The Enchantment of Winter...

The first fall of snow is not only an event, it is a magical event.  You go to bed in one kind of world and wake up in another quite different, and if this is not enchantment then where is it to be found?

J B Priestley

 

 

 

 

Processed in Lightroom using infrared effect.

Linking to: Outdoor Wednesday, The Paper Mama WW, Project Alicia WW, Live and Love Out Loud WW, The Weekend in Black and White

The Weekend in Black and White...

"These paper boats of mine are meant to dance on the ripples of hours, and not reach any destination"...  Rabindranath Tagore

Linking to The Weekend in Black and White... check out the wonderful images there!

In the woods...

The Weekend in Black and White...

Something else I haven't done for a while, The Weekend in Black and White!  These are a few I took this morning when I should have been getting ready for work.  The bottom two pretty things are from the fabulously named Marmalade Meringue shop!

Spices...

Heart Hanger...

Windmill against the sun...

The Weekend in Black and White and LEM Photo Challenge

'Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle,

and the life of the candle will not be shortened,

Happiness never decreases by being shared'.

Have a happy Friday!



To see some mono masterpieces visit The Weekend in Black and White

Cats - for no particular reason...

Posky asked me to post a photo of him because he is sure his many admirers miss his fabulousness if he doesn't appear at least once a week.  So here he is for his adoring public...

Posky

'Autographs will be signed later...'

'But I've got nothing to read...!'

And then because he was jealous of Posky,

Charlie had to have his picture taken with his toy.

You can tell it's his toy by the way he's completely

ignoring it.

Mrs Pod...

She wasn't really in the mood for photos, her

ears are sore and she has drops for them.

Still, ever the pro, she sighed a 'the show must go on' sigh

and managed to open one eye long enough

for this one...

And if you're thinking... surely there should be four? You're right, there should be, but Pepper decided she was going to be a little sod and run around like a dervish so missed today's photo opportunity.  I expect her teddy will be thrown out of her cot when she finds out...

Black and White Wednesday...

This is for Black and White Wednesday hosted by The Long Road to China.

This was prompted by The Daily Shoot's 'Use a window or door as a frame for your image today'.  Sometimes it's the simple things that make a difference when you're having a bad day, here it's a friendly cat asking for nothing but affection (and cat treats!).

Tuesday Photos

Tree in St Mary's Churchyard, Hinckley

Still-Life

The Weekend in Black and White and Camera Critters

This dove was keeping his beady eye on me as he sat on the bridge above the river Avon at Warwick this morning.

This is part of the Warwick post but I'm also using it for The Weekend in Black and White and Camera Critters.

Warwick

We nipped into Warwick this morning for a coffee and I took the chance to grab a few shots.  It was all very cold and grey so most of them seemed to look better in black and white.

Catching Raindrops

I'm not doing the Daily Shoot assignment every day but this is my image for the photo featuring water.

The Weekend in Black and White

I've used this location before but as the Daily Shoot challenge today was for strong converging verticals and I only had a few minutes between leaving work and meeting a friend I didn't have a lot of choice!

Go to The Weekend in Black and White for more monotone images.

The Daily Shoot

I've only just discovered The Daily Shoot, a Flickr group with over 1,000 members that gives you a photographic assignment every day. You take your photo, post it to the group, then Tweet a link to it (Tweeting is a whole new thing for me, I still don't have a very clear idea of what I'm doing or why).  I have a slight problem because of the time zone difference in that my day starts a whole lot earlier than the setters of the challenge, so there will be days when I'm not able to do it.  Anyway, I've done three of the assignments so far this year, including yesterday's (which is still today on the Flickr site!) which I took by accident.  I was actually trying to get a picture of oil on water yesterday morning (don't ask, BIG fail) and got frustrated with it so took a picture of Charlie and also of my cheese grater.  By chance the assignment was making something mundane and ordinary look interesting, so step forward the grater.  I thought it would have been insulting to cast Charlie in that role, so I used him for something else.  

And talking of yesterday... did anyone else have a weird day?  Our drains got blocked, I threw my phone onto the floor by accident then couldn't get the back to stay on it, then took it to The Carphone Warehouse where a bloke who now thinks I'm an idiot put it back on with no problem whatsoever.  Then at lunchtime I went to get some hay cakes for Ben from Wilkos and actually came out with no hay cakes but a black Christmas tree complete with lights and decorations for £5.  Then I made an appointment at the Vet for Mrs P for today as she has ear mites which I've been trying to get rid of for two weeks without success.  I came home from work, the mites have gone and the ears look fine.  Weird day...  Anyway, I digress, here are my Daily Shoot shots (eh?) so far this year.  If you're lacking in inspiration and need a challenge, have a go!

 Rule of Thirds... (This tree reminds me an Ent from Lord of the Rings)
I've posted this before but it fit so well with the assignment of the day I took
it that I used it for that.

Diagonal leading the eye into the picture (Charlie Big Foot here does the honours!)

A mundane and ordinary object made to look interesting

(those marks aren't mouldy cheese, they're where the veg

I grate up for Ben have marked the metal.  Those brussel sprouts are tough)

Black and White Wednesday and The Thursday Challenge

Wanting to get some photos of the last of the Christmas lights I set out with my minder (David - who was worried that someone might mug me for my camera.  Note the concern was for the camera, not the person being mugged...!).  This tree is decorated in Burbage every year, and just before Christmas they have a carol concert around it.  The lights on it have lovely colours, but because I'm perverse, and also on something of a monotone kick right now, I prefer the black and white.

You can see the original colour version here  

We then did a quick detour via Hinckley so I could get some pictures of the High Street at night.  you can tell hideous sixties architecture at a glance can't you?  Do you see that second row of lights across the road?  Well that building on the left is where I work.  It was originally a house and used to be owned by a nineteenth century author called Charlotte Brame who was apparently the Barbara Cartland of her day.  Trivial fact of the day!

For more B&W images visit Black and White Wednesday at The Long Road to China

More Lights images can be seen at The Thursday Challenge

Black and White Wednesday

I bought this gold ornament in the sale at Lakeland yesterday!  It's very pretty and the things on top spin around with the heat from the candle.  

Pet Pride

Ben said that the cats have been hogging the camera for long enough so he decided that he would be this Sunday's Pet Pride post.  This is him looking festive, sitting in a Santa hat.

Plant with Frost

Go to The Weekend in Black and White for more monotone images

Christmas Tree Bauble in Black and White

For more b&w shots visit The Weekend in Black and White