FAVOURITE PHOTOS OF THE YEAR

Well, 2013 is nearly gone, and 2014 is snapping at our heels!    Hopefully it will be a good year for all of us.

Over at writteninc Carmi wants us to post our favourite photos of the year.   They might not be our best ones, but they will definitely have some meaning, or provoke action or deliberations.   Go to the link to see what others have taken in 2013.

These felt tip pens belong to our little great granddaughter, who at nearly 5 loves drawing and colouring.   She came over to see is one Sunday and was greatly amused by my taking photographs of her pens.   She doesn't have an easy life, but we all love her to bits and hopefully can make up a bit for the bad things.

This is the end of our garden, very early on a summer morning.    We have a lovely garden, but are finding the hedge cutting, lawn mowing and general work needed is getting beyond us.   I do hope we don't have to move and lose such a beautiful spot to live in.

This was a shot taken with my new camera, well, a hand-me-down from my husband who had bought a better one!   I was wandering around the garden, taking anything, just to get used to it, and found this bug on a head of fennel.   We didn't have a very good summer for bugs and butterflies, everyone else seems to though!   I've included this just because I think its rather good! (she says modestly!)

LET'S GO SHOPPING

For Christmas week, Carmi, over at writteninc has challenged us to illustrate something we have all done at this time of the year - gone shopping!

Actuallyl I am a strictly on-line shopper and going round the shops is not my scene.   However, I do enjoy markets, particularly food markets, so I sorted through my photographs to find some for this challenge.    I didn't want to just post a picture of a market, so have tried to be a little bit 'different'.

This was taken in the big market in Barcelona.   That Spanish couple were obviously expecting a big amount of shopping.   And Señora was not going to get anything but the best, judging from the expression on her face!

I wish I'd bought one of these lovely sweaters at Tromso market in Norway.   They would have been high fashion today!   And warm!

When I was small, everybody did their shopping with a basket like one of these.   My mother had a big brown one, and my Aunt and round green one.   But then we didn't buy so much anyway, nearly all foodstuffs being rationed, and we went to the shops more frequently, buying more often.   My Aunt never bought a fridge, relying on an (extremely cold) larder and my mother's fridge was minuscule compared with today's.

I know I said I wasn't going to put ordinary market pictures up, but the spice stall in the Barcelona Market was so colourful, I just had to include it!

HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL!

TREETOPS

  Trees are always interesting, whatever the weather or season.  Carmi, over at writteninc has challenged us to produce photographs of treetops.   Follow the link above to see what others have done.

 Misty mornings can make interesting shapes.

Frangipani tree tops in Maderia were absolutely lovely, so delicate against the sky.

But British Autumn trees can put on an equally beautiful show!

Snow really brings out the shapes and patterns the branches make.

This once had a top, a beautiful beech, but the Council, who are in charge of our Park, in their wisdom, cut off the top of the tree.  I can understand cutting the tree down if it was dangerous (Health and Safety, you know!) but why leave such  a tall stump?

 They did this to several trees.  Some of them were carved into bird shapes by a gent with a chain saw.

And just to  prove to Thunder that he is not the only one to have birds, these two Bullfinches enjoyed the nyjer seed in our feeder.

SUNRISE

First morning we've had a decent sunrise, so that I could take part in Carmi's challenge this week, which is, of course, either Sunrise or sunset.

So, taken from the bedroom window after racing up there with a camera after breakfast, here is mine!

You all ready for Christmas, then??

CELEBRATION !

Celebration for whatever reason are always fun!    Carmi, over at writteninc. has asked for photographs of celebratory occasions - follow the link to see what others are celebrating!


I obviously didn't take this photograph - yes, that is me! - but I was laughing my head off when this huge pile of sticky profiteroles came in, topped by the fizzing firework on top!   It was our Golden Wedding, which we were celebrating with our daughter out for a delicious meal.

You can see I was enjoying myself!

in the foreground

My father, who taught me photography from an early age, always said that foregrounds were a Good Thing.   As frames, interest-grabbing things, or where the foreground was the important bit, and the background was blurred or in soft focus.

So bearing all that in mind, I dug out the following shots which I hope will illustrate Carmi's challenge this week of "IN THE FOREGROUND"

Not much framing of pictures there!   I tend to focus on the foreground rather than the background.

But I did find one that acted as a frame.   That's on our cruise ship this year and those islands are part of Mallorca as we sailed towards Palma early in the morning.

For more Foregrounds, go to Carmi over at writteninc

DRINKS

'Tis the season of goodwill and all that, and Carmi has proposed a challenge of DRINKS!   Go over to http://writteninc.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Thematic%20Photographic to see all the other drink-related photographs.

Mine start with convivial coffee on a Christmas morning as guests arrived.   I assure you that the sherry etc. came along a bit later!

What could be nicer than coffee and a croissant?   We were glad to have this on a trip out to snowy, and chilly mountains above Geiranger Fjord in Norway.

The temperature was a great deal higher in Alicante this year, and were grabbed those ice-cold beers like dying men in the desert!   The glasses themselves were ice covered - but not for long in the summer heat!

POWER

Carmi will be expecting all sorts of Power to be illustrated this week!   Go to this link to see what others have come up with on that subject!   I bet it will be very varied!

When I think of Power one of the first things that comes to mind is the power of plants.

