Saturday 31 July 2010

Shadowy



Carmi's Thematic Challenge this week is "Shadowy", so I've posted this photo which was taken in the winter, early in the morning, when the trees were casting their shadows over the frozen lake.

If you look closely you can see a couple of moorhens legging it across the lake!



For quite different shadows, I liked the patterns made by the old sawing machine, powered by the watermill at Dunham Massey, near Manchester. It was very dark in the old Saw Mill, very noisy, and there wasn't much room to move around!

Wednesday 28 July 2010

Garden Flowers



The roses in our garden have been splendid this year. That is, until the rains came! This pink one is a particular favourite of mine.



The lilies have finished now, but were lovely while they lasted. I am amazed the still flower as they have been in the same pot for several years. I tried to repot them, but couldn't get them out, and didn't want to break the pot!






The gaillardias are in a pot on the patio. They will have to go in the garden next year, if they survive this year, as they have been there a couple of years now. They are really beautiful, and attract bees and various other insects.







I love big white daisies. These are the shaggy sort, very tall, and the wind has now blown them over the twine holding them to some bamboo canes. I also bought a different sort of Shasta daisy. I didn't think they would get very showy this year, but they have exceeded my expectations!




Now all we need is a return to summer weather, and I can get out there and tidy things up!

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Saturday 24 July 2010

Close Up



Carmi's Thematic Challenge this week is "Close Up." If you can guess what this is - well done!



In case you can't, here is a photo of the real thing! It was one of those "Tower Block" puzzles (before it was all taken down!) I loved the pattern of the wood grain, and took several photos of it, the Black and White one being my favourite.

I love taking photos of things that are quirky, or make patterns, or interesting colour. So as this would be a boring blog with just the wood blocks....





I have put a couple of other things in too!

I have been busy this last two weeks or so with some work at home with a rather close deadline, but hope to get out a bit more soon, and take some photos and generally get a life!

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Saturday 17 July 2010

Summer



Carmi's Challenge this week is "Summer". Summer to me means roses - any roses, although cream roses are my favourite.

This photo was taken at Loseley Hall gardens in Surrey. They grow right over a beautiful gazebo in the Rose Garden, and actually have a gorgeous scent! So many roses these days seem devoid of scent - and what is lovelier than burying your nose in a rose and breathing in the scent of summer?

Monday 12 July 2010

A great Sunday walk



It was a beautiful afternoon on Sunday, sunny, with a pleasant breeze, so we took the dog and went off for a walk in the Teggs Nose Country Park near us. I persuaded Mr.G that we could attempt the very hilly bit, which I hadn't done for at least 6 years due to walking difficulties, but I was determined to have a go! The path is very steep to start with, though it looks flatter in the photo.




There were a few late foxgloves around, otherwise mostly bramble flowers, which the butterflies and other insects loved. Unfortunately they wouldn't stay still long enough for us to identify!




At the top (well, halfway up!) it levels out a bit and there is a splendid hornbeam tree there, which I have always loved, the trunk is so grooved and the branches look very climable!




We turned left and to prove I did it, I am sitting on a fallen tree that has been there as long as I can remember - (at least 16 years)



and is decaying in an interesting manner!



Along the way are little glades, where it opens out a bit. That is Mr.G trying to identify butterflies!



Teggs Nose Country Park is basically the remains of an old quarry, and there are lots of walks up and round it. The spoil heap is right above where we were walking. Quite safe though, plenty of vegetation around! I wasn't going to attempt the path up to there!




We joined the path at the side of the park, and there are some lovely views from there.



On a very clear day you can see the Welsh hills from here, but it wasn't quite clear enough for that!



The steps down are VERY steep. Why is it that when you take photos it sort of flattens everything? That black object halfway down is our dog!

All told, it was a lovely walk. Down the bottom are two big reservoirs, and I was shaken to see just how low they are. I've seen pictures in the local paper, but it isn't quite the same as seeing that the water now just looks like a little puddle in the middle. No wonder we have a hosepipe ban!

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Friday 9 July 2010

Family



Carmi's Challenge this week is "Family". You can find him at http://writteninc.blogspot.com/search/label/Thematic%20Photographic. No matter how hard I try I can't get the link to appear in my post. In the preview, yes, in the post, no! Never had this trouble before!

The photograph I have chosen is not one of mine. In fact, that is me, aged about 3, watching my Grandfather making a rabbit out of a (clean) handkerchief! It was taken by my father, who was a very fine amateur photographer, and who won several prizes and competitions.

I never knew this Grandfather very well. He was born in 1868 and was a man who managed quite well without company or socialising, and who had strong likes and dislikes. He was in service, as a valet, to one of the King's Equerries, and travelled all over the world with the Royal family. I'm sure he could have told us a lot about his travels, but I at least, never liked to ask!

Carmi's challenge made me think a lot about our family. There is so much I wished I had asked my own mother and father about their family history. And now I am the senior family member my daughter urges me to write all my memories down! I have started, but there is so much - once I think of one thing, then it leads to another, and another and another, and the memories become random and unreadable!

But I am trying. I don't know if my grandsons and their families will be interested, but it will soon be ancient history!

Sunday 4 July 2010

Dotty




Carmi's thematic Challenge" this week is "Dotty". I liked the way the steam from my bolognese sauce made these dots on the saucepan lid!

It was good sauce, too!


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