a complimentary print (7x5 for half hours, 12x8 for hours).

Here's some photos from recent sessions that I love - 

So hopefully I have shown you enough to whet your appetite, quick go and book a session or maybe you could buy one for a friend or family member for Christmas, for a limited time only you can get an extra 20% value on all gift certificates, well what are you waiting for email me now!