My year in photographs

Bee-ing in the moment !!!

2009-07-03T07:56:00.000-07:00

Ziggy

2009-04-18T23:15:00.000-07:00

Sorry for all the missed Blog days...but here we go this is Ziggy reggae star singing "Kingston Town" and getting the whole venue rocking !!

Rockabilly Rebel.

2009-04-04T13:34:00.001-07:00

Springtime Daisies

2009-04-04T12:36:00.000-07:00

Hey ...Spring is here....!!!

2009-03-23T14:00:00.000-07:00

Tidal Stones.

2009-03-19T12:00:00.000-07:00

Beach Rocks...

2009-03-03T12:22:00.000-08:00

10 on the beach.

2009-02-27T13:25:00.001-08:00

Window

2009-02-26T12:54:00.000-08:00

Tree Line

2009-02-25T12:57:00.000-08:00

Retail Therapy....I think not !

2009-02-24T11:15:00.000-08:00

Tell me ....Whats your Story ?

2009-02-21T13:47:00.000-08:00

I have spent an entire afternoon out in the street with my camera, after a turorial on street photography I was told if you hand around long enough you become invisble, even when your right up in front of your subject, I found it hard to believe, but its true...nobody got mad at me, I used my 18-250 mm lens, and spent 3 hours wandering, sitting and waiting....so heres the first one !

February Rush Hour.

2009-02-20T12:03:00.000-08:00

The Pier.

2009-02-19T11:43:00.000-08:00

Coastal Calm.

2009-02-18T11:58:00.000-08:00

Putting the boot in.

2009-02-14T00:26:00.000-08:00

Love Hearts

2009-02-12T12:22:00.000-08:00

Now What ?

2009-02-11T13:24:00.000-08:00

Another fight from Tucson Studios, poor Billy the Kid bit the dust.

( Click on the image another one seen better large)

February Floods.

2009-02-10T12:30:00.000-08:00

Yep the snow melted, the rain started and now we have burst river banks and flooded fields, whats next I wonder ?

(click on image, I think it looks better viewed large)

Pink.

2009-02-09T12:00:00.000-08:00

Yellow !

2009-02-08T11:50:00.000-08:00

Winter Tree.

2009-02-07T12:21:00.000-08:00

We still have snow and ice everywhere, but the light is beautiful and the wintery sky is so dramatic. Out here is complete silence, just me and my camera.

Winter River.

2009-02-06T12:51:00.000-08:00

No more Snow.

2009-02-05T12:16:00.000-08:00

The cats are watching.

2009-02-04T12:55:00.000-08:00

Risky business eating at Harriet's Bird table

Games Off !

2009-02-03T07:30:00.000-08:00

February Snow.

2009-02-02T11:30:00.000-08:00

" When the east wind doth blow we shall have snow, and what will poor Robin do then"

well that East wind hath blown and we got plenty of Snow!

This is especially for Sophie as she said she has never had snow on her birthday ever !

so Sophie have a wonderfully Happy Birthday

Heres your snow all the way from Ickleton

express delivery to Tucson Az

xxxxx

Fishing #2

2009-01-30T13:10:00.000-08:00

Peace, quiet, fishing and a beer.

High Water - Dunwich Suffolk.

2009-01-29T11:58:00.000-08:00

On the Forshore

2009-01-28T12:10:00.000-08:00

The Mill Cottages.

2009-01-27T12:25:00.000-08:00

The Mill Cottages are in the village next to mine, a very tranquil place and one of my favourite walks, the river looks a bit muddy here, because the weir is open draining the water out of this inlet, we have had so much rain the rivers are brimming and running really fast, so the weir being open protects these little cottages.

