Planet Bobs

Another Three

2012-01-26T15:40:00.005Z

Getting up-to-date again!

24 - Spoon
Jodie decorated this wooden spoon when she was a child at school. The flowers used to be vibrantly coloured, but now sadly, all are faded. I still love it though - and it still hangs in my kitchen.

25 - Read
I loved the series on TV, so now I am beginning to read the books. I got this one on loan from Jodie, but I have now downloaded them all on to my Kindle, so I gave her this one back today!

26 - Corner
The corner of the roof on my barn, with the trees away in the distance.

x

Aurora

2012-01-23T13:31:00.003Z

There was a display of the Aurora last night, but clouds low in the sky prevented me from getting a good view. This is the best I could get ... just the green glow. And I shook the camera. :-(

x

Catching up Again!

2012-01-23T13:06:00.004Z

16 - Breakfast
While boiling my eggs for breakfast, I managed to catch some boiling droplets bubbling up in the air!

17 - Morning
I was up an hour and a half before this! I had to get up early to sit with my grandchildren, while Kerry took Simon in to the airport.

18 - Fresh
This is one of the flowers that is still quite fresh, in a bouquet I got from my sister before New Year!!!

19 - Rare
Inuit sandstone sculpture of a polar bear sanding over the body of a seal.

20 - Handmade
I made these three mugwarmers yesterday!

21 - Silly
The pheasant was in my garden this morning. They are really silly birds ..... this one spent ages chasing the blackbird around, instead of eating the food on the ground!

22 - White
Only one of my Little Apple Dolls has white hair.

23 - Time
Yes, it is dusty! :-)

x

In the Garden

2012-01-14T11:36:00.002Z

I decided to get some outdoor shots today - even though it's REALLY cold!!

13 - Layers
Layers of screen blocks on the walls of the patio - with bright sunshine streaming through.

14 - Pattern
The tiles on the roof of the house male lovely patterns!

15 - Brrrr
Frost on the moss and clover. I had to lie down on my belly to get this shot!

x

4 More

2012-01-13T14:54:00.005Z

I'm really enjoying the Image Quest prompts - and here are my next four.

9 - Low Light
One of the lilies in a lovely bouquet I received as a 'thank you' for knitting something for a friend. I love lilies!

10 - Float
This little rubber fishy has been mine since I was very small - so he is well over 50 years old now! He doesn't float so well as he used to ..... I think he'll need a snorkel soon!

11 - Vintage
In the kitchen of my vintage-style doll's house!

12 - Just a Part
Some of my favourite perfumes!

x

Oh dear!

2012-01-09T11:21:00.006Z

Yet again, I've been a bad blogger and fallen behind. So I shall begin 2012 with my pictures so far for January's list in Image Quest!

1 - New
New crystal cases for any DVD's I might record.

2 - Cold
The barometer may have said 'Fair', but it was very cold on the 2nd January!

3 - One
Last one! :-)

4 - The Street Where I Live
Not a street, but a main road between two towns.

5 - Beginning
Beginning of the year, beginning of the month, beginning of the word.

6 - On Your Head Be It
One of my summer titfers. I wish it was the weather to wear this just now!

7 - Crisp
The only kind of crisps I am able to eat at the moment!

8 - Boot
My very cosy slipper boots!

I had a lovely day in Aberdeen with Tim recently.
This is His Majesty's Theatre, with the statue of William Wallace in front. The sky was gorgeous!

We went into Yo!Sushi for lunch, where amongst other things, Tim had this ....

.. and I had this .....
Three bowls of Miso soup, with no veggies or tofu in it. Just the liquid. I really can't wait till I can eat proper food again.

We visited the Art Gallery, where I stocked up on postcards for my Postcrossing hobby.
Then, when I got home, I got them written out and here they are, ready to be posted!

x

Books, Movies and More

2011-12-28T14:57:00.004Z

25 - Reminds me of a Movie
"Carousel"! :-)

19 - Treat
A mug, hot choc powder and a cone of marshmallows and choc drops. Part of my pressie from Kerry and Simon - and definitely a treat!

22 - Love
A lovely polished stone from my niece Pauline and her hubby Mark. :-)

26 - Twinkle
This gorgeous little cottage, with its twinkly lights was from my sister and BIL many years ago!

10 - What the Dickens?
I took this literally and chose to take a picture of a set of ancient Dickens books that I got from an old couple my parents used to know.

x

Six More!

2011-12-24T13:40:00.002Z

14 - Up Above
There are loads of berries on the holly tree this year. It's a strange old tree ....... the leaves at the bottom are all normal holly leaves with spikey bits, but as you can see, the higher up you go, the smoother the leaves get!

15 - Down Below
My feet, as I took the 'Up Above' shot!

7 - Wrapping
Nothing fancy in any way, but it only gets ripped anyway!

9 - Indulge
I saw this in Tesco and just HAD to get a tub!

12 - List
What better list than the one I'm using right now!

21 - Candy
Candy canes hanging from the festoons on the stairs.

x

Peep-bo!

2011-12-23T10:39:00.003Z

16 - Red
Sneaky self-portrait in here too! lol

x

Carol and Angel

2011-12-22T10:32:00.002Z

5 - Carol
I found this old A4 sheet of scrapbooking paper this morning as I was searching for something else!

6 - Angel
This old angel used to sit on top of the tree for many, many years - but hasn't been used for a long time now. She is still beautiful though.

x

Cosy

2011-12-21T13:43:00.003Z

8 - Cosy
The candlelight, with the wonderful aromas of oranges, cloves and cinnamon, make the coldest room seem cosy.

x

Gold

2011-12-20T09:41:00.002Z

It's almost the shortest day of the year and the sun doesn't rise till after 9.00am up here in Aberdeenshire.

