306/365 Leaf

The cheese plant needed a shower (the builders are in, the dust permeates!) and the autumn morning sunlight kissed it.

296/365 Hellmanns

The water pooled on the lid caught my eye so before I washed up the empty jar to be recycled, I grabbed the cam! What's the line from the ad? "Every sandwich wants Hellmann's."

288/365 Spangled web

After a long dry spell, today is foggy, misty, and a fine drizzle is falling. Everything in the garden is drenched.

252/365 Bottled

Droplets of condensation caught my eye today.

218/365 Water

I captured this 'shower' right before it started to rain. The sun shone this morning and it seemed a fine warm day, so we filled the paddling pool; I set the hose going while I put washing out on the line to dry. Within half an hour it had begun to rain, just a little, so while Jodie played in the paddling pool I sat with an umbrella and camera nearby. As the rain started to get more insistant - I had hoped it was a passing shower, it seemed so pathetic - we decided to get the washing in and come indoors instead. The curse of the paddling pool... ? Uh-oh...

Also this morning, whilst the sun shone, the butterflies were all over the buddleia like a rash, and Sweetie hid in the winter flowering jasmine hoping to pounce on one.

186/365 Paddling pool

We set up the paddling pool this weekend. Last year we set it up after a very hot week and the rest of the summer was a total washout... hmmm. We'll have to wait and see, probably just coincidence ;0)

150/365 Ponyville dans la salle de bain

Isn't it always the way when you set up something (quick and easy in this case) for the daily blog shot, then you turn around and find your offspring doing something, you shoot and that's it, The Blog Shot?! I spent most of today getting stuff listed on ebay as it was too hot to be in the garden, but I wasn't going to use a 'product shot' for my blog. And late this afternoon when it was cooler we popped to Toys R Us (which I dislike intensely, but needs must) to choose a gift for a birthday party coming up and I took a handful of 'pink aisle' shots while we were there, but none of them shouted 'pick me! pick me!' So, while Jodie was in the bath I set up a cosmetics shot on the opposite windowsill in the bathroom, but Jodie's Ponyville car/ice cream van or whatever it is wins today's shot.

148/365 Carsington Water

I spent a lovely couple of hours with EP at Carsington Water this afternoon. It was very warm, very busy and very bright - too much light! It has been very hard to choose today's shot, and a collage is essential, there was so much to photograph. Picasa album to follow, but after some post-processing I think. Click here for info about Carsington. I'll be visiting again on a less busy day.

131/365 How does my Garden grow?

The garden fork stands in the border, the sprinkler gracefully sprinkles, the wind whips at the leaves on the shrub, the sun shines making the water sparkle, and I'm doing what I enjoy most - capturing it all in pixels. :0) I had something of a field day with camera, tripod and the sprinkler this afternoon, right after getting everything on the To Do list done for today.

"If you water it and it dies, it's a plant. If you pull it out and it grows back, it's a weed." Gallagher.

123/365 Lumsdale waterfalls

Well, words almost fail me - almost! I had a fantastic afternoon in photographer heaven. I went on another walk with some DCPC members and some walkers to Lumsdale, near Matlock, for my first serious waterfall pictures. (Two walks in less than a week - blimey! I'm in danger of getting fit here!) So it was almost impossible to select a single shot for today's entry, so I'm posting 2 ........ plus a collage. I've done some quick edits on some of the best shots and plan to revisit in the near future with the family and a picnic. Wow. Thanks Tony ;0))

35/365 Thaw

There was a lot of melting going on in the garden today as much of the recent snowfall disappeared in the winter sun and we had a high of 6 degrees C this afternoon. However, more snow is forecast overnight and many side roads remain icy. The novelty of walking to school in the snow wore off on Tuesday (day 2) and Jodie was crying with the cold by the time we reached school. Her teacher sat her near a heater until she warmed up. Today was not so bad - a little sunshine always works wonders!

27/365 Bubbles in bubbles

I think today was the hardest so far to come up with something for the Blog! The day started out with thick fog and stayed grey once the fog thinned, plus I was pretty busy today so this was my quick idea while getting dinner ready for the kids - lots of fairy liquid (I just washed up the grill pan) and a straw to make bigger bubbles. (I promise tomorrow's shot will be better, can't be much worse! LOL!)

6/365 An ice picture or a nice picture?

We are having a cold snap here at the moment so I ventured onto the deck and took the slab of ice from a bowl and put it in the sun - its one of those crisp bright winter days with blue sky and sunshine. A leaf from a silver birch is trapped in the ice, along with many air bubbles. Hard choice today - I'll post some of the other shots to Picasa later.