Pics of Places and Things

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Contortionist

Posted in response to the Daily Post Weekly Photo Challenge. This week’s theme ‘Twisted’

This determined little chap had to really contort to get at the bird’s peanuts!  I admire his fortitude, but he is a bloomin’ little nuisance.. keeps busting the feeder. D’oh!  He seems quite pleased with himself though 🙂

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Simple Pleasures

Posted in response to the Daily Post weekly photo challenge. This week’s theme: ‘I’d rather be…’

Since my daughters have grown up we’ve only had one holiday together, and it was this one in Northumbria a couple of years ago.  It was a typical summer holiday in England – dull, cold and windy, so not wanting to waste such a brilliant beach we bought ourselves a kite.  Those four people (this includes my daughter’s partner) right there are the ones I love most in the world (as well as my mum of course – I have to say that, she reads this 🙂 ), and I remember watching them in the shadow of Bamburgh Castle, attempting to fly the kite in what felt like a gale, and generally being daft, and thinking just how lucky I was to be in such a beautiful place with such beautiful people.  Yep, I’d take that over a Caribbean holiday any ol’ time…

…on second thoughts, sod the cold, ideally I would be with them in the Caribbean swimming in a warm sea or lying on a white sandy beach sipping at a rum punch…oh yeah…!

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People in my lens

Posted in response to the Daily Post weekly photo challenge.  This week’s theme ‘A Face in the Crowd’

I couldn’t quite decide which photograph was more appropriate for this challenge so I’m sharing two.  The first is a lady that I captured buying olives from an impressive display.  I really liked the colours and patterns.

The second is a picture of my friend Gill taking in the wonder of the Great Wall of China.  How I managed to get a shot of her completely alone I’ll never know as there were plenty of others about!  I must admit this is my favourite of the two pictures. I just love the way Gill’s coat splays out echoing the curve of the wall, and the sense of vastness and solitude.

Be interested to know which one you prefer, and if either fill the brief, cos I’m not quite sure!

 

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Lighting

Posted in response to the Daily Post weekly photo challenge. This week’s theme ‘Favourites – your favourite photo from 2017’

Ok.  This is a terrible photograph, out of focus and indistinct. All the magic tools of photoshop couldn’t redeem it. It’s dreadful.  And yet I share it with the world.

Why? you may ask.

Well, one of the main reasons for our visit to Iceland in November was so that I could cross another event off of my bucket list – namely, to witness the Northern Lights. Of course, I’ve seen them on TV, and in books, and there are many, many photographs, but to see them for real….well, it was a dream.

So when it came to it I made a conscious decision not to take my camera, but, for a change, to just live and experience the moment.  At the time, there were hoards of others fiddling with camera settings and peering through lenses and I could have been doing exactly the same.  Instead, I was standing with my jaw dropping, watching the most fantastic natural phenomenon you could imagine.  The lights danced in the sky in rainbow colours and I don’t believe that anyone could every capture the most wonderous reality of it no matter how skilled or fancy their camera.

Of course, I had to just take one snap with my phone, and this is the result.  So sorry an’ all, it’s a duff old picture, but for me it captures an absolute dream of a memory, and certainly one of my favourite moments of the year. 🙂

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