A Long Story

I had just settled into a good routine, I was taking photos every day, running several times a week, doing a lot of reading and things were going smoothly except my uncle was ill. Well he went from ill to very quickly more ill and then he died. 

Deaths have a habit of suspending normal service so hobbies took a back seat and life became a lot more about hospital visits and then funeral planning and flat clearing. We're a small family, everyone was very involved.

Now the funeral has passed and normality is gradually returning I will be taking more photos. I'm proud of my 23 days but I won't be trying it again this month, maybe in August. We'll see

Pink Flowers Ahoy

Raindrops keep falling on my head...

Pink Flower - Stokes Croft, Bristol

These Past two days the weather has slumped from dizzying highs to rainy lows and it's oddly cold for may so my pictures reflect that. Both pink plants in the rain.

Pink Fushia with Raindrop

Hopefully there will be a bit more sunshine so I don't fall into a macro/plants rut.

Until Tomorrow

Big Pink Peony

Today is brought to you by this giant pink Peony

Pink Peony

I'm amazed to have made it to 21 photos for 21 days and pleased that photography is back in my life again.

Until Tomorrow

Flowers Flowers

On the 14th I post this photo of a yellow plant that I still need to identify, I will edit when I found out, whenever that may be. 

Anyway, on my way to work yesterday (the 19th) mystery flower was in bloom.

Yellow Flower in Bloom

The star-shaped pods give it a desert feel to me. I'll see what luck google image searching brings.

Today, also on the way to work (I'm actually ahead of myself today) I saw this pink poppy still covered in last night's rain.

Pink Poppy

These are both pictures I took on my phone so the colours are a little off but I'm becoming more accepting of the quality.

Until tomorrow

One More

Additional Chafer photo. Tomorrow will definitely be something different but I couldn't resist this critter on the poached egg plant (Limnanthes douglasii).

Rose Chafer on Limnanthes douglasii

I find myself thinking of them like Cows of the insect world: they can look big and scary but they're not carnivores and the only way they'll ever hurt you is by crashing into you. Or maybe if you accidentally swallow one whole. 

Until Tomorrow

Chafer, Chafer, Chafer

But wait! There's more!

Rose Chafers don't tend to stick around long. If they survive being an egg and a grub (we gave about 30 grubs to the neighbours chickens: they have feathery predators) and make it into adulthood, they live for a few weeks, if that. So, although they're huge and unpredictable fliers and make a noise like a bug zapper that can really ruin reading in the garden - I like to photograph them while I can.

Rose Chafer (Cetonia aurata) Eating

It seems so odd that something so large and noisy would live off of such dainty natural sweets things as pollen and nectar but you shouldn't judge a book by its cover or an insect by its exoskeleton.

Until Tomorrow 

Rose Chafer Returns

I love summer evenings, they just go on and on. I've been for a run, taken photos, watched some tv and it's not even seven. There's still time to have dinner, watch a film or read a book. Time seems more plentiful when the sun is up.

My most popular post ever is this one about Rose Chafers. I assume it's because they're not the most abundant insect and they're not that beautiful so there aren't as many pictures of them around as, say, bees.

Today I bring you more Rose Chafers, Rose Chafers part two. I was photographing bees and I saw a couple on the Tamarix again. One in particular was very still so I got all up in its business. Getting disturbingly close to Rose Chafers so you don't have to.

Rose Chafer Cetonia aurata

I won't pretend I'm not annoyed by the stem in the way but I couldn't move it without disturbing the Chafer. 

As with almost all insects, the Rose Chafer is surprisingly hairy. 

I really like how the Scarab-like Chafer is offset by the delicate pink Tamarix. Tough exoskeleton meet delicate petals.

Until Tomorrow.

Lilacs and Ladybirds

I had the best intentions for posting yesterday afternoon, however now I am on top of it, here are the posts for the 14th and the 15th which is today.

Many Mating Harlequin Ladybirds Harmonia axyridis

Photo for the 14th: Some Harlequins in the rosemary. The bottom two were mating and this third little guy decided to join in. Not sure he knows what he's doing, he's facing the wrong way. He wandered off shortly afterwards, possibly lost. 

Lilac tree Syringa vulgaris

Photo for the 15th: I love the uniformity of the Lilac, everything lined up so neatly. Some of the best patterns are in nature. For full disclosure, and to show how far I go for my images, I'm around 5'4" and this photo was taken from the back of a human man.

Until tomorrow when it is Friday and I have some time to be be leisurely in my photography  

All of the Photos

Now, I did say that I would take a photo every day and I have been but my uploading has been slack. I get to work for 08:00 and these past couple of days I've been doing after work type things and not getting back until after 22:00 so both of these photos are smartphone photos and one of them I did take on the way to work.

Plant Identity yet to be defined

Photo for the 12th: I saw this in someone's garden on the way to work and it really caught my eye. If I'd have been carrying my SLR those background plants would be blurred into obscurity but sometimes you have to step out of your comfort zone and deal with the sharpness of plants.

