Monday Quote...

...'But at my back I always hear

Times winged chariot hurrying near;

And yonder before us lie

Deserts of vast eternity'...

 (from To His Coy Mistress by Andrew Marvell)

Wonderful poem (you can read the full version here), which is basically about a chap trying to persuade a woman to sleep with him using the shortness of life as an argument.  And here's a clip of Damian Lewis reading it (the last verse is missed out though - boo hiss).

Scavenger Hunt Sunday...

I admit I've barely had time to pick up my camera this week I've been so busy processing images (as well as that tedious but vital thing called 'going to work').  As it was the final week of Vivienne McMasters' Swan Dive course I thought I'd use this scavenger hunt as a review of what I've been up to over the last four weeks.

Yellow...

Something that makes me smile...

 Helen goes a bit Disney...

... and another for the same thing. 

The first cup of tea of the day in my favourite cup

 makes me smile (almost)...

Ancient or antique...

That's Richard III's crown (allegedly).

Alright it's a replica - but it looks old.

 Splash...

The fountain at Sywell...

In the sun...
Helen having a Grace Kelly moment...

Bye-Bye Swan Dive Course...

In the woods...

Cats on Tuesday...

The cats have been overcome by the pressures of the fame they have found on the interweb.  Kitties have been turning up at the cat flap asking for pawtographs, a lock of Posky's fur, or a smack around the head from Charlie.  Thus this week you may have trouble recognising them as they've donned various cunning disguises.

Posky opted for the Harry Potter with a moustache look...

Pepper donned dark glasses, 

but that saintly halo is unmistakably hers...

Mrs Pod preferred a rather cunning

vampire pirate...

Whilst Charlie is of course

just a cad and a bounder...

For more recognisable kitties visit Gattina's Cats on Tuesday.

David has a clone...

One of the tutorials on the Swan Dive course this week was cloning. I found that the trick is to make sure the camera doesn't move at all between shots.  After getting the images I opened them in Elements, placed one as a layer on top of the other and erased the top layer where David was to let him appear.  Would like to have a go at cloning cats next! 

Thank you to David who lurked obligingly outside the RSC for to help me with this experiment.

Send in the clones... 

(I know, I know...)

Wordless Wednesday...

The fabulous Swan Dive course continues... Below are three interpretations of the same flower shot that I took in a cafe on Saturday (and got some strange looks from the owners in doing so).  I love the freedom of just playing with the images to see what happens!

Interestingly I had a discussion with a friend at work who said if you alter someone's portrait through processing it no longer shows the truth.  I just laughed and said the camera always lies - you can make it say what you want.  Who is to say which one of these pics shows the truth of the moment?  And who's truth would that be?  It's all just interpretation... (thanks to Nietzsche for that last thought).  Heavy stuff for a rainy Wednesday morning...

 

Red Flower

Red flower - not so red...

Red flower with a bit of a leak...

Cats on Tuesday...

The cats are livid that I missed their regular post last week.  I had to promise to start working on a script (ha!) for a new Drama in the Garden as an apology.  

In the news this week... Charlie went to the vets!  He'd been limping for a while so I finally dragged him off to see Aga who asked me if he was my cat (as if I'd just drag any unsuspecting cat off the street and take him to the vets for something to do...).  Anyway, he was of course as good as gold and was called an 'angel', completely winning everyone over with guile and cunning (plus he didn't limp once whilst he was there).  Aga gave him some Metacam which seems to be helping (at least he managed to knock on the cat flap and then run away with amazing speed when I opened the door for him).  He's been going around telling everyone that he has an 'Arthur Ritis' in his leg - as if it's possessed and needs exorcism.  Strange cat...

And for no good reason here's a picture of Posky.

For those who want to know these things...

I edited it in PicMonkey (free online editing site, very quick

and very easy to use - go see it now!),

adding texture then removing it from the boy's face, plus adding frost and

an infrared effect.  Posky didn't seem to mind

although he did say the last bit made him itch.

For more kitty news visit Gattina's Cats on Tuesday.

More from the Photo Shoot...

A bit of a monotone break

from the riot of colour that has been my blog

over the last couple of weeks.

I love black and white...

Photo Shoot...

Charlie's thought for the day...

Fact...

(Text actually inspired by the towel holder

I have hanging in my loo!).

(Charlie inspired by goodness knows what...)

