When I'm in the house, I regularly see Goldfinches taking food from natural sources such as last summer's Teasel seed heads. But they rarely pose for me when I'm out in the garden. I tried to tempt some to this old Teasel by placing a sunflower feeder nearby and sprinkling a few sunflower hearts over the Teasel. This is the best I've managed so far.

One of my favourite garden visitors and also one of the most reliable when it comes to posing nicely to be photographed.

A female Bullfinch on flowering Blackthorn in my garden earlier.

The wildlife wasn't deterred by blizzard conditions in Sheffield earlier. This Grey Squirrel was happy to take advantage of the peanuts I'd put out for the birds.

A quiet day for birds in the garden today, but I managed to get a few images of the Goldfinches landing on a mossy perch I'd placed near the sunflower heart feeders.

One from a few weeks ago.

The cold weather last weekend brought Redwings, Mistle Thrushes and Song Thrushes to my garden, all of them rare visitors. I put out plenty of fruit on the floor and set up a hide that I could lie down in to get some low POV images. Unfortunately the Redwings stayed in the undergrowth but this Song Thrush was happy to hop around in the open.

Another back garden image. I've spiked a couple of windblown apples onto the hedge behind the subject, which have attracted a Song Thrush and an over-wintering Blackcap as well as adding colour to the bokeh.

A Great Tit and the distinctive male catkin of an Alder.

Still life at home, New Delhi, Delhi (NCT), India

I took this image of an acrobatic Blue Tit just before it flitted down to grab a peanut from my bird table. I've twisted some cut vegetation through a hedge behind the feeders to produce a varied palette of tones in the backdrop; Ivy, Holly and Yew to create green tones and twigs of Beech and Oak which still have lost last year's leaves to create some gold.

I took advantage of some bright weather to create this low-key image of a Blue Tit.

New to this twirling malarkey.. This composite started out my my cat and ended up as a creepy but loveable yeti thing

Another image from the garden.

Just finished stitching the final season in this lovely set by artist embroiderer Helen M Stevens. They're from a book and you trace the design onto fabric using white carbon paper. I think this is my favourite because of the bright colours.

I'm giving the framed set of four to our daughter to hang in her Victorian country cottage - she loves the countryside just as much as I do.

Had the tools out during lockdown.

on the left

otamahua /quail island

lights on a rock reef

governors bay

across the harbour from lyttelton

Shot using Nikon d5300

This weeks Macro Mondays entry for the theme of 'windowsill'

Album cover recreation, lockdown selfie project

Today's album cover offering took ages...going to do a couple more to make it a week's project.

Album cover recreation, lockdown selfie project

Although I've had charcoal pencils for awhile, I never felt compelled to use them instead of the graphite ones they were packed with ... that was then, this is now. I really like the matte quality of the charcoal (as opposed to graphite's slightly metallic sheen) but I need to work on how differently the mid-tones are created. A good start though ... always learning!

...all your sea sick sailors

they are rowing home...

"it's all over now

baby blue" - mr dylan

the marine is full

there will be no sailing during the covid19 lockdown

Lockdown Project 3

Just finished stitching the third season in this lovely set by artist embroiderer Helen M Stevens. They're from a book and you trace the design onto fabric using white carbon paper. I've added 2mm silver seed beads to the spiders web to resemble dew drops. The web, twirling vines and reeds on the bottom right are all in twinkling silver thread. It's already framed so the colours are a little difficult to replicate through glass.

Only autumn to complete now. They are great winter/lockdown projects, and it's very rewarding to see the picture pop out of the fabric and grow before your eyes.

I've added links to Spring and Summer that I completed a few years ago, in the first comments box.

day 45

covid19 lock-down

diamond harbour

banks peninsula

day 20

covid19 lockdown

port lyttelton

nz

covid19 lock-down

the old marina

navel point

te waipapa

day 12

covid19 lock-down

lyttelton port company tug

10 days before the first carrier of covid19 arrived in new zealand

confirmed positive 28 february after 3 tests

day28 covid19 lock-down

during the lock-down we are permitted to go walking in our neighbourhoods

people place teddy bears in their windows our in the garden to cheer up children (and their parents) during this period of enforced isolation.

It stopped raining long enough for me to do this....

Dawn, yesterday, before the rain, in which I got soaked.

Today there is also rain, in which I am not getting soaked.

