June - halfway there!

Well, not quite! It's day 182 and day 188 will be the official halfway point. So far I've managed to shoot a picture very single day - not missed one (!), but during June ended up posting some the next day. Some days I've just been shattered after a full day in a Disney park and occasionally I just had lost my mojo. But I think I've got it back again as we head into the second half of the calendar year.


June was an amazing month - lots going on in the garden and endless photo opportunities on our holidays in Florida. I've lost a beautiful photographic subject in Daisy, our boxer dog, who sadly lost her battle with canine lymphoma (partly why I lost my mojo I think!).

Until recently I was posting on this blog daily but got quite behind and have decided to just do a monthly collage here from now on. I post daily on a forum called The 365 project as well as on Facebook, so you can see the daily photos at either place.

The Olympic Torch

152 / 365 31/5/12

We got up early to beat the traffic & watch the torch relay through our local town of Knutsford. There was a great atmosphere despite the rain and the kids loved being part of such a historical moment!

Not sure why the woman on the right was so determined to block the road - she got a right telling off from the officials. 

 

Bubbling away

151 / 365 30/5/12

I truly couldn't decide which shot to post tonight and both kids were demanding that I use their picture. Even Daisy got a look in. She's quite shaky still but a little better each day.

When I grow up

150 / 365 29/5/12

...I want to be just like you!

Pompoms

149 / 365 28/5/12

Yes I'm afraid it's alium again! I just adore them.

Sorry for the lack of responses and comments on pics at the moment - school holidays, massive work overload, Florida holiday approaching, dog at vets regularly... but I'm not moaning! Still managing to shoot and post a shot daily. :-)

Timeless fun

The lake where we walk Daisy (just 5 minutes from home) used to be a tourist destination, from the early 1900's thru' to the 1980's. There were fairground rides, watersports, a tea room and a restaurant and it attracted people from far and wide. Nowadays it's unspoilt with only a small community building and a few picnic benches. On hot days it attracts smaller numbers of people who come just to paddle, sunbathe and enjoy the view. Today it felt quite timeless with such simple activities making for a very pleasant Sunday afternoon.

Pant...pant...pant

Not sure about this weather, it's a bit warm for a fur coat and this bandana isn't doing anything for me!

Pesky midges

I find it really funny to think of everyone in the UK packing a whole Summer's activities into 1 week of good weather. We've been sitting out with friends until late but fighting the midges with incense sticks and citronella candles.

Alium

Those beautiful buds have burst into stunning spherical flowers - they have the most amazing structure - will try a macro one day. But today loved the shadows cast on the wall and broke my rule of not photographing flowers in direct sunlight.

Getting stuck into custard

Daisy's cancer is back sadly and even with 2nd round of chemo we're only talking about 4-6 weeks. Needless to say, we're spoiling her rotten, including letting her lick out the custard jug!

What a difference a week makes

My daughter's friends were very envious of her little Jubilee photo shoot after dance last week (umbrella in the rain), so I invited them to join in today. There's a real feeling of excitement building as we lead up to the Jubilee and Olympics - a really big year for the UK. The kids are loving it all.

Oh and the title is a reference to the weather' Last week cold, windy and wet, this week warm and sunny - proper Summer at last!

Doubly beautiful

I love clematis but hate that they only flower for such a short time. Anyone know what variety this is - lost the plant label.

DOFfy Duck

I ran a photography course today and was using this duck to demonstrate the effect of aperture settings on depth of field (DOF) - hence his name! This was taken at f/1.8. This duck had lots of colourful brothers and sisters that were also photographed at different apertures by the people in the group.

(We did go outside later and photograph slightly more interesting subjects!)

Perishing Picnic in the Park

Despite unseasonally chilly weather we've had a great time at the first of many Diamond Jubilee events. This was the school PTA Picnic in the Park, originally conceived of back in January when we imagined Summer would have arrived by now. But we Brits are made of tough stuff - bbqs were lit, corks popped and we got on with enjoying ourselves.

Flower or anenome?

Its correct name, so my gardener tells me, is centaurea montana 'purple heart', or a variety of cornflower. Either way, it's stunning.

