The Brenda Photo Challenge - Books and Reading...

A Little Light Reading...

I've written before about my love of books - I can't imagine not wanting to pick up a book and lose myself in someone else's world or imagination.  It has been rumoured that I actually become quite unpleasant to live with if I have nothing I want to read next (as if!).

Here are a few of my books which David balances whilst in deep meditation (which he obviously also learnt from a book) :O)

For more participants or to take part in the July challenge, visit: http://phototipsbyadummy.blogspot.co.uk/

Also linking to Wordless Wednesday.

Scavenger Hunt Sunday...

Patriotic...

Fabulously British
(and also fabulously freckled) :O)
(Thanks to David for taking this, even though
he was losing his temper with my camera!)

View from Above...

I already posted this but it seemed to fit well with the prompt.

Helen looking glam sitting on a tree root whilst

I took her portrait from above.

... and for the same prompt.

This was the view from above when David and I
were at the Hollowell Steam and Heavy Horse show
in Northamptonshire today.
(This is why I always keep my wellies in the boot of the car).

Mosaic...

Well not a real mosaic, 

more a 'heavily pixelated photo of

a ferris wheel against a blue sky'.

Now that's a real mosaic.

Taken at Fishbourne Roman Palace in Chichester.

The Palace dates to the 1st century AD, around thirty

years after the Roman conquest of Britain.  The mosaic dates

to the second or third centuries AD.

Something Tiny...

Raindrops.

Another repost from earlier this week,

but hey, if the JPEG fits...

... and another 'tiny' shot.
Here's a tiny steam engine
from Hollowell.

Vibrant...
A bag of vibrantly coloured sweets.

They apparently had to be eaten
quickly after the photo was taken
'in case they went bad'.
(Yes of course David).

Raindrops...

Let the rain kiss you

Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops  

Let the rain sing you a lullaby  

 - (from April Rain Song, by Langston Hughes

Cats on Tuesday... The Return of the Kelmarsh Panther

Those that read my last post know that I went to a fete with Helen at the meditation centre.  There we had a sighting of the elusive Kelmarsh Panther (Pod to his friends... if he allows them such liberties).  He was looking even less impressed than usual as besides there being a loud band plus gazillions of people in his garden, there were also quite a lot of these...

Yes that's right...

d*gs!

Here he tries to look 

nonchalant about it all...

... but gives up and takes to lurking

underneath a hedge.

Closer to home... Charlie's ears are much better and Geraldine the Vet says he's even managed to lose a bit of weight (much to Charlie's disgust).  He was very well behaved throughout it all and sat on the table purring (and taking an unhealthy interest in where Geraldine kept the sharp and/or poisonous things).  Posky was also a star at his acupuncture session, even letting Linda comb him (he went very silly in the process and embarrassed himself).

Here's a pic of Charlie and Pepper guarding their
stash of catmint in the garden from Ralph and Little Creep...

No idea what Pepper's ears are up to!

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

Helen...

Went to the World Peace Fete (I like an outdoor summer event with global ambitions!) today at the meditation centre with Helen and had a great time.  She asked me to take some portraits of her whilst we were there, which I of course did (even though I didn't have my portrait lens with me - see yesterday for more info, sob, sob).  Anyway, here  is Helen looking glam - see how normal she is when Cath isn't around?!?

Cream tone...

Colour...

Black and white...

I think my favourite is the cream tone - just hope she likes them!

Scavenger Hunt Sunday...

What a strange week...  the worst, most bizarre hailstorm on Thursday, my camera getting dropped and the 50mm lens breaking yesterday, those terrible fires in America... we hope that you and yours are all safe wherever you are.  (And just wanted to add many congrats to Ashley of Ramblings and Photos on the surprise early arrival of their baby girl!).

On with the Scavenger Hunt.  Some of these are from the archives, some new - it's just been one of those weeks.

Sunset...

Sweet...

The smell of lavender...

Sweet #2...

St Michael's Church, Warmington

which we visited yesterday was

very sweet...

Hanging around...

it's as easy as falling off a...

oh. 

Hanging around #2

Cath and Helen find a new friend... 

Hanging around #3

Proof that they really are out of their tree...  

Hanging around #4

Nothing at all I can add!

Funny face...

Did you honestly expect anyone else?!?

Space...

Sometimes y ou have to get away from everybody and everything,
(including your deranged friends)

and find your own space...

... and these were two of the

beautiful spaces I discovered

yesterday at The National Herb Centre

in Oxfordshire.

I could have sat there for hours.

Out and about (and my 50mm lens is no more!)...

Went over to The National Herb Centre at Warmington, Oxfordshire today (and isn't it great that we HAVE a National Herb Centre!).  A lovely place to walk around...  Just next to it is St Michael's Church which is a beautiful medieval building with a wonderfully rambling churchyard.

Here are some of the pics I took - including the last ones that my 50mm lens will ever take - sniff sniff... Yes my magical lens is no more... my camera was dropped (and that's all I'm saying on THAT matter),  but it seems to be fine thank goodness.  However, the lens took the full force of the impact and is now dead.  Before I became hysterical and had to be sedated, David quickly got on the interwebz and ordered me another from Amazon, which should hopefully be here by the end of next week.  I feel lost...

Is that chamomile?  It looks like it.

Love the light in this.

This is from one of the display gardens at

The National Herb Centre.

Onto St Michael's Church...
Tomb Detail...
There were quite a lot of
this type of angel on gravestones...

Headstones in the grass...

And a pine cone that someone had placed

on a grave...