Sweet nothings

this is not a frog.

This is Nellie. 
And she is not a frog.
Although the frogs are arriving back in the pond, and I had this great idea of photographing one for leap year today... erm... no. Maybe not.
The frogs took one look at me and went to the bottom of the pond. No amount of prodding the pond made them come back up either  ;) .... darn inconsiderate things.

So, stuff them and their camera shy attitude.

Nellie is far better looking anyway. Even ruffled and covered in mud from her garden exploring. Happy leap year Nellie, and thanks for helping me out on the model front ;)

oh thank you

...Spring, for starting to show up. For a minute there I thought the garden was going to be grey and muddy forever...

WTDuck

ah, I love this cartoon strip. They used to be daily, but sadly not anymore... got reminded of them yesterday and had to dig out one of my favourites to share here...

10 on tuesday 28/02/2012

1) joining in, joining up. It was part of my 'deal' with myself this year; I'm trying my hardest to join in with things, such as blog challenges, competitions, new photo groups etc etc. So far, anywhere I have tried,  I've been really welcomed and had lovely feed back... :) SO: if you know of anywhere I should be - shout out, - and thanks :)

2) Last night I fell asleep at my computer. literally. This is not the first time I woke up as my face hit the keyboard...embarrassingly enough. I was trying to read and grasp something very new, and totally not 'me' in the ways of logic thinking {- it was logical in the mathematical sense,  I am not. even slightly.} Head hurt and brain went 'whaaaat?' There is the faintest glimmer of grey matter still working. But most of my head is apparently filled with recipes and pretty sparkly stuff. ack. And then I hit the keyboard. nice.

3) Today I went book shopping. Ooooo; I love a new book to read :) I gathered a handful of good looking novels up and brought them home. Just in time to see the postman deliver the two new books I ordered from Amazon. I'd forgotten about those...
If you cant find me for awhile, I am snuggled up somewhere, reading my SEVEN new novels. 

4) Social media - how much do you do? I *think* do quite  a bit. But to be fair, I only do what suits me and my life.
I am on flickr - every day,
I am on instagram {originalbritgirl} - every day,
I blog - hello :)
I tweet, often.
I Facebook a little {but only people I have actually heard of and like..}, so does my photography business, {come and say hey I like your page;) }
I was one of the earlier people on Pinterest, but I actually DO use it as a pinboard for stuff I do use/make/create... LOL.
I have some good friends on Whatsapp { app for free text messages}
and I use googlereader to keep all your blogs in check.
I haven't figured out the real point of Klout yet, and I'm sure plenty of others have passed me by too :)
What I truly LOVE is how each one has a group of friends, that I'm really fond of, on there. and some friends cross over onto many of the places, some friends are only on one...  and these are, in case you are cynically wondering ;), friends that live moments OR miles from me. That I have mostly met in real life, OR will do at some point. 
I cant imagine life without it all anyway. Its the new version of a support network.

5)  I would like to point out I have the old version of a support network too :) Some of my friends are, shall we say, social media challenged. I'm working on them ;)

6) How come sometimes, a weekend is a LONG time. Like right now when I'm waiting for something. Or when every child is home.... Other times, a weekend waits for no one and flies by. In super sonic speed. I think one my favourite blogs summed it up here, in a fabulous cartoon. 

7) The chooks laid me four eggs today :)

a veritable haul! :)

8) I have a new summer dress. Its pretty, its everyday but a bit smarter when needed type of dress. I love it. Just need the summer now then... erm... ah. slight technical hitch.

9) I watched a bundle of John Bishop sketches on-line yesterday. He makes me laugh... I would link to the exact one, but in case you are of a more delicate {than me } nature I wont ;) He is a funny funny man. and I have a strange secret crush on soft spot for him ;)
Plus, of course this week taking part in his week from hell for Sports Relief. and I think he need a lie down NOW and a sandwich... blimey.

10 ) Mr Britguy's off on a skiing adventure soon. I am not, he is off with friends. And I hope he has a fabulous fabulous time. I am looking forward to after his trip, when not only will he be safely back home of course, but I wont have to go in any more ski equipment shops for a while.... ;)
I want him to have a good relaxing break :) And I hope he takes some photos, photos of the snow and mountains and not just photos of beer and his friends in funny hats... 

 

what happens to a photographer type at the beach...

Arrive at beach.

Grumble at the light/lens choice.

See the sea, get ridiculously excited.

Take at least ten shots of the big waves/entire sea that you will delete as dull when you get home.

