March 31 ~ Out of the Dark

I couldn't resist - we were out today, and I bought two bunches of tulips. These just seemed to glow from within with their own light, and I tried to do that justice here. I only used one lamp, off to the right of the flower, and then a gold reflector on the left instead of the other lamp I usually use - found the lighting looked too harsh when I used both lamps. I liked the feeling of this bloom emerging from the winter's darkness into the light of spring, and tried to emphasize that here.

It's official -- we're going to Toronto for Christmas again this year! :D :D :D Booked our tickets online this evening; we fly out via Paris on Air France on December 13th, and back home on January 4th. I can't wait!!!!!

{{{{HUGS}}}}

March 30 ~ Chicks Dig Birdseed!

"Wow, Iggy - look at all the chicks! They really DO dig birdseed," shouted Mini-Me in amazement. Iggy could do no more than look around incredulously. Maybe they weren't the kind of chicks he had in mind?

I'm a day behind in posting this; got home late from camera club on Friday and decided to go to sleep instead of doing my blog entry. Bad me!

It was the results of the first round of the Beginners' competition at the club; I just missed the entry deadline when I joined, so was eager to hear the judge's comments so that I would be ready to enter the 2nd round in a few weeks' time. The judge was great; very constructive feedback, found so many positive aspects to all the photos, but found excellent ways to improve them as well. I learned a lot, and am not quite so nervous about submitting my photos to the competition now.

{{{HUGS}}}

March 29 ~ The Assistant

Mini-Me was supposed to be helping me sort out my camera gear. Instead, he spent ages staring through one of my close-up filters! He thinks it's pretty incredible to have his own personal magnifying glass - one the size of him almost! Needless to say, once he discovered his new "toy" he wasn't much help to me. Good thing it wasn't a mirror, or else I might have lost him forever to his own reflection (he loves himself just a little bit!)

Much quieter day at work today, but it was LONG. I only got in around 7pm, and had been at work since just after 8am. Good thing I love my job. I was thrilled to see a former client of mine come in for a chat with her little girl; I think I mentioned this customer before and how ill she is, but to my utter delight she is looking much stronger and healthier. I got a present from the little one, too - she's at nursery school now, and brought me in a stick from the playground! LOL I love kids.

One more day, and it's the weekend! Yippee! :D I'm looking forward to just hanging out with Chris and pottering around the house. Let's hope the weather is nice, so we can get out for a walk (along with the camera, of course!)

{{{HUGS}}} to you all!

March 28 ~ Ride 'Em Cowboy!

Mini-Me fancies himself to be a bit of a Wild West cowboy today (minus the Stetson, of course - don't have one to fit him!). Iggy, however, isn't quite sure what he makes of all this and Mini-Me's shouts of "Hi-yo, Iggy - awayyyyyyy!" leave him a bit bewildered. Iggy has decided just to dig in his heels for the time being. Mini-Me's trying to encourage Iggy by jiggling the reins, but to no avail. Iggy just isn't going anywhere. Looks like this wannabe cowboy is without a trusty steed.

Boy.... my mind's in overdrive today! Guess this photo proves that my brain works in mysterious ways (warped ones at that!) Been a busy day at work, with one branch preparing for a visit from a Compliance inspector (glad I won't be at that branch on the day itself) and the other seemingly full of folks with the weirdest queries. Looks like one customer was even using his mobile phone to record us talking with him today :O Will be interesting to see what comes of THAT.

Working week more than 1/2 done now, and it's been a hectic one yet again. Get to work late tomorrow - it's telephoning night. Yay :( Oh well, need to get my appointment diary filled. Mortgage, anyone? :D

{{{HUGS}}}

March 27 ~ Go Fish!

"Flex, do you have a ten?" Ayla asked.
"No, go fish!" Flex shouted back gleefully. He is already losing the game to Ayla and wants to win very badly - not that he's competitive or anything! :D

I've been rushed off my feet today at work - so pooped tonight that I almost didn't get this post done; I'm falling asleep at the computer. I am really loving the job, but find that it takes a lot of concentration, especially in these early stages while I'm still learning the ropes. I feel as if I'm getting all of the difficult cases right off the bat, which compounds the issue. Oh well, good to learn the hard way so that later on these might become more routine sorts of queries and lending issues.

