Wednesday 21 September 2016

Cake of Sweets

Lizzy's cake.  Nikon D7000
2nd August 2016

Although a little belated, Jo made Liz a birthday cake today.

Liz rather liked the generous covering of smarties and chocolate fingers.

Pink and Blue

Kitchen Plant.  Nikon D7000
1st August 2016

Jo has a new houseplant in the kitchen.   The leaves are thick and green and it is good and sturdy.   The flower spike is super spectacular however.

The main flower stem is seriously pink, and the flowers are deep blue and white.

Very unusual.

Knock Knock, can I come in?

Nugget on the patio by the door.  Nikon D7000
31st July 2016

The chickens spent the day out in the garden.

They wandered all around, and even ventured onto the patio.

They even decided they might like to come into the house ....

We're going on a Deer Hunt...

Evening IR sky.  Nikon D70s IR
30th July 2016

This evening Jake and I set up some cameras and radar triggers to see if we could capture pictures of deer.

The cameras were taking the photographs in Infra-Red so that the deer could not see the flash.

We heard lots of deer; they were super noisy.

We did not manage to photograph any however :(

Sunday 11 September 2016

Taking pictures of the Dogs' balls

Dogs' balls.  Nikon D7000
29th July 2016

I had to crouch very low on the lawn today to get a close and low perspective on the dogs' balls.

I managed to take this picture, then was reframing for another shot, when Muppet came and removed the blue one :(

Avoiding a little prick

Bee on Thistle.   Nikon D7000
28th July 2016

I spotted this bumblebee today treading very carefully on the head of this thistle.

The nectar in the flowers must really have been worth risking a little prick.

Busy Snails

Snail Trails.  Nikon D7000
27th July 2016

The light this evening glanced across the bricks on the side of the house and lit up all the snail trails which are criss-crossing the wall.

In a few more years, we may have a shiny house.

Twisted and Green

Sweet Pea.  Nikon D7000
26th July 2016

The sweet peas are still growing well.  

Anything that gets close however, can get grabbed and thoroughly wrapped and captured by the mass of tendrils.

I had better move the tripod back a bit.

Not vegetable

Steak.  Fuji F10
25th July 2016

Just occasionally, it is good to have a meal which is not biased towards vegetables.

Tonight was one of those days.

Although potato, chips do not count as veg really?

Buscot Canal

Typha.  Nikon D7000
24th July 2016

We had a wander this afternoon along the canal at Buscot.

The path along the river section leads across the fields to Kelmscott.   There are stacks of willow trees waving their frond-like leaves over the water.

Would make a good wallpaper pattern...

Peck and Scratch

Chickens.  Fuji F10
23rd July 2016

The chickens have been released from their pen today so that they could have a good scratch around.

Hopefully their forays today will yield decent eggs.

Wet Ears

Wet Dogs.  Fuji F10
22nd July 2016

The dogs do like a swim on a hot Summers day.

They do not appreciate ears full of water though.

At least Xena has shaken some of the water off before standing next to me and clearing the rest.

Panda

Panda.  Nikon D7000
21st July 2016

Lizzy's panda had a wash today.

Just like washing a pillow, the stuffing has got a bit knotted and gone lumpy.

I am sure she will not notice :)

Poor Timing

Custard.  Fuji F10
20th July 2016

I made a little mistake this evening while cooking custard to go with the apple crumble.

I hit the wrong button and put it on for 3 minutes instead of two.

Much of the custard ejected from the jug, but there was a bit left, albeit lumpy.

Going Straight

Bananas.  Fuji F10
19th July 2016

I popped to the supermarket today and could not resist the bunch of bananas which contained to really quite straight ones!

They fit in the bowl better being this shape, but I am sure they will all taste the same.

Gnats

Gnats.  Nikon D7000
18th July 2016

Today is a classic Summers day, with plenty of shafts of bright sunlight tip-toeing through the boughs of the apple tree.

In one of the beams, the local Gnats were having a good dance; they pose a real challenge for the camera autofocus too!

Froglette

Froglette.  Fuji F10
17th July 2016

The contents of the pond are starting to make their way out onto the leaves.

This little froglet was taking a chance being very high up on a lilly leaf; I am sure the local birds were keeping an eye on it.