24 - Gold

I saw this golden sunrise today - perfect for word 24!

x

Four More

2011-12-18T14:19:00.004Z

Four more shots for December's Image Quest list!

3 - Tree
I received this tree kit from my dear friend, Sue Nicholson, and finally had time to sit and make it today! I love it! :-)

4 - Bokeh
I may not be the best at taking bokeh pics, but I really love trying!

15 - Santa
I got this gorgeous Santa many years ago and he is very much my favourite!

20 - Hanging
The wreath on the front door, hanging from a cute hanger from Pound World, which cost .... £1, of course! Bargain!

x

Image Quest

2011-12-02T17:02:00.003Z

I am taking part in a new photo-prompt group called "Image Quest". For December, the words are all Christmas and party related!

1 - Advent

I decorated this wooden advent house a couple of years ago and I really don't like it much any more, but it will do for this year. I think I'll try to redo it for next year. I made the little origami boxes and lids myself. Time-consuming, but very satisfying too! :-)

2 - Frosty
The grass in my garden was almost completely white with frost this morning! Perfect timing for today's word!

x

Today I am Wearing .....

2011-11-21T10:41:00.005Z

..... this!
Cosy knitted leggings from Primark, with knee socks and furry boots.

Look what time the sun sets up here in northeast Scotland. And there is still over a month to go till the shortest day!

Oooooh!

2011-11-16T18:26:00.002Z

I've got the Blogger app for my iPhone, so this is a test to see if it works!
Also trying to post a pic, so here are some more of my stones!

x

It works - so now I can blog from my phone. How cool!! :-)

Pebbles and Pumpkins

2011-10-29T11:14:00.003+01:00

Following on from my last post, I decided that I would try crocheting with crochet thread and a teeny hook for the first time. Well - I love it! So much so, that I cut off the woollen cover from that first stone (that's it at bottom right) and made another using the thread ..... and have done two more as well! I am LOVING making these!!

Hallowe'en is on Monday, so I was busy last night carving some pumpkins! I got a large one from Tesco ... and a medium one, plus three cute little mini squashes from Lidl - and this is the result! I am definitely no pumkin carving expert, but I am happy enough with my basic efforts!

(Lightning added for artistic effect!)

Jodie's Hallowe'en party is tonight - and I'm SOOOO looking forward to it! I'm very happy with my costume this year and can't wait to see everyone else's too!

Will try to get some pics up tomorrow! :-)

xxx

Crochet Stone

2011-10-16T16:01:00.004+01:00

Here is my very first attempt at covering a stone with a crochet skin - and I have to admit to being quite pleased with it!

(Sorry for the rubbish photo - I took it with my phone.)
I collected some smooth stones from the gorgeous beach at New Aberdour when I was there earlier this week, with the intention of doing these crochet projects.
They are meant to mimic sea urchins or suchlike and can be used as ornaments or paperweights etc. I made up the design as I went along and will probably try to do the others slightly different to add interest.

Non-crafty people probably won't 'get' this at all!

x

Swan-ning around

2011-10-10T19:09:00.002+01:00

Today, I went for a nice leisurely walk around Strichen Community Park . It's been a few weeks since my last visit and I was keen to see the swans and cygnets again.

There were nine hatchlings but now, sadly, only five survive. However, they all look very healthy and happy!

There was much flapping of wings and splashing of water by some of the ducks!

But one was just content to be calm and serene!

I went for an amble through the woods too, but I will save those photograhs for another day.

x

Jupiter Jumped!

2011-10-07T14:55:00.002+01:00

It was a very, very clear night one evening last week, so I thought I would have an attempt at photographing the night sky. This was my result.

You can see the Pleiades clearly over my sister's house ..... but look at Jupiter on the right! He jumped! My camera was set for a 30 sec exposure, on the tripod, so I have no idea what happened there!

Only a few weeks till Hallowe'en and so it was time to decorate my seasonal tree in all its Hallowe'en glory! Not the best pic, but here it is.

My costume is all ready for Jodie's party on 29th. Can't wait! :-)

x

Close

2011-09-01T09:10:00.003+01:00

The grass in my garden has long been overrun by moss.

See what I mean? :-)

xx

A Walk with my Girls

2011-08-31T11:37:00.004+01:00

Last week, I got to spend a rare day with both of my amazing daughters - Kerry on the left and Jodie on the right.

We went for a slow, leisurely walk around this beautiful estate.

Jodie found a huge old tree to hug! :-)

Just thinking.

I am truly blessed to have such wonderful girls.

xx

Angle

2011-08-31T10:59:00.004+01:00

One of the light fittings that illuminate my staircase ..... taken from an unusual angle. Complete with dust if you look close enough!

xx

Petal

2011-08-31T10:51:00.003+01:00

Last Wednesday was the 10th anniversary of my son's death. I can hardly believe ten years have passed, yet at the same time, it feels like an eternity.
He would have been 35 now.

My darling sister bought me a beautiful bouquet because she knows I love flowers.

xx

Early One Morning ......

2011-08-31T09:48:00.004+01:00

...... just as the sun was rising (as the old song goes), I met Tim and we went to Aberdeen Beach to take photos.
There were many gulls to be seen, but most flew away as I approached, apart from this youngster.
Just right for Monday's word - 'Single'.

xx

Studio Day

2011-08-22T00:01:00.003+01:00

I had a really good day yesterday with my daughter Jodie, who was modelling all day in Elgin, at Elgin Studio Hire .

