Picture this…on the Norfolk Broads

With the Norfolk Broads only 15 minutes down the road from me, I have a wealth of photographic inspiration to call upon.

A few years ago, I spent a lot of time on the Norfolk coast, and I still love visiting when I can, but living in Norwich, I now realize I have never investigated the Norfolk Broads nearly thoroughly enough.

Sure, over the years I have been on day boats and shot my fair share of images, but it’s only since the 2020 pandemic that I have begun to truly appreciate all the Norfolk Broads have to offer. This is also thanks to my boyfriend who really loves the Norfolk Broads, having sailed them since he was a boy. He knows them well, and has been a good guide. He is my spotter, my extra pair of eyes. I recommend a good spotter when you are out taking photographs. I know I would have missed kingfishers, owls, deer and much more had I not had him by my side. He loves nature, and has taught me so much. While I’m staring at the sky, working out composition, or trying to attain the best angle, he is shouting at me to look to the right, the left, north, or just by that bush or tree!

Pink Sunset Reflection and Sunset Tree
Norfolk Broads Sunset Reflection

The images shown above, are of St Benet’s Abbey ruins, winter sunsets reflected in streams near the Abbey and a view of Thurne Mill beneath a sail. All are available to buy via the link. Choose your format/frame/mount colour – free UK delivery.

A picture is worth a thousand words so they say. It is hard to convey the real beauty of places in one picture. But also, quality over quantity, so it’s important to consider each image carefully, to show the scene uniquely from your own viewpoint.

Although of course, I want to sell my work, I don’t solely think about this when I am out photographing in the wilds of Norfolk. When I am out on the marshes, my primary goal is to create something unique. To grasp a moment in time that will never happen again and show it.

While (hopefully) there will be many more sunsets to enjoy, the sky will never quite look the same as it did on the evening I shot the images above. This makes them truly unique. There will never be a moment again when I capture Thurne Mill from this exact spot, beneath a sail. The light will never fall exactly as it did on St Benet’s Abbey ruins from this exact angle.

This is what addicts me to photography, the uniqueness of each moment, and the image created from it.

Please subscribe to be kept updated with my photographic adventures. They aren’t always in Norfolk, soon I will be off to the Isle of Wight. I haven’t been there since I was a child…

Canvas mounted prints – please visit the individual links for alternative colours/formats and more details.

Hoodie

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Colour My Cover – March Giveaway

Every month I create a giveaway to thank subscribers for joining my website. All subscriber emails go into my magical rainbow mug at the end of the month and I pick out one (sometimes two or even three) to send a notebook too. Draw takes place on 31st March 2022.

For March, the giveaway is a notebook from my Colour My Cover collection. A series of notebooks with covers that you can colour in – get artistic and make your notebook uniquely yours using a medium of your choice. 80 lined pages inside.

At the moment the covers are all Norwich and Norfolk scenes but obviously not all of my subscribers are from this region so the giveaway is a beach hut cover notebook which is more generic (even though the image is from Wells-next-the-Sea).

I’m sorry but this is a giveaway for UK subscribers only. If you are outside of the UK and interested in buying a Colour My Cover notebook, please head to my collection at Amazon.com

There are lots of reasons to subscribe other than the giveaway of course. If you love photography, reading, art, notebooks, cards and prints, this is the place for you.

I am gradually populating the site with my photographic works, mainly Norfolk scenery but you will also find wildlife images and street photography.

As well as being a photographer, I also write short stories as @PetraKidd – as much as I love to write, I also enjoy promoting other authors too. If you head to the home page you will see featured writers from around the world, and local writers and their books too. If you happen to be a writer yourself and would like to be interviewed on this website, please email me at myriadlifebooks@gmail.com.

Look out for posts on photography, the photographers that inspire me, musings on photography and from time to time… photo tips.

I hope you will enjoy receiving updates and offers. Every time you buy a book, print or card from my collection, you are helping fund more short stories, images and helping me create happiness not just for me but for others too 🙂

Good luck with the giveaway draw!

My Work in Progress

Life is always busy but over the past couple of weeks it has been even busier as I have been populating this website with more notebooks, cards and now wall art – all featuring my images.

I have been a photographer for the best part of my life but it is only in the last 12 years or so that it has become my main occupation, along with writing.

Most of my photography shows my deep love of Norfolk, particularly the coast but increasingly the city of Norwich too as I came to live alongside the River Wensum two years ago. I have actually lived in Norfolk for 30 years. Although I know it well, I am constantly discovering new things to love about this incredible county.

If asked, I tend to say I am a landscape photographer but the truth is, I am passionate about most kinds of photography so you can expect to see a real mix as the website evolves further. My sneaky pleasure is street photography but I will talk about that and my influences (both famous and local) in later posts.

