Dotty Designs

I have licensed 4 of my images to a company called Dotty Designs http://www.dottydesigns.com/ for them to use on their storage cubes.
They produce a range of British designed products including the aforementioned storage cubes, aprons and shopping bags, plus many more, all with interesting photographic images on them. All their products are made from natural cotton fabrics, they use minimal packaging and are mindful of their carbon footprint.

This week I have been preparing for my trip up to London for the launch of this years NGS yellow book. My train ticket has been booked and collected from the station. My outfit chosen, a dress with my favourite shoes, red with a wedge (well being only 5ft 2in I don't want to be dwarfed by all those tall chaps) and a new batch of business cards to give out, should the opportunity arise.

After the reception, I intend to make my way along the South Bank to the Tate Modern where there is a Monet I want to see again.

I feel very thankful that I have been sent this invitation. Not only is it an honour and very exciting but it will give me the opportunity to step out of my weekly routine, which is something we all need to do every now and again!

Ranunculus to the rescue

What a week I have had. I have a gut complaint, which flared up this week and completely knocked me for six. Thankfully, with the help of the meds, I am feeling tons better and ready for action!

Today we went on the hunt for a greenhouse. We have seen some on the Internet but thought we would see if we could source one locally and I am so glad we went out and about, because I visited a garden centre, which I hadn't been to before.
I have been visiting garden centres since I was a child and just love the thrill of seeing what plants they sell and Stewarts in Christchurch have a fantastic range of plants, I was not disappointed. They had a greenhouse very similar to the ones we were looking at on the net but also a polytunnel, which also looked very promising. Decisions, decisions.................

Inspite of having one of the largest gardens on the estate, it is so lumpy and bumpy and with three very tatty levels at the back, I have so much space but nowhere to grow anything, without lots of hard work first to make it possible. It's funny how we focus on what we don't have, instead of what we have. I am happy for the space but completely daunted at the same time.

At Stewarts I bought some Ranunculus corms but also saw some in flower, which I just couldn't resist. They have the most beautiful petal structure and the colour of these are a fuchsia pink - gorgeous.

In dark and dreary January only the hard hearted could not feel happiness from looking at these scrumptious flowers. They certainly soothed my soul.

A Wonderful Invitation

On Wednesday I was jumping for joy around my kitchen, after receiving an invitation to the launch of this years NGS Yellow Book. Last year I completed a self funded project, photographing NGS gardens and their owners, on their open days, giving the images to the National Garden Scheme for them to use if they wish. The pleasure I got from the project was reward enough, so this puts the icing on the cake. The president of the NGS is Joe Swift, so if I get to meet him, well I might explode with happiness. Hopefully not in front of him; don't want to make a mess!

I took a stroll up the garden path this morning, in the sunshine. It was markedly warmer than of late; almost spring like. Gosh the garden's a mess. Lots of work to do, digging over the raised beds and replacing fences.
I inspected my purple sprouting broccoli. Nothing to eat yet but they looked healthy enough. Boots helped me check them out.

I have been buying from the Marshalls kitchen garden catalogue http://www.marshalls-seeds.co.uk/index.html my favourite seed catalogue. As potatoes take up so much room, I have bought some bags to grow them in, which come with tubers and free potato fertiliser. I have gone for the taster bags, as you get 3 varieties of tubers, Charlotte, Swift and Maris Peer. I have also bought some chili seeds and salad bowl, cut and come again lettuce.
This is our 3rd year of growing our own veg. I still have lots to learn but one of the most important lessons I have learnt so far, especially if space is at a premium, is to only grow vegetables which you know you will take pleasure in eating and also that the summers are too damp for outdoor tomatoes. Two years of the tastiest summer crop being decimated by blight, has put me off growing them again; outdoors that is.
You just watch, this year we will have perfect tomato growing weather!

New Polaroid Cameras unveiled

Polaroid is set to revive its instant business as it unveiled two new cameras at the Las Vegas CES show - one digital and one film-based to be released alongside new instant films produced by the Impossible Project

The new film camera is named PIC 1000 and is a modern version of the formerly-popular Polaroid OneStep camera. The camera will be available in two models - one in a light grey metallic plastic finish, while the retro model will sport a wooden finish. Both models feature a self-timer, flash and red-eye reduction option.

The PIC 1000 will work with Polaroid 600 Color films, which are set to be produced by a joint venture between Summit Group and the Impossible Project, the latter having worked for the past year in the redevelopment of instant films after Polaroid pulled the plug on the business in 2008.Polaroid is also planning to continue its foray in the instant digital market with the release of a 12 million pixel resolution digital camera that will instantly print 3x4-inch images using ZINK technology. Previously, Polaroid released a PoGo printer and camera which produced 2x3-inch prints
The new digital camera will be fitted with a LCD screen to allow users to check, crop and alter their images before printing them.A stand-alone 3x4-inch printer will also be released in the second half of 2010, along side the instant digital camera. The PIC 1000 will be available in the first half of the year to coincide with the release of new Impossible Project's instant films.

Source: Article taken from British Journal of Photography online http://www.bjp-online.com/public/showPage.html?page=872445

Here is the news - It's Winter!

Christmas has come and gone and left us with icy conditions, which amusingly is dominating the news. It's winter for heavens sake! OK so maybe we aren't used to these Arctic like conditions but should we be so surprised?

Having said that though, in Poole, we have had the cold and ice but not a lot of snow, so here with the warmth of the sea and the shelter of the Purbecks, we have escaped the worst of the weather.

I have started a visual diary for 2010. My intention is to take a photograph every day; not so easy as it sounds, considering I usually use my camera everyday. I am going to print the photographs and put them in a book with notes and doodles. The first week has gone well, although I didn't get out to take a photograph on Monday, so I had to use a photograph I took in the studio, a pot of PVA glue!

Below is a roundup of images taken over the Christmas holiday. The decorations, my lovely daughter with the cat on Christmas day, and a chilly walk along the shoreline at Studland. Stay cosy!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year