She worked with quite a few photographers and I had my turn at the end of the day. Here are some of my efforts!

I had a play about during the PostProcessing of this one!

One of the final shots of the day was a funny one with Geoff, the owner of the studio!

I thoroughly enjoyed my day and met some lovely people too! :-)

x

Flicks, Food and Fun!

2011-08-10T11:33:00.004+01:00

Tim wanted to treat the grandkids to a day out yesterday, so I took them to Aberdeen to meet him and we all had a great day!

First of all we went to the cinema to see The Zookeeper, which was much funnier than I was expecting it to be. We had many belly laughs!

Queueing for popcorn and drinkies ..

After that, we went to TGI Fridays for food.

Aaliyah and Saffron had fun charging their hair with static!

After lunch, we went for a round of Mini-Golf, where Tim went round with Aaliyah and Saffron .... and I went round with Cameron and Kali.

Then we had a quick walk through the arcade ..

... before going to Tim's for tea, juice and biscuits!

We all had a fabulous day!
Thank you, Tim! :-)

xxx

Dear Photograph .....

2011-07-09T17:56:00.004+01:00

Inspired by my friend Sue,who pointed me in the direction of Dear Photograph , here is my first effort!

My big sister and I, out for a walk, dressed in our Sunday coats and hats. The radio mast in the background of the old photograph was in a slightly different place to the newer automated lighthouse, here in Fraserburgh.

Must be almost 50 years ago.

It's actually much harder than it looks!! It's fun though and I shall definitely do some more!

x

Pattern

2011-06-17T10:47:00.002+01:00

Another shot from my trip to the lighthouse yesterday, is just right for today's word!

x

Catching up again!

2011-06-16T16:57:00.006+01:00

Fraserburgh is situated on the north east tip of Scotland, where the North Sea meets the Moray Firth. Therefore, we have sea on two sides and they couldn't be more different. On one side, we have a glorious, golden sandy beach, but on the other, we have a very rocky coast. This is just a tiny part of it.

One of my many and varied balls of yarn for crocheting!

Perhaps not too tidily placed on the shelf, but in perfect alphabetic order!

My trusty hotty botty!! :-)

x

Steampunks and Pirates!

2011-06-16T12:30:00.004+01:00

My younger daughter Jodie , as many of you dear readers will know, is a model.
Yesterday, she was modelling a steampunk costume designed by Gaia Noir , with all accessories made by Jodie and Grahame, and arranged permission to shoot it in the Museum of Scottish Lighthouses , here in Fraserburgh.
Steampunk is a fashion genre, which has its premise as a vision of how Victorians would see Science Fiction!

Top hairstylist at Toni&Guy salon in Aberdeen, Peter Mellon , did the amazing hair!!

Official photos were taken by Grahame Ritchie . The pics will be on his page soon.

Reporters from our local newspaper, The Fraserburgh Herald and also STV Fraserburgh , came along to interview Jodie.

I was there as helper and to take behind-the-scenes pics ....

Peter, preparing to get Jodie's own long red hair tucked away.

Amazing wig, styled by Peter.

Finishing touches in the museum itself.

Posing for a reporter's photo - Jodie, Peter and Grahame.

Afterwards, we went back to Jodie and Grahame's home studio, where Peter added yet more hair - and Grahame took more shots.

Afterwards, another change of costume and it was my turn to shoot!

We all had a fabulous day and hope we all get to work together again sometime!

x

Three-Day CatchUp!

2011-06-11T10:46:00.004+01:00

Ooops - I'm falling behind again, so before it gets too long, here is my catchup for this week!

Wednesday's word was 'Old'. This was one of my mum's favourite ornaments and now I treasure him too.

Thursday' word was 'Round'. This is a hole at the bottom of Irene and Zander's turbine.

Yesterday's word was 'Wooden'. I am in the middle of renovating one of the chairs that beonged to my mum and dad when they got married, almost 60 years ago. I have sanded down most of it using an electric palm sander, but I am having to do the rest with good old-fashioned sandpaper and elbow grease!

x

Small

2011-06-07T09:53:00.003+01:00

These are very small ...... for now! Just one row of tiny carrot plants in Irene and Zander's garden.

Yesterday, I mowed the grass and strimmed almost all the edges, then I sprayed one of the patios with weedkiller. I bought a large size, pump action canister, with an attached spray wand to do the deed - and while it was very easy to apply, there wasn't quite enough to do the whole patio, so I used another sort, which I had in the garage, to finish it off.
Only problem now is that I don't have the cash to buy more weekdiller - but the other patio and the paths really need doing. :-(

Oh well!

x

Tall

2011-06-06T13:12:00.004+01:00

The tallest thing I could think of for today, was my sister and brother-in-law's wind turbine.
It is actually SO tall, that this pic really doesn't capture its height!

I bought a big container of Round-Up weedkiller yesterday. The weeds are slowly (well, quickly really!) taking over the patio and paths ..... and digging them out from between the paving slabs doesn't seem to get rid of them effectively. So that's my next job - finding the time and the weather for waging war on my weeds.
I also bought a tin of woodstain for the garden benches, because they didn't get done last year and are looking a bit worse for wear. I'm hoping to get them done this week sometime too. :-)

x

Door

2011-06-03T17:18:00.003+01:00

Today's word is 'Door'. I spent some time photographing my barn door, but I couldn't get the shot I wanted, then I walked round behind the barn and saw this ....

It's the old Little Tykes wendy house that my grandchildren and my sister's grandchildren played with until they got too big for it. It lies there, abandoned and fading - but was perfect for my shot today!

x

Motion

2011-06-02T13:04:00.003+01:00

I have had such problems this morning, trying to capture a satisfactory 'Motion' photograph!