Btw, I'm not really posh enough to have a gardener but I've done a skills swop with one! I photograph plants for her on line catalogue and she does my garden. Win win :-)

Did you do a double take?

Nic bought me this excellent travel mug & we've tricked a few people with it. With the lid / lens cap on it looks just like a Canon lens & we've enjoyed chucking it at someone & saying "have you seen my new lens?" They panic like mad trying to catch it, not quite believing we would throw a lens!

This isn't going to hurt...

This has been a very familiar point of view for me over the last three months. I'm on my eighth visit to the dentists in that period of time!

Quintessentially British

We are gearing up to celebrate 60 years of rule by Queen Elizabeth II and to host the Olympics. Lots of lovely outdoor events, basking in warm sunshine, barbeques, picnics... or maybe not if May is anything to go by!!

Ready to fly the flag!

We're going to be in Florida for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee so have been buying patriotic holiday clothes to wear on the day! I think you'll know we're British, dudes!

Tea and cake by the lake

At last the sun came out and we reached 17 degrees. There's a lovely lake 10 minutes walk away - regular dog walk for us - and on Sunday afternoons Apr-Oct they do homemade cakes and tea. I'm not dead keen on this pic - depth of field is too shallow - but it sort of captures the nice afternoon we've had.   

Begging buddies

Daisy is always desperate to eat any breakfast leftovers & Abi was quick to spot a photo opp! We were creased up laughing at this today and it was a no brainer 365 shot!

My other hobby

My two favourite hobbies combined here - photographing my knitting! OK, so some of you now have me pegged as a granny but I can take it! This is taking shape as a baby blanket for photo shoots with newborn baby girls.   

Peony III

The peonies are now fully open and just about to go over. I got permission from other half (it's his plant) to snip one off and shoot it indoors. Although it only flowers for a short time at least I've immortalised these beautiful flowers this year in photos.

Budding

This is just one of more than a dozen allium buds about to burst forth in our garden. Lots of photo opps coming up I think. The pinkish background is actually a brick wall completely blurred out. I'm experimenting at the moment with shooting on manual exposure and using spot metering so that I can eventually get more creative with light.

Still not too old for cute finger puppets

One day not so far away Abi will lose interest in dolls houses, finger puppets and dolls... until then I'm savouring and capturing as many moments as possible.

Ivan the not so terrible

Sam got more than he bargained for when he posed next to Ivan the horse today! And he got headbutted by a cow - that one ended in tears and a bruised wrist. Ivan is a giant of a horse btw - 18 hands high - the tallest horse in the world is 20.2!

Kids' Kitchen rocks!

The Kids' Kitchen has been working overtime again today! This delicious fresh cream chocolate roulade is the result. Can't wait to try some this evening - just a small piece, honest! Unfortunately the cake didn't look quite as good after the shoot, as the canvas backdrop fell on to it & squashed it a tad... oops!

Top Hat

Abi found some great head gear at the local farmers' market today. Had a few good shots of people at the market but loved this so much I had to use it!

Pomegranate

Didn't initially like the background on this - softened it off a bit in post and was happier. An amazing fruit!   

Burgeoning

This perhaps should have been the title of yesterday's shot! This is the same peony that I photographed a couple of days ago just after the rain. It won't be the last time you see it as I want to get it when it's not closing up for bedtime too!

Dreaming about the future...

An off-guard moment during a "bump" shoot today. Wonder what she was thinking about? Shall I shatter the illusion and tell her about sleepness nights, dirty nappies, never finishing a cup of tea? No, let her dream on for now...   

After the rain

This beautiful camelia bud in our garden looks stunning after a refreshing shower. It's one of those flowers to enjoy at all stages as it's quite short lived.

Rusty gatepost II

The other end of this gatepost featured in my 366 project a couple of months back. There's something about the combination of the blue and the rust, along with the textures of the paint and metal.   

Grinning from ear to ear

Today was a total washout & I made a spur of the moment decision to go to a local hotel's spa. Top choice! We spent 6 very happy hours relaxing by the pool & alternating between the indoor & outdoor hot tub. This was taken in the outdoor one, with the wind & rain lashing our heads & faces - wasn't too unpleasant, as you can tell!

