24 June 2011

I have decided I'm never going to make up for the days I've missed...... and I'm going to start with a clean slate.......

So...... today I went to a friend's end of year Art show. She is an amazing artist.. and can draw things with just a few strokes and they are instantly recognizable!! Her show consisted of a selection of print work she had done... and this one is of my son Oliver, who she sketched while he was sleeping!! Not an amazing photograph ... but and amazing work or art!!

Thanks Beth.

(I've also included a self portrait of her!!)

Good luck to her as she goes on to pastures new and studies for her degree at BYU in Utah!

69 of 365 - 10 March 2011

A new garden centre has opened up locally, and it has some great art dotted around it, including this larger than life-size wicker gardener. I love it, though my friend thinks it's creepy!

68 of 365 - 9 March 2011

A Cricket Sculpture which can be found in the woods.

67 of 365 - 8 March 2011

I went to visit my friend for lunch... she lives by the sea, and there is an old ruined castle on the cliff top. It's not a brilliant picture, but I loved the lamposts too.

66 of 365 - 7 March 2011

Another picture from the trip to the woods. I love trees... here is an HDR rendition.

65 of 365 - 6 March 2011

I went for a walk in the woods with my photography class... I will be posting a few from that day. To sunflare, or not to sunflare, that is the question!!! My friend Sally loves it, but I'm still not sure... What do you think?

64 of 365 - 5 March 2011

Our dear friend Bill flew over for Dad's funeral - here he is with the twins.... they love their Uncle Bill.

63 of 365 - 4 March 2011

The day after Dad's funeral we took Mum to the Crematorium to see the flowers. The grounds were beautiful... full of spring flowers.

62 of 365 - 3 March 2011

The Day of My Father's Funeral.

Many friends came to celebrate his life and say farewell.

61 of 365 - 2 March 2011

This day I spend of a lot of time putting together the programme for Dad's funeral... and here is a montage of pictures I put on the back.

60 of 365 - 1 March 2011

Whilst looking for paperwork for Dad, I found a case full of old photographs. I searched through them looking for pictures for Dad's funeral, and found some good ones. (Will share with you later). I discovered that most of them are obviously from my Great Aunt (Millie) and Great Uncle (George) - the couple in the centre of the picture! It's strange to think that these pictures are almost all of relatives, but I have no clue who over 50% of them are! Though I do know theat the woman in the picture at the top centre is my Great Grandmother! I was also excited to find some old paperwork, etc. in the case too... including a birth certificate from 1847!

59 of 365 - 28 February 2011

Today was my photography class and afterwards my friend and I went to one of our favourite restaurants to celebrate her birthday from the week before! This is my monkey on my Kipling bag, sitting next to the place mat. (This picture has had a 'Glowing Texture' effect added to it).

58 of 365 - 27 February 2011

Today I didn't get a picture... but this is another one I took yesterday. I LOVE trees... In fact I am a little bit (read 'a lot') obsessed with them. Maybe it has something to do with the fact my maiden name was Wood!!!

(Main picture has aperture f5.6, 1/2000 shutter speed. This is an HDR composition.)

57 of 365 - 26 February 2011

Today hubby and I went to buy dads clothes for him to be dressed in. I saw these snowdrops and thought they were beautiful. I love spring almost as much as autumn! (Have given them the HDR treatment, but think it adds to their delicate beauty).

56 of 365 - 25 February 2011

Today we went to a surprise party for a good friends 30th birthday celebration.

I was late.... but made it there eventually! Was not feeling in a particularly sociable mood though!

Here's a picture of the lovely birthday girl.

My Dad passed on the birthday of two of my bestest friends!! I'll never forget the date!!

55 of 365 - 24 February 2011

Grandpa's "Little Bundles of Joy"!

54 of 365 - 23 February 2011

Today we went and registered Dad's Death and see the Funeral Directors (after eventually finding his paperwork following much stressful searching!) After we had finished we walked through the local church's graveyard, and saw this beautiful tree in blossom. (Have cropped and added a texture.... love the droplets of water hanging off the berries - like little tears!)

53 of 365 - 22 February 2011

This little creature, along with her brother, brought joy into her Grandpa's life, and still brings joy into ours. (This picture was actually taken the on the 21st, when we went to tell Grandma!)

52 of 365 - 21 February 2011

After a fitful night's sleep (eventually) we went to tell Mum of Dad's passing. I am not sure how much she understood in her state of dementia, but there was a sort of calming of her, and she said 'oh'. This was a view out to sea from the spot where we told her.

51 of 365 - 20 February 2011

Todays picture is one of a picture in the relatives room at the hospital. We spent most of this day in the hospital and Dad passed just after midnight.

The mood of this picture is sombre yet beautiful - the sun bringing hope and light and peace. I used to love looking at this picture when contemplating and resting in the relatives room.

50 of 365 - 19 February 2011

Apologies for the gap... lots has been going on! Sadly my father passed away on 21 February, so this project has not been my number one priority. I still managed to take pictures most days, and when I did not, I will post pictures from other recent days.

