Rays of Light

Rays of Light

Night at The Watermill Theatre

Spooky Willow

Tranquil Glade

Beautiful Swindon...?

Yes, even Swindon can be beautiful! Dusk blew me away this evening, 23rd November, 2014 outside Pizza Hut in Greenbridge:

Dusk at Pizza Hut, Greenbridge Retail Park, Swindon

Blinded by the Light...

Blinded by the Light

No filter or editing of any kind, except the signature obviously!

Yoshi

Yoshi

My good friend's bunny died in March. She was heartbroken because Yoshi was like one of the family. I did this charcoal sketch for her and she loved it, said it really captured him. I had to wing it a bit as I had nothing to erase any mistakes with but I think lady luck was smiling on me that afternoon and it turned out ok!

Winter is Coming....

Autumn is fighting to hold on but the red splash of berries heralds the approach of Winter...

Autumn

Winter Berries

Warm Colours on a Dreary Day

Warm Colours on a Dreary Day

September / October 2014

September and October were very difficult months and I didn't have the time or inclination to blog. I did take some photos though and even though I can't fill the gap in the blog index, I can share some of them with you! Hope you enjoy.

The Island, Mousehole

My Life in Shadows

Symmetry

Seasons: End of Summer - Autumn in the Valley of the Racehorse

Harvested Field I

Harvested Field II

Autumn Carpet I

Autumn Carpet II

Autumn Carpet III

Seasons: Spring - End of Summer in the Valley of the Racehorse

Spring Bluebells

Ripening Crops

Spring Poppies

Frolicking Spring Meadow

A Crop Pathway to Beyond

Summer Crops

Nature "heal thyself"

No camera? No problem!

I'm on holiday with most of my children & no dogs! We're by the sea, which I love but the mobile signal is so intermittent your phone goes flat much faster than normal because of the constant searching for a signal.

Thus it was that I saw a striking scene of a fishing boat out at sea that I was itching to photograph but couldn't because my phone was flat. After bemoaning to anyone within earshot, I had a brainwave! Who needs technology? I would sketch it. So I found an old cinema ticket and black biro and did just that. My son, who considers himself far too grown up for rockpooling like the others, added the sea, fish, shark and modern art.

All in all I'm happy with the result. The boat was captured and my son joined in on a non technological activity!

A Verdant Triangle of England

Verdant

On reflection, having passed here again today, the camera doesn't quite do this scene justice. The verdant triangle is actually full of purple flowers, which don't show at all, however much I tinker.

How would you describe me...?

I passed this flower today and thought it described me, not with words just an essence. 

Describe Me

 So if you were to use words to describe someone using this flower as a guide, what would you say?!

My Favourite Log II

I still love this log! I should really have taken the photo from a slightly different angle to get more of the cornfield in behind it. Perhaps I'll try that tomorrow. Excuse Barmy Barney photo bombing!

Favourite Log II

Summer Cornfields

This is the sight that greeted me at my "letting Barney off the lead" spot today! I don't think you could get a much more beautiful sight, unless you are by the sea perhaps. However, for us landlocked people this will do nicely. If this were Instagram, there would be a #nofilter because there are absolutely no effects on this photo, the scene is stunning just as it is.

Summer Cornfields

However, Google in it's wisdom (?) did an "auto awesome" version of this which turned out thus:

Auto Awesome Summer Cornfields

Without blowing my own trumpet, I honestly prefer mine! What do you think?

Cat's Cradle

I passed this today and it looked like the trees had been playing cat's cradle with their branches!

Cat's Cradle

Sunset through the Bedroom Window III

The sunsets seen from my son's bedroom window never cease to amaze me!

Guest Photo: Longest Day

My dad has always been into photography, maybe that is where I am now getting it from! I can't count the number of times photography books were relied on to be a good Christmas or birthday present (either that or cricket books!).

Anyway, recently he shared with me a photo he took at sunrise on the longest day and I wanted to share it in turn on my blog because I love it, especially as it is taken in one of my favourite parts of the country. Somewhere that I don't visit often enough but when I do, it is like coming home.

Longest Day

"Sunrise on June 21 st. If you look carefully, you can just see the sun in the mist to the right of the Mount"

Wild Flowers

I'm not one for gardening... In fact, anyone who knows me would say that is an understatement! But I find nature's garden hard to beat.

These flowers were at the kerbside. I'd been meaning to take their photo for several days but it's where I have the dogs on their leads so it's more tricky to do. I finally did though and it was lucky I did because the next day the council were there cutting them back with their big ride on mowers! They are the full size daisies by the way.

Kerbside flowers

A patch of tall daisies

More daisies

A field of wild flowers

I love this field, totally carpeted by wild flowers. This is the closest I have come to capturing it though and it still doesn't do it justice. It's the kind of place where you would expect lovers to escape from it all with a picnic and Pimms or perhaps even champagne!

Just hanging around

I was amazed to see these snails just hanging onto the plants I was passing! You can't see how windy it was, obviously, it being a photo. I couldn't believe that they could stay on while being blown around so much.

Hanging Around

All Good Things...

... Wild and Free

A Hint of Jamaica

I actually have some beautiful photos of Jamaica that I shall probably share at some point. However, today I passed a few of these (see photo) and they put me in mind of Jamaica. Maybe it was the colouring - red, green and gold - or a combination of the colouring and the heat. Whichever, it stirred warm happy feelings which can only be a good thing.

Red, green and gold

A Pure Heart...

... ready to be trampled...

a heart

A Pink Poppy!

Not only is it a poppy but it is pink too! What's not to love?!

Pink Poppy

Where I Live

It is only since I have had my dogs that I realise what a beautiful part of England I live in and how lucky I am. It's not perfect but it can be beautiful.

I live here!

Summing up our village - stables and St Michael's Church

Other Flora

I don't just take photos of poppies! Other flowers move me too.

Dew dropped

Purpleness

Just hanging around

Wild daisies, the big kind, my 4th favourite flower

Poppies II

More poppies! Well it's that time of year! Yesterday I was walking, head down, worrying, not being mindful at all. Then I looked up to see this! It made me remember that what I was worrying about hadn't happened yet. There is no guarantee that it will. What I should have been doing was admiring the view. There was no stress or anxiety there in that actual moment.

I looked up to see this!

Head and Shoulders above the Rest