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

Bright Winter Blessings

Today is the Winter Solstice. The day in which we welcome the return of the sun to the northern hemisphere.

Last night I went to my Solstice celebration, which was a truly wonderful night. The room was lit with candles and foliage of pine, ivy, mistletoe, hips and holly adorned the room.

The theme was about being fearless. About putting our plans into practise instead of putting them off through fear. We live in a fearful society with the governments and media fueling our fear but we should be bold, 'what if the worse isn't to happen'!

After my meditations and celebrations, I am now ready to welcome Christmas and the New Year in with a renewed vigour and optimism for the coming year. Another year to make my mark on the visual world!

A journey with a view

I work in the middle of nowhere on the edge of the Dorset/Hampshire border and I spend my working day in a room without any windows. Now before you get the violins out, let me tell you that the trade off for this, is my journey to work . It takes me through Wimborne which is a lovely market town and as I drive to work early, the Christmas lights are still on in the market square. Holt which is a picturesque village with thatched cottages around a large green and best of all I drive across Mannington Heath. Mannington Heath is quite high up and the views over the heathland in the winter, are spectacular. Last Friday morning the sight which greeted me as I reached the top of the hill, took my breath away. The sun was a ball of flame and the heathland was covered in frost and mist, with the trees in silhouette against the sun. I am no landscape photographer, so wouldn't even attempt to photograph such a scene. I was listening to Genesis (Peter Gabriel without a doubt the greatest asset they had) and this was a moment in which it felt great to be alive! No photograph could ever capture that!

The sun is so important this time of year and I am drawn towards it at every opportunity. My walk along the leafy lane which takes me to the local shops was bathed in beautiful light.

A few leaves are still bravely clinging the trees and the ruby red hips are like jewels shining in the shade of the trees.

I also love the shape and form of the Ivy with their alien shaped bracts and glossy leaves

Next Sunday I will celebrating the winter solstice with my wonderful friend Lorraine Exley http://www.lightawareness.com/therapists/lorraine_exley.htm. I always look forward to this evening of music and meditation. The room is decorated with candles and foliage. It's a wonderful feeling to welcome the sun back to the northern hemisphere and to look forward to the warmth and light it brings with it.

A sunny Sunday

This morning when I opened the curtains, I couldn't believe my eyes; blue skies and sunshine and on a Sunday! I decided that today there wasn't going to be any decorating or baking, it was going to be a day spent outside.
I haven't ventured down the garden path for a couple of weeks. The last few weekends have just been so wet and not just light showers either, so today was a perfect day for an inspection, especially after the surprise frost of Thursday night/Friday morning.
The Dahlias had, as anticipated, turned to mush, so I chopped them to the ground and I moved a couple of plants into pots, as there really wasn't the room for them (I always plant too close together, not realising how large things grow - no spacial awareness).
I had a lovely surprise waiting for me in one of my veg plots, a lonely marigold, dancing away in the breeze.

Marigold

I trimmed a few plants but I like to leave a few twiggy stems over the winter. The Aster was looking particularly splendid in the sunshine.

Aster

The sun felt quite warm today, despite the wind, so we went to the beach this afternoon. The wind was far stronger than anticipated, whipping up the sand - bracing one would say!

sand dunes

It's good to get out and feel the wind on your face and breath in the air. I can't believe it's nearly Monday again - oh well, soon be Christmas!