Cats on Tuesday...

In which Charlie takes centre stage.

We bought a chaise longue on Friday (and there's something I never thought I'd find myself typing).  Ostensibly to fill the empty part of the living room, we also thought it would make a good prop for photo shoots.  However, that was before Charlie saw it, liked it, and decided to own it.  Good job I decided to put an old throw over it as soon as it arrived...

For more kitties visit Gattina's Cats on Tuesday.

Song-ography

Here Comes the Sun...

... and when that happens you really have to go a bit vintage and hang out with a friend.

Alternatively,  you could stay home and water the plants...

... or if you're like me you can find somewhere shady and refuse to come out until it's autumn :O)

The fab models in the vintage shoot pics are Lizzie and Eva
Pretty frocks provided by Sally Sweetlove
Vintage Planes courtesy of Beech Restorations

The church is All Saints' Church at Billesly in Warwickshire (allegedly where Shakespeare got married).


For more Song-ography pics click here

The Summer of Living Dangerously...

Only a few more days of my two week break to go, and I'm actually feeling quite proud of myself -because I have faced the summer!  Summer has always been my least favourite season; I don't like the heat, I have to put on sunblock whenever I leave the house, colours are too bright and garish, clothes are boring, and everywhere is packed to the rafters because the schools are off.  I usually end up not doing a great deal, definitely not taking any holidays during this time, and generally trying to ignore it and hope it goes away soon.  

I'd let the thought of the awfulness of summer grow out of all proportion to its reality in my addled mind, so I decided that decisive action was called for.

Guess what?  This year has been different.  OK when it's been REALLY hot I've still not done a lot (apart from watching the Tour de France - go Chris Froome and Team Sky!), but on other days I've pottered in the garden, had time to go into town and browse second-hand bookshops, and generally been out and about and actually managed to enjoy it.  It's been a revelation to visit places I don't normally go to in summer, such as Batsford Arboretum and Calke Abbey, and see the lush greenery and summer blooms. I've enjoyed hunting for poppy fields (with little success) and flax (slightly more success), have done shoots on a summer's evening in golden light, and on a bright sunny morning when we overcame the light by moving under a handy weeping willow. 

Whilst I'm on the subject of feeling the fear and doing it anyway, can I just mention that I TOOK SOME BABY PICTURES THIS WEEK! This for me is a major achievement.  I've never had ambitions to take pictures of babies, I just don't feel a connection to them.  However I promised my friend Helen that I'd take some of her granddaughter and so met up with young Laily and her mum in a local park.  Amazingly all went well -  Laily and I seemed to develop a mutual respect for each other, I avoided the mushy biscuit she was waving about, and I actually got some pics we were all pleased with.  

Yay me!  (And it's only fourteen weeks until Halloween)...

Cats on Tuesday...

A week when Ralph did this...

When Pepper hurt herself trying to jump onto a window sill and couldn't walk properly for a while...

... and when it was just too hot to do much of anything except hang about in any available patch of shade.

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

Scavenger Hunt Sunday...

Well I was going to do Kathy's Song-ography again this week but then realised I didn't have a clue what to do for 'Up on the Roof'. So the Scavenger Hunt it is then!

Camouflaged...

Yesterday we went to the Festival of History at Kelmarsh Hall.

It's an amazing display of 2000 years of English history.

Here we have one of our Celtic brethren from north of the border

camouflaged nicely in a wood.

He obviously didn't attack me because I'm 50% scots.

Nutty...

It's been far too hot here this week, it's driven

us all slightly nutty.

Here Charlie demonstrates this whilst

lying in the shade of one of my Japanese Maples.

Alike...

My absolute favourite shots from yesterday

involved Victorian riding habits and horses.

Identical...

Us about to be invaded (again).

this time it's those pesky Romans.

'Romani ite Domum' is what I say.

(Fans of Monty Python should

understand that) :-)

The next item is 'Jaunt'.  As I'm on holiday from work at the moment I've had quite a few over the last week.

I had a jaunt to Bradgate Park

on a beautifully misty morning...

I had a jaunt to the Cotswolds

with fellow photographer Corrie...

A jaunt to photograph a friend's new puppy...

... and of course

yesterday's jaunt to Kelmarsh Hall.

It was hot, damn hot...

Well it still is... and I'd like to thank Helen for going above and beyond in the name of friendship, by coming over yesterday and posing with the aid of scarves, a fan and backlighting in truly ridiculous heat.

Song-ography

Kathy at You'll Shoot Your Eye Out (if you've not visited her blog before, go on and do yourself a favour, great pics and more laughs than you can shake a stick at), has started a new photography meme based on interpretation of song titles in pictures.  This week it's Homeward Bound.  I took these pics of a friend called Lizzie at the end of June, does she look good or what?  We're due to do a steam punk shoot and a gothic shoot this year too - can't wait.

Click here for the link to Kathy's blog.

Sweet Shot Tuesday...

 

Yes I know it's not Tuesday.  Just call me perverse.

I got a 'grow your own sunflowers' kit for £1 from a local bargain store and mindful of future photo opportunities, decided to give it a go.  This is the first one to flower - yay!

Wordless Wednesday...

Before I forget, Kathy at You'll Shoot Your Eye Out is hosting a new photography meme starting this Sunday.  It's all to do with song titles - details here.

Righto, on with the pics.  It's been hotter than July here, no really it has. I only try and venture out in it first thing in the morning, and then only when slathered in factor 50 sun block as I have very fair skin and no wish to become as prematurely wrinkled as an old prune.  Anyway, I made a trip to the church in Elmesthorpe on my beautiful Pashley bike for some early morning photos of my part of England in high summer.