Today there is no walking, there is yoga, of which there will be no photographs.

covid19 lockdown

port lyttelton

Friend Esmé's great-granddaughter gave her several amigurumi kits during Lockdown 1.0 to use or give away - the young lady had originally intended to use them to amuse herself during the first lockdown but decided they were too difficult for her. They were then further passed on to me for the same reason. As a crocheter for over 55 years (I've only knit for around 8), I immediately went completely off-piste from the directions as I did not like the included pattern (lower left) but was determined to use the yarn. The final result (upper right) will now be gifted to my next sister down as she is a Cancer 'Crabby'. As she is also a little ol' Cat Lady I imagine it might end up being a cat toy for her seven (!) cats.

day 28 covid19 lock-down

day 35

covid19 lock-down

Vagrant spider

Order: Araneae

Family: Zoropsidae

A forest spider, found in gardens near bush areas

Eats ground dwelling invertebrates

I hooked it out with my fingers from under board thinking it was autumn leaves. It scuttled away quite quickly but i retrieved it for long enough to take a photo. Their bodies have a soft, velvety feel. They blend in beautifully with the forest floor.

Confinement can lead to unexpected encounters.

💎

#starla #starlaandthejewelriders #gwenevereandthejewelriders #kitbash #onesixthscale #onesixthcustom #onesixthfigure #faceup #repaint #repaintdoll #2020plans #lockdownproject #lockdownprojects2020

#dollproject #dollcrafts #sewingfordolls #dollsclothes #ooakdoll #boyswithdolls #toyartistry #toyphotography #customdoll #dollstagram

⚔️💎

#motu #sheraprincessofpower #shera #princessofpower

#starla #starlaandthejewelriders #gwenevereandthejewelriders #kitbash #onesixthscale #onesixthcustom #onesixthfigure #faceup #repaint #repaintdoll #2020plans #lockdownproject #lockdownprojects2020

#dollproject #dollcrafts #sewingfordolls #dollsclothes #ooakdoll #boyswithdolls #toyartistry #toyphotography #customdoll #dollstagram

A little lockdown project

I bought a gundam model kit in Japan last year and eventually got around to making it! I decided to have a go taking a photo of it using some lights and a smoke pellet... this was the result

💎

#starla #starlaandthejewelriders #gwenevereandthejewelriders #kitbash #onesixthscale #onesixthcustom #onesixthfigure #faceup #repaint #repaintdoll #2020plans #lockdownproject #lockdownprojects2020

#dollproject #dollcrafts #sewingfordolls #dollsclothes #ooakdoll #boyswithdolls #toyartistry #toyphotography #customdoll #dollstagram

#starla #starlaandthejewelriders #gwenevereandthejewelriders #kitbash #onesixthscale #onesixthcustom #onesixthfigure #faceup #repaint #repaintdoll #2020plans #lockdownproject #lockdownprojects2020

#dollproject #dollcrafts #sewingfordolls #dollsclothes #ooakdoll #boyswithdolls #toyartistry #toyphotography #customdoll #dollstagram

❄️🌊

‍♀️‍♀️‍♀️

🐚

#mermay‍♀️ #mermay2021

#mermaychallenge #mermaychallenge2021

#mermaidsofinstagram #mermaidelsa #frozen #elsa #disneydollcustom #disneydoll #disneyprincessdolls neycollector #lockdownproject #reroot #dollproject #dollsclothes #boyswithdolls #toyartistry #toyphotography #dollstagram

These 3 were my childhood favourites so I’m really happy to have more accurate looking dolls of them (I kinda wish I could time capsule them back to mini me!) #2020review #2020project #lockdownproject #customdoll #ooakdoll #customdolls #princessaurora #briarrose #adora #shera #sheraprincessofpower #supergirl #karazorel #supergirldoll #disneydolls #disneydoll #disneytoys #disneycollector #disneycollection #dollphotography #disneygay #dollcollector #boyswithdolls #toyartistry #toyphotography #toycrewbuddies

⚔️💎

#motu #sheraprincessofpower #shera #princessofpower

#starla #starlaandthejewelriders #gwenevereandthejewelriders #kitbash #onesixthscale #onesixthcustom #onesixthfigure #faceup #repaint #repaintdoll #2020plans #lockdownproject #lockdownprojects2020

#dollproject #dollcrafts #sewingfordolls #dollsclothes #ooakdoll #boyswithdolls #toyartistry #toyphotography #customdoll #dollstagram

#starla #starlaandthejewelriders #gwenevereandthejewelriders #kitbash #onesixthscale #onesixthcustom #onesixthfigure #faceup #repaint #repaintdoll #2020plans #lockdownproject #lockdownprojects2020

#dollproject #dollcrafts #sewingfordolls #dollsclothes #ooakdoll #boyswithdolls #toyartistry #toyphotography #customdoll #dollstagram

If I'm still making chutney at 91 years old with my husband I'll be happy. Here is a film I made that went viral on my IGTV, you can watch it here.

I shot it all on an 85mm lens so I could keep my distance.

Music licensed by Emily Hearn

Sweet Chutney Day

day 45

covid19 lock-down

diamond harbour

banks peninsula