On this day we spent a lot of time at the hospital... in the evening we went round a friends for something to eat and to play a few games of cards. We returned to the hospital around midnight to check on Dad.

49 of 365 - 18 February 2011

Today hubby and I had a couple of hours free while the twins were in nursery. We had some light relief from the stresses of life by going to see Gnomeo and Juliet... an entertaining and cute film. Afterwards we had some time to spare so I could go and get my picture for the day! As it was a reasonable day (although somewhat hazy, at least it was dry and you could see some blue above the haze!) I decided to try and capture this local(ish) landmark... the old gatehouse to a country mansion. I have given it the HDR treatment!

48 of 365 - 17 February 2011

I saw this tree in the grounds of the hospital when visiting Dad the other day, but was unable to take a picture because of the rain! Today, the weather was a bit better... though Dad wasn't :-( and I was able to get a picture. There is lots of this fungus all up the tree. I love crocuses... and these ones are especially beautiful!

47 of 365 - 16 February 2011

Today we had a little bit of sunshine!! Hurrah. We went to visit my Mum this afternoon and were able to wheel her down to the seafront. Near where we sat there are some fabulous gardens to flats and I took this photo through a cast iron fence.

46 of 365 - 15 February 2011

Today was ANOTHER horrid rainy day. Even though I took my camera out with me wherever I went, it was too wet to even get it out. I saw a lovely tree with some amazing fungi on it at the hospital when visiting Dad, but it was raining too much. Maybe one day when its not raining I'll get a picture of it. Tonight I went round photographing things around the house and noticed my key hooks, which have gradually got fuller and fuller over the last couple of years. Not even sure I know what they are all for. Think I'd better go through them some time soon!

45 of 365 - 14 February 2011

I had week five of my photography course today and learnt all about HDR (High Dynamic Range). We went out and took pictures in the local graveyard(!), and then came back and made them HDR... so exciting... I LOVE the effect!!! This is my first ever go! You will probably be seeing more!!! (For probably, read definately!!!)

44 of 365 - 13 February 2011

The twins brought hubby and I some Valentines flowers (with the help of their Auntie) and this is them... played about with a bit! I love Tulips!

(I am finding it hard to find time and places for good photos at the moment... with so much time spent at the hospital visiting my father.)

43 of 365 - 12 February 2011

We went to an old friends for dinner ... it was lovely as there were also a couple of friends there who we had not seen for many years. It was lovely to catch up.

They had, in the centre of the table a red rose they had purchased in town during the day and I took a picture of it with my beloved in the background!

42 of 365 - 11 February 2011

Today was pretty much sleeping and hospital visiting my father.... so tonight I decided I better think about taking a picture!! I settled on a picture of a picture(!) I bought on my recent trip to my sister's. In fact... there's two pictures... and there's a story here.

I saw the original of the top Picture in a gallery, (it was larger than this print), a few months back when visiting my sister. I absolutely loved it, but there was no way I could afford it!

When I went back to the gallery this time I found a print of the same picture and just had to have it because it reminded me of the beautiful original I had seen! I asked if they had any more by that particular artist ... Eddie Mallon. They produced quite a few originals for me to view and I fell in love with the bottom one - it reminded me of the first picture in it's style and feel... though it was much smaller!

S0..... here they hang...... on my wall..... the bottom one is nicely framed and hanging on a hook... and the top print rests on the original painting, waiting for me to find an appropriate matching frame and hang on a hook!

(NB: Though I tried a few effects out, I decided not to really anything to this picture, because I did not want to change the pictures I love so much!)

41 of 365 - 10 February 2011

Another day spent mainly at the hospital..... Dad is doing a little better. My sister and I had a break tonight in order to go get something to eat, and I got this picture of the Cathedral between a couple of buildings when walking back to the car. (The second i-phone picture in two days!)

40 of 465 - 9 February 2011

Most of this day was spent at hospital with my father... he is really ill. I was there from 0430 and left at 0700 the next morning. It was a very exhausting and stressful 24+ hours. This picture of the alcohol lotion for cleaning hands sums up my day!

39 of 365 - 8 February 2011

Today was a beautiful sun-shiney day... for a change... so after dropping the twins to nursery we went for a little drive so I could get pictures... and this is one of the ones I got. Have played around with it a bit and used some textures I got from someone on Flickr called SkeletalMess. He has some amazing free textures for anyone to use.

38 of 365 - 7 February 2011

Today was my photography class! It was meant to be a photo shoot in the woods... but it was raining (surprise, surprise!) so we ended up back in the classroom. It turned out to be a great lesson... we just asked questions that had come up and learnt particularly how to do layers and textures.... as demonstrated in today's picture. (Taken in the grounds of the Adult Education Centre - the lock on a lichen covered old shed!. The texture is from a pile of old leaves and sticks on the ground).

Check out Sazzles shot of the same lock from the other side HERE.

