View allAll Photos Tagged Infinitepossibilities
Seen at WWT Slimbridge today . I used this caption because it reminded me of the book, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance which is rather a heavy tome on one aspect of philosophy and too complex to go into here, but basically it revolves around the philosophical concept of 'quality'. I couldn't help but smile when I passed this old gent. The pictures he was drawing were quite basic, almost childlike but you can tell by his smile how much joy he was getting sitting, observing and so on and so forth. It made me question the art of photography itself i.e. should we we strive for perfection or should we be satisfied with capturing a moment in time, or in my case therapy which gets me lost in the moment ?
This is Swansea's Singleton Hospital as seen from a balcony of Swansea University's Institute of Life Science. I along with many others including the Mayor of Neath/Port Talbot had been invited here on a tour of the MS Research labs, research which which is funded by MS Society UK. A fascinating insight into the current research going on in my hometown and a particularly moving talk by a PhD student whose aim in life ever since her childhood after seeing and chatting with an aunt who was affected by MS is a life dedicated to this
I also took many others photos as the official photographer for the event which are destined elsewhere, not for Flickr.
This is a Passion Flower in my garden which I've given a bit of a twirl in Photoshop because it describes my morning to a tee. Whilst Huw was at the hospital this morning (getting his 6th and hopefully last post Bowel Cancer CT Scan) I was so busy attending to requests for so many things online that the Song lyrics by Don McLean sprang to mind,
"I feel like a spinning top for a dreidel
The spinning don't stop when you leave the cradle
You just slow down
Round and around this world you go
Spinning through lives of the people you know
We all slow down"
When he got home, the first thing he said , because I was so engrossed with what I was doing was , "Hello. This is Wales and you are on Planet Earth!" 😳 then half an hour later, I was still at it , "Ground Control to Major Tom..." 😬..... and breathe..............as they say.
Today we spent the day at The British Birds of Prey Centre to join in their 1st Birthday Celebrations . What a treat it was too, because they flew all their falcons , also brought in the Harris Hawk ( not a British Bird) because it was the first bird they flew when they started up as Pembrokeshire Falconry.
Here's a sneak peek into step one of the journal creation, incorporating 4 different mediums . . .
an original watercolor dragonfly (repeated, reduced and reversed for the smaller image), an acrylic background wash which I once used for business cards while selling on ebay, the circled photographs of my marine bracelet, and finally, the composite created in photoshop.
"The thing about performance, even if it's only an illusion,
is that it is a celebration of the fact that we do contain within ourselves infinite possibilities.”
~ Sydney Smith ~
Gardening all morning, trying to find our patio again. The rose needed dead-heading, so I kept the same bllom as I photographed the other day to go on the lightpad.
A high-key one, with wooden texture added. This is the only way I can paint!
A surreal day all round what with me watching a toddler's panto inside the Wales Millennium Centre to shelter from the rain (oh no you didn't ! Oh yes I did 😉) for an hour whilst Huw was in MS Society Cymru HQ taking off his hat of Chair of MS Cymru Council and passing it on to his successor - followed by my joining the staff for a Christmas meal including a Quiz and a little matter of both being presented with thank you gifts. I keep wondering like Alice down the rabbit hole, "How did I get to be here? " 😳
I've been working flat out over the weekend along with three of my counterparts on finalising arrangements for a Spring Charity Ball and my initial photo was something to do with that. However as the sun broke out at lunchtime, me and mine took off for WWT Llanelli. What could be more beautiful than the iridescent plumage of a drake mallard in good sunlight?
This story is this (unlike the one in the Oasis song) : we turned our dahlia patch into a wildflower patch expecting to see very much the same flowers as Swansea City Council plant throughout the city. To date, we have a number of these, a few of those poppy-like orange ones, a few tiny but tall stock - like ones and loads if willow herb weeds.... early days yet though but it does look promising..
It's my lovely friend in Hampshire's birthday today. Unbeknown to her, the family arranged a surprise lunch for her and other friends in the Cams Mill, Fareham. We too were invited but had to drive there and back in a day due to Huw's other weekend commitments. I took this before we hit the road this morning at silly o'clock . Too tired after a long day to edit and upload a DLSR pic so a 'thistle doo ' shot. Catch up with commenting tomorrow.
Following on from yesterday's shenanigans. I have no voice to speak of. Granted I'd had a bit of a head cold earlier in the week, but I wasn't expecting this, so I zapped up a fresh orange and took it with a spoonful of honey.
