I walked this evening, had been hoping for a bit of nice late evening sunshine, but been an overcast day, but my little woods, were a riot of colour with the Bluebells and then I found a patch of wild garlic, now I must have walked by it before, but for all I am always looking, sometimes, not enough. It was in a nice little spot for a seat and to just look around me and just enjoy the night.

I really just did pop in to post the picture, I was going to last weekend.


I have one Tulip in the garden, this year I think 11 blooms are on it, spent a hour on Sunday morning just seeing, what I could see, I will shoot a lot of flowers this next while, I am changing, this is part of who I am.

Been around a month, since I have been here. Like everything else, time flies by, close to the first 4 months of the year has gone by. When you are young, you think you have all the time in the world, then you get old and you are spending more time looking back some days wondering how you managed to get so much done everyday.

Just like the Doctor's all warned, your body is going to break down. But stubborn me will just keeps fighting.

I have taken plenty of pictures recently, been posting them on Flickr, no grand landscape shots, mostly using macro gear. bought some new gear as well, not the camera yet, but a flash and a diffuser. The diffuser came from USA, ordered one a Saturday and here on a Tuesday, used it a few times, mostly in the greenhouse shooting spiders and once, one early morning shooting cherry blossom.

I have already decided to buy another camera, before I have even got this one. It will be for my 60th birthday next year.

I truly think that to move on in life, you have to find peace within yourself first and foremost and I like to think, that is exactly where I am, staying away from here was just part of my therapy programme for me.

I am closer to death than the time, I have lived, but I will live it and enjoy every last second, that I can.

I was never angry with the world, I was angry with me.

You really have to look with in, before you can look out.

Till the next time, Smile.

I have decided to take a break from here, it has been coming for a long time and well, a status last week, was the final straw for me. Life is just too short.

I am not sure, if I have even logged in before writing this blog, I did have a look on the status page and just seen the usual and shut the page down. So a week really since my last visit.

I took a picture of someone and there dog the other week, I got a message showing me it, all printed now and hanging on the wall and it does look very good. Printed all nice and big. She was telling me, that 3 people that have seen it, have asked who took it and one was interested in me taking a picture of there dog. But I guess being hundreds of miles away might be a hurdle lol.

5 weeks till I order my new camera. Why wait, why not. For me waiting means it means even more to me. I am kind of still waiting to see, if Canon do come out with something new like rumoured, but that might just mean buying another camera in a year or two.

I have started another little saving fund now, for what, not got a clue.

I had just finished taking a picture this morning, was putting the gear away and I got one sent with Speedy in it, She has her own page and a picture of her is posted most days, sometimes more, that old dog. has more followers than me lol this morning, all stretched out in front of the stove.

In the grand scheme of things, it has been a good week, a hospital visit with my Mum went great, she never goes further than the garden, but as long as she is happy, so am I.

I have 3 days off now, hospital tomorrow, so till next week or maybe the week after.. enjoy life.


This is a blend of 4 pictures and still I just missed what, I was after, does it make it a bad picture, no. It still looks good. one that I would even print for myself, if I had a nice printer, guess what the saving fund is now going to be used for.

Sunday's are a busy day for me, I never even got a walk today, as I was doing other things and then when I was going to go this afternoon, it rained, but it never really mattered.

I sat last night and was just staring at one of the ice pictures for ages, I have 6, one will be posted at the end of this blog. for me it is one of the pictures that means an awful lot to me, probably to no one else.

I am wishing for another morning of frost to try again at these pictures. Maybe I will never get the same again.

I go next week for injection number 4 to the eye next week, only one more after that and maybe that will be it.

minimum of 12hrs of daylight now, things will start growing even quicker, was maybe around 12c here today as well , time for some sun.


My ice abstact, the ice was covering a muddy puddle, I treat it with the same care as any I take and was straddling the puddle with the tripod spread over it to preserve the ice, The more you look at some of these, the more you see. My favourite is a black and white edit and it is very close to being my most favourite view, I have ever taken. yes it really does mean that much to me.

With it now being light around 6-30am here, this morning was back into a routine, a habit call it what you like. I wake around 4am, take my first lot of tablets. I read for a little while and then got up and washed and shaved, was down stairs for around 4-50am and then I can eat breakfast , so that I can take another 6 tablets, then just a case of drink my tea and put some extra layers on and out I go.

I was planning on shooting some fungi, I saw yesterday , but was still to dark, so I walked on and ended up shooting ice patterns in a frozen puddle and it was the most amazing thing. One little mistake in not have a filter with me to polarize the glare away, but I am already hoping that I get another chance to do this. These abstract images are so amazing. Mother nature she knew, I needed this and I was grateful . I think I got some of the most important pictures, that I have ever taken and it taught me a lot as well. I kept 11 images and have started to edit one.

Putting it full screen is , well I am not even sure if I have words to describe such beauty, such amazing shapes and patterns, how it is even able to happen is way beyond my knowledge, that is for sure.

