21.5 hours

I am unusually awake considering the weekend that's just taken place. I have just finished assignment number 2 of 4. Two more to go until 'the end'. This assignment, although not difficult, has taken extremely large chunks of my time over these past few weeks and the final push today took about as much as I had left to give it. I am more than happy to announce that it is now all printed out and in a file ready to submit either tomorrow or on the deadline day on Tuesday. I can have a few moments to breathe now before work begins on the next one (AKA I really cannot look at the next one just yet).

When I say 'the weekend that's just taken place' I am really referring to my day yesterday. It began when my alarm went off at 4.30am and I shuffled out of bed and into my car and relentlessly drove myself in the darkness of the early morning down the M62 (then a lot of small country lanes) to a tiny lane in the middle/top of the Peak District. I arrived in a tiny car park at the top of many hills, at 7am ready to shoot. I do not know what came over me when I agreed to do this test shoot and then when I saw the 7am call time and location this really confirmed that I am indeed mad. I think the decision was made after several glasses of wine a couple of weekends ago in London. I could rant, but here is definitely not the place. We assembled on the top of the Peak District, or at least on top of one of the peaks. It was 3 degrees, hail stones, wind, rain storms, 4x4 cars being knocked about with the gusts of wind... We took a bit of shelter whilst the weather calmed down and then we proceeded to continue with the shoot. Blue hands and feet and many shots (laughs and cries) later, we wrapped and headed off on our own ways home. It was so fortunate that it was such a beautiful and lovely team of people, and of course the pictures were lovely, but so very unfortunate that it has taken me probably about 24 hours to warm back up to normal body temperature. It was, without doubt, one of those days where I stood on the top of the marshland, incredible views around, with the freezing wind blowing right through my clothes and viscously hitting my face and wondered what on earth my life decisions had come to. It is either quite wonderful or I really must re-evaluate the choices I make. I flit between the two...

When we finished shooting, after delirious laughter, and group penguin hugs, I put the heating on full blast in my car and drove up to Leeds to visit Penn. I spent a good chunk of time with her, chatting, drinking coffee and wine, catching up after a good couple of weeks, and then it reached midnight and I drove back down the M1 home. By the time I got to bed I had been awake and on the go none-stop for 21.5 hours. That is quite something... And I am still alive and awake now. Still typing, still thinking, thoughts still flowing and intact, still making sense (mostly). Some days I have no idea what keeps me going. Yesterday it was good company, many hugs, a very wonderful friend, and a good supply of coffee and a glass of red wine. It was also the thought of a lie in this morning, which I got. Until 10.30am. Feet were still cold, hair was dishevelled as I hadn't washed the product out of it from the shoot, and I still looked like I hadn't slept in a week when I woke up. Fortunately I have showered now and I look a little more human. But 21.5 hours. I am ready now to rest and face the new week. I think I may have another shoot next weekend. I am hoping that it isn't another 21.5 hour day.