I went to the end of our drive and waited on the verge for some traffic to pass by and tried to take a one or two second exposure to catch their trails, but it is such a gloriously bright and sunny day, that even with the ISO down as low as it goes, I just ended up with a white screen. :-(

In the end I used the 'SlowShutter' app on my iPhone and took this one of myself!

It kind of looks like a triple exposure, but isn't.

Remind me not to choose such a difficult word next time! lol

x

Candid

2011-06-01T10:22:00.003+01:00

Shooting photographs 'from the hip' isn't as easy as it sounds, as I found out whilst walking through the British Museum recently. However, it is fun because you never know what you're going to end up with.

Here's one of my efforts for today's prompt.

x

Water

2011-05-31T10:13:00.002+01:00

I took this picture of one of the fountains in London's Regent's Park last weekend.
I think it's jut right for today's prompt, 'Water'.

x

London, baby!

2011-05-30T16:04:00.006+01:00

Kerry and I had a lovely weekend in London, with the Saturday being spent at the wedding blessing and party of Ciaran and Peta, in Ealing and Chiswick.

At Aberdeen railway station, just about to catch the train to London.

Mmmmmm - breakfast! We actually got through one bottle of Buck's Fizz and two other bottles of bubbly on the way down!

King's Cross Tube, en route to our hotel.

Checking in ....

In the Cambridge Bar, beside The Palace Theatre, just before we went to see 'Pricilla, Queen of the Desert'. Fabulous show!!!!

Back at the hotel. I managed to catch both of us (by accident!) in this shot.

Next morning, we had a wonderful stroll down the road past Mme. Tussaud's and the old Planetarium, up Baker Street and then back to the hotel through Regent's Park. What a great way to spend a Saturday morning in London. It was fabulous.

In the afternoon, we made our way to Ealing Abbey for the blessing.

Followed by a reception at The Union in Chiswick. The weather was glorious, as you can see!

Next day, we only had a few hours till we caught the train home, so we spent them at the British Museum, of course!

On the train back to good old Scotland!

We had a great weekend and we are planning another one sometime next year, but with Jodie too! :-)

x

Royal Wedding Tea Party

2011-05-30T15:56:00.003+01:00

Kerry and Simon held a wee Royal Wedding Tea Party to celebrate the marriage of Wills and Kate. We wore hats and tiaras and we even had tea from a proper china teapot, cups and saucers - with cupcakes served onb a china cake stand!

Easter

2011-05-30T15:34:00.002+01:00

Easter is long gone, but I didn't blog it, so here are some pics from our Easter Egg Hunt and buffet!

x

Our Space and Sports Day!

2011-05-30T13:52:00.007+01:00

I am ashamed to admit that I haven't played along with Our Space for weeks and weeks, but here is my shot for today's prompt, which is 'Monochrome'.

Today was sports day at my three granddaughters' school. Saffron won her skipping race for the second year in a row - but I think they all had fun!

I shall be trying to upload a bit of a photo catch-up over the next few days!

x

Supermoon!

2011-03-20T10:50:00.002Z

Last night, the moon came closer to Earth than it has for two decades, making it appear larger and brighter than normal. I was really hoping to get a shot at moonrise, but sadly clouds scuppered that idea.

However, after midnight, the clouds cleared and I managed to get this shot, which I am using as my SOS for this week!

My SF4A shot is this pic, taken on my iPhone, of just a small part of the beautiful beach here in Fraserburgh.

Finally, here are me and my sister! :-)

xxx

Catch-Up and More

2011-03-17T16:37:00.004Z

Lid. My favourite teapot.

Under. Various chimes and dreamcatchers hanging from the frame of the front door.

Carved. Wooden balls hanging round one mast of a twin-masted wooden ship, berthed in Fraserburgh harbour just now.

Key(s). My collection of old keys. And one Tinkerbell!

I went to the harbour this morning. I saw these sights.

Click on an image for a better view!

xxx

Sharp

2011-03-09T13:50:00.006Z

My battery packs died in my DSLR as I tried to take a shot this morning, so this is the iPhone version ...... which sucks! The focus is on the background - which is sharp - instead of the scalpel blade - which is actually VERY sharp, but out of focus! lol Hey-ho! :-)

Another gratuitous shot of one of my fabulous Little Apple Dolls, just because!

It definitely seems that the iPhone doesn't DO close-ups!

My pancakes turned out ok. Certainly not perfect, but they were only made for me, so I didn't mind! :-)

xxx

Hand

2011-03-08T12:11:00.004Z

My hand. When did it get so old?

Today is Pancake Tuesday here in the UK. Now, I haven't made pancakes since my kids were small, but I'm going to attempt them again for myself tonight!
Hope they don't turn out to be an unmitigated disaster!

I will take pics and try to put them here tomorrow!

xxx

Mirror, Mirror

2011-03-07T16:21:00.002Z

I finished that baby shawl a few days ago ...

.... and finished another one too .....

.... and have started a third! No babies in the family on the horizon though - I just love crocheting them. I wish I could take credit for the lovely patterns, but they were bought from a seller on eBay, who makes them up herself. Oh, that I should be so talented!

I made more bread and sat watching the birdies at my feeders, while enjoying a couple of slices with butter, accompanied by a lovely mug of tea!

As I was watching, a beautiful pheasant cock strolled by to forage for dropped seeds!

So finally for today, the prompt is 'Mirror'. This Charles Rennie Mackintosh-inspired one hangs beside the front door.

xxx

Aurora Borealis

2011-03-01T22:02:00.004Z

The Northern Lights were shining for a while this evening! We haven't had a decent display for a few years, so it was great to see them again.