Hoping for a nice weekend weather-wise as Chris and I want to get out and about to do something together. We didn't seem to spend as much time together this past weekend as I was off to Whitby on the Saturday and recovering from lugging all my gear around on the Sunday. This weekend will just be for us - hopefully the weather will be kind and I'll get some nice photos. The weekend after, I'm off for 4 whole days as it's Easter and I'm headed to Carlisle to meet up with M and R to take some photos on the Saturday. Should be a lot of fun, as I've not seen either of them since July.

Hope you've all had a good day - I send you {{{HUGS}}}

March 26 ~ Springtime

The second lovely day running here, and I just had to get out into the garden for a little while as supper was cooking. These little fellows are popping up all over the place in the garden now, and I love them. These just seem to shout "Spring" at me and I couldn't resist taking a shot for today's blog post.

Pfffft - nothing in this new branch is ever simple mortgage-wise. I've signed up three cases, and each one of them has a major issue attached to it. My old branch - nothing but smooth sailing case-wise; go figure. Oh well, nothing like learning the ropes the hard way :) Good practice.

Hope you all have had a good Monday - I know mine was!

{{{HUGS}}}

March 25 ~ Ladybug, Ladybug

GAAAAAH!!! I am a day behind on my blogging! I got myself all muddled over the weekend, with not posting either Friday's or Saturday's shots until Sunday - I then promptly forgot all about Sunday's.

It (typically) was a beautiful day, since Saturday was such a washout weather-wise for the meet. I was aching all over from my trekking round Whitby in the freezing dampness with a heavy tripod and camera bag strapped to my back, so took the day to recover. I ventured as far as the back yard in the bright spring sunshine, and was lucky enough to spot my first ladybug of the year having a meander through my daffodils :)

I'm off to work now - gotta love Mondays!

{{{HUGS}}}

March 24 ~ Sandsend

This is Sandsend, about 2 miles north of Whitby. I met up with some members of the Photography Cafe here at about 6am to get shots of the sunrise. We have word from a reliable source that the sun did indeed rise, but this is about as much as we saw of it. The weather was less than ideal, let's just say. I took a lot of shots, but very few are actually worth posting - the sky was a terrible flat, dull and featureless grey. Booooo.

It was a fantastic day though - it was wonderful to meet online friends and deliver real hugs instead of virtual ones.

I couldn't even manage to stay for the fish and chips :( The meal was booked for 8pm, and at 5 I flagged badly and needed to get home. I wish I could have managed it - bet it was a great evening!

{{{HUGS}}}

March 23 ~ First Portrait

This is my first-ever attempt at studio portraits. This young girl is the daughter of one of the members of my camera club, and very patiently sat while we took what seemed like endless photographs of her. It was her first time modelling, and she was a natural. I enjoyed the session, but I do prefer my work with inanimate objects and landscapes LOL - I don't have to try to explain to them how I want them to pose, I can control it! It was a fun evening though, and I think this turned out well for a first attempt.

It's been a busy weekend so far, so apologies for not posting this sooner.

{{{HUGS}}}

March 22 ~ Egg-spired

Calamity! one of the eggs has fallen and is now an ex-egg. He has egg-spired. The others in the group shout, but since none of them have any arms, first aid is out of the question. However, I think this egg is beyond help - he's got Humpty Dumpty genes, and all the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put him back together - so the fellow is doomed!

Well, in case you hadn't yet figured it out, my brain feels like this egg looks today - slightly scrambled. It's been hectic at work, and I'm so tired. I need to get an early night tonight and tomorrow night to be at my best for Saturday in Whitby and the early start it entails.

I'm off now to spend some time with C, then it's to sleep. Night everyone, see you tomorrow!

{{{HUGS}}}

March 21 ~ Monkey Business

I love apes and monkeys - this is part of my "gang". When I found out you could get a free Monkey with a box of PGTips tea, I rushed out and bought some teabags! I haven't played with my Nikon 50mm f/1.8 as much as I would like to, so made sure to have a go today. I love how sharp this lens is, and how light it is on the camera. It's terrific value for money.

I'm really excited about Saturday and the trip to Whitby; even if the weather's not great, it will be a wonderful day. Hope I get some good photos though! Can't believe after all the talk about it and planning for it that the big day is only 2 days away - it's been in the works since New Year's!

On Friday, I'm also paying to secure my place on a photographic trip to the Farne Islands off the Northumberland coast. It will be my 2nd trip up there, and I can't wait to photograph some more puffins. Hopefully this year we will be there to get shots of the puffins with sand eels in their beaks - we were a couple of weeks too early last year. Here's hoping - it's one of my "dream shots".

