Photo Diary: North Wales - Bodnant Garden & Penrhyn Castle

The UK is a beautiful place, with plenty areas of breathtaking views. I love going around with friends and exploring various sites around the country. This past weekend, the girls and I went on a day visit to North Wales to check out Bodnant Garden and Penrhyn Castle. Unfortunately, despite the relatively warm temperatures, the morning started off with heavy rain while we were at Bodnant Garden. At first we decided to stay at a local traditional tearoom and sipped on warm tea as we heard the wind and rain collaborate in a mighty rainstorm outside. After an hour or so we decided we needed to suck it up and brave the weather. The garden was beautiful! The blossoming flowers of all shades of pink and violet, the blooming trees and the fresh wet grass all made it worth our while. Of course while walking through the beautiful grounds, my umbrella was violently attacked by the wind and eventually collapsed but even that couldn't distract me away from the lovely site. C'est la vie, no?!

Our next stop was Penrhyn Castle. Thankfully, by the time we got there, the rain had stopped and the sun was bright and shining. The wind however was as strong as ever, and we were warned to avoid walking close to the trees. As you'll see in the pictures, the view from the castle was amazing. The green hills, the glimmering lake and the snow covered mountains of Snowdania in the distance were a pleasant sight to witness. Inside the castle, we were even more mesmerised. The glass stained windows, the intricate ceilings, the exquisite bedrooms, kitchen and dining room looked like something out of a 19th-century fairy tale. I tried to take as many snaps of the interior as possible but no picture would do it justice and I was too caught up with the details of the manor that I couldn't take proper images; but I tried my best! 

Enjoy x

Bodnant Garden

Penrhyn Castle

P.S. while at Penrhyn Castle, I thought to myself that this place would make the perfect setting for a horror movie and when I got back and started researching more about its history, I found this blog called "Ghosts of Penrhyn Castle" which got me all excited. Check it out if you're into horror movies and such, interesting stories :-).

Anoud x

ALL IMAGES BELONG TO GREEN EVE/ANOUD AL-FAWWAZ.

  

Disney Earth Day Video Series

The Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund (DWCF) has been very active in supporting animals since it was first appropriately created on April 22, 1995 (Earth Day). Till now, the fund has generously raised $20 million towards wildlife conservation projects. 

In celebration of their anniversary, the Disney Corporation is producing video series called Stories from the Field, where Disney representatives will be raising awareness on endangered species.

Check out the first video below!

 

Yet another reason to love Disney, right? :-)

For more information on DWCF, take a look at their website here.

Anoud x

Image: waltdisneyboards.com 

Photo Diary: Sunsets, Concrete & Manchester Through My Window

With the recent extremely confused weather this past month in Manchester - from snow and hail to torrential rain and wind and then to serene clear skies and sunshine - I find myself obsessively capturing the shifting climates. Being the happy snapper that I am, and blessed with an amazing view of Manchester city centre, it really is impossible for me not to immortalise my changing scenery through the handy lens of my iPhone 4. If you follow me on Instagram, or even Twitter, you'll know that I am especially fond of sunset snaps and you're probably tired of seeing them by now. But sunsets really are lovely, specifically the ones in February, where the sun sets later in the day at dusk. But enough of me babbling on about skies and sunsets, I'll let the pictures take over from here. Enjoy!

Snow, snow, snow.

Literally less than an hour after the snow picture above was taken: sunshine and a clear sky!

Living in a snow globe.

Typical Manchester mills in the back. Oh and a lollipop from SED.

This reminded me of the Lion King.

Sunset again.

This was taken a few days ago. I was so tired and was in bed about to snooze away till I saw the sun peeking through and had to take a picture. I was too tired to walk a few steps to the window (yes I know, I'm lazy) and decided to take it from where I was. It somehow worked and I love how it turned out.

Took this about half an hour ago. It was a lovely day today :)

It's incredible how these pictures are all of the same view, yet each one is very different and it all comes down to the weather!

As I said before, all the pictures were taken with an iPhone 4 and most of them were edited using Instagram or Camera+.

Anoud x


ALL IMAGES BELONG TO GREEN EVE/ANOUD AL-FAWWAZ.

H&M Conscious Collection Featuring Vanessa Paradis

With the cold and snowy weather here in the UK at the moment, the only thing that has been keeping me going is the thought that spring is right around the corner. Besides the sunshine and happier faces that come with spring, the H&M Conscious Collection is yet another thing to look forward to during the season. For this year's collection, the high street giant teamed up with French actress and singer Vanessa Paradis to be the face of the 2013 Conscious Collection. The collection is yet to be revealed, but watch below a video of  behind the scenes footage of making the campaign film directed by Johan Renck.

What a beautiful woman! And lucky one might I add (hello Johnny Depp!). But seriously, can't wait to see this year's collection!


Anoud x