One whole year........... thank you :0)

2009-01-26T13:28:00.000-08:00

My goodness Ive had my blog for a whole year, unbelievable!, I have had good days, bad days, scraped the photographic barrel so to speak to find something to post, exhausting most aspects of my neighbourhood, taking days out with my ever patient family as try to get "that shot". All in all its been fun and apart from Holiday and flu I have stuck to it...which I have to say is quite unusual for me ! Ive met so many lovely people in my little corner, I have visited so many corners of the world and seen it through their eyes it has been remarkable, Firefly has taken me all around his beautiful Port Elizabeth South Africa, Karin and her beautifully gorgeous poraiture, Norway with Runee is stunning, Bubba in Nevada with her lovely blog, Perry and K C in wonderful Oregon, Bloukous in Zurich makes me laugh with her text and her photographs, whatever they say at Camera club are fab, Williams remarkable photography in El Salvador, Shutterspy at home here in the UK , Troy starting in photography at Bop, saving madly for his first DSLR. So Cheers ! to one and all heres to the next year !!

On the Pier.

2009-01-25T07:40:00.000-08:00

Taken looking east from Southwold pier. Southwold is a very,very beautiful town right on the Suffolk coast , infact Gordon Brown our Prime Minister took his summer holiday there, last year !

It remains so unspoilt, with beautiful beaches and wonderful locally produced ale !

Happiness is going fishing.

2009-01-24T12:57:00.000-08:00

Not too sure about that !

Sleeping ........or is he ??

2009-01-23T12:40:00.000-08:00

Jasper leads a very exhausting life....eating huge amounts and then sleeping it off in front of the fire....its tough at the top!

Ready to wear.............

2009-01-22T12:41:00.000-08:00

Its not the cough,

That carries you off,

Its the coffin, they carry you

Off in....................ta-dah !!

Al Fresco.

2009-01-21T11:18:00.000-08:00

A beautiful little outdoor courtyard in Tombstone Arizona.

Just Move......Please.

2009-01-20T12:54:00.000-08:00

He was shouting, but this horse was in no mind to pay any attention to him.

Monday Wash......Mmmmm !!

2009-01-19T11:48:00.000-08:00

, Monday was always laundry wash day, as a child my mother pegged out lines full of freshly washed clothes, catching the breeze. Now we use dryers and and the clothes line seems increasingly rare, but as a child running through bed sheets and towels, whilst they blew in the breeze was just the best, and the smell of line dried laundry is one of those smells, that bring back happy childhood memories......

You go girl !!

2009-01-18T11:32:00.000-08:00

A lovely lady in downtown Tucson, she put my jeans and T-shirt to shame.

Marshland Winter Light

2009-01-17T11:18:00.000-08:00

What a difference a few thousand miles makes, today at our local RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) nature reserve, Weak winter sun fading fast as the weather starts to change, but it wouldn't be England without our ever changing weather.

Saddle Up !

2009-01-16T12:36:00.000-08:00

Arizona Cowboy and his horse, ready to ride on out.

Mission San Xavier del Bac.

2009-01-15T12:03:00.000-08:00

Mission San Xavier del Bac is situated in the Santa Cruz Valley nine miles south of Tucson, Arizona, why the one tower was never completed is still a mystery, From the earliest times, the Tohono O'odham settlement in which the Mission is located was called Bac, "place where the water appears," because the Santa Cruz River, which ran underground, and reappears near the Mission. The present church was built from 1783 - 1797 by the Franciscan Fathers Juan Bautista Velderrain and Juan Bautista Llorenz. Little is know about the actual labor of the construction of the church, who was the architect, who were the artisans, but many believe it was the Tohono O'odham who fufilled these roles. The O'odham were seasonal farmers who took advantage of the rains. They grew crops such as sweet Indian corn, beans (tapery), squash, lentils and melons. They also took advantage of native plants, such as saguaro fruits, mesquite tree beans, cholla buds and mesquite candy (sap from the mesquite tree). At present very few O'odham farm due to lack of pumping of underground water. Today many O'odham work for the Tohono O'odham Nation. For years, many have known the people as Papago, but during the 1980s, Papago was officially changed to the Tohono O'odham, meaning Desert People in the O'odham language. The Tohono O'odham are closely related to the Pima Tribe and are most likely descendants of the prehistoric Hohokam Culture. Many O'odham that reside on the four land bases are Catholics, but are very aware of their "himdage" which means "way of life". Many traditions and beliefs of the O'odham elders continue to be handed down from one generation to another. The O'odham language is thriving. There are several different dialects and these dialects come from different parts of the reservation.