This site will also include wildlife and street photography, I just haven’t started uploading many of those yet (but you will find some seals…) so please be patient with me if that is your thing.

Many people have a love of photography and want to learn more about it so I will share some tips on that too if you are a beginner. Please don’t be shy to ask if you have any questions. I may not be a technical expert in all areas but if I don’t know the answer, I have photography friends who will know for sure.

This website isn’t only about my photography and products, my alter ego is @PetraKidd who writes short stories. I want to make this website a great place to discover new authors and books, both local and from all over the world. It is writing that led me to create notebooks. I love to use a nice tactile notebook to jot my ideas down so it made sense to create my own collection.

In a world full of troubles, it’s good to escape sometimes into the world of art so I hope you will enjoy your visits to this website.

Subscribe below to keep updated with what’s new. Something I like to do every month is to reward subscribers with a giveaway, at the moment it is usually a notebook but I could also create digital downloads of my prints or colouring in pages so that overseas subscribers can enjoy a freebie too. At the moment, for obvious reasons of postage costs, I only send the giveaways to UK subscribers but I’d like to be able to change that going forward.

So hit the button above and let’s keep in touch. Feel free to message me at myriadlifebooks@gmail.com if you are an author who would like to be featured here. I try to be inclusive of most genres.

Come say hello @MyriadLifeBooks on Instagram and Twitter

See you again soon…

February Norfolk Notebook Giveaway

The results of the MyriadLifebooks February notebook giveaway. Subscribe to be in with a chance of winning a notebook in March.

Entries for the February giveaway have now closed and three lucky winners have been notified by email.

Please pop by and subscribe to MyriadLifeBooks.com to be in with a chance of winning a notebook in March. UK subscribers only (sorry!)

I will announce the March giveaway on 16th March so keep your eyes peeled!

Every month I create a giveaway and subscriber’s emails go into my magical Rainbow Mug to be picked out. The idea of the giveaway is to show you how beautiful and useful my notebooks are. All covers and interiors are designed by @myriadlifephotoart – all have tactile softback matte covers.

Check out the new Colour my Cover notebooks – the collection is growing fast!

While you are here, be sure to check out my greeting card collection too. The perfect way to send handwritten messages to your family and friends.

Coming soon: prints. If you love Norfolk, coastal scenery and wildlife, you will soon be able to visit my online gallery. I will post as soon as they are ready.

Please follow me on Twitter @LifeMyriad and Instagram @MyriadLifeBooks – pop by, say hi!

Til next time… stay safe and well 🙂

Don’t forget my February giveaway!

Monthly notebook giveaway – this February it’s Norfolk Notebooks. Subscribe to win a free notebook. UK subscribers only.

I will be drawing three lucky winners from UK subscribers to this website on Monday 28th February so don’t miss out!

See more about the Norfolk Notebooks I will be giving away to three lucky subscribers via my blog post, link below. Please share so your friends will be in with a chance too.

All you need to do is fill in your email address and hit the subscribe button below to be in with a chance. Stay subscribed as I create a giveaway every month and the March one will be announced soon.

While you are here, please keep reading…

I have been busy adding my Norfolk prints to this website so you will be able to buy prints as well as notebooks and cards very soon. Perfect for all you Norfolk lovers out there who would like some Norfolk scenery for you living or work space. Even if you don’t know Norfolk, I am sure you will enjoy the views. You must come visit!

The prints are of the coast, Norfolk Broads and our fine city of Norwich. I have lived in Norfolk since my twenties but I’m not going to tell you how long that is, I will just say it’s a very long time!

I hope that seeing Norwich and Norfolk through my eyes, you will come to love it just as much as I do (if you don’t already).

As well as colour photography, I do like to shoot in black and white. Street photography is a secret vice for me. I may sell some of those prints here too in time.

You will find the odd nature/wildlife print too, I am not a wildlife photographer but if an owl, swan, goose or of course a seagull, presents itself, I am usually ready with the camera.

For me, photography is a huge part of my life. I hope you will enjoy the images and keep me in food and clothing by buying some of them.

Check out my alter ego author self @PetraKidd too. If you love quirky short stories, she has a few to tell. Visit PetraKidd.com to find more and subscribe there too to keep updated with Petra’s book news.

Follow me on Instagram @MyriadLifeBooks, @MyriadLifePhotoArt and @PetraKiddWriter

Thanks for stopping by and good luck with the draw!

February giveaway – Norfolk Notebooks

Norfolk Notebooks giveaway for subscribers to MyriadLifeBooks.com website.