Once I uploaded it I realised that the compo leaves a lot to be desired - too late though because it's all gone.
A trip up to see Guildford Flames play Coventry Blaze.
The home team were 4-1 up after the first period, then allowed Coventry back in, but managed to win by 5-4.
We haven't been to any matches in the UK, but very much enjoyed the two matches we saw in Canada some years ago.
The first was Calgary Flames vs Edmonton Oilers, and the second a local Colts team at Fernie, both while on skiing holidays.
This is a trophy I brought home from the Celtic Manor , Well no not quite ;-) - it's a small pebble that cost £3.75 in the Shopping Mall there . The message on it speaks volumes to me .
This is what can happen when , metaphorically speaking , you're spinning so many plates that you risk going into meltdown.
The set - up here is a stack of six bone china tea plates ( no longer available ) given a twirl in Photoshop.
The reason for choosing this is that having undergone a manipulative procedure on my spine today , I need to rest and save my energy for a busy weekend ahead. Will catch up on 365 group commenting when my plates stop spinning after the weekend.
What is it about my "Curiosities of the Causeway" SCC Photowalk that attracts extreme weather?
Back in July we coped with the hottest day of the year. This time there was an amber weather warning for heavy rain.
Looking at the forecast, I was hopeful that this would have gone through early morning, and it would clear for the walk with further rain later, so I held my nerve and didn't cancel.
This was with the proviso that, if it started raining, we would go for an impromptu coffee.
At around 11am the rain started, so here we are heading for coffee in the gloomy conditions, enlivened by a red coat.
During coffee the rain cleared, and we continued, finishing in glorious sunshine!
Treasure Hunt 25: Dim
A day spent chasing my tail today before we go away, what with planting up the last of the marigolds in my garden and shopping for holiday essentials. This is an el cheapo watch I bought in Asda ( known as Wallmart in the US) . I'd tried capturing it on my wrist but a ' nocando' because despite being right handed , I always wear a watch on my right wrist, and didn't have time to faff with a tripod.
This is is one we have growing in our back garden captured this morning during a brief spell of Spring sunshine. Alternative shot in comments.
My friend Jan who we're staying with coordinates a similar MS Fundraising group to ours in S. Wales with a funkier name than ours , ‘Don't MS with Us' so we popped along to support their Bank Holiday Fundraiser at the annual Stubbington Fayre , where they sold Home Made Cakes, biscuits and various other delicacies , made by the team themselves..
It was the hottest August Bank Holiday on record with very harsh sunlight , hence the phone shot.
I took shelter in the Holy of Holies lunchtime from a heavy shower of rain ( namely 'Huw's Greenhouse ')I was appalled by the mess inside it seeing as he keeps his office at home so immaculately neat and tidy 😳
Cleaned and polished my stained glass panel today, so here it is on the light pad...
Just need to get Dave to fit it now.
Looking down into the harbour at Brønnøysund with afternoon light. Flipped to make a "sky" in the reflections.
Treasure Hunt 39: Impressionism
I first saw a dandelion macro a few years ago, and was fascinated by the structural detail to be seen.
When I heard that Macro Mondays theme for today was "Eye of the Beholder" I initially thought of using yesterday's car, as it was a bit battered. However, I spotted some dandelions, and thought that this would be perfect. How can something be so lovely, yet so unwanted and unloved?
Flower 2" in diameter.
I was given this yesterday by my friend in Hampshire. I'm not allowed to open it yet though. So many January birthdays and celebrations to follow in the coming week, I'm finding it difficult to find time to comment on other 365ers - bear with me.
On the subject of so many January birthdays , it makes me wonder how much truth there is in Alfred Lord Tennyson's quote, “In the Spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love.” Think about it ;-)
What this really is is something I bought in a Craft Fair before Easter to give as a gift to someone but forgot where I'd put it for safety until I was tidying up at home earlier.
It's made by a former colleague of my better half in the days he worked in Education . When she retired herself she set up a business making these novelty gifts. The ones she sells which carry a daffodil emblem, she donates 5% to The Marie Curie Cancer Charity. This one contains a Cadbury's Creme Egg. Now - who can I give it to seeing that I must be the only person on the planet who doesn't like these ?
I'd have preferred something more in keeping with Good Friday for today's PoTD but seeing as I was up really early this morning trying to get the Full Moon just before it set , I chose this - the birdsong at that time of morning was divine in itself .