{{{HUGS}}} to you all - I'm off to get in my pyjamas, make a mug of Ovaltine (memories of childhood there!) and watch Ugly Betty. See you tomorrow!

March 20 ~ Stay In the Lines!

I love colouring - as long as I've not had to draw the original image. I'm no artist, but I find colouring to be therapeutic. For those of you who may think I'm bonkers, give it a try someday - you might like it, and understand what I mean. It gives me time to think and clear my head. I remember when I was little I was fastidious about not colouring outside the lines, and I would spend a considerable amount of time choosing just the right colours to make a beautiful picture. I spend many happy hours thus occupied. I'm sure my parents have a huge box full of these treasures somewhere!

It's been another busy day at work, but that's good - I like to be kept occupied! My thoughts are concentrated on the weekend; I'm so looking forward to the Photography Cafe's meet in Whitby!! I'm hoping that the weather is good, but even if it's not, the company and camaraderie will more than make up for the lack of photographic opportunities. I am really excited about getting to try out a wide-angle lens for my D50; some of the folks going to Whitby own the Sigma 10-20mm, which is top of my wish list at the minute. I make do with my Tamron 28-300mm as my "landscape" lens, but oh how wonderful it would be to get those "big sky" shots! Here's hoping I make the most of my borrowed time.

{{{HUGS}}} to you all, and see you tomorrow!

March 19 ~ When Iggy Met Duckie

They moved closer and closer to each other, each eyeing the other warily. Ever so slowly, they got close enough to touch noses and sniff each other carefully. Wonder what they think of one another?

Not going to be much of a post today, I'm afraid; it's been another bad night for me. Between the howling winds rattling the windows and the residual aches and pains from Saturday, I didn't get much sleep and found myself roaming the house at 3am. I did manage to play with a shot from my trip to Holy Island a couple of weeks back and process my first ever HDR shot. I took one RAW image, converted it into shots with 7 different exposure values, and combined them using a program called Photomatix. This is the result:




{{{HUGS}}}

March 18 ~ Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the mums in the UK from Mini-Me. He's rather proud of the flowers he's managed to grow just for the occasion, including this giant tulip. I told him he should enter it in a contest somewhere, but he preferred to pick it for the mothers today :)

Mother's Day isn't until early May in North America, but I wanted to send my good wishes to all celebrating it today.

I took a tumble on the stairs yesterday morning, klutz that I am, and have spent the weekend in a considerable amount of pain thanks to having wrenched my arms, neck and back when I grabbed the railings to try and stop myself falling. The good news is that I've not seriously hurt myself, but it means that I've not had the strength to do anything to speak of today. The forecast was calling for snow here in this neck of the woods, but the high winds have blown all the snow clouds away every time they've built up. I've not seen a single flake! If it had snowed, I would have been so disappointed not to be able to get out in it with the camera.

I should be over the worst of the aches and pains in time for the Photography Cafe meet in Whitby this coming Saturday. I can't wait to meet up with friends old and new - and meet some cyberspace friends for the first time face-to-face. I am VERY excited about giving Talj a REAL hug for the first time in absolutely ages - it's been far, far too long.

{{{HUGS}}} for everyone today - and special big ones for the Mums!

March 17 ~ Artistic License

Artistic license is permission to make a mess! At least that's what happens if I ever try anything artistic....

These are little tubes of acrylic paint that I've had since I got Mini-Me some months back - he was part of a starter kit for painters. They, along with the paintbrushes that came with them, have been sitting collecting dust in my "studio" all this while. Figured it was high time I got some use out of them.

Well, I've had my first rejection slip from a magazine today! I submitted 3 entries into Practical Photography's macro competition, and got a slip in the post today along with my returned submission, stating that it was "technically good but lacks impact". Hmph. Back to the drawing board.... It could have been worse, though; it could have had "poor camera technique, is poorly exposed or out of focus" ticked instead! I'm trying to cheer myself up with the thought that the only comments on the ticklist more positive than mine were "excellent entry, but not quite good enough to be shortlisted" or "shortlisted entry. Well done, your entry got into the final judging stage, so you only just missed out on a prize". I'm expecting the portfolio I submitted to Outdoor Photography magazine to come back with a rejection slip any day now! :D

Onwards and upwards - I just need to try harder!

{{{HUGS}}}

March 16 ~ Getting Taller

"Mini-Me, I do think you're getting taller" said Flex.