I have never really tried photographing them before, but tonight I decided to have a go and here are some of the results! Click on them for a better view.

I'm pretty pleased with them! :-)

xxx

Happy Birthday, Baby!

2011-03-01T15:38:00.003Z

Thirty years ago today, my third and last child - and second daughter - made her debut into this beautiful world.

Today, I shared a precious couple of hours with her, just the two of us, at the Broch beach.

Happy birthday, Jodie. I love you beyond telling.

xxx

Bad Blogger, yet again!

2011-02-26T16:37:00.003Z

I've been sucked in by the heady world of the iPhone and have been doing very little 'proper' DSLR photography. Instagram especially is very addictive and I have taken loads of pics using it.

Here are a few, taken over the past couple of weeks or so.

Jodie modelling for a lighting course I was taking part it. This was at the fab Elgin Studio Hire , on Sunday 20th Feb.

The Museum of Scottish Lighthouses , in Fraserburgh. This is where I buy many of my postcards for Postcrossing.

Kinnaird Head lighthouse, was the first official lighthouse in Scotland - and the only one to have been converted from its former use as a castle. This gorgeous building used to warn passing ships about the rocky headland at the entrance to Fraserburgh. Sadly however, it is now decommissioned and has been replace with a tiny (and ugly) automated one. BUT .... the lighthouse itself now forms part of the museum and guided tours take you right up to the walkway around the outside of the lantern. The views over the town and harbour are worth the climb! :-)

It's getting towards the end of February and at 5.00pm, the sun still hadn't set!

Old Aberdeen is a gorgeous area. St. Machar Cathedral is not particularly pretty, but the gravestones in the churchyard are fascinating. One of the old graveslabs even has fossils in it!

A cloud at sunset, doing a passable impression of a UFO!

Kerry, Rhona, Jennifer and I were at a Quiz Night yesterday. We called ourselves The Pussycat Trolls and finished in the acceptable position of 6th out of 15 teams, in what was a VERY hard quiz!
L to R: Kerry, Rhona and Jennifer.

I am in the middle of crocheting a baby shawl at the moment.

Finally, I read this morning about this idea for journalling and decided to give it a go!
You can find the tutorial and the principle of it all, here .

This is the longest blogpost I've done for a long time!! :-)

xxx

USA

2011-02-07T12:34:00.002Z

What could depict the USA more than apple pie? :-)

I have to own up and confess that I stole this image from a web page, then added an Instagram filter. Yes, I cheated! lol

xxx

instagr.am

2011-02-06T15:52:00.001Z

I have finally got an iPhone and I love it so much already! :-)

One of the apps I downloaded is called 'Instagram' and it's just fab. This is a pic I took a few minutes ago - showing my second attempt at baking bread. I tried yesterday, but didn't leave it to rise for long enough, so the finished bread was heavy and stodgy. I haven't sliced into this one yet, but it looks much better than yesterday's!
instagr.am

Ahhhh - it looks as though Instagram only publishes a link to the pic - not the pic itsef. Oh well!

xxx

Glass

2011-01-27T15:09:00.003Z

Glass.
This little glass angel was part of a Christmas gift I received this Christmas - and she is just right for today's word.

I'm having a bit of a hard time with my mouth after getting the two teeth taken out on Monday. The bottom socket has got an infection and I'm now resorting to having to take antibiotics. I'm feeling quite under the weather, but hopefully will be back to normal very soon!

xxx

Sweet

2011-01-26T13:22:00.002Z

What could be sweeter than sugar!
Caster and Granulated

xxx

Cold and Time

2011-01-25T15:03:00.002Z

'Cold'.
Hmmmmmm - I think it's about time I defrosted my freezer again!

'Time'.

Yesterday, I had two more teeth extracted, taking me further along the path to my goal of getting rid of them all. I've been having trouble with my teeth (teeth breaking and crumbling, getting numerous abscesses etc) for years now and finally decided that enough was enough.
It was the turn of the last of my molars yesterday and oh my, they really did not want to come out. None of the other molars were too difficult, but these two took the dentist 40 minutes of struggling before they relinquished their grip. I was ok while it was all going on, but today, my mouth and jaw are definitely feeling the ill effects of all those struggles.

My next appointment isn't until 21st February, so it will have plenty of time to heal before then.

xxx

Pink and Mulitcoloured

2011-01-21T14:32:00.003Z

Yesterday's word was 'Pink' and this bag fits the bill!

It's my happy bag because it has a big smile! lol This is the bag that I take my crochet stuff in when I am babysitting.

Speaking of crochet - today's word is 'Multicoloured' and this is some of my yarn stash!

xxx

Yellow

2011-01-19T13:13:00.003Z

I was writing some Postcrossing postcards today and I always highlight the ID number, using this ....

Perfect for today! :-)

xxx

White

2011-01-18T11:47:00.002Z

White would have been easy a week or so ago, what with all the snow still lying around up here!
I'm not complaining that it's all gone though ..... at least for now!

So, with no snow to photograph, I took this instead. The only one of my Little Apple Dolls to have white hair.

Of course, I have yet another birdie shot to share today! :-)
Here are a chaffinch on the left and a goldfinch on the right, sitting right at the top of a big old pine tree in my garden!

xxx

It's going to be ....

2011-01-17T12:55:00.004Z

... a colourful week!

The prompts for Monday to Friday are all colours, beginning with 'Orange'!

I can't help taking more photographs of the beautiful birds that come to feed in the garden. I took this one earlier today. It's a goldfinch, but seems to be lacking the red around the face for some reason.