Giveaway time is here again!

In January, some lucky subscribers each won one of my year planners, this time, I am going to give away three of my Norfolk Notebooks: Blakeney Marshes, Holkham Dunes and Blakeney Marshes. These softback 6×9″ notebooks with 160 lined pages inside are ideal for anyone who loves the Norfolk coast.

All you have to do is subscribe to this website. I will draw the three winning subscribers from my magical Rainbow mug on 28th February. Apologies but this is for UK subscribers only.

Just hit the button below – good luck!

New! Writer’s Notebooks

Notebooks for writers, including: Creative thoughts, Novel ideas, Work in progress. Tactile softback books to get creative with.

This week I have been working on a new collection of notebooks specifically aimed at writers. Being an author myself (PetraKidd.com), I really do know the value of having a good notebook to hand to make sure ideas never go astray.

I love a notebook to be tactile and easy to write in. Good quality paper that helps the ink glide is a must too! There is a certain pleasure in seeing characters, plots and random thoughts laying within a notebook in my own handwriting. It is too easy to lose the art of handwriting if you don’t use it everyday. I spend an inordinate amount of time tapping away on my Mac so it is refreshing to physically jot characters, plots and new story ideas in my notebooks.

With my scatter brain, if I open new files on my computer or phone to record notes, I often forget what I named the document or where I filed it and I end up wasting time trying to find it again. On the whole, I am pretty organized, but it is easy to get distracted and lose things in the millions of folders set up to make life easier!

My notebooks solve this problem, or at least they do for me, so they may do the same for you. I find it much easier to find what I am looking for in a notebook and somehow, seeing it in my own handwriting makes it more personal. It’s lucky I don’t have handwriting like most doctors!

This new trio of writer’s notebooks have a writer’s quote on the inner front page and 160 lined pages inside. Simple and effective.

I hope you will enjoy using them if you decide to get one for yourself. The images on the cover are by @MyriadLifePhotoArt (yep I am also a photographer). Lately, I have been enjoying more black and white photography so I thought I’d use it for this series. I like the simplicity and the idea of thoughts and ideas flowing like the tide. The swan is to symbolize new ideas taking off for a ‘work in progress.’ The grey is for the grey matter in our brains that we use to form genius thoughts and create stories.

You can buy a writer’s notebook by clicking on the images above and below.

Subscribe to keep updated with new notebooks & journals. Every month I create a giveaway so it’s worth subscribing to be in with a chance of winning a free book!

Creative thoughts
Work in progress
Novel ideas

If you are an author and would like to be featured on this website, please email me at myriadlifebooks

Come say hello on Twitter and Instagram

Happy writing!

Interesting Article for Writers

crop woman using laptop on sofa at home
Photo by Vlada Karpovich on Pexels.com

I enjoyed reading the article below so I thought I would share it with you. I love all the points made and it gave me food for thought as I write my new book of short stories. Hopefully it will be of interest to you, if you are a writer too, or thinking of starting writing. Feel free to leave comments on what you thought about it.

The Greatest Menace to the Writer is the Reader

Source: Literary Hub, Emily Temple

In other news this week, I have set up an Instagram account for MyriadLifeBooks so you can see the latest notebooks, journals and logbooks arriving in my Amazon store. If you go to my profile and click on the Linktree link it will take you directly to my sales pages so if you see a book you like on Instagram you are only a couple of clicks away from being able to buy it.

Also, some lucky new subscribers here, won my Daily Planner 2022 giveaway for January. Here is a snap of me posting off the planners to them. If you’d like to be in with a chance of winning a notebook in February, hit the subscribe button below the picture and sign up.

Petra Kidd sending off 2022 planners to January winners.

2022 Daily Planner Giveaway

MyriadDailyPlanners

This giveaway has now ended and I will be picking the three lucky winners later on today. Winners will be informed by email on Monday.

All subscriber emails go into my magic Rainbow mug for winners to be picked out.

Magic Rainbow Mug

A big thank you to everyone who subscribes to this website. Don’t worry if you didn’t win this month, there will be another giveaway in February.

If you didn’t win this time but you would still like a planner, the planners are on sale at Amazon. Visit Amazon/MyriadDailyPlanners

If you love notebooks please visit Amazon/MyriadLifeBooks and Amazon/MyriadLifePhotoArt to see my full collection.

Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy subscribing to this website. New notebooks arrive all the time so keep checking in to see what’s new.

If you haven’t subscribed yet, please hit the button below.

Follow me on Twitter @LifeMyriad and @PetraKidd @MyriadPhoto

Instagram @PetraKiddWriter and @MyriadLifePhotoArt

Because everyone loves books – don’t they?

