Some colour for the weekend

Wow hasn't the summer gone quickly! can't believe it is the first of September tomorrow. Do you have a busy weekend ahead?

Faces in the street

I took lots of portraits at the carnival, there were some great faces.

Notting Hill Carnival

We went to the Notting Hill Carnival yesterday, I have never been before and had no idea what to expect, it is such an institution but we have never got around to visiting. It was absolutely amazing, the streets around Notting Hill were full to the brim with floats and amazing costumes, dancers, people, everyone was so happy, so much laughter, fun, strangers dancing to latino together in one street and to reggae in another and best of all everyone was happy to have their photograph taken!

Coffee and a chat

Wouldn't it be nice if we could all meet up for coffee and a chat? This is one of my favourite places to sit and have coffee, here on my window seat. From here I can see what's going on in the street, at 8am it is full of the noise of little children and mothers on their way to school and from 12am till about 3am it has the occasional drunk wandering down it. I love to leave the window open and just listen to the sounds of London as I sit at my computer. I have recently joined twitter, I just don't get twitter at all, it just seems to be all about self promotion or disjointed conversations that you feel you are overhearing snippets of in noisy rooms, does anyone else feel like this or is it just me? what am I doing wrong? I keep thinking how I would so much rather meet in person over a coffee, wouldn't you?

Some flowers for Sunday

Happy Friday

I am so relieved it is Friday - what a week - it was results day yesterday for A level students in the UK, a traumatic and tense time for 18 year olds (and parents). All Harry's hard work paid off and he is now off to spend four years at St Andrews in Scotland (yes, where Kate and Wills met!), he leaves in three weeks so I am already dreading my baby leaving the nest!
Another part of the week consisted of going to the wonderfully trendy triangle of Brick Lane, Shoreditch and Spitafields near the City of London, there was so much going on, it is full of vintage and pop up shops, my daughter loved all the new shops to explore, I loved all the graffitti and the photo opportunities.

Soft pastels for Tuesday

Hope you are having a nice week, thought these colours seemed nice and soft for a summer day.

Olympic park

We had the most fantastic morning at the athletics on Tuesday. I managed to get tickets online and we had amazing seats right next to the cauldron which was in fact very hot!

The olympic park itself is full of wildflowers, such a wonderful change from municipal gardening you see everywhere.

This is the orbit tower designed by Anish Kapoor, it is rather beautiful, you can go on it but the queues were pretty long so we didn't. I am off to Hyde Park this morning to watch the women's 10k open swimming. I am so loving the Olympics, london is just buzzing and the atmosphere is so amazing. 

A first

My first sweet pea has finally emerged after a very odd summer of strange weather.

A quiet week

I had a fairly quiet week last week, spent far too much time glued to the television for the olympics, got a picture of my favourite place picked for shutter sisters elevate which was very exciting and I also turned forty nine! (that's me in the corner) I keep thinking I need to do a bucket list before I turn fifty but because I am a worrier I will worry way too much for the next year so I won't do that list, I will just hope that before I turn fifty someone will randomly say "what a great picture, can I buy it".....

Flowers from my garden

A few months ago I planted what I thought was white cosmos but now the flowers have come out I don't think they actually are cosmos but I can't remember their name, anyway, they are very pretty and perfect for photographing.  I photographed them with my new lens which is very exciting - I upgraded from the 50mm F1.8 to the 50mm F1.4 and what a difference! not only does it have a focus ring so you aren't moving backwards and forwards quite so much but also it is so much sharper. I decided to do an overhaul of my lenses and have sold my 100mm F2.8 macro lens online, it has always been my least used lens, I find it so heavy without a tripod and I can't keep still enough so it has gone to a new home.  I do now have my old 50mm 1.8 sitting on the shelf if anyone is interested and wants it, just send me an email.