I have stopped buying the mixed seeds for the birds because they just seem to ignore it completely. Instead, I am buying sunflower hearts and black sunflower seeds - both of which all the birds seem to love! They also love peanuts and fat blocks and balls. I've started making my own fat blocks, which is working out much cheaper than buying them!

xxx

Two-day Catch-up.

2011-01-14T15:26:00.004Z

Yesterday, the word was 'List' and what better list than this week's Our Space prompts!

Today's word is 'Wire', but I suppose this would be better described as 'wiring'. Yes, it very dusty ..... but life is too short to dust the garage.
Sue me! lol

Finally today, a rare visitor to my garden popped in this afternoon. A red-legged partridge.
In my haste to photograph it before it ran away, I failed to notice my camera was on totally the wrong setings and the image was almost completely black. This is the best I could do to improve it, but it's still rubbish.

I so wish I could take pics from outside, but there is nowhere for me to hide, so I have to content myself with having to shoot through a triple-glazed window.

xxx

Smile!

2011-01-12T12:23:00.002Z

I have cheated because, obviously, this wasn't taken today!

Here are my granddaughter Aaliyah on the left and my great-nephew Mark on the right, having fun on Christmas Day!

xxx

Beginning

2011-01-11T12:08:00.002Z

The word today is 'Beginning'.

I begun this book long before Christmas and I still haven't got beyond the fourth chapter!

In case you're curious, it's 'Relentless', by Dean Koontz!

xxx

Frozen

2011-01-10T16:48:00.002Z

I am hoping to get back to taking a photo each day from the prompts on "Our Space". I have been very bad and have neglected it for a few weeks. Ooops.

So, today the word is 'Frozen'.

xxx

Happy New Year

2011-01-06T14:50:00.002Z

Six days late, but better late than never!

So, on the 2nd, we all went to my sister and brother-in-law's house, where the men played snooker and the ladies played this:

Just Dance 2, on the Wii! Possibly the most fun game - ever! :-)

There was a partial solar eclipse visible from the UK earlier this week. However, the sun stubbornly refused to emerge from behind some clouds until after the eclipse has finished. So, this is as close as I got to photographing it ...... taken with a piece of welder's glass in front of the camera lens:

The poor birdies in the garden are so hungry just now. I am feeding them every day and have five feeders hanging from the trees. This is one I got from my brother-in-law. It's filled with black sunflower seeds and also, sunflower hearts. The goldfinches love them!!

The poor quality is due to the fact that the tree is a fair distance away from the house and also because it was taken through a triple glazed window!

xxx

A Mixed Bag

2010-12-21T22:01:00.004Z

Early this morning, I watched a glorious spectacle that has not been seen in the UK for almost 400 years ....... a total lunar eclipse taking place on the winter solstice!

I am devasted however, at my total lack of success at photographing this historic event. For example, this is what happens when you accidentally move the camera during a long exposure.

Moving on ....

As I was watching the eclipse, the outside temperature was hovering around the -12C mark and it never really got much warmer than that all day. My poor buddleia looks just about as fed up with this snow, as I am.

Finally for today, here is my seasonal tree, decorated for Christmas!

xxx

Day 12

2010-12-12T15:48:00.003Z

is the final day of:

For this final day, we had to draw with a torch! Great fun, but in my case, not very stylish or successful! But - I had a giggle and that's what it's all about after all! :-)
First, I drew a tree and no matter how I tried, I could not get the star to sit perfectly on top! The red streaks are supposed to be garlands! lolol

Finally, I would like to say a big "Thank You" to CJ for running this hugely enjoyable course! I've loved every one of the assignments, I had fun and I have learned so much in only 12 days! :-)

Roll on the next course!!

xxx

Day 11

2010-12-11T13:01:00.002Z

The penultimate day of this course already - and for this assignment, we had to take a photograph with a reflection.

This quartz heart was taken with a cloudy sky reflected in the mirror. My biggest problem with this one, was trying to hide the blob of BluTac that was holding it up!

For my second attempt, I tried incorporating some other techniques we have learned on this course ..... namely photographing a candle and also using a tea strainer to get a starburst effect. Neither technique has worked particularly well in this shot, but I shall keep trying! :-)

xxx

Days 9 & 10

2010-12-10T19:42:00.004Z

Day 9 was all about trying to capture candlelight. I'm pretty pleased with how these have turned out!

Today was Day 10 and our assignment was to make creative use of focus, by taking two photographs of the same scene, but with different points of focus.

I can't believe there are only two more days to go on this course. :-(

xxx

Days 6, 7 & 8

2010-12-09T11:01:00.003Z

My attempts for days, 6, 7 and 8 of the 12 Days of Christmas!

Day 6 was meant to make us think more about composition and technique to try to take some better pics of the ritual of present opening! Luckily, my polar bear was a willing model!

Day 7 taught us how to take 'Bokeh' in our shots - maing points of light look like dazzling discs.

Day 8 - and we had to make a Triptych. Once again, my countdown bear was my model!

xxx

Days 2, 3 and 4

2010-12-04T14:37:00.003Z

For Day 2, we had to spell out something that said "Christmas" to us. Nothing makes me feel as Christmassy as "It's a Wonderful Life" with the fabulous James Stewart, so I chose to write out Zuzu's Petals .... using Prima petals! The idea was good, but in practice ....... well, I just HATE this shot.

Day 3 was all about attempting to take a photo of lights in twilight or similar. As an added bounus, CJ told us how to achieve a starburst effect without a special filter. All you need to do is take your shot while putting your lens in a sieve or a tea strainer! This was me using a tea strainer and some blue LED lights!
I am definitely going to be trying to use this technique when the Christmas tree goes up!

