Spring must be coming!

Spring has to be just around the corner because I found the first snowdrop in my garden today, I am so excited, I spent hours last winter planting these tiny little bulbs in the ground on my hands and knees and today I realised it was all worth it. As long as the bunny rabbits don't eat the heads off in a few weeks time there should be a whole row of them.

Patterns and repetition

I have decided that the theme for February on the flickr group will be Patterns and Repetition. I love how looking at patterns and repetitions bring a sense of order, balance and unity and it isn't until we really start looking that we see how many of these there are in everyday life. It can be as simple as a line of trees, the inside of a lemon, rows of bottles, the list is endless so do join me, just click here

Friday morning

I disturbed all these birds sitting on the wires this morning when I went out for a walk through the hop fields with the dogs and my camera.

Finding inspiration

I don't know about you but I really do struggle with what to make for dinner, I have so many cookbooks but most of the time nothing inspires me and I long for someone else to make a decision instead of just answering 'anything' when I ask them. This wonderful duck is the lid of a casserole dish that we were given as a wedding present twenty two years ago now! I like to look at him and photograph him but sadly he won't tell me anything either so I still don't know what to make for dinner tonight.

Black and White Wednesday

I thought I would catch the last days of my one tulip in black and white today. Do check out other entries at the Long road to China.

Aspects of moving.

When we move I will miss walking through the apple orchards on my doorstep with the dogs. Some of the trees have been here for hundreds of years and produce endless different crops. At the moment of course they are all bare but in a couple of months the view will be a sea of pink when all the blossom comes out. I am currently doing a wonderful course by Kat Sloma of the wonderful Kat eye view of the world, her course is called - find your eye - and we are learning all about composition at the moment, I have filled the frame and used the rule of thirds.

I Heart Faces: Innocent wonder

I took this photo of these two little girls in the summer. I loved how they were giggling away and completely oblivious to me taking their photograph, they were just having innocent fun.

Do check out other posts.

Restoring order.

I like days like today when I have completed all those little jobs I have had on my to do list, I feel that balance and order is restored and I am ready with a clean slate for the week ahead, how about you?

Accidental bulb

I planted a tulip bulb in amongst my hyacinth bulbs by accident but luckily it grew and here is the result, a beautiful purple forced tulip. Also proof that you can grow your tulips indoors and have them a lot earlier than the spring!

wet Fridays

Rain, rain and more rain here in Kent, how I long for spring but there is hope as I can see the bluebells and tulips are pushing through.

Moving

We have made the decision to move from the countryside in the middle of nowhere to a busy area of London so the house is now on the market and fingers crossed it will sell. We live in a very old house and there are lots of aspects of it I will miss, especially my bathroom.  I love my bath and I have books all around it so I can reach up and flick through a chapter or two whilst relaxing.

Black and white wednesday.

Over at the long road to China it's black and white Wednesday. I thought I would finish my series of taps with the ones in my laundry so these are the last ones, I promise. I now have to think what to photograph next!

Ling Ling

I love Ling Ling's paws, she is the only one of my pets that doesn't run away when I approach with the camera!

Light

For week 3 of Darrah Parker's brilliant slice of life project we are looking at light. I love using natural light, I take pictures in the morning so I don't have to use a flash and if I photograph at night I crank up my ISO really high and switch to black and white. I took this in front of my kitchen window which is where I take a lot of my photographs as it is very light. It is dull and miserable outside but I always think a burst of orange is good for the soul. How about you? do you use flash or natural light?

Sunday

I haven't photographed any plants for a while, I have a lovely orchid so thought I would take a macro shot of it today. We are having a lovely lazy Sunday, hope you are having the same.

More taps!

I noticed I seem to be taking a lot of pictures of my taps lately as part of Darrah Parker's slice of life project. This week is all about rituals and routines.  My husband shaves every morning using an old fashioned brush and shaving cream, he always has done and I think since we live in an old house with old style taps, it sort of fits if you seen what I mean.