The power behind bulbs which can shoot up through the most unpromising ground never ceases to amaze me.   Actually  there is one plant which can, and does, come up through concrete, tarmac or anything!   I nearly went out to take a photograph of Ground Elder, which we have in abundance down the end of the garden, and which we cannot get rid of.  But its raining hard!

And while we are on plants, fungus, and in particular, Honey Fungus spreads it tentacles far and wide, with absolutely no effort at all.   It has spread this year far beyond the trunks of the trees (the dead ones, fortunately) and I don't think anyone has seen such an array in the Park before.

Water Power - where would be be without it?   Harnessed, its a Good Thing for Everyone - left rampant, it can flood everywhere, damaging people and property, or carve a deep valley in a hillside.   This waterfall is in Geiranger Fjord, Norway.   They can get bigger!

And then there's good old electricity.   Big pylons across the countryside  big prices, bit bills.   But I don't think we'd really be able to do without it!

Do follow the link above and see what others have published!

GOLDEN GLOW

After a week away in hospital I arrived back to be gobsmacked by the fiery nature of our Chinese Rowan tree!  The leaves and mass of berries really glowed like a beacon in the garden.    I am particularly pleased with this as I grew it from a tiny seedling I found growing on a pile of stones!

The early morning light as it came through the trees at the end of our garden.

The sun disappears from sight, leaving a great orange glow in the sky.   Taken on holiday in the Canary Islands in 2012

For more Golden Glows go to Carmi's Photographic Challenge and see what other photographs are glowing!

STREETSCAPES

For an unusual take on Streetscapes, go toCarmi, over at writteninc and see his and other interesting photographs taken in City and town surroundings.

I live in a rather hilly town on the edge of the Peak District in the UK.   Most streets have some sort of a view of the hills, but today it was very misty, so there was no view!

This is taken from just inside the park.   None of those houses has a car parking space

  hence the cars parked right down the road.   It is also grey bin collecting day!

 This is the front of the cream houses and the back gates in the brick walls of the next 6 or so houses.   They were all built in the Victorian or Edwardian times

Another country!   Tromso in Norway, way, way above the Arctic Circle.   This is in June.

Dreary doesn't really describe this.   Its Longyearbyen, in Svalbard (Spitzbergen)   Well into the Arctic north - 78 degrees north if I remember rightly.   Just imagine what it is like covered in snow and no sun for 4 or 5 months!

Again in Norway, in Bergen.   One of the tiny little alleyways which squeeze between the big houses on the harbour-side    This one opened out into a little square, and had a very welcome coffee shop there!

FEELING REFLECTIVE

Carmi's Challenge this week is FEELING REFLECTIVE - and for some other interpretations of this theme, follow the link.  And then click on "show all posts" just above the photograph  of 'Multiples' if you don't get to the right post!.   There's a gremlin in my computer!

The rest of the college reflected in the newish building at out local College of Further Education

A very peaceful and reflective scene at the lake in our local park.   It was an unusually calm day.

Reflections in our green glass globe - actually a fishing float, found about 45 years ago on the Isle of Sky.   I'm not quite sure what it is reflecting - the front garden I think, but it is extremely abstract!

MULTIPLES

Lots of the same things massed together can make great photographs.   Carmi, over at writteninc has challenged us to come up with photographs of MULTIPLES.   Go to the link to find other ideas on the subject, but here are mine!

Stacked plastic buckets outside the sort of shop that sells all sorts of things for the home, stacked outside the shop!

Christmas tree baubles stacked up in boxes ready for the rush.

Coloured felt tip pens belonging to my Great Granddaughter

Little ankle boot wellies for not very thick mud!

LARGE STRUCTURES

 Carmi, over at writteninc. is calling for photographs of LARGE STRUCTURES.   There are some great photographs over there, do follow the link to see them.

Cruise ships seem to be getting bigger every year.   Ours from a couple of years ago is by no means the biggest now!    This is the ship at Stavanger, Norway, completely dwarfing the surrounding houses.   Bizarre, really!

The next one is a "giant's sofa" at Tittesworth Reservoir and surroundings in Staffordshire - looks comfortable enough!!

A Monument in Anglesey, Wales.   That is Mr.G right at the top!

A replica ship at the Nautical Museum in Barcelona, Spain.   It is a new museum, only just open.  But it was cool and shaded - just what we needed!

It occurs to me that you might have seen all these photographs before.   If so, sorry!   But I'm not much of a photographer of large things!!!

TREASURED

There are so many things we treasure in our lives.   Sometimes we try to hang on to everything!   Carmi this week, over in writteninc. has called for photographs of what we treasure.

There are, inevitably, pets.

This is my beloved Wags (OK, our daughter named her!)   She came as a puppy about 40 years ago and stayed with us for 11 years.   She designated herself as my dog, protected me and made sure I was in sight most of the time!   A Springer Spaniel/Border Collie cross,  when out on a walk she was never quite sure whether to round us up or retrieve us!   I cried for a week when she got a tumour and had to be put to sleep.

This photo, which is a copy of a scanned copy, and not particularly photographically good, is a very treasured picture.   It shows my parents, and my much-loved mother-in-law, plus my daughter and my parents' other two grandchildren.   The photo was taken in 1970, and sadly only the two girls are still alive.   Oh yes, and mine is the one with her mouth open!!