"Yes, I remember when I was only THIS big!" Mini-Me said proudly as he puffed out his chest.

Sad to say that I don't think little Mini-Me will ever get any taller, desperate as he may be to crack the 5-inch barrier.

I'm late in getting this posted to my blog, as I went to my first-ever camera club meeting on Friday night. I enjoyed myself immensely, and found a few familiar faces there. I can see myself becoming a member and attending regularly. It will be good to get yet more feedback on my work and hopefully grow further as a photographer.

{{HUGS}}

March 15 ~ Ethereal

I have been trying to make the most of these tulips while they're still nice enough to photograph; today's shot is just the result of some messing about. I did rather like the way it turned out though, which is fortunate - I've been feeling a bit "down" photographically today and more than a little frustrated. Maybe it's partly due to the fact that I found out that I didn't win the Location Portrait competition - I wasn't even in the top 3, so I didn't get my shot in the magazine. Oh well, there's always next time!

I was kept awake yet AGAIN last night - this time by howling pooches! I don't think they were particularly loud, but it seems that most small noises wake me these days. I got back to sleep, but I think the dread of having another bad night must be playing on my mind, and as a result I have bad nights! I can't win LOL Maybe tonight will be better.

March 14 ~ Glass Army

Midweek already; how time does fly! It's been so busy at work, but I'm settling into a routine now and getting accustomed to splitting my work week between two branches. It's hectic coping with two branch managers and two sets of staff, but everyone is so nice it makes things a lot easier.

Yet again I had a broken night's sleep last night :( I'm getting a bit fed up of being woken by the slightest noise outside. The wind has been keeping me awake the past couple of nights, but it was relatively calm last night. Must have been people walking in the street or dogs barking or something.

This is a simple shot today of some of the pieces from our chess set. Chris enjoys playing, but I'm rubbish at chess (not tactical enough!) and get frustrated easily (who says I'm competitive??). I just enjoy photographing the pieces! Nothing too special today, just messing about really, and I liked the way it looked. Taken using my Tamron 90mm macro lens, in my spare room "studio" - boy, does that ever sound grander than it is! :D My "studio" is nothing more than a table, two anglepoise desk lamps, a piece of card, and a sheet of black velvet draped over it. Taa-daah! Studio! ;)

{{{HUGS}}}

March 13 ~ Heart of Gold

I so love tulips, and when I am lucky enough to have a vase full of them, I take lots and lots of photos! I was playing around with my macro lens, and this reminded me of sand dunes somehow. I like the texture in the petals.

The tulips will likely look pretty good for the next 4 days or so, therefore it's highly likely that more shots of them will feature here.

I've been so busy at work that I have been so very tired when I get in; it's been great being so occupied though. Between the tiring days and the wind here at night, I've not been getting much rest. My apologies for the lack of comments on blogs and the shortness of my posts here.

My big excitement is that a work colleague of mine has asked me if I would consider doing some photos of her friend's wedding in September. She's already explained to her that I haven't done portraits, but her friend is unconventional and wants "snaps" of sorts. The wedding is September 8th, and I will hopefully talk to the bride sometime in the next few weeks!

{{{HUGS}}}

March 12 ~ Floral Sunshine

Monday, Monday...... been a good day today :) Have been kept busy at work, and did another 15km on the exercise bike tonight. I'm feeling it in my legs at the moment, but I keep telling myself that I will feel better and better after each workout, and that it will become addictive.

Today was a beautiuful, sunshiny spring day - I tried to capture the feel of it in this photo. These tulips are just so beautiful; I love their "shaggy" appearance and their vibrant colour - they seem almost to glow from within!

Hope you've all had a good Monday; it's not often I describe my Mondays as good, so I'm making the most of it while I can.
{{HUGS}}

March 11 ~ Gerbera

Bad night last night - ferocious winds here in North East England that kept me awake. I have therefore been groggy all day and my attention span almost nil. I'm not happy with this photo, but it's today's shot! Hopefully tomorrow will be a better photo day.

The weather's been windy and grey today - so no outing for me. We braved the supermarket to get some groceries, but that's it. I really hope this weekend is better weather-wise; I really love getting out and about with my camera. I'm REALLY looking forward to 2 weeks from now - a bunch of photographers from the Photography Cafe are meeting up in Whitby for a great day out. Some members who have a fair distance to travel are even making a weekend of it! It will be a lot of fun to meet up with friends made online, some of whom I've met before in the flesh, some of whom I'll meet for the first time. I will DEFINITELY be delivering lots of hugs, Pat! :)

Hope you've all had a good Sunday - I'm going to go back to work tomorrow to recover from the weekend! Hopefully tomorrow's post will be better.