Dog Days

2009-01-14T12:41:00.000-08:00

Found this little dog lying in the shade in Tucson.....the shadows caught my eye, and the sleeping dog was a bone-us...hahaha, just a shame the breeze picked up an the tree was moving slightly.

Cambridgeshire Winter.

2009-01-13T11:59:00.000-08:00

Patriot.

2009-01-12T12:32:00.000-08:00

Taken in Toombstone Arizona on a blisteringly hot day in December !!!!.

Reload !!

2009-01-11T06:53:00.000-08:00

Well Hell Bells ! ...look what happens in the wild west, I was so lucky to pay a visit to the studios where so many John Wayne and many other western movies were made, Photog's paradise, every corner had a shoot out, a man tumbling off a roof, busty saloon gals and movie sets galore, I've got to go back there.....it was fantastic.

Grand Canyon ~ view # 2

2009-01-10T08:21:00.000-08:00

This was taken on day 2, it was as if someone had lifted a veil and the whole Canyon was bathed in a rather surreal light, that made the sandstone glow, the landscape looked almost lunar like. Harriet said it reminded her of a cake, I can see what she means, I have just done a bit of CS3 fiddling on curves levels and saturation, ( I have visited one blog, where they believe any adjustment on any image to be wrong .....so I hope like me you disagree), I hope I have done the Grand Canyon justice, it is a spectacular place and moved me more than words can say.

Grand Canyon ( South Rim)

2009-01-09T08:48:00.000-08:00

Well here I am, back again, if a little jet-lagged. The last few weeks have been AMAZING ! not only have I been in the beautifully sunny Arizona, with Sophie, Bryan and Samuel, but they bought me a trip to the Grand Canyon for my birthday, never in my entire life have I seen so much snow 8 inches fell overnight on the deep, deep snow already on the ground ! , the temperature -10-15 C, low cloud was everywhere on my first day, and on day 2 the cloud lifted to unveil the most spectacular sights I have ever seen, the rock formations are astounding, it is vast, awe inspiring, magical and humbling, my hands froze, my teeth chattered and my camera suffered in driving snow, but such a wonderful experience, and so many memories to treasure. I have a couple more views to share with you all over the coming days and lots more stuff........ HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!

Polar Bear

2009-01-03T21:22:00.000-08:00

A paw chewing Polar Bear !

Winters Morning Tucson Arizona

2008-12-27T18:05:00.000-08:00

Taken today and straight off the camera ......eeek no PS !!!! so here we go just as it is, a Tucson Local warming his hands on a frosty Arizona morning.

Skye looking west to coast of Scotland.

2008-12-16T12:00:00.000-08:00

Well this will be my last post for a while as I am off for a long awaited Christmas break, hopefully I may get a chance to post a few pics !! I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a very Happy, Healthy and Prosperous 2009. xx Ann xx

Always make your subject feel comfortable......NOT!

2008-12-15T12:06:00.000-08:00

By Squeezing their face and laughing at them !!

Isle of Skye

2008-12-14T12:11:00.000-08:00

This is " The Sound of Sleat" its the body of water that separates the Isle of Skye from the Western mainland of Scotland. The weather changes are very dramatic and very sudden, but for anyone who enjoys outdoor activities or photography, it is a perfect island to visit the scenery is breathtaking, the roads are winding and mountainous with sheer drops either side the views are awesome, and a little scary, it really tests your driving skills !!

And at this point I quickly put the car in reverse !!!