Roof at Cabot Circus, Bristol

Photo for the 13th: This photo came about because I was in an environment (shopping centre) that wouldn't personally be my first stop for photography but that doesn't mean that there's nothing to photograph. This Armadillo like plated roof had some great lines that are often ignored. Always look up in the city, it's where they keep the good architecture. Obviously, look where you're going too.

I did get some very strange looks when taking this photo. Perhaps they thought it was reconnaissance? Just plain old roof admiration here.

Today is a bright day, so I'm going to both take and upload photo the 14th this afternoon.

Until then

Damselfly

Today I bring you this Damselfly. I've never managed to photograph a Damselfly before and make it look like anything other than a blue blur in the distance but today this particular (I believe to be a large red) Damsel landed on the rosemary and decided to stay very still for a while. Probably because it's weirdly cold for this time of year and that doesn't do much for the motivation of the cold-blooded. 

Large Red Damselfly Pyrrhosoma nymphula

If the weather picks up there should be more insects about these pages. They're one of my favourite things to photograph, I see something new every time I look at that green stripe on its side.

Until Tomorrow

10 Photos, 7 Pencils

Today I have officially uploaded ten photos for 'Photo a Day May' and it has been a lot easier than I thought, it's just about making the time, even if the time you make is 15 minutes. Today the wind has been a little ferocious so it seemed like a good time to photograph indoor things that don't move of their own accord.  

I'd like to try out still life a little more. It's never been my forte and I'd like to work on getting that glossiness without heavy editing. It's just a little too realistic at the moment.

Until tomorrow

Rugby and Alliums

 On the one hand taking a photograph everyday is a nice little bit of time out to focus (more puns) and do something creative on the other sometimes the day goes on longer than you expected and it can be hard to find time when the sun is still up. 

However, I do have two new images. The first is from the Clifton vs Dings Crusaders Rugby match that took place at the Memorial Grounds which is quite close to where I live in Bristol. My dad used to captain Clifton in the early 80's so there's pride and nostalgia involved. I went with my dad and my boyfriend and I'm pleased to say 'we' won, 
21-16, although I'm pretty sure the team could have done it without me. This photo is by phone, of the team wrap up/encouraging end of match chat. The lavender of the shirts isn't quite coming across but i assure you it's delightful.

Clifton Rugby Club Post Win 8/5/14

Staying on the theme of purple, today has been a little blustery cold but I went outside briefly and this purple Allium caught my eyes. Alliums have always struck me as being one of the stronger plants, the stalk looks flimsy but they just go with the wind and refuse to snap. That may have been a bit whimsical but lo, a giant flower picture.

Purple Allium

I am enjoying the lower apertures. This is at 5.6 so the Allium itself is all there but the whole background has been thrown into blurry green obscurity. Nothing to deter from all that purple.

I'm very much hoping for some May sunshine soon so I can get more photos of beetles bugs and butterflies. Spring is a good time for creatures. Until tomorrow

Photo a Day May - Day 7

Yellow Tulip

It's raining and blustery and unseasonably cold but there are big yellow tulips and lush green leaves to be seen. This was a quick shot but I love the colours, they have that overcast brightness that you only get when you're underneath a great big storm cloud

Photo a Day May - Day 6

The weather's been doing something very strange today, brilliant sun and then rain so I thought I might have to get creative. However, there was a Bee on my radio

Said Bee on Said Radio

I think it was looking for BBC stations...Bee puns

The light was fairly nice so a good chance to get up close and macro personal with a bee again. 

Until next time

Where in the World? Bath

Todays post will be quick. I spent the day in Bath and snapped a phone picture of a street entertainer juggling fire on a unicycle

Bluebells and Bugs

More May photos! 

In this post I shared some images of the lovely, giant, buzzing flying behemoth that is the Rose Chafer. Their chosen method of procreating is to lay many eggs that then hatch into larvae and are a pleasant surprise when you find thirty of them at the bottom of a flower pot. Here is one of those grubs:

Rose Chafer Grub

I love Bokeh, in theory, I love it when other people do it but personally I can't get my head around taking an image that is deliberately entirely blurry. I'm working on it, starting with bluebells. I may eventually get to the city lights/glitter/perfect desktop background but for now I need foreground

Bokeh Bluebell

Daily May

I haven't posted in over a year, I've wanted to but haven't. Insert excuses here. 

I want to make this blog more free, less 'SLR or nothing' so this May I will be taking a photo every day in May. I may post a few at a time sometimes (like today) but,  by the end of the month there will be 31 new photographs on here. Some of the photos will be natural history, some will be still life, architecture, people or toy photography; some will be using my SLR, some my phone. It doesn't matter what I use as long as I take one photo. 

It's ambitious but it should be fun and remind me why I love Photography in the first place. Plus it will give a little bit more of an insight into me and what I enjoy.

Close up Tulip (May 1st)

A close up of a tulip in my garden. I always come back to photography macro first. It makes me clean my camera like Lady Macbeth (where does all that dust come from?!) but there's nothing like it.

Lego 'Scratchy' Minifigure (May 2nd)

I've had a Foldio for a little while now and I'm trying to make sure I use it. I also love Minifigs and the Lego series came out recently.

I'll be back.