Walking back home, this afternoon, got a few funny looks, wonder if it was because, I was wet and a bit muddy, even got one FFS.

You just have to get the pictures lol.



Till today, had not seen many of these little fellows, but it was World Bee day and I had a bit of fun with them, plenty of different types as well, will have another day, at them, before my holidays are over.

[/url]
Back to old way of posting pictures, if anyone, ever does want to see them bigger when I do post one like this, let me know and I can send the picture in a pm.

I woke up this morning all sore, helping someone out , comes at a price sometimes. Probably just another thing to add too, the list of only in moderation, But it was nice, to have a chainsaw in the hand, two large trees, to be cleared up, casualties of a winter storm, more than enough wood, to keep a house in heat for a winter and that is it's end place, I did carve to seats out of two large sections, but soon got called thrones. The logs will all,be split with a hydraulic splitter, not like the old days, when we did it all by hand smaller stuff with an axe,, large rounds with wedges and sledge hammer
I did get offered full time job at the end of it, back in the day, I use to help his Dad out, but politely said no.

Today will take, it easy, hedge cutting , has to be started, I am week or so later, than normal, but I had a Blackbird's nest and no way I was disturbing this, all left the nest now.

I am gradually ramping things up, finding that happy balance. might manage out with the camera, but tomorrow, for sure.

Oh yes, back to picture, I think, with the right conditions, I can make a decent picture from here, will need to shoot it, just a little bit wider, maybe 70mm will work, with a sunrise behind it, yes got the vision in my head, it will stay there, probably for a long time, but something to work on.

Last day of week one of the holidays, it has been very relaxing to be honest, done a lot less, than I normally would rested the body, by my standards, but normal service returns.

I was out at 4am for a walk,I had to put on a winter jacket over my shirt, when I had went in to open the greenhouse it was only 5c in one, funny old spring this one, I got home around 6-30 am and had a little snooze, once I had breakfast, it is part of the process for me now, If I am out as early.

I was taking pictures of flowers yesterday and I will not bore you, with any more pictures of them, but the thing, I really noticed, was the lack of Bees and other little pollinators, even less, than last year, hardly seen a butterfly in the garden as well.

I was walking back from the shop, when I heard fancy a cuppa, my Scrabble playing friend is home. She has been out the country, for ages travelling, the largest part was visiting her daughter in Australia with the chance of her seeing about moving there , but in her words was nice to visit, but not a cat in hells chance, she could ever stay there. Last months in Canada and US. I gave her a hug as I left and she turned to me and said, I missed those hugs..

No Glasgow today another day. I woke feeling a little off and just stayed in bed, never got up till 8am, lack of energy is just another side effect of things, when some days, you just have to take time, to get going in the morning.

I was a bad diabetic yesterday, for the first time in ages, just craved something nice, so when I saw a doughnut that was chocolate and orange in Marks & Spencers, I knew, that was the desire and the cure and it did not disappoint, took me a good 30 minutes to eat, little bits at a time, to just let the pleasure last. I recommend these to anyone, who likes that combo to try.

Maybe I should do a daily what have I bought today thing, I could be an online shopaholic without to much trouble and I know I go periods of spend and then I hit it on the head for months and just buy the odd thing, I do think I wait to holidays and it is just to pass the time, sometimes, I am just use to working and then might only buy one thing a week.

I posted a status 13hrs ago and it last had a comment 9 hrs ago and it is still on the status page, now if I would find that a little worrying if this was my place. I know us oldies go on about how the place use to be and yes things change,

On the subject of change.
Normally I would have brought down the exposure in this picture, but I went the opposite way and brought it up, I think it works with these Speedwell, the contrasting colours work for me.

Bit of a later one today, weather is dreich, been just pottering, walked in the woods yesterday, the bloom is the best, I think I have ever seen, all the wild fruit trees are covered , spectacular sight to see for sure, can remember it being so when I was young, usually led to bad winter, mother nature was making sure, there was fruit to feast on before winter.

Not even warm feeling, only maybe 12c at the most.

I think tomorrow Glasgow, maybe I will message an old friend and see, if she is around for lunch, already I am ready for the lecture I will get ,11 months from my Stroke now, crazy how the time, has went in and crazy how lucky I was. Each day is a bonus and each day, I keep chasing the positive, sure I get the odd negative thought, but keep on fighting.


Crab apple blossom, nature sure does make me smile.

So my lazy day did lead, to what I expected a total lack of sleep time lol, so today will be a recovery day, with easy jobs to do, in the greenhouse mostly and wander in the woods.

Officially the first day of my holidays, for my normal weekend starts now on Friday and finishes on a Sunday. I get asked , why I have never went abroad, when I was younger,it was not in my thoughts. Plus, I just loved working, never really had a holiday as such until I met Julie and then we had weekends away and weeks in a cottage , that was pretty much it for a long time, till my journeys over the border which were always enjoyed. Then my Mum asked me not to go anywhere on a plane as she would be worried about something happening to it, all thoughts stopped, now even an overnight is pretty much out the question, as I have my Mum to look after more and more and she comes first, before anything.

I get out with the camera, can get miles in on the bike, got a garden, simple pleasures in life, that does me.

In tastes I have simple pleasure, use to say, I was a simple man, but nothing could be further from the truth, I take time to get too know, it is not days weeks or months , it is years, not many have ever lasted to find out, who I really am, maybe no one has ever really done that, maybe I am just not worth bothering to learn about.

Came to another conclusion yesterday, a holiday for me, gives me too much time to spend money, online shopping is just too easy.

Further adventures with the new lens below, needs a click on the image to see, at there best.

Bluebells, my woods are looking great with them just now, but finding just the right one.