Today, we had to take an outdoor shot. I actually took this yesterday and am very pleased with it!

I am really enjoying this course and hopefully will learn even more over the next 8 days!

xxx

The Night Sky

2010-12-02T22:18:00.002Z

My first attempt at taking a night sky scene. Not great, but ok for a newbie!
(Click pic for a slightly bigger view)

Pity I missed the top of Orion!

xxx

Freezing Fog!

2010-12-01T16:21:00.004Z

A huge bank of this very strange stuff came rolling in yesterday. I tried to take a decent photograph of it, but it isn't easy!

Looking along the road, facing north east.

My sister and brother-in-law's turbine. I think this one captures the fog best.

We have had yet more snow today and there is still no sign of a thaw yet!

12 Days of Christmas!

2010-12-01T16:15:00.008Z

I signed up to do this free photography course with Cheryl Johnson - and was lucky enough to secure a place before they were all taken!

Our first lesson is White Balance. We have to take a series of shots indoors and outdoors, using the various WB settings on our cameras.

These are my indoor shots, all taken in natural light, with no flash:
Click for a bigger view!

It's dark outside now, so my outdoor ones will have to wait till tomorrow, but what a difference the WB settings make, don't they?

xxx

Yet more snow ........

2010-11-30T13:59:00.004Z

A selection of photographs taken from the front doorstep around a couple of hours ago.

Most of the snow slid off this bench, but it has started to build again now!

Even since these were taken, the snow is still falling heavily.

xxx

Orange!

2010-11-28T11:37:00.004Z

Still, the snow is falling.

Last night, it was falling as heavily as I've seen it for quite a few years. But eerily, everything seemed to be bathed in a strange orange glow .......
It isn't street lights, because I don't live in town. This was taken at around 01.00, with the camera sitting on a stool by the open front door, set with a 2second exposure. It really has captured what it was like!

By the back door, you can see how much snow had fallen by looking at the wheelie bin! Once again, you can see the orange glow in the sky.

This morning at 11.00am, this was the view through the patio door!

It really is beautiful, but I want it gone!

xxx

Winter has Arrived!

2010-11-27T14:08:00.002Z

It's not even December yet and we have snow. I think almost the whole country has had some during the past few days!

I took these this morning, from my front doorstep.

The telephoto lens has foreshortened this scene dramtically. The big white sign is actually much further away than it looks here! The sky was sooooo grey when I took this.

Cotoneaster.

Cotoneaster again, with frozen droplets of water on the leaves.

A few blades of grass poking up through the snow.

One end of the patio wall.

I think the snow is very pretty, but I hate the problems it causes. I was supposed to be taking Jodie and Grahame to a studio lighting course in Elgin tomorrow (Jodie modelling, Grahame and I just two of eight photogrpahers who were going to be photographic her), but I have had to pull out because the road conditions are just too treacherous! I'm gutted that I had do it and I feel awful for letting Jodie down, but it would have been foolhardy of me to even try to get there.

Roll on spring.

xxx

Hallowe'en and Bonfire Night!

2010-11-06T11:01:00.005Z

I've been a bad blogger again and missed a couple of weeks. Ooops!

Hallowe'en is a big deal for my family and friends. The kids enjoy it, but we adults have an even better time and always spend a lot of time and effort into making our costumes!

We party at Jodie's house .......

My girls take their good looks from me, obviously!

The cute werewolf had no idea that Nosferatu was behind him!

Sweeney Todd and Mrs Lovett were there .....

amongst many others!

Then we make our way through the streets .....

.....to our local pub.

Karaoke cuties!

Aaaah, such fun!!

Roll on next year!! :-)

Last night was Guy Fawkes night and we had our annual bonfire in my paddock, with all the family in attendance! We had a wonderful fun-filled evening of fireworks, food and drinkies and it was FABULOUS!!

Unfortunately, only one of my pics was any good and it was this one!

This is the guy that Kerry, Simon and the kids made to sit on top of the bonfire. He was very happy looking, considering he was just about to go out in blaze of glory!

xxx

Look Through any Window ....

2010-10-15T11:49:00.002+01:00

... what do you see? So sang The Hollies back in the day!

Well, there's not really much to be seen through my window. The grass desperately needs a final cut of the year, but it has been so wet that it just hasn't been possible yet!

xxx

Above

2010-10-14T11:23:00.001+01:00

One of the light fittings hanging from the ceiling 'Above' my head.

xxx

Old

2010-10-12T10:08:00.002+01:00

I could have put a self-portrait in for today's prompt, but decided to go with this instead!

It is a beautiful coffee pot that belonged to my Polish granny. I have no idea how old it actually is, but it is definitely older than me!

xxx

New

2010-10-11T16:11:00.002+01:00

After missing another few days of prompts, I am back with 'New' today. My newest game for my beloved Nintendo DS.

The only problem I have with this game, is that it is quite dark, with small graphics and if I try to play for too long, my eyes seem to develop a strange blind spot that takes days to go away. So unfortunately, I have to limit myself to only playing for a few minutes at a time. :-(

xxx

M.I.A.

2010-09-27T12:46:00.004+01:00

I never got around to blogging all last week, so here is HUGE catch-up of Our Space prompts!

Monday - Fake
Nowhere NEAR as good as the real thing, but ok in an emergency! :-)

Tuesday - Empty
Disaster!!!

Wednesday - Loose
Some annoyingly loose stitches. I will have to rip it out and start again!

Thursday - Vertical
Quite a few verticals in this one!

Friday - Melt
Brrrrrrr!