37 of 365 - 6 February 2011

Today has been such a busy day, and I have hardly had a moment to breathe (well that's a slight exaggeration, but you know what I mean!). I have had many e-mails and things to do on the computer... so, in the absence of anything else exciting to take a picture of, and because of the late hour, I took a picture of all the windows open on my computer!!!

36 of 365 - 5 February 2011

Today I met with a friend and her daughter to go wedding dress shopping! Whilst waiting for them, I saw a shop which reminded me of my Mother. She grew up in this town and this is where she used to like to come to buy her shoes.... I remember going shopping there with her when a child. I love the big golden boot outside the, and it still shines there today!

35 of 365 - 4 February 2011

More car shopping! Tonight we had friends for dinner! I'd intended to take a picture of the new recipe I cooked, but forget, then I though I'd get dessert, which I forgot!! But one of my guests had seconds, so I made him wait until I was able to take a picture of his seconds!!! Have played around to make it a little more 'interesting'!

34 of 365 - 3 February 2011

Today was spent car shopping with my sister! What fun!!!???!!! This is one we took on a test drive! (Another i-phone picture which I've played around a bit with this in Photoshop!)

33 of 365 - 2 February 2011

We went to visit Dad today and I took some pictures of him. He was in good form today and was quite cheeky and amusing. His eyes are so like his mothers, especially the older he gets!

32 of 365 - 1 February 2011

Today my sister arrived home... with copious amounts of baggage. The twins were very excited to come to the airport with me to meet her. They gave her a balloon and flowers, and also cards. They are very happy to have their Auntie home! I love the rainbow in the holographic balloon!

31 of 365

Leaving Belfast... the view from the plane! Another i-phone picture... but this is of the iconic Harland and Wolf Cranes... known as Samson and Goliath!

(Not a brilliant photo at all, but a very sentimental one for me. I love this place!)

30 of 365

My sister's last Sunday at church. We were invited to some friends for dinner and the whole extended family were there... 12 adults and 13 children!! Delicious food.... and these were the desserts!

29 of 365

More of Belfast's amazing public art.

This has to be a collage I'm afraid... I couldn't decide between two pictures! We went out to dinner at one of my favourite restaurants... I haven't been to it for years, cos I didn't know there was one in the UK!! Tony Romas! Yum.

After that we went for a little stroll to get pictures of some Night time Belfast. Both these pictures were taken within about 20 feet of each other.

Picture 1. This is officially the Angel of Thanksgiving, but known locally as Nuala with the Hula, or the Thing with the Ring! Very difficult to get a picture at night... as it has lamposts in the most inconvenient of places for photographers like me.

Picture 2. 'Nula' is positioned at the end of Queens Bridge.... this is a view from next to Nula across the river.

28 of 365

After a VERY LONG couple of days with very little sleep, we spent the evening having dinner with some old friends. It was my first foray into Tapas... something I'd always avoided, because I had an irrational perception of it being oily and fishy.... and it was absolutely delicious.

Afterwards we went for a walk. Belfast has some amazing public art, and this is a picture I took in a mirrored surface of one such item. The top of this pillar has amazing lit blue stained glass and bronze sculpture of a woman ... positioned a bit like the women used to be on the front of old galleons!

27 of 365

I had a spare 5 minutes or so while my sister popped out, and so I took the opportunity to take some pictures of the nicnacs which were accruing on the Dining Room table ready to be packed up.

26 of 365

We had some brief respite from sorting and packing and popped to a local town seaside town ... I got a few pictures, of a lighthouse, a small castle on a hill, and a roadsign fora little street called 'Murder Lane'!.. I decided on this one in the end.

25 of 365

I have been away visiting my sister and helping her pack up her house for a move... but I'm back now! I still took a picture a day, but was so busy that sometimes I didn't have much material to choose from! Also, I had no access to a computer... but will try and get all the pictures uploaded in the next couple of days.

This is the bedside table in her spare room, before the packing all started with a vengeance!!! It suddenly got to nearly midnight, and I realised I hadn't taken a picture yet!!!

24 of 365

Had my second session in my photography course today! Running short on time, my friend and I were getting desperate for our shots, I more so cos the last two had been pretty unexciting. I got this one on the stairwell... I was drawn to the bolts on the wall all the way down, which appeared to be holding the tiles on the wall.... or were they just there for decoration?! Who knows!!!

23 of 365

Today is another i-phone picture. :-( The twins had marshmallows this afternoon, and had great fun sticking them over their faces. You can see the residue on her lips.... after this, it ended up on her nose too!!

Tomorrow will be a better/proper picture... hopefully... have my class tomorrow afternoon! And will see if my new 50mm f1.4 lens works!!!

22 of 365

Today has been a busy day... rushing here there and everywhere!! And each time, I forgot to take my camera! Typical! ... I've been carrying it around for the past 3 weeks... what happened today???!!!

This evening we went to dinner with a couple of our good friends... these are our desserts. They were DELICIOUS! (Sorry ... taken with the i-phone! Did a little playing around with it!)