Bluebell Woods

Photograph altered with Artistic Filter, Palette Knife
Coppercurls Designs: Paper Blenders and Botanica elements

Autumn Fruits

It was a warm day today, perfect for a walk and what a treat it was to see such an abundance of fruits in the hedgerows.  There are still loads of blackberries although they are not all they seem, some have been spoiled by the rain.  I picked some on Friday evening and probably have enough in the freezer for my purposes. It does seem a shame not to pick them, but I just don't have enough time to preserve them. 

The hedgerows are also full of haws on the hawthorn hedges and, for the first time for many years, we have some beautiful rose hips. The pictures were so vibrant, I was inspired to do a digital layout!

Lucky Snapping February View

February brings the rain, thaws the frozen lake again

It's the first week of February and time for our Lucky Snapping challenge to wheel round to Jennie's View Challenge again.  It has certainly been wet today, although the sun kept coming out, followed by more gusts of wind and stormy rain showers.  We have a forecast of snow for tonight and tomorrow morning, I hope it is not too heavy.

 Reading the 'Months' poem (our inspiration from Jennie) by Sara Coleridge again encouraged me to make a digital layout for each of the months, hopefully I will be able to encapsulate the verses for each month.  January certainly came up trumps with a stunning display of snow!

This is another layout I made earlier in January when we had a light fall of snow, I never got round to posting it, so thought I'd share it now.  It is, of course, the tracks created by a tractor, the one that was cutting the hedges round our fields.

Look out for another layout using Jennie's sketch at some point during this week.

Snowy Nostalgia for Lucky Snapping in 2013

Kathi is hosting Lucky Snapping this week and has chosen the theme of Nostalgia.  Here is what she says:  

"what it is that takes you back, or what will take you back when you look at this week's post in the future.....

• it doesn't have to be a long lost memory, it may just be from last year;
• maybe it will be a vintage postcard or a retro styled cup in a shop..
• or a special little thing you do in your house that might become a traditon for your children in their future...
• it might be just your news this week which fits the theme and you can put it down for posterity..

To make it easy we will use the term 'nostalgia' for my prompts..though as I said it may just be something happening now which people will enjoy reading or seeing in the future..

 

The term describes a sentimental longing for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations......In common, less clinical usage, nostalgia sometimes includes a general interest in past eras and their personalities and events, especially the "good old days," such as a sudden image, or remembrance of something from one's childhood. (thanks to Wikipaedia as ever).."

For January there is the additional theme of 'New Beginnings'  I'm not sure that I have met that one, although I suppose you could say that featuring toddlers at the beginning of their lives is a kind of new beginning!  It will have to do, because it was the snow we had on Sunday and the photo I took with my little compact camera (the DSLR arrived back from repair today-hurrah!) that reminded me of these older photos of my sons around the same age.  I hope Andrew will forgive me for putting him in a pink snowsuit, I recall that I got it second hand  and they both wore it to keep warm around the farm.

 

Sweetheart Abbey - Free Choice 365+1

September from Inspiration Lane

For Free Choice in Black and White I've chosen to show you more photos from my touristy weekend. This time  it's Sweetheart Abbey, I took a photo of the information board, I hope you can read it okay.

Slow - 365+1

Rena - Beautiful Spring, Marta Designs - Easter in the Kitchen

Our calves were feeling slow on Sunday afternoon when they had the sun on their backs,

Edible - 365+1

Marta Designs - Easter in the Kitchen

I know, this is a rather bizarre layout!  I visited a Venison Farm today and tasted some delicious venison sausages.  I must be feeling a little surreal as this kit just tempted me to include some 'interesting' objects!

Two Layouts for 365+1

Gingerscraps - Scrap Your Life

DSD by Athena - Elegance

I'm hoping to move on from the Olympics soon, but took loads of photos of the closing ceremony so there may still be a few to come!  I didn't see any exhausted athletes last night, so chose one of Jessica Ennis at the end of her race.

The second layout is the last medal awarded for the men's marathon , I loved the flags lined up behind them , all the medals are represented here, even though the prompt is Silver.

GOLD - 365+1

Digital Crea Collab - I'm like a bird

Just when you thought I'd be posting some gold medals from the Olympics...well I like to keep you on your toes!  It was a glorious day today and the flowers had a chance to open and smile.  I love the gold of the marigolds, they are easy flowers to grow and self-seed too, but still they open their daisy like petals with a big warm glow like the sun.

Connie Prince - My Wish for You

 But I couldn't resist a bit of speed-scrapping to celebrate Mo Farah's second Gold Medal, how exciting was that?  Fantastic athlete, incredible race, well deserved - GOLD!

Higher - 365+1

Independence Day - Lisa Bowman

The USA women's 100m x 4 Relay Team broke the World Record, definitely Higher, Faster, Stronger!

Determination - 365+1

Click and Smile - Delph, Paprika and Goldensun

Hope - 365+1

I know my layouts have been a bit Olympic-obsessed but that is how I am feeling at the moment.  Thinking about hope took me right back to the opening ceremony and how it built up the excitement and anticipation of what might be to come, but as someone who NEVER watches sport, I have become totally absorbed and enjoyed pretty much everything I've watched.  I'm still slightly surprised with myself!

Matched Pair - 365+1

Sherwood Studio - Thrift

Here is my Matched Pair,  they are a pair of vases that sit either side of our Edwardian tiled fireplace.  Unfortunately, one of them has a piece broken off the top at the back.

Instant Garden - 365+1

Thalaris - The power of flowers for Digital Crea

Today's prompt was 'Cleanliness' - that really didn't inspire me on such a lovely outdoor sort of day.  I headed off to the garden centre this morning to get some bedding plants for my tubs and troughs.  When I opened the boot of my car 'Instant Garden' popped into my head and I knew I had my 365 photograph.

Group - 365+1

Maya de Groot - various; Marta Designs - In my Easter Kitchen

bunch  (bnch)n.1. a. A group of things growing close together; a cluster or clump

Power - 365+1

Wondergirls - Sweet Afternoon.

I'm a day late with this layout in the 365+1 challenge because I was posting my 1000th post giveaway yesterday and ran out of time.  I'll post today's page shortly.  We live on a farm and see lots of wildlife, but rarely get to see a Kestrel this close.

Cross - 365+1

Kate Hadfield, R Young - Family Tree, JD Blooming, Julie Marie - Bailey

Suzie's prompt for today was 'Cross' for St George's Day.  I don't have 'a cross' for your but I do have 'across' if you see what I mean!  The photograph has been treated with a Sumi-e filter in PSE.

365+1 - Translucent

Gingerscraps - Scrap your Life, Designs by Athena - Basics

Suzie asked us to show her something translucent today, this is the light at the top of our stairs and I am really pleased at the way the photograph turned out!

365+1 - Mettalic

Kit - Gingerscraps, Scrap your life

Day 10 in the 365+1 Challenge over at Suzie's blog, the prompt is metallic and I'm featuring two little pewter fish which are really chop stick rests and were a gift from my SIL when she was teaching in Malaysia. 

365+1 - Pretty

Kit: Gingerscraps, Scrap Your Life