Around the beginning of November last year I received an invitation from a German lady who has since become (I suppose you would say) an online friend of mine.
My first 366 photo – 10 November 2011 : River Swale, Hudswell, Richmond, Yorkshire
We first ‘met’ through the Flickr Landmark Trust Group and we found that we share a mutual love of Lyme Regis. Anyway, she sent me an invitation to join her ‘group’ called “366 – The Great Leap Forward“. The idea, which I had never heard of before, was to take one photograph every day for a whole year. Normally this would be for 365 days but as 2012 is a leap year we had to take 366 pictures!
Queen Breaca introduces the group thus :
Is taking pictures your passion? Do you like exchanging your views on photography, cameras, picture editing as well as Life, the Universe and all the Rest with other, like-minded people? And have you recently considered joining one of those flickr – 365 projects, but were a little put off by all those very strict rules and regulations?
Well, to be honest, the answer for me to all of these questions was “no”. However, flattered to receive an invitation and with great trepidation, I decided to accept the invitation and challenge. Indeed, challenge it was! Some days went by when I had to just snap something, anything. Personally, I don’t think I improved a lot over the year but QB, flatteringly again, declared that I had. I looked on the challenge as an opportunity to record every day of one year and I’m interested in it more for that reason than as an opportunity to take artistic photographs. Look at my set and you’ll see what I mean.
And what a year it has been for me – and also for the UK. Here are a few highlights (or lowlights) :
Not long after I joined our cat Harvey died (16 Nov 2011) ‘Sad Day’
Our Christmas Tree 2011
My 60th Birthday
A wonderful trip to France to stay at The Windsor’s former weekend home near Paris
Revisiting Northern Ireland after 45 years!
Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee
A fantastic walking holiday in Alsace
At the end of June I retired from my Library job
A lovely few days in Geneva in July
The successful London 2012 Olympic Games (the Brownlee Brothers are from Horsforth) in August
We spent three weeks in New England in September
A week in Devon in October
And a couple of fun pictures
The End – 9 November 2012
It’s a relief to have completed the challenge successfully. It’s been a great experience and thanks to QB for her invitation and encouraging input!
miladysboudoir 
I looked at your “set” – blimey, that’s a lot of pictures! I think I prefer them in the telling-a-story format on your blog! An eventful year for you, retiring and turning 60, and traveling to such lovely places, and I’ve been enjoying it vicariously. By the way, I love that quirkily pagan picture in Devon, you do imagine that the shadows are those of Narnian little animals or something.
Thank you, Diana, I think I prefer that too. Yes, the Totnes Twinned With Narnia and the joker’s paint dripping is wonderful. Many pictures have a ‘back’ story too – like swinging the car round in the road and driving back to snap a good ‘un! Apparently (QB noted in my comments to this picture) Glastonbury is ‘twinned’ with Avalon!
Fun project. I enjoyed all the photos, and got a kick out of the city that is twinned with Narnia.
Thanks – it’s a relief to me that it’s over now!
Well done! On my 50th birthday I started a similar project, just on my own. A few years ago now, and I had a Sony Ericson phone which made it easy to snap at odd moments. I kept it up for three years, each month filing the photos into a folder. Looking through my Years of Days I find a photo can bring back the memory of individual days, even if they were pretty “ordinary”.
Fran – I’m impressed – three years! One was enough for me. I get the same feelings but it’s horrible to know that time has passed so quickly!
Amazing how you managed to sum up a whole year in such an entertaining way! I also like your choice of pictures, very inspiring! This leads me back to one of my suggestions, which is let’s make a best-of album of our photographic year. And thank you very much for mentioning me so favourably in your blog. Yes, we’ve become online friends, so thank you for that as well.
Hi Baerbel (QB), it was hard to choose just a few although many were a bit pointless – I did try to make something of them, nevertheless. Thank you again for your encouragement. The “eagle-eyed” amongst you will notice that some of the pictures above are duplicates of those posted here during the year.