How lovely to hear from the nice people in blogland after my prolonged absence... I wasn't really expecting anyone to still be watching my little space, and to be honest, that has never been my reason for blogging but I can't deny it was very nice to see some comments pop up! :-)
This is going to be a post of randomness... things that have made me smile or gasp or just feel a little bit enthused...
I live a 5 minute walk from the city centre now and sometimes I just go for an evening wander. On the way back a few days ago the sky was beautiful and stopped me in my tracks...
As did this giant inflatable Neptune by the market this weekend...
This was the weekend of the annual Lord Mayors Procession and I can't pretend to have the slightest clue what the relevance of this was (or the giant Octopus on the Guildhall or lips on the City Hall!!!) but it certainly drew your attention!
The whole weekend is taken up by street fairs and entertainment (only slightly dampened by the wet weather!) and prior to the main procession there is a tradition of a 5k road race on the traffic free streets. This is something of an elite event - I guess because of the timeframe, slow runners would risk being mown down by the floats or the marching bands! You couldn't help but be impressed by the first two runners who made it in just over 13 minutes - effortlessly sprinting to the finish line but we were there to cheer on a friend's son who finished an impressive 10th out of a starting lineup of 162, in under 16 minutes. Still looked like a sprint to me! Barely had time to down my Pimms before I needed the camera at the ready!
My other excitement is a new camera. That is, new to me - it is actually a secondhand Canon Powershot which as far as I can tell is something of a halfway house between my little point and shoot and a 'proper' camera. I'm hoping it will give me a bit more range with my photos (and incentive to take some!) though I think my grasp of the sports function leaves a bit to be desired!
I'm enjoying the macro option though...
I'm not a huge fan of hydrangeas but under the 'microscope', so to speak, they have a sort of waxy quality which holds the raindrops beautifully. And although this little beetle is doing horrible things to my sage plant it does have the most stunning shiny body...
It looks like a little drop of gold from a distance.
My teeny patch of courtyard garden has gone mad in the last few weeks and the hanging baskets and pots are looking lovely (though I say it myself!!)...
Perfect spot for a cuppa in the sun!
Looking forward to making time for photos - we'll see what happens, might be a pipe dream on a work day!
S x
Your pictures are so gorgrous!! And I love your courtyard, it has such a lush and private look!! :) Nice to have you back!!
ReplyDeleteI love walking outside and seeing a sky like that. Always makes me happy. How random to see an inflatable Neptune...I love how you got Neptune and a gorgeous old building right beside him. We have those same bugs...here in the south they are called June bugs. They have already destroyed by ivy that WAS hanging on my fence. I hope you have a wonderful week and find lots of time to get out with your new camera.
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