Wild Garlic, I took a series of pictures of this all at F2 just a shallow depth of focus , but I really love these pictures, especially when I turned them into black and whites, which was the idea in the first place.

I am not long up, one of those ultra rare days, where my body says, nope, you need to have a long lie. So if it follows, the usual pattern for this, it means, one lazy lazy day for me, So only thing, I know, I am going to do, is play some more, with the new lens, it actually arrived yesterday, 2 days early and yes, as soon, as it did, straight too, the ponds.

When the first picture, you take is a keeper, I can imagine my smile would have been to the edge of the universe wide.

So what did I get, I know it will mean not much to most, but it was a Sigma 180mm F2.8 macro lens, it is built like a tank and weighs the same as my beloved 100-400mm. It is also secondhand, first bit of anything other, than new, I have bought, but the condition is excellent, it also works great with a 1.4 teleconverter on to give me a 252mm F4.

There is a learning curve, a lot more hand held manual focusing, not something I do, but will work on it. I have a few flower pictures, to blog on this one and it is something, that I always wanted this lens for. Yes another new project to work on.

My Mum was killing herself with laughter as I was opening the box, yes I was like a kid at Christmas, too see her laughing was worth getting it in itself.



So I am quite happy, with the first flower results, i can see, the ideas, that are running in my head and very much one happy Dignitea.

Must be another age thing, broke a rib or two, 3 weeks ago and this is the 3rd time in a year or so, must have a weakness, I was just lying on the ground, getting close to a butterfly on a flower, when, I heard and felt that familiar thing, But I did get some of the best pictures, I have ever taken. Had to be on the side I sleep on, but old hand, at sleeping on, the other side now.

It all goes back to a night, when Julie went off on, one and threw two really nice, quick kicks and broke my ribs for the first time, since then, it has happened a few more times, always easy to do things as well.

Funny as I get older, I really miss her, for all the drama, she was fun to be around and taught me a lot, plus we did have the most amazing sex life together as well, how many times, did she say, she old came back for the loving, but there was more to,it than that, we each did our own thing, really lived our own life, but the weekends , they brought us together. She was the most amazing cook, it was her real thing in life, travelled all over the UK and Europe to learn more, she was able to get me, to eat things, I never would have because, she was able to fuse flavours, I called it. The things, she could do with a Chicken was unreal and then the cakes and desserts

Apart from making Tea, neither of us drunk anything else, my only time, I was allowed near a stove, was a Sunday morning, I cooked the breakfast, full breakfast, my fried eggs were her favourite item, the yolk, was always just right for her, nice and runny, she loved dipping her fruit pudding in it.

If I had only run, that one time more, would it have made a difference, one of lives questions, that can never be answered , no matter how much I have tried..

How much beauty in something so small, Large Red Damselfy chased the Damsels yesterday and had success. also deicide on another thing, ordered the lens, I was after, it arrives on Monday , first new bit of photography gear, I have bought in 6 years. more in the next blog..

Great to wake, at 4am on a Friday and think no work now, till 30th May. Looked out the window, grey looking, but still got up and went for my, first walk of the day, just a little leg stretch, home for 7am.

I am so indecisive , new camera or just buy that 180mm Macro lens, that will fit my 5D, that camera, just feels so much part of me, an extension too my soul.

I feel like an arsehole for even thinking of replacing her, yes, I am nuts, but I am a loyal person.

I am not, sure, if, I will blog each day, like, I usually do, when on holiday, it is just a little goal, I always seem to fall into, like to get a new daily picture, if possible and post. It is very much a rinse and repeat thing, but trying new things, leaning the do a project thing, keep them in a folder and see, where it goes. I took the second picture for one, last weekend, an old tractor trailer, so what is this folder, old green coloured things, I see on my travels.

No surprises there in that , Green is a colour, that always attracted me, but not just about the fields and the countryside. I was at a concert, when I was 17, got talking to a lady, with green hair, punk days, but when we started snogging and when I saw the green panties, I learned a whole new turn on..

Back in the day, if you had thrown in the colour purple as, well, not sure, I would have lasted any great time.


Please, if you would like to see, the detail click on the picture, I had such fun with this butterfly, macro lens on for detail and I got some of my best most detailed picture yet, I was able to zoom into the wing and see, the detail make up of, the wing detail. It makes me wish, I was in my twenties and starting out with the camera for, I know, the path in life, would have been a whole lot different.

Four days to work this week and then, it is holiday time, taking 2 whole weeks off, be quite a time since, my last day off and, am ready for the break, my place of work, can get to anyone at times.

We still have so many people coming and going , more worrying should be, that people with up to 26yrs of service are jumping ship, they take the knowledge , that can never be replaced.

I said may times, that I will not retire, but have totally changed my mind on, that one, I do plan to work to that day still, but that is it, not one second longer.

I suffered in silence, with a bit of depression for a little while, always been able to deal with it, for all, I knew, it was hitting me, I never took steps to avoid it and so it wormed its, way in, it has lasted probably from when I had my Stroke till, I took the steps about 4 weeks ago, to try and get out of it again, Now, I am close too.

I always see myself as a functioning dysfunctual of a person. I always still been able to just get on with it, to keep fighting and to not give up,

I know it is safe to write whatever here, for no one actually reads a blog nowadays.

My village, has a little cafe it has the best Ice cream in the world, well, of all the ones, that I have tasted, yesterday,when coming back from chasing damselflies, but getting some really nice pictures of a butterflies instead, I dropped in, 2 double nougats bought, might have been two years or even three, since the last one, but still tastes as, great as ever, it was my monthly treat this time.

Now getting close to decision time, buy the new camera now or wait, I might just buy a lens instead just now.

Be safe everyone and be kind to those that matter in life and too a stranger too, for you just never know..