Not even really looked at the frost covered fungi yet and I was excited in what I saw on the back of the camera, when I took a few. I made mistakes , but I am learning all time. today was just the start of a new path, I was going to start on anyway. My new camera will make this easier as well. Exciting times.


I got this picture yesterday, was hard to believe that it was tipping it down with rain 1hr before. That it had been heavy rain for close to 2 days and then this. I called this one Two becomes One. The two trees have grown together.

For the last year or so, a routine changed. This morning, I think I finally saw it and well, I need to act on it. Since I had to start shaving I shaved every day, sometimes twice, if I was going out at night, but then as I said a year or so ago, I might got a day or two, but it has been a week now and looking in the mirror last night. I saw it for what it was. A form of giving up. I think the last year has been a tough one for me, but that is not an excuse. The depression and stress has got me in another of its way's that sneak attack. Before Christmas I had the very darkest of thoughts. Made another of my plans. No one would ever know it was coming. In my day to day life, I act the same on the outside, help everyone, but never ever give anything away. I think it is why I still write here, an anonymous person, getting it out. Once I write it, it is real.

I lift the camera and take a picture, why I have been getting out more than I had been, I did take a picture every single day for a few months. Now I am back to when I want to rather than need too.

No one else has the answer's but yourself, seeing the signs and still being able to act on them, thankfully I am still there. Now I am off to cut my hair and most important of all, have a shave.

I am now getting to the stage, where a little sun would be really nice and maybe around 15c or so, not really ask for much,, but still you can see how things are growing and greening up. Looking towards the woods and you can see the canopy showing change, each time I go there just now, it is like looking for old friends.

This week at work, we started 3 people and by Thursday all gone, plus 2 others. One left from my dept, had been here for close to 20yrs. The place just got to him in the end.

Life is a funny old thing we all, have a different one of course. Over the last week, I got filled in on someone's life. Parts I had known, but other bits as well, we had history from over 45yrs ago, my first kiss and my first hand job. Tomorrow she heads back over the border to her home, She has a house in a wood, really nice looking place, by the pictures she showed me. She is a major taker of pictures on her phone. Never seen so many pictures of things on a phone, I treat mine like a camera , where I delete most after I kept with what I want, she thought it was so funny. She does want one of my pictures and I gave her the file. I have always wondered what this one will look printed and one day I might.

But as we talked last Sunday, it was when I got one of my favourites of all time. She asked me if, I had gotten any pictures and I just smiled.

I had another good week, for I did get another view, that has now been added to my favourites or all time as, the folder is named, The Ancients, as I call them is the subject, daffodils I have one too post at the end of todays blog.

Part of the challenge is that it is a climb to get there, very steep slope that I have slid down a few times over the years. I can shoot it from below, but getting close is what it is all about, I think this year, they are the best I have ever seen, I was lying here, taking the views in and I did think is Mother Nature sending me a message here in what she is sharing with me.

I then just walked further along the slope, until I eventually rise to the top of the gorge, walk on the path and then head down to the river to cross. I sat for a while sheltered from the bitter wind. Then it is a case of cross the river and climb back up the gorge, I did think, I am the only person, who actually even goes down or up here .

But one thing about this wind it sure does dry the land up quick.


Here is my Ancient's , I am thinking one day a little book maybe around 12 pictures only. The only thing with this one forgot to add my white border, that I have been adding I think that it makes the picture pop more, what does anyone think on that one.

I have always gotten more pleasure seeing others happy. My being different from the normal, is what makes me normal. I have never went with the flow, done what most others do. Being a loner makes it easier, as you never really feel the need to fit in, I have tried that, but it just makes me feel lonely.

I posted a picture and it got a negative comment, I just thanked them for the comment and well moved on. I always try to thank everyone and just move on. You see all over the internet people just posting a comment just to get a rise from the person or just to see if anyone does bite.

I could play the game, if I wanted too, I know the pictures, that would get the numbers, views, likes, comments, call them what you want. But I am in a place, where I am in lucky in that I really have no interest in doing so.

I am now down to all the extra premium, that I have gotten when I renewed each time, always waited for a deal and bought it. I have a plan in place now.

I met a dog called Speedy last weekend, I was standing taking pictures and she came running up, stopped and just looked, I went to clap her and she came over , that lovely coat a Greyhound has, not a dog, I had seen before. But I recognised the voice shouting on her. By all account Speedy has never let a man clap her before. I ended up sitting talking for a while.

I also got what is one of my favourite pictures of all time, that morning. It has to be top 3.

I never blogged my usual Sunday, to be honest, I was only going to blog every other month, weaning myself away from NN only blog on even number months.

I was looking at my naked self in the mirror this morning and thought, not too bad for my age, my butt has quite a nice shape about it lol and my legs with all the cycling and walking I do. I have always been a body confident person, even when it was closer to twice the size.


The best I have ever seen her this year, weather must have been right, but 6 days later, the flowers, were past there best and a sadder looking sight. But I have that memory in a vison now. My little area of woods, give me so much and I always grateful and say a little thanks to her and mother nature..

Some of us, will just always fall through the cracks.