This is one of my next door neighbours who popped around earlier to help Huw clear the guttering from storm debris ( his legs;our ladder) In fact it was almost like a party atmosphere with his wife and I rescuing a Painted Lady butterfly trapped in our greenhouse, also our son arriving with his dog which we're looking after for a week. so many photos taken too but I chose this as my PoTD because it represents a day in which post - storm mop up is underway.
Taken this morning at Cardiff Bay - a rare selfie of me in The Water Tower there. I'm hesitant in explaining this but here goes........ The reason for this is because an altercation with a man who had parked his massive delivery lorry in a disabled parking bay taking up two spaces set aside for Blue Badge Holders had somewhat rattled me. Many will know that I find walking any great distance to be challenging so when I spend time at Cardiff Bay whilst Huw is in his monthly meeting at MS Soc Cymru, we need to park the car here because I use my 'Doris' Bike' . We both challenged the lorry driver over this and in brief, one of his sentences got to me .... "I'm fed up of the likes of you" as he took a phone shot of the inside of the open boot of our hatchback car (!) Anyhow I scooted off in the direction of Cardiff Wetlands Nature Reserve , a place where nature knows no boundaries nor discrimination.
I must say though that I did laugh when Huw joined me there and told me that when he returned to the car , there were three armed policemen looking at it ( presumably on the way to The Senedd / Welsh National Assembly) lol!!
The gingerbread house is disappearing, and I thought it looked rather Gothic at this stage. Before we could have any more, it was out with a black background and flash to get light through the boiled sweet windows. I thought moonlight was appropriate, so I added a moon from 2016, then it looked a bit bare, so some trees from 2014 were inverted, converted to B&W and pressganged into action as well!
Treasure Hunt 72: Windows
Trimming the side growth from the oak tree trunk by our driveway in order to get our van in next week!
Placed on a light pad, texture layers added in PS.
Our annual Christmas jolly to Cardiff today where once again we popped into Tabernacle Chapel, The Hayes to see a 20 minute 'live' Nativity Play called "The Story"
Link to read about it the-story.org.uk/about-us/
Back on the road tomorrow again but to Cardiff Bay for Huw's official handover to his successor of Chair of MS Cymru Council.
Another day spent photographing a mtb enduro race. I found a spot on stage 2 where there was a tricky tabletop jump, and didn't want to lose a potentially lucrative spot, so I had to wait several hours through practice time in the morning.
I heard a rustling next to me, and looked down, expecting to see a wren or other small bird. Instead there was a mouse! It stayed put fairly close to me in the leaves, then as I tried to move closer for my 24-105 to capture it better, it scooted across the tral and nestled by this tree for a moment. I shot this, then tried to get closer, but it was off!
Forgot that I meant to add this to the camera club monthly challenge: Woodland.
A Haiku Note:
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To have a new life.
What's the Probability?
Reincarnation
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So today, we’d pre-booked a Puffin Island Cruise from Beaumaris out and around the Island for a wildlife trip. As we were half way there in the car the phone rang to say that it had been cancelled due to very high NE Winds, and were offered instead a cruise in the opposite direction down the Menai Straits. Did we take it ? You betcha we did because it’s been on our bucket list for years .There is only one boat licensed to carry passengers on this voyage and it’s often dependent on the tide times and many other factors so to date we hadn’t made it.
This is where I chose to sit – on the corner of the stern of the vessel and quite possibly the most turbulent position but I’m a good sailor anyway.
My mistake though was not to double check that we’d left our waterproofs in the car. The outward voyage was quite pleasant but we got soaked to the skin and covered in saltiness on the homeward voyage. Great fun and a dream come true to sail under the two bridges (in comments)
Trying for a minimalist image of our van, after taking the necessary photos for her to be reclassified as a campervan with the DVLA.
FCB 52 Week Challenge Week 42: Minimalism
A slow dash to Carmarthen and back today killing two birds with one stone - needed to pop to Carmarthen Cameras and also to see son who lives and works there. Taken from inside the car ..
A phone shot due to today's horrendous weather conditions . Today in that case, we took advantage of a voucher than my friend Jan in Hampshire had given me for my birthday last January - a voucher for Afternoon Tea for two at the Rasoi Waterfront, Swansea SA1. You'd think that this kind of tea would overly sweet and sickly, but to the contrary , it wasn't as heavy as it looks.
The torment of a butterfly hunt...
Loved the bokeh in this one, and the light through the wings.
Thanks to Ian Bartlett for the correct ID!