Sunday Challenges

I've set myself a little project for the month of August. Whenever I post a photo I have to process it through my Silver Efex Pro software. At the push of a button you have 38 black and white preset choices. It also gives you different type of film choices. The results would take hours in photoshop. It's so much fun!

Nearly as much fun as cycling around Bewl Water in Kent. Today was my first outdoor ride since twisting my knee. We took it slow but it was great to be out and cycling again.

Bewl Water

Creative Days

It's a cloudy non-inspiring day. I'm shortly off to my physio but got bored with doing the crossword so decided to have a play around with my new flash. Although reading through the instructions became a little frightening and I lost interest in it. None of it was making any sense. I managed to get it to remotely flash which was a accomplishment.  I think I need to be in a better frame of mind to understand the workings of it. Or perhaps just get someone to explain it all to me!

Linking up to Lisa's Creative Exchange

London City Farm

Whilst waiting for my camera sensor to be cleaned and in search of somewhere to have lunch I stumbled across Vauxhall City Farm just off the high street. I was totally surprised by the extraordinary array of animals I was looking at through the wire fence. Rabbits, chickens, alpacas, cows and sheep to name just a few. Just across the road in a small paddock were horses. I had heard about city farms but had never seen one. I think its a wonderful opportunity for inner city residence to get close to animals . Unfortunately it was closed today but I will certainly visit in the future to supported this wonderful project.

I'm feeling a bit woolly headed today!

Cissie and Ada putting the world to right.

Homemade Jam

Today I have been wondering what has happened to our summer! To remind myself it is supposed to be warm, bright and sunny I picked more blackberries and made jam. The smell of those delightful purple-black fruits cooking was enough to take my mind off the dull wet weather outside.

Textures Kim Klassen

Daily Reflections

Saturday I joined a London street photography walk hosted by David Gibson. It was part of the London Street Photography festival running until the beginning of September. Not a good start to the day with the heavy rain. Once it had stopped the result was darker tones and interesting reflections. More of the groups work is on Flickr/streetphotowalks.

Yorkshire Field of Poppy's

It's taken me a while to get round to looking at these shots. I played around with some of the presets in Lightroom which resulted in a kind of yesterday/punchy feel to the shot. I'd never seem so many poppy's and just by coincident a similar shot had also appeared in the local paper.

Summer Blackberries

We live next door to a empty property. The front garden has become wild and untamed, but there is some benefit. I have been greedily feeding off a large wild blackberry bush right next to my fence each summer. Over the last couple of weeks I have been keenly watching the heavily laden bush change colour and become dotted with purple bulbous jewels. This morning however, I realised I had competition!  I watched Mrs Blackbird sit on top of the bin cupboard jumping up and grabbing the ripened fruit. Lets just say 3 kg later of freshly picked blackberries and I was pretty happy. Now I have to find the time to turn it into jam!

A Conversation with the Churchill's

On the basis that my knee injury from our Mull trip is just badly sprained and nothing torn as first thought. We decided that a short easy walk and time enjoying the good weather was required. Close by is Chartwell, once the home of  Sir Winston Churchill. He spent as much time as he could here right up until his death in 1965. You can certainly understand why. With such interesting sections of different garden areas and magnificent views across the Weald of Kent. Why would you need to go anywhere else? Although this was my third visit, it was the first time I'd come across this Nemon Statue hidden in the furthest corner of the garden. I wonder what else there is to find!!

Taken with a LensBaby

Know One's Onions

Last winter I planted one of the vegetable patches full with red and white onion sets. Now I'm the very proud owner of an abundance of onions to keep me going throughout the rest of the year. A few of them did flower which resulted in lack of growth but an eye catching display and food for the insects.

Texture by Kim Klassen

Pond Life

I have two ponds in my garden. A new contemporary one built into the decking where the fish are and a very old one which we left for the wildlife. In the summer I can spend ages sitting next to the old pond watching the insects and birds going about their business. If you could have seen me trying to get this shot you would have fallen over with laughter. After persevering I managed to get the frame I wanted. I came to a blank of what type of dragonfly it actually is. I think it looks like a Darter, any help in identification would be warmly welcomed!