More photos... Bosworth Battle Field

Last day of freedom before going back to work tomorrow. I took myself off early with camera to Bosworth Battle Field (it's about a 15 minute drive from where we live) and had a lovely time walking around that beautiful place, with the sun shining, the sky a brilliant blue with big white clouds, and a freezing cold wind blowing the battlefield flags about like things possessed. Every time I go there I think I must go more often... 

The Swan Dive course is this week concentrating on textures so I took the opportunity to go a bit mad with some on a selection of today's images.

Blossom...

Flag and a bit of sun...

That quotation isn't from Richard III (or Dick 3 as we like to call him),

but it fit the image too well not to use it.

 Virtual gold star to anyone who knows which play it's from...

... and a bit of Robert Frost too

Monday, Monday.... (la la, la la la la....)

Almost at the end of the Easter Bank Holiday weekend... I always find it a bit of a strange holiday - my Mum died six years ago on Easter Monday so I have odd memories of it, plus add to that the variable weather and TOTALLY PATHETIC TV SCHEDULING and I usually just want to hibernate through it.  In my ideal world we would do away with bank holidays and just have days added to the annual holiday allowance.  I could then take the days off when I wanted so that I didn't have to fight my way through hordes of other people going to the same place I want to be.  Ah well, I can dream...  As David went out for the day yesterday I did absolutely nothing except read and slob about - not in itself unenjoyable.  Today we did actually venture out in the rain to Stratford (which was even more packed than usual) where I had a truly disgusting cup of coffee, and more importantly I BOUGHT A DRESS - an event so unusual as to warrant a moment's silence.

Not much in the way of photos except two swans not in the slightest bit bothered by either the rain or myself.  Plus a photo of an onion that I took yesterday when re-runs of Top Gear became too much for me!

More images from Swan Dive...

It's not about thinking you've always got to create the perfect image - it's about being playful, and experimenting, because sometimes that's when you might make something wonderful.  I read a lot of photo mags and articles about the technical side of photography and I use the techniques whenever I pick up my camera - but this course is making me think more about the creative side of photography - and it's fun :O)

Easter eggs with a LOT of edits...

Helen wrapped inside rainbow colours...

Charlie gets a bit textured...

This is the Feelin' Retro preset in LightRoom

(... did I mention that I loved LightRoom?)

Wordless Wednesday...

The Swan Dive course has started and I've had great fun with the first 'assignment', which is about going a bit crazy with post-processing.  I usually stick to Light Room with maybe some Elements thrown in for any processing, but I stepped outside my comfort zone and tried Pixlr Express, a free online editing tool (which is possibly more addictive than is healthy).  I used old photos and just did whatever I wanted to them - very therapeutic to not have to think technically for once...

 

Cats on Tuesday...

As she felt left out last week, Pepper wanted this week's Cats on Tuesday post to show nothing but photos of her.  She also said that she'd like the post to be sub-titled 'The Magic of Pepper'.  I hear and I obey.

A few Pepper facts:
She will be 13 in June.
She is the only one of our cats we've had since kitten-hood.
She is very clever.
She likes to hang out in the bathroom with whoever is in there.
She is a dainty little cat who uses her paw to pull single biscuits from her dish.
Given the chance she is a formidable huntress (although becoming the Buddha's disciple has thankfully lessened this).
She is a minx - she once rode down the stairs on another cat's back.
Her favourite toy is a plastic ring which she likes you to throw for her.
She is the only one of our cats that sleeps on our bed (for which we are thankful, as there wouldn't be enough room for us if they all did it).

Pepper shows her pretty profile...

This is her 'I'm too sexy...' look. 

And she'd like to point out that it's my shameful 

lack of photography skills that make her look

fatter than she really is...

The background is the furry throw that the very nice

Sandra (whom I work with) gave to the cats.

It's very popular.

Here's Pepper looking intense...

... and finally, doing her morning yoga.

Pepper appears by kind permission of the Buddha in the garden.

For more kitties go to Gattina's Cats on Tuesday.

Monday Quote...

Am very excited as I've just signed up for Vivienne McMaster's Swan Dive e-course.  It's all about creative post-processing, and I'm so looking forward to it.

But before I get started with that I will take a short breathing space for some Monday morning literary loveliness...

'Loveliest of trees, the cherry now

Is hung with bloom along the bough,

And stands about the woodland ride

Wearing white for Eastertide.'

(A E Houseman from 'A Shropshire Lad').