2008-12-13T09:31:00.000-08:00

A great big, mean looking Highland Bull, heading straight for me.

Isle of Skye.

2008-12-12T12:15:00.000-08:00

Taken a trip to the Isle of Skye, which is off the west coast of Scotland.

The Secret Garden

2008-12-11T10:07:00.000-08:00

Harriet chose todays title because she says it reminds her of the Story The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett......I was going to call it "Damp Behind" !!!!

Love on the rocks......in a nice way !!!

2008-12-10T10:50:00.000-08:00

Well, firstly let me say the previous post was indeed awful, I was experimenting... the phone rang and I forgot to hit delete, hey-ho....try this....this is Happisburgh in Norfolk Pronounced Hays burra... an area of the coast very badly affected by coastal erosion, hence all the metalwork in the background.

Make mine a pint ...

2008-12-09T11:35:00.001-08:00

To me from me....

2008-12-08T10:56:00.000-08:00

It comes to something when you have to buy yourself flowers !

But the bunch of freesia's I bought has brightened my day and made the house smell really summery, even though its another chilly day here !!

Wintery leaves

2008-12-07T12:08:00.000-08:00

Brrrrr.........it was cold today !

Strawberries in December.

2008-12-06T12:14:00.000-08:00

Well why not !

Disgraceful Behaviour.

2008-12-04T10:38:00.000-08:00

Jasper will only drink from the tap, he will sit and wait for you to turn on the water, and will then meow loudly if you dont do it instantly.

Facebook Frenzy

2008-12-03T11:24:00.000-08:00

My Facebook friends are having a friendly competition, to get an "off the wall" but Festive Season related profile picture, and this is my contribution. Now I dont know if you guys have these as part of your Christmas Dinner or if its peculiar to the UK, but this vegetable the Brussel Sprout is evil, my lovely Mum cooks a metric tonne every year....lol, they do have a rather unfortunate side affect, which can leave the eater with rather fewer friends the day after Christmas Day........I will leave that to your imagination !!! This year as I wont be in the UK for Christmas I will miss the annual " Sprout Fest" .......Oh dear how sad................NOT !!!!

Ickleton.

2008-12-02T13:32:00.000-08:00

My Village

Help ! look whats happened !!!!

2008-12-02T11:58:00.000-08:00

Look whats happened to my blog, Harriet has been editing the html (I know nothing about this) how can I get my old settings back? she assured me she was only trying to help.....yeah right. Can anybody advise ??? I have figured out text etc but would like to post larger images, if possible, I am a real duh! when it comes to this blog, so if one of you kind people could explain how to do it in an easy way, I would be deeply grateful.

Iris.

2008-12-01T11:16:00.000-08:00

This is a copy of the original shot taken today the original is going to printed on canvas and mounted on a wooden block for a special Christmas present.

Village Meadows.

2008-11-30T12:34:00.000-08:00

These beautiful tree lined meadows are very close to where I live, the tranquility around this part of my village is wonderful and its the best stress buster to wander round here with my wellies on and the dogs and my camera.

Fog-Bound.

2008-11-29T08:41:00.001-08:00

Here is a shot taken at 4pm today, this is actually about 5o meters, from the bottom of our garden, so you can see how poor the visibility is, providing you dont need to go too far from home, and stay bundled up and light the fire .....its ok, but just a couple of sunny days would be most welcome as I am a little bit fed up with these dreary grey days. :0(

busking!

2008-11-28T13:09:00.001-08:00

The Great British Telephone Box.

2008-11-27T12:27:00.001-08:00

Long before Mobile/Cell phones and in the times when not everybody has a telephone at home, these phone boxes were so important in villages and towns across the UK, now they are preserved (some better than others, this one's door is stuck in the open position) as part of our heritage.