Saturday Free for All
I love the raindrops on the blades of grass.

Show-Off Sunday
I saw this beauty this morning!

Finally, on to today ...... Alone
This fly was just having a rest, I think! No flowers were nearby and no other beasties either.

So there we are - I've finally caught up! :-)

xxx

Grey

2010-09-19T13:58:00.003+01:00

Three storage jars on my worktop. Two for biccies and he other, full of sweeties for the grandchildren!

xxx

Open

2010-09-16T11:10:00.003+01:00

I baked a lemon drizzle cake yesterday and it turned out well, as I saw when I 'Open'ed the oven door!

This is the third day of very strong winds up here in Aberdeenshire and it's really cold! The forecast says the wind will ease today, so I hope they've got it right.

Finally - it's Thursday, which means .....

ZUMBA tonight! :-)

xxx

Heavenly!

2010-09-15T10:20:00.001+01:00

Chocolate - of course! :-)

xxx

Chart

2010-09-14T11:56:00.002+01:00

Well, it couldn't really be anything else but a crochet chart, could it!
:-)

xxx

Screen

2010-09-13T13:59:00.002+01:00

Today's prompt is 'Screen' and here is mine ........ this very blog! lol

xxx

SOS 12-9-10

2010-09-12T10:05:00.003+01:00

It's Show-off Sunday again! :-)

xxx

Saturday Smile(s)!

2010-09-11T14:47:00.002+01:00

Today, a few of the 'Our Space' ladies from Facebook, are having a meet-up in Manchester. I SO wanted to go, but sadly, funds wouldn't allow.

HOWEVER ...... I can still have lunch with them courtesy of darling Sue Nicholson, who sent me a wonderful packed lunch!!! :-) What a fabulous surprise!

Also included, were two packs of Walnut Whips ... one pack for me and one for my big sister, Irene! We are so chuffed, that this is my Saturday Smile photo for today!

Thank you, Sue!! :-)

xxx

Black ...

2010-09-10T10:12:00.003+01:00

is the prompt today.

This is the only one of my Little Apple Dolls who is totally dressed in black, so I thought I would put her in the spotlight today!

Kerry and I went to a Zumba dance/exercise class last night and on my, what fun! It was hard work, even though I wasn't doing all the jumping (I was just stepping). We are hoping that Jodie comes with us next week - she would really love it! :-)

xxx

Cube

2010-09-09T08:47:00.003+01:00

Perhaps the most famous of all cubes!

I have never even managed to complete one face!

xxx

Eye, eye!

2010-09-08T05:44:00.004+01:00

Today's word is 'Eye'.

I woke up yesterday with a small, but very painful, swelling on my finger. I was only slightly aware of it the previous day, but never really thought much about it, but it got so painful yesterday, that I popped up to casualty. The nurse had a good look and a bit of poke around with something sharp, but couldn't really see anything. She thinks I may have been bitten by some kind of insect, so she put a huge amount of white cream on it and covered it with tubigrip. The cream, she says, will draw out anything that's there.

We'll see!

xxx

Cook!

2010-09-07T10:08:00.002+01:00

I have never been the world's greatest cook. I don't like cooking and if I won the Lottery, I would never cook again.

Delia Smith has been teaching us all to cook on British TV for years and years and this is one of her books. I bought it ..... but have yet to actually USE it!

It's very windy again here today and my wheelie bin has been out since last night. I really should go and check to see if it is still there!

xxx

Stones and Lemons

2010-09-06T14:18:00.004+01:00

Today's prompt is 'Stone'.

Fossilised fish scales in a slab of stone.

This was given to me a few years ago by one of Tim's colleagues at uni, who knew I loved fossils. I have a few more too, all from him!

Yesterday, I tried making lemon curd for the first time ever. I found this recipe and it was a doddle! Unfortunately, it was so delicious, it was eaten before I remembered to photograph it! Ooops!

xxx

SOS

2010-09-05T11:10:00.003+01:00

Show Off Sunday again!

I had problems with my broadband connection over Friday and Saturday but thankfully, they seem to have sorted themselves out! Not having internet access is almost like losing your right arm!

xxx

SPS

2010-09-04T20:06:00.005+01:00

It's been a while since I've done a Self Portrait Saturday, but that is what the prompt is today - so here's me!

My reflection in the patio doors!

I was at a Stampin' Up workshop today with Kerry. It was organised by Sharon and Fiona - and was great fun!
Thanks ladies and I can't wait till the next one!

xxx

Animal

2010-09-03T09:36:00.003+01:00

Dear old Elvis - still my constant companion in the garden, despite being quite old and frail now.

xxx

Plantlife

2010-09-02T08:36:00.003+01:00

I found the remains of this weed and thought it looked interesting! I have no idea what it is/was though!

xxx

Movement

2010-09-01T10:32:00.003+01:00

I could stand all day, just watching the laundry blowing in the wind!

I watched the final part of 'The Deep' last night and I was completely underwhelmed. It didn't bother answering quite a few questions but truth be told, by the end, I didn't particularly care! IMHO, one of the BBC's poorer efforts.

xxx

The Sky

2010-08-31T11:30:00.004+01:00

It's a beautiful day today and the sky is a lovely hazy blue, but is almost totally featureless! Which is a pity, because the prompt today is "The Sky"!

I looked all round and these little clouds and contrails were the only things I could see!

The hill in the foreground is Mormond Hill - which is not that big, but is the only hill of any height in this area. The summit was used by NATO for many years, as a telecommunications station, but was decommissioned a long while ago.
However, as you can see, it has since been taken over by numerous mobile phone masts!

xxx