Hello Steemian Friends!
I come to you with another adventure of some stunning autumn scenery and festive pumpkin hunting while on my roadtrip travels!

BUT first things first….. it’s been a while… I know…. And while I mentioned that I’d be posting less, I didn’t mean to leave it THIS long. So to start off- THANK YOU to all who have stuck around being patient! I have some updates and news to tell you!
First off, I’ve decided to move back from Wales into city life again… My photography and portfolio need some extra TLC that I can only get back in Birmingham, so the last few months I’ve dedicated to re-locating myself, meeting new people and also planning and slowly bringing to life, visions that have been stuck in my head for a while… It’s been an utter chaos, and to be honest it still is. I am writing this blog at 2am in the morning after a full day of meetings, shoots and edits…

I miss blogging utterly though, and I needed to share something with you! So until I get a breather from my projects, and will be able to share all the ‘’fruits of my labour’’ – here is a short blog of my roadtrip I took about a week ago, while getting my last pieces of luggage from Wales to Birmingham…

I woke up in my Welsh dream cottage, dreading the return to city and what awaits me…. Packed the last leftovers of my items and photo shoot props into trunk, and took a deep breath of fresh air… the last pieces of sanity that I will get for a while.

(Some shots of me, in the woods nearby to my home)

(Some shots of me, in the woods nearby to my home)

Nature is a big part of me, and although I am eager to see all the opportunities that city life will bring… I will miss waking up to a cold sea-breeze and the vibrant green of welsh hills.
Nonethless, it was time to go, and me being completely aware of how long it will be before I will return to nature, obviously decided to take the longest route possible….how else could I do this?

So, I set off, left my dream land of welsh hills, patches of farm fields and secret forest pathways and moved forward, to work for my future. Normally, it takes 3 hours to travel to Birmingham from Wales… this time it took me an entire day to travel. I took a long route rich of Autumn landscapes. It was a cloudy day, but even with gray haze, all the colors of trees were vibrant in orange and reds…. Fiery and dynamic. Swirly small roads full of character were leading me through wild lands, of stone made cottages that are probably centuries old.

With my window rolled down…. I was breathing in fresh crisp autumn air, occasionally stopping on the side of the road, to capture the beauty I was seeing, and to look at it, fully embracing myself in the moment. My arms were covered in a cozy sweater, holding a warm pumpkin spice coffee… my annual autumn favorite…and of course I had my signature explorer-hat on.

Some of the views were truly unreal, it felt like a cinematic experience, especially when gentle wind would rattle the trees and different colors of leaves suddenly surrounded the road… falling and swirling like in a fairytale. Autumn is one of my favorite seasons…. Alongside spring. The two opposites, nature being re-born and nature dying…. How can both be so equally beautiful?

I stood there admiring it all, the trees, the hills, the lakes and gentle haze from the cold that is creeping up- to soon take over. I was mesmerized in the stillness of it all, it was like a trans… everything was quiet apart from occasional rattle of the wind or birds chirping away. Much different to a city life where all these beautiful sounds get lost in the constant rush of cars and people.

My favorite parts of the trip were, once I approached the North Wales parts, the hills got steeper, the forests got fuller. Everything was emphasized, all the beauty became apparent for any eye I believe, not just me. The clouds rolled over the mountains, covering them like a blanket, suddenly, the views became even more dramatic….
Of course, I had to stop and capture some self-portraits while on the road… I thought that my red hair will bring extra-autumn dynamic to the photos hehe… It was such a grand experience, to be able to see all these places – some of which I haven’t driven past before…. I vowed to return when time allows, to fully explore the lands of forests and small villages I saw on the way.

For time being though, the drive was reaching the final stop, I got another cup of coffee, and headed to a pumpkin farm before I was to embark on the plain motorways leading to busy city landscapes. Ironically, this place was a place I visited once before… it was one of my first posts on Steemit, and although I joined steemit in the summer 2017, it was October that I started blogging…. Can’t believe it’s been a year already… and what a ride has it been!

The pumpkin farm was filled with families and the atmosphere was certainly much less gloomy than prior year when it was almost empty. Children were scattered everywhere, attempting to pick pumpkins and carrying them in the mini barrels. Some looked at me, with my red hair and black hat and smiled very widely…. I assume they thought I was part of the attraction dressed as a witch….. haha…. Ohhh, thank my glamorous, but plain-black sense of fashion! hehe

I walked around the pumpkin field before entering the main pumpkin display, which was as stunning as the year before… and of course more self-portraits were due. The atmosphere was amazing, with some hot soup and drinks served and the fresh-veggie farm shop open with some organic goodies. I love finding places like that… family run businesses with a touch of warm atmosphere and passion for what they do. The children were running around in joy, picking their favorites among hundreds of pumpkins, there was something so raw and magical about seeing this. It was wonderful to experience seeing this in today’s day which is so highly influenced by technology. Children being excited by such a simple activity of pumpkin picking with their parents.

And on that note, it was time to go… the sun started slowly setting down, earlier and earlier the shadows of evening come creeping in. I watched the sunset disappear behind the hills, and it’s beautiful colors fade and dim with grace. Soon I was surrounded by street lamps, in the place that doesn’t sleep…. Bright lights, dominating the skyscrapers and city architecture. While I am on the new journey dedicated towards my career, this day I will hold in my heart for the times that I long for nature, I will look at these images and instantly feel the trees embracing me, the warm crisp autumn air and warmth of coffee in my hands…. It will be a memory, or more like a safe haven in the times of chaos and rush….
Thank you to all those who joined my journey throughout a year of my steemit blogging!

I am ever so grateful, for in the blogging I found the voice and fulfillment that I couldn’t quite fully translate in my photos alone!

I am ever so busy, but I will be back with more adventures for you,

Until then,

Cheers,

Marta x