Ice skating

We popped into Somerset House in London this afternoon where they have had an ice rink set up for the last month or so, sadly only this one person was on it. Somerset House is a lovely old building and you can just see the reflection of it in the surface of the rink. I have never tried ice skating and wasn't tempted today!

Black and white wednesday.

The hyacinths I planted in pots a couple of months ago have now started to blossom, here is my first one, the smell is truly wonderful. It's also black and white Wednesday over at the Long road to China do have a look.

Rituals and routines

For Darrah Parker's second week of a slice of life project we have to focus on our rituals and routines. For me in the winter my ritual is always a bath at the end of the day. Do you have a ritual or routine?

Dusk

It was beautiful at dusk last night, the light was wonderful and we had the most brilliant night sky too.

Jack Frost

We had a heavy frost overnight and now the sun is shining after weeks of grey and everything looks completely different for the day.

Bed

As part of Darrah Parkers's slice of life project. we have to photograph things around our home that are important to us. My bed fits into that category, I love the simplicity of it, I only have white bedlinen and I like to pile the bed high with pillows. I do most of my reading in bed although I tend to fall asleep very quickly, I am currently reading a fantastic book called The London Train by Tessa Hadley. What are you reading?

A slice of life

Continuing with Darrah Parker's slice of life around the home here is a glimpse of one of my bookshelves, I  like to put trinkets on the bookshelves too so I have an old hat box lenses and various other things on here.

The simple things in life.

Lots of people seem to be talking about their one word for the year, I can't think of one word but one thing I am going to try to do this year is keep things simple.
We get a box of vegetables delivered each week and as I took out the contents I was struck with the simplicity of the message on the side of the bag - a bag of spuds - don't you think everything has just become too complicated, too technical? All I really want is everything in a simple brown paper bag with a label on the side, what about you?

Slice of life

I am participating in Darrah Parker's slice of life project and this week we are focusing on the home and photographing things that mean something to us. I look at this collection of cooking tools every day and I have used them a lot in my photographs, I get a sense of comfort and order when I look at them on the windowsill as I wait for the kettle to boil.

Partially seen.

I have changed the theme for the flickr group that was black and white in November and decorations in December, it is now 'Partially seen in January', this can be glimpses, fragments, partial views, however you want to interpret it. Click here If you would like to join.

Memories, dreams and reflections.

The wonderful Ashley Sisk is hosting the most fantastic challenge at the moment, she has given us a list of about 20 prompts so here are mine -

1. Me

Not great at seeing myself in photographs, I used a self timer and made sure it was blurry.

2. I love you

My lovely, patient, kind best friend, my husband Michael, we have been married nearly 22 years.

3. Still laughing

For some strange reason there is a llama in the field near us, I always laugh when I look at this photo.

4. Winter Wonderland

5. I was inspired.

Edward Weston is one of my favourite photographers and I was inspired to try my own interpretation of one of his photographs.

6. Spring Fever

Wisteria in my garden last spring.

7. Friends

My daughter Alice and one of her best friends on the last day of school forever.

8. Travel or vacation

Wonderful Morocco

9.  Summer Days

Alice at the beach.

10. All smiles

These little girls didn't know I was taking their picture, they were having such a great giggle together.

11. Autumn Harvest

12. Family

Our lovely dogs Hetty and Mintie are so much part of our family.

13. Lets do it again

Lets go back to Paris.

14. Dress up

Harry let me dress up his feet.

15. Holidays

16. Don't ever change

Even though he doesn't speak much and is a typical teenager he is still my little Harry!

17. Just because

It's a sweet dog.

18. Hopes and dreams

I hope to continue on this wonderful journey in the world of photography, I love this blogging community and seeing life through the camera lens. 

A new year.

Today over at mortal muses the prompt is 'resolution'. Although I wrote a few days ago that I hate making resolutions as I always break them, I have decided to make one, to travel more. We used to live in Sydney and in Hong Kong and travelled extensively but since we have lived in England for the past five years everything seems to have come to a bit of a halt, travel has become about going somewhere to get a bit of sunshine, not a chance to see different parts of the world and really explore. This is one resolution I intend to keep in 2011.