{{{HUGS}}}

March 10 ~ Three

What a lovely Saturday it's been! Chris and I just pottered around, and we assembled my brand spanking new exercise bike, which was delivered on Tuesday while I was away. I used it for the first time today, and did 15 kilometres! I'm really proud of myself. I have never been an "exercise person" before - constantly being bored with fitness DVDs and no funds for a gym membership. The roads round here aren't safe enough to go out cycling, so figured this way I can sit in front of the TV and get fitter at the same time.

Today I watched The Devil Wears Prada while I worked out, and really enjoyed myself. I'm feeling great, and am already looking forward to tomorrow's session!
My photo today is a shot of my new foot massager that I picked up in a sale while in Birmingham this week. I liked the textures and the colour of the wood, so I just stood it on its side and clicked.

{{{HUGS}}} to those who want 'em -- it's GREAT to be back!

March 9 ~ Chopsticks

Oh it's so good to be HOME! I missed Chris so much, and it felt good to get back into the branch, too.

This was a rather rushed photo, as I had such a busy day at work (which felt fantastic!) and then had to get home, changed, and out the door for a party for a colleague. Had a great time - went for my third-ever Indian meal, and was it ever DELICIOUS!

I'm so glad that my blog will be back on track properly as of Saturday. I love the discipline of daily photos and daily blogging - it's so much fun.

March 8 ~ On the Canal

Thursday at last! Get to go home tonight :)

Took another early morning walk, this time along one of the canals that crisscross the city. This photo is of a couple of the barges moored up behind Harvey Nichols of all places! I loved how the smoke poured out of the chimney on the blue barge on the left and the way the barges were reflected in the water of the canal.

A really long day today - although the trainer was well aware that half of us had long journeys to make, he insisted on keeping us there until about 3:45pm. Every other course I've ever atttended, the trainer plans the days so that on the final day, things end around lunchtime so that the delegates can get home at a reasonable hour and recharge their batteries ready for the following day back at work. Not so with this guy. I hustled and made it to Birmingham New Street station in time to board the 4pm train to Durham - I got in at 8pm :( Back to work in the morning for my usual 8:15am start..... will it ever be GOOD to be back!

March 7 ~ Selfridges

Wednesday morning, not long after sunrise, and it found me in the Bullring in Birmingham, photographing the very futuristic-looking Selfridges building.

I love the look of this department store (both inside and out, I must say - wish I lived closer so I could shop there!) and was glad that I got out and about early enough to beat the crowds of people that throng the Bullring, seemingly at all hours of the day and night.

At night, spotlights placed just outside of shot to the right illuminate the building with a vibrant green glow - really, really striking! I'll post a photo of it below.

Day two of the course didn't go much better than the first; the trainer took a dislike to me simply due to my experience - no matter how quiet or smiling or friendly or helpful I tried to be, he was rude and condescending and dismissive. He attempted to belittle me and my experience at several points, but I didn't rise to the bait. After all, he's a freelance trainer and doesn't know as much about what he's training as he pretends to. I think he felt a bit threatened (goodness knows why!) by the fact that I actually could tell when he was talking nonsense - despite the fact that I was far too polite to say so.

Oh well - only Thursday to get through, then HOME!!

March 6 ~ From My Window

If it's Tuesday, it must be Birmingham!

This is the view from my window on the 8th floor of the Holiday Inn in the city centre - you can just make out the Selfridges building next to the church. I really like the juxtaposition of the traditional and the modern here, and was glad I was able to see it from my window. I would have liked to get a shot of the two buildings from a nearer viewpoint, but unfortunately I'm not the owner of a wide enough lens.... one day I will have one!!

This was taken just after dawn on my first morning - definitely not a course I would wish to repeat, and I wish I had been able to have been exempted from it, as it covered aspects of the job I have been doing for a long time now, as opposed to the other delegates for whom it was entirely new. Oh well - at least it's over now and I'm home!

March 5 ~ Sniff

Well, here are the catch-up posts; I'm finally back from the course and have some time to get organized here. I've missed blogging daily and catching up with all the blog friends I visit - I will be commenting over the next couple of days and get back into my routine though!

