macro madness...!

Today I have been playing with middle son's Big Camera, complete with macro lens. Now I am a complete novice as far as photography goes and I haven't really got the hang of getting the focus quite right, but I got very excited and snapped away madly!

It felt a bit like looking at everything through a magnifying glass - somehow everything was visible in super detail and textures and colours that generally go unnoticed jump out at you.

This is a long shot with my usual camera of the back garden (on what can only be described as a grey, cloudy Feb day)...

From a distance, not much life or colour out there at the moment, wouldn't you agree?

But then I took a wander round with the other camera and suddenly new life and colour present themselves...

Narcissi pushing upwards in this lovely blue pot (look at the cat hair! must be on the feline footpath!)...

...and in the flower bed.

Crocuses...

...primroses...

...snowdrops...

...catkins on the hazel tree, with green buds just beginning to show...

...and the scarlet new leaves unfurling on the rhubarb.

There is something very constant and reassuring about the continuity of nature - even in my rather neglected patch of garden things come up again and again reminding us that they don't really 'die' in the winter, rather just rest dormant until there are enough warming rays to persuade them to show themselves again. And even when we can't feel it (there has been a bitter blustery wind here today!!) they are sure proof that winter is reaching an end.

Indoors the macro magic continued. I think the family thought I had finally lost the plot as I kept shooting away, but I was captivated by the possibilities of 'up close' photos! In fact, I almost called the post magical macro, then looked at the number of images I had taken and thought perhaps I had succumbed to a kind of insanity... 

In the kitchen, fresh baked bread and lovely brown eggs from our local farm (I have always loved the warmth and feel of brown eggs!)...

...and intricate cacti with their complex patterns and structures...

If I'm honest, I'm not a huge cacti fan - but these were grown from seed by the boys when they were small (at one stage we had a windowsill full of different ones!) and the tiny flowers are really beautiful, particularly up close. 

I went across to my mum's this afternoon and took the camera there too. She has a huge garden and spends much more time keeping it tidy. It was really windy by then (and the light was pretty terrible) so difficult to capture decent shots even with the powerful lens but just a taster of lovely things in her house and garden...

Gorgeous purple irises...

...zingy winter jasmine...

...I've no idea what this plant is but its sooo pretty!

Lovely blue hyacinths on the kitchen windowsill...

Pretty coloured glass on the bathroom windowsill...

...oh and small nephews...

...4 year old "photo me running!!!"

...and smallest nephew, 6 months, fast asleep.

Sigh! I am quite dizzy with the fun of playing today!!! 

Tomorrow, I really HAVE to stop "sharpening the pencils", as my mum says, and get down to the serious business of writing my dissertation...no more procrastinating!!!

One last pic...

...fish pie - cold weather comfort food in our house! Yum!

Hope you've enjoyed my photos as much as I enjoyed taking them!

Til next time,

Sx