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So, we're going to have lots of rain for the Bank Holiday weekend! Be positive I say, and consider how good all this rain is for the plants and flowers...
...and if all that sounds impossibly 'twee' may I suggest you turn to Twitter for some light relief. Many of the tweets surrounding the election are hysterical - try Daisy Goodwin or India Knight.
Next to London Bridge train station. Go early, it gets very crowded later. A good place to take visitors, the market has an amazing selection of vegetables...
fish...
and cheese...
Make sure you're hungry before you arrive, the selection of food to eat 'on the go' is very tempting. Huge vats of paella and curries, pittas and wraps of every description, jacket potatoes and melting raclette cheese, or join the queues for shucked oysters with tabasco sauce. The stall holders also give away lots of free food to nibble, especially cheeses. Sit and eat it all in the grounds of the beautiful Southwark Cathedral which borders the market...
If you prefer to buy food to take home to cook, you could try kangaroo or ostrich steaks if you're feeling adventurous...
The market opens on Thursday, Friday and Saturday only.
Happy St George's Day...! The patron saint of England. His emblem, a red cross on a white background, is the flag of England, and part of the British flag - the Union Jack.
St George's emblem was adopted by Richard the 1st in the 12th century, also known as Richard the Lionheart. The King's soldiers wore the emblem on their tunics to avoid confusion in battle.
It used to be customary to wear a rose on the lapel for this day, but this practice has largely disappeared. In more recent times the celebration of this day, together with the wearing of the rose and the flying of the English flag, became associated with right wing political parties, and became unpopular. The flag is also linked with sport, football in particular.
Recently there has been a move to renew our celebration of St George and reclaim the day, spearheaded (no pun intended...) by London's Mayor, Boris Johnson.
By coincidence, it is also Shakespeare's birthday. We believe he was born on this day in 1564, and died on the same day in 1616.
I just like this lovely milk bottle. A friend of mine has an astonishing collection of them. Sadly, most of my milk comes from the supermarket in horrible plastic bottles. I also thought that a few weeks down the line someone might like to use my new 'search button' and find this wonderful gem...!
My girls love to have friends over...
...so that they can dress up in gorgeous clothes and shoes...
...and wear things from another era... delicate lacy gloves...
...a 1930's Art Deco clutch bag; a string of lilac and cream beads...
...combined with contemporary, but equally chic accessories...
...and a selection of delectable treats on vintage plates... It's fun being a girl...!
The Spring weather feels like it's here to stay, and it makes me feel good...
...but the aircraft free skies over London... surreal indeed...
I'm expecting friends from Sweden on Thursday, but I'm worried they won't make it. The situation seems to change daily. Today one flight has left Scotland, the first for almost a week!
My lovely Mum has just had her 88th birthday...! It was wonderful to see her looking so happy
I think I've mentioned that I started a photography course in March - City and Guilds Part 1 - to be precise. Having acquired a wonderful camera for my birthday/christmas, I thought I should learn how to get it off automatic...
I have never studied photography, so this is a steep learning curve. It's so technical, by the time I've gone through all my thought processes, the moment has often passed. So forgive me if I bombard you with meaningless photos... I'm just taking pictures of anything! Of course I had to take this picture of my new camera with my trusty iPhone! I'll still use my iPhone for those snaps on the spur of the moment, but I'm trying to discipline myself to take the Nikon out for walks more regularly. This is a pain, in addition to other rubbish I feel the need to drag around with me. It's just an awkward size, and I'm terrified I'm going to drop it as I stroll around gazing skyward... hopefully I will become more blase...
I'm enjoying my course, but find it challenging and very time consuming. I have to produce a series of A4 printed photos by the end of the course in July, and just now, I can't imagine being able to do that...!! I also have to choose a 'theme' for my pictures... help! Actually, two themes, one for straight pictures, and one for 'manipulated' photos using Photoshop or similar. My class is small, but I feel I'm the least experienced in the group. I'm still struggling with f stops, shutter speeds and ISO's whilst others are quite comfortable with these basic skills and are moving off in more creative directions. So, whether or not I survive the ride remains to be seen...
Currently I'm practising 'depth of field' which is the technique of having either everything in focus, or selecting something of importance to focus on and blurring the rest of the picture...
I'm also trying to take pictures from different angles, as an aid to composition...
...hmm, do you think I'm 'getting it'?
...wishes...
