I have been without a camera for the last week or so which has been like living without an arm or something. Horrible. But this week’s theme for The Gallery instantly made me want to go on a hunt for a photograph I took in 2009, just a couple of days before Tori made her arrival.

It was the weekend of my Graduation from University and I was staying in Bath in a B&B with my parents having a bit of a mini-break visiting my favourite spots in the area for one last time before student life drew to a close and real life kicked me in the face.

We went for a trip to what is possibly one of my favourite places in the world: Brean Down. It was windy and, despite it being the 18th July and sunny, it wasn’t particularly warm but we went for a walk on the beach regardless. As we strolled along the sand, close to where the waves were lapping I spotted this one, tiny piece of seaweed. It made me smile and wonder at the sheer beauty and brilliance of nature. It didn’t look real. It was completely real.

It made me feel warm inside and stuck a post-it note in my memory. *Special Day* was written on it. It was almost like a quiet little symbol of the end of my time at University and how that made me feel – I was happy, I had loved my time there but now I had to go face the real world (and a baby) and I felt a little small too – a dot on the beach of life.

Tori arrived on the 21st July and the little piece of seaweed was forgotten for a little while. But then it popped back into my head every now and then and made me smile again.

The theme of Mother Nature brought it back to mind and I felt the urge to share it with every one. Mother Nature can be harsh, cruel and brutal. But she can also be gentle, warm and surprising. She looks after us and challenges us. But most of all, she rewards us with the little things, we just have to make sure we’re looking for them.

Now hop on over here to see all the other fabulous entries that are out this week 🙂