a peek inside the fishbowl

Regular readers already know how this works. The Hourly Photo Challenge is you, me, and a bunch of other people, taking one photo every hour on the hour throughout the day of whatever we happen to be doing or looking at that very moment.

Here are my results last year. It is an amazing way to document a day in a very visual way.

As per previous Hourly Photo Challenges – this is how it works:

• The idea is to take one photo every hour, on the hour, for the whole day. For many of us December 25 = chaos, so don’t worry about precision. We can only do our best!
• You don’t need to be a photographer in order to participate. I know some people are shy to post their photos, but this is not a contest or competition, it’s about documenting your day in an easy and interesting way and seeing how others do the same.
• Take as many photos as you are able. I start when I get up and stop when it gets too dark; every hour on the hour.
• Use whatever camera or mobile device you prefer. I’m using my iPhone, because it’s easy. Post them to your blog and/or your photosharing site when you can. Just make sure you let us know in the comments below where you’re posting them so we can all have a look. Tag your photos “hourlyphoto” so they’re easy to find. If you’re on Twitter use #hourlyphoto so we can all follow the convo.
• Would you like to make this extra challenging for yourself? DON’T DO RETAKES. (!) This is not mandatory but I thought I’d throw it out there in case you’re the kind of person who really likes a challenge. :)
• Here’s a tip, if you have a mobile phone with an alarm clock, set it for one minute before the hour i.e. at 7:59, 8:59 etc. This will give you a solid minute to get your camera ready and snap The Thing You Happen To Be Doing.

Please consider playing along!

Also: it’s not a problem if you can’t upload as you go. Upload in batches when you have the chance. Or even the next day. I will be uploading mine here, in a separate blog post when I can.

If you’re participating please let me know in the comments so I can see the results of your hard work, and if you’re happy to lurk, look for the Hourly Photo post starting on December 25. :) Woot!

I am drooling just thinking about this soup. The original recipe came from here, but I changed the ingredients a little bit (see below) primarily because I wanted to make less of it.

It was SO GOOD. I will definitely be making this again. Roasting the squash beforehand might seem like a bit of a pain but it’s totally worth it.

1 medium-sized butternut squash, halved lengthwise and seeds removed
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 apple, peeled and diced
1/2 medium onion
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
a pinch of ground sage
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup milk
toasted pumpkin seeds for garnish (optional)

Click over to the original recipe for cooking instructions.

Perfection in a bun! This meatball sandwich was made using this cheaty recipe for meatballs.

And totally unrelated, this is cracking me up today. Hamburger earmuffs for the win!