Sitting pretty

   

Meet Albert, our garden gargoyle. The beautiful and much photographed blossom is already being blown off the tree by the strong winds and unrelenting rain of late. Albert is quite a cool dude, who sits by the pond, looking largely bored with life. I'm not sure he's too impressed with being adorned with pretty pink blossoms.

Snap!

   

I left the shot until late today as I'm feeling rubbish with tooth ache. I was searching for something to photograph when I looked across the room and saw Nic doing the same!

A welcome splash of colour on a grey day

   

Rainy horrible day outside so I looked for a splash of colour indoors and this iris fitted the bill perfectly. Just wish they lasted longer!

Nature never gets it wrong

   

A rather different take on our cherry blossom tree. These leaves have sprouted on the main tree trunk instead of on a branch and look great against the gnarled old bark.

Ladybird, ladybird - you flew away home!

Remember the pic I posted of a bug house with a "vacancies" sign (28th Mar)? Well, it looks like this ladybird has moved in! I'm not sure if he's inspecting the roof or climbing to the top in order to go base jumping!

Queen of the night

Just in case the title is confusing you... i set out to photograph the lovely purple Queen of the night tulips in our garden, but Daisy posed in front of them! I thought it was perhaps time for an update anyway. She's still having chemo but has piled loads of weight on and doesn't seem ill at all. Long may it last.

Caught in the act

I had a go at candid shots of strangers at the garden centre today. This couple caught my eye but I was rumbled straight away! He looked up at the wrong moment and you can tell he's suspicious about why I'm taking his picture!

Homemade eclairs and coffee anyone?

Abi and her daddy spend most weekends baking - Nic is sous chef. Chef Abi is easily a better baker than me! I'm simply the taster and photographer. These eclairs were awesome ("were" being the operative word!). James Martin's recipe if you want to have a go!   

Addictive Abstract

Took this whilst out shopping at the Trafford Centre (a mall) today. Anybody want to take a guess at what it is? It ISN'T... beads or lights. It might be something that you eventually ingest and can give you a boost!   

Cherry blossom is awesome!

Well here's the non abstract picture of our lovely cherry blossom. Strictly speaking it's not ours as the tree is on the pavement in front of our house, but it overhangs our garden and we've claimed ownership of it! Didn't realise until now that the leaves were spiky / hairy.

NOT sexy - just STUPID, SENSELESS & SELFISH!!!

I took this quickly with my phone today whilst out walking the dog at our beautiful local lake. It's a lovely place, with lots of wild birds, stunning views and I've enjoyed taking umpteen photographs here over the years. Why, why, why did somebody think it was clever to spray graffiti on the dock and all over nearby fallen trees??? The graffiti on the dock says "sexy" next to it - change that to uneducated, selfish, stupid and senseless.

Please don't adjust your set

Our cherry blossom is out at last! This won't be the last picture I'm sure as I adore it - the colours of the buds, the flowers and the leaves. Today's shot is an experiment and out of the norm for me - more abstract and a play with movement. let me know if you think it works or if it just looks like I forgot to focus!   

Fancy a siesta, deer?

I had a shoot with a family at Dunham Massey and I stayed on to photograph the deer. I obviously caught them at lunchtime as all their heads were down, munching grass. Finally, one by one, they sought out a shady area and settled down for a siesta. I had been there so long by then I was part of the furniture and they ignored me and let me photograph them quite up close.

Looking for a different point of view

We're always being to look for a different point of view - how's this? Any guesses as to how I got this shot?   

Fleeting Spring beauty

These beautiful snakeshead fritillary are growing in a shady spot at the bottom of my sister-in-law's garden.

"We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end." Sir Winston Churchill

These beautiful daffodils are growing in our garden after I finally got round to planting bulbs last Autumn. They are Narcissus Sir Winston Churchill and are simply beautiful. I felt dreadful picking some but wanted a simple background. Hopefully they won't flag or fail in their vase and will go on to the end...