Lola C. Brown

2008-11-26T10:48:00.000-08:00

Lola is my Granddaughter , she actually belongs to Sophie and Bryan, and is with us because they felt she would be boiled in the Arizona heat, and is more suited to the rather (a lot) cooler UK weather. She has been brought up from a puppy with Phoebe our older Labrador, and they are a great pair of dogs, I adore the breed, they are just the best with children, talking of children, click "Baby Sam" blog on my blog favourite list to see the cutest clip of film ever (perhaps I am a little biased) but he is the youngest member of our huge family and is adorable. :0)

Hangin' in there !

2008-11-25T12:46:00.000-08:00

Time Flies.

2008-11-24T11:25:00.000-08:00

The heavens have opened and we have had nothing but rain today, and on top of that the lens I ordered last Friday has not appeared, having waited in all day, I phoned the wholesaler who said OOps its out of stock and there is a 3-4 week wait, Fab!! in 3 weeks I am in Arizona for approx a month, so I had to cancel my order, refund my plastic (what a performance) and re-order, through a company, a fellow photographer recommended, but that I have never used !! so heres hoping, So, my Dandelion is from this summer, on the rare handful of days when we had sunshine...lol !!!

Poor old rose.

2008-11-23T12:37:00.000-08:00

Bought cheaply from the local market, where yesterday it was freezing with biting cold winds, and then subjected to central heating today, poor thing, no wonder its looking a bit tired

Winter Skies

2008-11-22T12:36:00.000-08:00

The now redundant Airfield, has little concrete roads surrounding it I think they are called peri-tracks, it has amazingly bleak scenery and a very strange feeling when standing there alone with nothing or nobody near you for miles, today the wind was literally howling across the flat landscape. Folklore has it that this area is very haunted, (no night shoots for me here then!!)
The airfield was opened on 9 March 1944 and was first used by the United States AirForce 409th Bombardment Group, which arrived from DeRidder Airforce Base in Louisiana

Lily Leaf.

2008-11-21T14:17:00.000-08:00

Hands.

2008-11-20T12:49:00.000-08:00

My favourite subject, hands say so much, I have been working on this subject for about three months and have quite a selection of hand shots, which are going into an Exhibition in 2009, except these, because these are special, these are VIP hands ..... they belong to the bestest Mum in the world .............My Mum xx

Last of the season.

2008-11-19T10:59:00.000-08:00

The last few Apples from the orchard photographed indoors in natural light.

Hedgerow Dustbin.

2008-11-18T13:22:00.000-08:00

The things people throw away!

Wheel

2008-11-17T12:31:00.000-08:00

An old wagon wheel built by my Great Grandfather in his wheelwrights shop in the early 1900's

The Girly Weekend.

2008-11-16T12:40:00.000-08:00

A whole weekend dedicated to 12 year old girls, bowling, Chinese food, make-up, hair-do's, midnight feasts, pancakes, brunch and fun, I am exhausted, I dont know about the girlies !!???

Mossy Chair.

2008-11-15T10:31:00.000-08:00

A very, very ancient chair covered in moss, that my parents have in their garden, and can't bear to part with.

Urban Tiger.

2008-11-14T11:39:00.002-08:00

Big tiger stripey, green eyed and mean,

A good ol' mice killing machine !!

Monty Hurst...the main man !!

2008-11-13T12:08:00.000-08:00

Introducing Monty Hurst the Beagle pup. A little devil to photograph, he finds it impossible to keep still for a second!

Fairy Umbrellas

2008-11-12T14:08:00.000-08:00

Probably not their proper name, I have no idea of fungi names, but, I thought these toadstools looked like little umbrellas.

The Mayor and the Vicar.

2008-11-11T13:00:00.000-08:00

Rememberance Sunday, 9th November 2008

2008-11-09T12:41:00.000-08:00

Remembrance Sunday is the day traditionally put aside to remember all those who have given their lives for the peace and freedom we enjoy today. On this day people across the nation pause to reflect on the sacrifices made by our brave Service men and women.