Hunting Nectar

Bumble bee.  Fuji F10
16th July 2016

The strawberries are flowering well still and this bumble bee was doing its best to visit each flower.

As it landed on each flower, its weight made all the stems bend quite dramatically.

I had a closer look around its waist though; it seems to have some passengers attached to it, which I am sure is not ideal.

Tuesday 6 September 2016

Colours: Pale pink

Pale pink.  Fuji F10
15th July 2016

It has been a while since I photographed anything specifically for its colour.

Today I rather liked the 'lilac pink' of the flowers on the mantlepiece.

Out with the old..

Library at Birmingham University.  Fuji F10
14th July 2016

I was visiting the University of Birmingham today and learned that their rather nice old red-brick library building is due for demolition shortly.

Shame, I prefer the look of the old building to the new one they have replaced it with.

Eerie Shadows

Shadows. Fuji F10
13th July 2016

The clematis on the patio has grown heaps so far this year.

I turned on the outside light this evening and instead of shining down the garden, it cast eerie shadows on the wall..

Monday 5 September 2016

One that got away

Stray Clove.  Fuji F10
12th July 2016

There are a number of recipes we eat on a regular basis that use herbs and spices in a 'free will' mode.

The game of go-fish is entertaining, but often there is one that gets away.

Luckily this clove was found by eye, rather than by biting into it.

Everyday Objects: Signage

Signage.  Fuji F10
11th July 2016

There are many items we encounter everyday in our lives that pass us by.

I was in London today and realised after a while that in walking from the car park I had taken a wrong turn and the underground station was not where it should have been.

Luckily the distinctive signage helped me out after I managed to stumble on the correct street.

Josta few

Josta berries.  Fuji F10
10th July 2016

The Jostaberry bush has been a bit of a challenge over the years.  I gave it a severe hack over the Winter and it has sprouted profusely, and it sort of fruited this year.

The fruit load is really not worth the effort however, so it may be the spade this Winter....

Black and Yellow

Blackbird. Nikon D7000
9th July 2016

There was a blackbird today that seemed to be spending rather a lot of time around the patio.

Normally they are very transient visitors, but I first wondered if this one was injured.

I decided that it was just vanity, as it flew off shortly after I took its picture and did not bother to come back.

Sweet in Pink

Sweet pea.  Nikon D7000
8th July 2016

The perennial sweet pea plant is now in bloom and there are a decent crop of pink flowers all over it.

I must remember to try to keep dead-heading it and removing the pods so that the blooms continue for a good time.

Sunday 4 September 2016

The first of the fallen

Fallen Apples.  Canon S120
7th July 2016

The cooking apple tree has lots of trainee fruit on it, however, the first few are starting to drop.

There is always a thinning, but the tree has always had an issue with 'issues'.  

I will wait a few more weeks for the fruit to ripen a tad more before I start to turn them into crumbles; there is only so much 'sour' I can take.

Nuts and Beetles

Nut and Beetle, Nikon D7000
6th July 2016

The hazelnuts on the tree are improving daily; they are swelling and developing all the proper shapes that nuts should have.

The local beetles seem to think that there may be future promise too.

All frills

Poppy.  Nikon D7000
5th July 2016

The veg plot is doing far better at growing weeds again this year than veg.

The fruit trees and bushes are doing well, and at least many of the 'weeds' like this poppy look really rather pretty.

If nettles looked pretty, I may not hate them so much, given they zapped me again today :(

Significant Wood

Wood shed.  Nikon D7000
4th July 2016

After a fair effort with the saw, the woodshed is looking well stacked.  Although the weather is still warm, having lost weight, the Winter may feel colder....

False, but feisty

False Widow Spider.  Canon S120
3rd July 2016

I have mined my way to the back of the wood stack now.   The wood shed is not empty however ....

A shine of the torch causes a scurry of motion as the spiders all look for new crevices to hide in.

There are quite a high proportion of 'interesting' spiders too; the false widows not only look like their deadly cousins, but apparently can give a fair bite too.

Luckily they do not have the venom content :)

Dusty

Moth.  Canon S120
2nd July 2016

While sorting out some more of the wood in the garden, I found this moth hiding amongst the planks.

It was covered in dust from the wood, even though moths seem quite good at making their own dust from their wings.