I’m back from two weeks camping and slowly getting back into the swing of things. We had a brilliant time and we didn’t want to leave but coming home to a little gift from the eBay fairy made up for it. Just before I left I won this Kodak Duaflex, I’ve been looking for one for awhile so I could try some Through The Viewfinder photography:

Through the Viewfinder photography refers to taking photos through the viewfinder of old cameras using modern digital cameras, this means you can get the effect of the old camera but without having to find the right film or developing it. It’s the best of both worlds. You do have to do a bit of DIY contraption building to block out the light but there are groups on Flickr dedicated to TTV photography and I followed the tutorial here and built my contraption from a cereal box and duct tape:

I only had a little bit of light left for my first experiment but I can’t wait to try it out when I have a bit more time.

A few weeks ago we headed up to County Fermanagh to do a bit of housesitting, except this was no ordinary house. The family that live here built the house themselves and it is completely “Off Grid” so there is no electricity, no gas and no running water. They also have animals: chickens, geese, ducks, goats, dogs, cats and a couple of ponies. So this was a little bit different from how we would normally live but Matt and I jumped at the chance to unplug and get away from it all. I admit I was a little nervous to be responsible for this house and all those animals but it was actually a very laid back easy few days.

Eve loved feeding the chickens and the ducks, she’s always been fascinated with animals so she had no fear at all and jumped right in. Boomie the big Bull Mastiff became her best friend.

The house is so beautiful and cosy, we drew water from the well outside and heated it on a big stove to wash. The loo is a compost toilet outside and it was probably the source of most concern for me when we agreed to go. It was in fact very clean and not in the least bit smelly. Steve Flynn from the Happy Pear was with us too and he laid on the most delicious meals every night, we spent most of the afternoon preparing and cooking our big meal with all natural, fresh ingredients. It was a proper event. Then when the sun went down we’d light candles and read or chat until bedtime.

When the time came to go it was a wrench to leave. For all that I enjoy technology and the internet and everything that comes with the modern world, I’m more than happy to leave it if I can. In fact, tomorrow we’re going camping in Northern Ireland for ten days. I have no idea if I’ll have any access to the internet to update this blog. I can’t wait to just unplug and go sit in a field!