2008-11-09T12:34:00.000-08:00

Tucked away in the beautiful garden just below the church is a memorial to

HMS Lapwing Official records show 158 sailors died on March 20th, 1945, on board the HMS Lapwing, which was just a day's sail from the Russian port of Murmansk when it was torpedoed .

2008-11-09T12:13:00.000-08:00

At the end of the ceremony, time to relax a little.

Guy Fawkes Celebration (in our back garden)

2008-11-08T11:09:00.000-08:00

Guy Fawkes Night is celebrated in Britain annually on November 5th. The event is accompanied by firework displays, the lighting of bonfires and the ceremonial effigy-burning of one Guy Fawkes. The origin of this celebration stems from events which took place in 1605 and was a conspiracy known as "The Gunpowder Plot," intended to take place on November 5th of that year (the day set for the opening of Parliament). The object of The Gunpowder Plot was to blow up English Parliament along with the ruling monarch, King James I. It was hoped that such a disaster would initiate a great uprising of English Catholics, who were distressed by the increased severity of penal laws against the practice of their religion.
The conspirators, who began plotting early in 1604, eventually expanded their members to a point where secrecy was impossible. One of their number, Thomas Percy (who had contacts at the Court of King James), hired a cellar beneath the House of Lords. Within this cellar were secretly stored 36 barrels (almost two tons) of gunpowder, overlaid with iron bars and firewood. The plan went awry, however, by way of a myserious letter received by Lord Monteagle on October 26th (10 days prior to the opening of Parliament). Monteagle, brother-in-law of Francis Tresham (another of the conspirators and likely author of the correspondence...although this was never proven), was urged in the letter not to attend Parliament on opening day. When the message was revealed to the First Earl of Salisbury and others, they took steps which led to the discovery of the hidden cache and the arrest of Guy Fawkes on the night of November 4th as he entered the cellar. The majority of the other conspirators, either overtaken as they attempted to flee or seized shortly thereafter, were killed outright, imprisoned or executed. While the plot itself was the work of a small number of men, it provoked hostility against all British Catholics and led to an increase in the harshness of laws against them. Even to this day, it is the law that no Roman Catholic may hold the office of monarch and the reigning king or queen remains Supreme Head of the Church of England.

Gothic Arches.

2008-11-06T12:24:00.000-08:00

Try as I might I could not get these arches to sit straight, and they look slightly "wonky" but I've lost the will and run out of time, they are quite cool, and they are very, very old arches, perhaps the reason I cant straighten them is that they are built crooked ..... ;-)

Oh Please !!!

2008-11-05T12:56:00.000-08:00

My family are very strange, put them in a fancy dress shop and they go crazeeey,

Raindrops on Roses .....

2008-11-04T11:55:00.000-08:00

And grasses......

2008-11-04T11:47:00.000-08:00

Clematis Vitalba

2008-11-03T11:28:00.000-08:00

The hedgerows are covered right now with these seed heads, it is known as " Old Mans Beard" or "Travellers Joy", It has green-white flowers, smelling of vanilla, from June to September, changing to attractive fluffy seedheads. Clematis is also known as Poor Man's Friend and Boys Baca - referring to the stems being used as a tobacco substitute !!!

Winter Thistle.

2008-11-02T12:08:00.000-08:00

Ely Cathedral, Near Cambridge. " The Ship of the Fens"

2008-11-01T13:11:00.000-07:00

The Cathedral dominates the low-lying or "Fen" countryside in which it is set and is a well-loved landmark for many miles around.

Hence
"Wherever you went in the Fen country you had only to look up and see it there, riding the sky like a great ship"

Bicycle left inside the Cathedral.

2008-10-31T14:12:00.000-07:00

Waiting in the Cathedral porch for its owner this morning, this rather lovely bicycle.

Autumn Leaf.

2008-10-30T13:15:00.000-07:00

As we sheltered from yet another shower of rain, the leaves blew into the little summer house we were sheltering in at the park, and as we were stranded until the rain stopped, I got my camera out.