Valentine’s Flowers

Posted on February 15, 2012 by Vrinda

Another Valentine’s Day has come and gone. Sometimes being surrounded by cards and red, pink and black fake lovey-dovey tackiness, as happens in my store, can become tiresome. This year however I had a lovely surprise!

I was at the till when, through the hub-bub of last minute sales, I caught my name being said. When I glanced up I saw my manager being handed a big bundle of printed brown paper. For me! I believe I may have squeaked in excitement.

I knew at once it was a Valentines surprise from my beautiful best friend, because she’s the kind of wonderful person who brightens my day on a regular basis. On closer inspection I discovered that it was a heart-shaped basket filled with growing pink hyacinths, and covered over with moss, like a tiny carry-around garden. I’m sure I’ve mentioned before that spring is my favourite season, and this is like being given a little piece of spring to put in my living room. The one spire of flowers that is partially open already smells divine.

(Photo taken at: 1/320, f/1.4, ISO 100)

This is how they were delivered. See? Carry-around garden!

(Photo taken at: 1/320, f/1.4, ISO 100)

And the little tin and basket they live in.

(Photo taken at: 1/160, f/1.4, ISO 100)

Heart-shaped!

(Photo taken at: 1/80, f/1.4, ISO 400)

And here they are in their new home on my window sill.

Then, this afternoon, I went for an unplanned walk around the local garden centre.

There I found some new little friends who were too adorable to resist:

(Photo taken at: 1/160, f/1.4, ISO 400)

How perfect are they?!

Behind the little snail-rider you can almost make out my two tiny seedling Christmas trees. I planted them a little before Christmas, and at the rate they’re growing I’ll probably have trees that are a whole 3 inches tall by the time next Christmas is here. (note to self: re-pot tree seedlings tonight..)

I can’t help but grin to myself every time I walk through the living room and see this whole set-up. If you don’t have a friend like mine, go out and find one, I highly recommend it.

Photo Restoration – old photos looking like new

Posted on February 10, 2012 by Vrinda

I miss writing Photoshop tutorials, so I thought I’d ease myself back into it with a quick overview of restoring old photos. The tutorial isn’t quite done yet, so here’s a sneak preview.

Tomorrow I’ll show you the super quick steps to make this:

(Photo from Flickr Commons)

Look like this:

This is more of a photo refresher than a restoration project, which means quick and easy gratification with little work.

How’s it done?

Tune in and find out!

Sleepy and Wordless

Posted on February 9, 2012 by Vrinda

Seagull on cliff edge at Seaford, Sussex, UK

(Photo taken at: 1/1600, f/1.8, ISO 100)

Another day

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Vrinda

I have no proper post for you today because I’m trying to avoid being a neglectful hostess. However, I’m determined to make it through a complete NaBloPoMo challenge this month, so here is a tidbit of my day… the sun setting over a field of snow.

Sun setting over a snowy field in the winter near Amersham

(Photo taken at: 1/3200, f/11, ISO 400)

The snow covers colours, muffles sounds, and makes the world feel so quiet and peaceful.

A British Summer

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Vrinda

Old photo time tonight!

I was walking through Green Park a couple summers ago, and saw this sight, which to me perfectly illustrated Britishness. I love the “it’s summer and I’m using the deckchairs, even if it’s raining” stubbornness, along with the drizzliness that typifies our summer.

I found it this evening and it made me smile, so I thought I would share.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow…

Posted on February 5, 2012 by Vrinda

After a mild winter, which gave us only one quick flurry of snow before Christmas, spring finally seemed to be on its way. Bulbs are appearing everywhere, there is blossom on choice trees, I’ve even seen lambs frolicking in fields. But no, winter hasn’t quite finished with us yet. Last night produced the first solid snow fall I’ve seen since last year’s cold spell.

A good 5 inches fell through the night, blanketing the town in a thick white layer that disguises everything. Snow on a Sunday is a beautiful thing. Most people are at home, no one bothers to leave the house unless they have to, or to build snowmen, so the snow stays white instead of turning into grey slush soup at the side of the roads.

(Photo taken at: 1/400, f/2.0, ISO 100)

Continue reading →

“Incomplete and a little strange”

Posted on February 4, 2012 by Vrinda

“A Ming vase can be well-designed and well-made and is beautiful for that reason alone. I don’t think this can be true for photography. Unless there is something a little incomplete and a little strange, it will simply look like a copy of something pretty. We won’t take an interest in it.”

- John Loengard

Bumble bees buzzing around pink echinacea flowers

(photo taken at 1/800, f/1.8, ISO 100)

“Incomplete and a little strange” is something I have to learn to love in my photography. I’m trying. Often when I search through my photos I discover little treasures that I set aside because they weren’t just right. This photo is one I classed as “incomplete”. The focus wasn’t exactly where I wanted it, which bothered me so much that I couldn’t look at it and moved on. I didn’t rediscover it until a few months afterwards. I came across the photo and did a quick edit, just to see what would happen. It was only when I gave it this second chance that I realised it’s one of my favourites.

I’m trying to be more forgiving in my photography; allowing more space for life and less for attempted perfection.

This takes a lot of gentle (and not so gentle) reminders; I get frustrated when things don’t look like they “should”. I’m taking it gradually, one photo at a time…

…as a butterfly

Posted on February 3, 2012 by Vrinda

A pair of Glasswing butterflies in Butterfly World, near St Albans

(Photo taken at: 1/400, f/1.8, ISO 400)

My mind today is as flittering as a butterfly. I want to write, but I can’t stick with one train of thoughts for longer than a few minutes. One thought looks pretty and I go to explore it, but just before it turns into a tangible post, I see another splash of colour and off my brain flits to settle on this new pretty idea…

A Thanks-Filled Thursday

Posted on February 2, 2012 by Vrinda

Today was one of those highly strung days where every tiny little thing explodes into a massive, towering catastrophe in the time it takes for me to blink.

I broke my mac charger this morning with a horrifying “kkkkkrrrrrrrrkkkkk” sound (fixed, thank goodness, superglue, and my mum’s stash of fuses). And when it was time to leave for work I decided that the worst possible thing that could have happened to me was having to cycle in this morning’s dose of beautiful winter sunshine (I’ve been cycling in the freezing cold rain without a complaint (usually)). Plus a commute that, when both journeys are added together, ends up being almost as long as my shift at work (genuinely stressful when I have a website to design and blog posts to write). And theeen, oh it’s so awful I can hardly say it, my mum *gasp* didn’t buy the pasta stir-through that I didn’t tell her I wanted.

As you can see from this list of disasters, I lead a very difficult life…

On days like this I’ve learned that the only methods of survival are gentleness, treats and appreciating the little things.

I got to work early and treated myself to an icecream milkshake (possible insanity in the temperatures we had today) and I sat in the sunshine, listening to the likes Billie Holiday, Tracey Chapman and Ella Fitzgerald lulling into one ear, and with the other ear I listened to birds singing around me. I closed my eyes in the sunshine and pretended it was summer. Of course my pretend summer only lasted as long as I could bear the cold of the icecream, the wind at the top of the hill, and the cold, cold air. Then I ran for cover and warmth, but it was very lovely while it did last.

Continue reading →

Monthly Archives: February 2012