SIGNS OF SPRING.

Earlier this week we went for a very short walk armed with mittens and my camera. I feel like I'm slowly getting back into using it and the few flowers fighting the cold wind were the perfect thing to capture. I'm grateful for the reminder that the sun is still there and we'll hopefully be seeing a little bit more of it soon!

MY LEEDS/ NORTHERN MONK.

The Northern Monk is definitely a much loved and regularly visited place amongst my friends. From the day I heard it was opening, just a short walk from my house, I was interested to check it out and it did not disappoint. Tucked just off Marshall Street in the Old Flax Mill, it doesn't look like much from the outside (and the initial smell of the brewery downstairs takes some getting used to) but the simple decor with long wooden tables, exposed brick and concrete planters on each table with the low hanging lights above gives it such a good atmosphere. It is open early for breakfast and stays open til late for food and drinks, perfect for any time of day. It's where you can find us most Friday evenings and I even celebrated my birthday here!

I've probably been far to many times but I don't expect that to stop any time soon. Here are some photos from last weekend for a delicious brunch. I went for the vegetarian haggis with braised beans and a poached egg. Yum.

Thanks Northern Monk for being so great and so close by, see you on Friday!

x

HOLIDAY FILM.

Last week I shared some photos from my holiday in the Welsh countryside and to round it off, here is a little film I made of our week together. It is pretty long so I'll forgive you if you don't make it to the end but I feel like it really captures the fun we had and I love having videos to look back on.
Hope you have a really fun weekend! xx

Holbeck Holiday 2015. from indiacarolinajoy on Vimeo.

HOLBECK HOLIDAY, TAKE TWO, PART TWO.

Here are the second lot of photos from our holiday in Wales. We headed out to the beach on two separate occasions to enjoy the slightly unexpected sunshine, armed with a BBQ, blankets and food (as always).

BLUE AND GOLD.

LOADED UP.

BEACH OLYMPICS.

DOWN TO SEE THE SEA.

DUNES.

SAY CHEESE!

RAINBOW ROW, WHERE WE FOUND SOME MUCH DESERVED ICE-CREAM.

I had such a great time, roll on next year and the summer for more beach time please!

x

HOLBECK HOLIDAY, TAKE TWO.

Just like last year, this Easter I headed to Wales with the a lovely bunch of people. 

The week included a birthday, beach trips, a hot tub, baby cuddles, dancing, so much food, worship, a nineties throwback evening, rabbits and excellent company. Looking through these photos (and last years part one and two) makes me really grateful again to have these people around me and the chance to spend a lot of time with them. 

HAZY BUT SIGNS OF SPRING.

WELSH SKIES.

NOT WHERE WE STAYED UNFORTUNATELY!

ALL OUT FOR A WALK.

WELSH COUNTRYSIDE.

TEAM HOLBECK...

THEN THINGS GOT A BIT SILLY, STANDARD.

SLEEPY HEAD.

BIRTHDAY APPLE PIE.

TREES.

OUT EXPLORING.

BUDDING.

BLACK AND WHITE.

HAD TO RESTRAIN MYSELF IN A COOL LITTLE JUNK SHOP.

JUST ONE EXAMPLE OF THE TASTY FOOD!

I'll share the rest of the photos later this week.
Hope you're having a good one!
x

MY LEEDS/ HOLBECK.

Last week I went out into the winter sunshine to capture a few of the beautiful buildings I get to see every day. There are plenty more, a lot of them not so pretty but this is the place I have called home for over a year now. I moved into the area to join with some wonderful people to invest in those living here and share Jesus with them. It has taken a while to learn to love it and felt scary at times because this is where my plans end. Up until qualifying, I always had a next step of my plan but this is it for now and I don't know what is next... I have learnt so much this year about trusting God and what it means to live for him in the every day. I'm so thankful for all God is teaching me, the community around me and for finding a lot of beauty in this place.