Get distracted by pretty sand patterns.. take picture

Look up and discover your family has left you behind...

Exclaim loudly at them, begin to catch them up

but take a photo of the sand and surf lines {see earlier post} first.

Grumble about lens choice.

Take a few close shots of waves breaking onto sand.

Because altho you have 46,000 similar ones at home, they are from different beaches. 

And you are sure you will be able to tell the difference...

take iPhone picture of the beach.

Instagram it.

and tweet that ;)

Call daughter over and make her do this..

until she gets bored {two shots then}

Wonder across beach.

Take five pictures you wont like later.

See this line of posts and clamber across beach/cliffs/dunes to get to it.

Huff and puff because there are people all around it. agh. darn people. 

Get in complicated position to make it appear like there is nobody else on the beach for this shot.

Look up and realise you have no idea where family actually is..

But as you look about for them, notice fabulous rope detail on fence post...

And a pretty view across the wetlands. 

Take another five or six photos you don't like once back home...

Find family climbing down from their walk across the sand dunes. Act like you knew where they were all the time. *ahem*

Walk back to car, doing the usual keep up jog/stop take photo/keep up jog/stop take photo pace. 

Look at, and mutter at, your photos all the way home.

Thank family for putting up with you ;) 

Amen.

making it difficult...

I've realised, okay I've been in denial about, the fact that I like to make things as difficult as possible. I think its the speed I do stuff, or how much stuff I am absolutely sure I can do in half an hour...and nothing whatsoever to do with any scatterbrained genes I may or may not own. 'kay?!

If you could back me up here and acknowledge you do some of this too, that would be great ;) 

Why measure anything with a ruler? Especially when you drive to a store for something very specific that comes in measurements.  oh no. lets guess. Or just use your arm held out. Its brilliant. its so very nearly perfect. er...not.

Start to say what you mean, and then bottle out... Listen I really wanted to say.... erm... your hair looks lovely today.  ;) Then you a) haven't said what you meant, or b) helped the situation any by adding in a whole unnecessary conversation about hair styles.

Speed read a text, missing out a vital word. Like 'cant'. call the person up and demand to know what the heck they are on about, how dare they... oh? they meant what? oh. never mind.

Only read half the recipe. Make it that far... read the rest of the recipe and see something like the words ' leave in fridge for 48 hrs' Alter plans for tea drastically...

Get a little tired of explaining how you don't watch much TV. So when people mention series on some obscure channel they just love and cant miss, agree with them. nod and say yes indeed, how cool it is. Totally come undone in this small fib when they ask you what you think of Bob in episode five...or what was the name of that girl in the opening credits again? erm.. 

Open the pack to some new thing you wanted - think camera stuff/mac stuff. Read entire instructions and ooo and ahh over  it. Open the packet of new thing you had to have - home phone stuff, alarms, etc etc *dull dull dull things*  skim read instructions and then throw them away. Never quite get item to work as it should, ever.

Get a bit obsessed about taking pictures of lots of different faces.Tell someone you really want to take their portrait, because they have a great face. Hope they do not know this is photographer speak for either you are stunning/you have awesome wrinkles... Change the subject when they ask exactly what a great face is...

Start DIY project. realise half way thro taking down old plaster/knocking out secondary glazing/drilling thro wall to other room, you don't actually KNOW what the HECK you are doing. and altho it was great fun, you have no idea how to fix it. Cover it with a picture when at all possible...

Look at clock. Realise time is near when you have to leave, but you still absolutely have time to do this other thing. Look at clock, realise time is now very near when you have to leave. Look at clock again realise you could leave now, but there is hey, still some leeway. Look at clock again, totally freak out. You are late. 

Wave at friend in grey car. everyday. In fact - wave at every grey car, because you totally cant remember what car friend has, nor the number plate, nor exactly what shade of grey it is...

Attempt to carry everything at once. Groceries, laundry - you name it; I can manage...! Everyday I balance chicken food, chicken's treats, chicken water bowl in my hands and shuffle over to chicken run. I either get covered in the water, drop at least something or am unable to actually open door of chicken run because I'm carrying to much. But I still attempt it everyday without fail. 

 

Mind the gap

Ah, the wobbly tooth wobbles no more! 

{and, by the looks of it, the one next to the gap is not far from beckoning the tooth fairy, either!}

surf lines

saturday morning in pictures, on sunday...

full speed ahead...

ah. nothing like a lifestyle type photoshoot where the subject is two and a half. They put a whole new meaning into lets go..

A few more from yesterday's main shoot....