This is my third blog post for MyriadLifeBooks so hello there and thanks for taking the time to visit.

If you love reading books, writing books or have a thing for very nice notebooks this could be the site for you. I want this to be an interactive site where you leave your ideas and comments too. If you feel you have something useful or informative to say, I would love for you to do a guest post here.

I am also on the look out for authors who would like to be featured on this site. Check out my interview with Angela Bardot, the first author to feature here. In time I’d like to build up a Select 20 who feature for three months at a time so if you are interested please fill in the contact form at the bottom of this page for further details.

I would also like to build a directory of book illustrators, editors and proof readers so if you are interested in being listed please do get in touch (via the contact form below.)

Who am I?

I am a photographer who also writes. It’s hard to decide which I like best so I think I better call it a draw. That’s a point, I love drawing too but I hardly ever get to do it!

I’m based in the amazing county of Norfolk UK which is lucky for me because there is a lot to photograph and write about here. I live by the River Wensum in the city of Norwich, which is perfect. The river wildlife is ever entertaining and diverse, from the odd seal who decides to take a break from the coast, to a night-time fishing heron. The Swan Massive glide up and down regally as if they are the true owners of the river (they are). There are Egyptian geese, ducks and pigeons plus a stray dove who chooses to hang out with them whenever a human turns up with some nibbles. The seagulls provide a cacophony of sound and are typically experts in spotting chips or any food that gets dropped. Occasionally a cormorant will drop by too. Let’s not forget the bats who provide spectacular air displays at dusk and the less popular rats who boldly go wherever they wish – until Rentokill arrive…

I am also a real beach bum too when I get the chance, we are spoilt with amazing coastline here and I like to dip in and out of the Norfolk Broads (see more info about these further down) so I truly appreciate it all and I hope my photography reflects that.

Norwich is a fascinating place and even after all my years here I am still learning more of the history and what makes the city tick. It is interesting to watch it grow and evolve and this provides new photographic and writing opportunities all the time.

Writers of course use notebooks, (as do many people) so it occurred to me that I should produce my own collection using the images I am always out and about taking. I’ve no idea what took me so long to have this brainwave when it’s obviously a no-brainer, but sometimes I am slow like that! It means that you can enjoy the Norfolk views whenever you have to write something down. Even with people using their phones, tablets, pc’s etc there is nothing like the feel of a good notebook. I use one everyday despite the fact I write notes on my phone too, just because I enjoy writing in them and it makes a pleasant change from typing. It would also be a shame to completely lose the art of handwriting.

As well as the beautiful Norfolk scenery, my notebooks also feature my buddy Gavin the Gull with his handsome good looks and cheeky quips. He’s a gull with attitude, that’s for sure! There are quite a few of those notebooks as he’s always got something to say…

If you are a sailor or simply love life on the water, check out my Boating Logbooks. They are particularly useful here in Norfolk with all the waterways but of course could be used anywhere. The total area of the Broads is 303 square km (117 square miles) made up of 7 rivers and 63 Broads, most of which are less than 4m deep. Just in case you were wondering. (Info source Herbert Woods.)

There will be other themed notebooks added to the collection as it grows so keep checking back to see what’s new.

I like to keep my notebooks even when they are full up. Sometimes it is fun to check back to see what was happening last year or in any year for that matter. I love quality paper and tactile covers too, so of course, my notebooks have a lovely soft back 220gsm matte cover and 90gsm internal paper. Quality is important.

New notebook designs will be added regularly. If there’s a particular format you’d like to see, or if you need a cover designed for your own notebook/book idea please get in touch via the contact page. As an indie author myself, I enjoy designing eBook covers so you will see a collection of these for sale on this site in the not too distant future. Take a browse if you are already an author or even if you are thinking you might like to write a book one day. Look out for tips that I’ve learnt along the way and information I continue to learn. I know how hard it can be so it’s good to support other writers where possible.

I will share my photography, introduce you to authors whose books I think you might enjoy, write the odd book review and anything else bookish that catches my eye. Some of the author information will be repeated or expanded on my author site PetraKidd.com so it’s worth following that blog too if you’d like to find out more.

Before I sign off, let’s not forget my balcony garden, I do like to share updates on my micro fruit and vegetable farm. I work out there when the sun shines, listening to the sounds of the river and day dreaming about the people who pass by… they could well end up in one of my stories one day.

Please browse the site, I hope you enjoy it and that you will come back again soon.

Follow me on Twitter @LifeMyriad and @MyriadPhoto
Facebook/MyriadLifePhotoArt
Instagram @MyriadLifePhotoArt

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Select 20 – Featured Author

Gavin the Gull

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