Ta-Dah!

Woohoo, no stupid shoe to wear any more! I am free to walk around normally, though I can't get back to my horse riding for another two weeks just to be on the safe side. It's really strange walking now, my hips feel unlevel as the shoe I had to wear had quite a high wedge. There is also no strength in my calf whatsoever, I am actually having to learn how to walk all over again! It's quite bizarre, I find I'm paying much more attention to the biomechanics of simple things like going upstairs because it feels so alien!

To celebrate my new freedom I went out for a drive and a short walk - hence the stompy walking boots above. I bought them yesterday, straight after my final appointment at the hospital, and they were nicely supportive for my little sojourn to Sandal Castle.

Also, the hat is pretty awesome, no? I love how ridiculous these animals hats are, and I don't care if they look a little childish, I had to have one. :D And I certainly couldn't say no when it was only £3 from a charity shop!

hat - charity shop // jumper - Primark // jeans - Topshop // boots - Go Outdoors

In the interests of something none foot-related, here are some pictures of Sandal Castle - it's not the most exciting of castles I've ever been to, but I'd never been before and that's as good a reason to go to something as any, in my book.

Portraits

I have now returned from visiting various family members in the south of the country, and a wonderful time I have had too. Nothing particularly exciting happened, which is good; I enjoyed simply catching up with people.

While in Wiltshire, my cousin and I collaborated to create some pretty photos. She is a fantastic photographer (though I will freely admit I am quite biased!), and I offered myself for her to practice shooting with her new lens and other equipment. You can visit her blog here for more technical specs that I don't totally understand, as well as more awesome photographs that don't have me in them.

This was actually a pretty big deal for me. I spent years of my life disliking being in front of a camera - literally running away from it most of the time. The only time I could bear having a photograph taken of me was if I was sat on a horse at the time. I think it just took me a terribly long time to get over the feeling-awkward-about-my-body stage of puberty. I've got over this for the most part (as evidenced by my outfit pictures), but I still feel pretty awkward in front of a camera operated by someone else. However, this being my year of reinvention, saying yes more often and all sorts of other ultra-positive manifestations of self-love (sorry, been reading too many self-help blogs...) I decided to bite the bullet, step out of my comfort zone and make the suggestion. 

Apart from anything else, it's just really nice to have such great-looking photos of my pretty dress. :) I may look to work with other photography people I know to get some more photos, so stay tuned!

No more words, here are some pictures

Dress: Primark (originally - bought second-hand) // Jacket: New Look