This is Monday's photo; Iggy spent rather a lot of time wondering what this big yellow object was, and why it had suddenly appeared in the garden. He knew he hadn't seen it before, so just HAD to check it out. Sniffing carefully was the order of the day - he really trusts his nose. He seems to have come to the conclusion that it smells nice and looks good, and felt safe enough to approach. Wonder what he'll think when he sees more?

March 4 ~ Lindisfarne Dawn

Well, I've been up and about since 3:30am - I think it was worth it! This was the very first shot I took this morning on Holy Island in Northumberland; this is Lindisfarne Castle, shot at about 6:45am. I met up with A and T and B from the Cafe - they were great company and we had a good time, despite the fact that VERY soon after sunrise the skies turned dull, flat grey. Here are a couple more from this morning that I'm happy with:


The last photo is of B walking ahead of me up the hill to Lindisfarne Castle; I really liked how he was silhouetted in the light.

Well, guess I need to pack today. I'm on the lunchtime train from Newcastle-upon-Tyne to Birmingham tomorrow, and the course is Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Hope it's interesting :) I'll be bringing my camera, so expect some catch-up posts with my daily photos when I get home! I will be missing blogging, and especially missing all my blog friends - stay safe, {{HUGE HUGS}} and I'll be posting again on Thursday sometime!

March 3 ~ Sign of Spring

Happy Saturday everyone! :) Hope you're all well - I know I am. Spent today pottering about, so not much time for photos - this was one I grabbed when I saw the last of the crocuses in the yard looking good. Dashed out, cut one, put it in a glass of water, and CLICK!

I'm on Moon Watch at the moment; waiting for the eclipse to really get going, and hopefully get a couple of shots of it. The cloud seems to have broken up enough to let us get a good show. It means a late night for me though; totality is around 10:45 tonight, but I have to be up at 3:30am for my trip out to Holy Island to photograph the sunrise. The eclipse better be GOOD :D

I'm really looking forward to tomorrow; Holy Island is a location I've wanted to photograph for a long time now, and it's not often that the tides coincide with sunrise as perfectly as they will tomorrow. Fingers crossed the weather's good!

March 2 ~ Got You In Check

It's FRIDAY!!!!! Happy Catblogging Day to all of you posting photos of your feline friends. :)

I have had a wonderful day at work today - finally got those two mortgages sold, packaged up for the underwriters, and sent off to be processed. I'm well and truly on my way now, I feel.

I want to thank Pat for a really touching post today - I cherish your friendship Pat, and seeing those photos again was wonderful! If you want to see what I'm talking about, why not check out Pat's blog here:
http://patzpics.blogspot.com/

I enjoyed taking this photo today; it's one of the kings from our chess set, and I sat it on a little light-up platform that Chris has for a crystal engraving. I then turned off all the other lights in the room, and took shots of it illuminated by the various colours. This was my favourite - I liked how it looked against the dark background.

True to form, this weekend promises rain, wind and more rain, so I'm not sure if the planned trip to Holy Island for sunrise photographs on Sunday will happen. It's about a 90 minute drive, and the island is accessed only by a causeway that is covered at high tide. Sunday morning is one of those times where the sunrise coincides with the safe crossing times. I've been looking forward to getting out there for quite some time now, and I think that if we do make it out this weekend, it will necessitate about a 4:30am departure - stupid-o'clock-in-the-morning that is - to make sure we're there and set up for sunrise shortly before 7am. I'll keep my fingers crossed!

Enjoy the rest of your Friday - hope your weekends get off to great starts. {{{HUGS}}} to you all!

March 1 ~ Thoughts of Spring

Here it is, the first of March - not long now till Spring is here. I love this time of year; the birds are once again starting their pre-dawn chorus, and I really like lying in bed snuggled under the duvet in the semi-dark, listening to their cacophony of song through the open window.

I also have this fading tulip - just goes to show that just because a flower is technically past its best, it doesn't mean that it can't make an intriguing photo - I love the textures in the slowly shrivelling petals, and the intense wine-red colour of what was once blood-red.

I signed up my first two mortgages today, at long last! It's been a tremendously busy yet exciting day for me in that respect. I have finally broken the duck; the applications will come in more frequently now (or will at least seem to!). It's nice that I got them in today as well, seeing as tomorrow is my last day in the office for a week - I'm being sent on yet another course.

Hope you are all having a lovely day, and thank you for visiting! {{{HUGS}}}