Two Speedlight Portrait

So I have been trying to lure another victim into my photographic snare solicit another eager and willing volunteer to try out a slightly edgy looking two speedlight portrait when I spotted my son Ben in an ACDC t-shirt looking very much like an 18 year old and I conned asked him to pose for me. Of course he was a little reluctant very eager to please as always and jumped to the opportunity to be featured on my blog!

Nikon D90, manual mode, 18-105 kit lens, zoomed to 105mm, f22, 1/200s, ISO200, Nikon sb600 to camera left and behind Ben shot bare and sb700 camera right with shoot through umbrella with both fired wirelessly via Nikon's nifty CLS system. Edited in Corel Paint Shop Pro X3 (which is going for a bargain price right now btw!).

Toyota LandCruiser FJ62 4X4 Station Wagon

I am selling my trusty Toyota LandCruiser FJ62 4X4 Station Wagon.

Well looked after. Motor professionally redone last year by Toyota SA. Comes with bull bar, roof carrier, high lift jack, 4x metal Jerry Cans, full alarm/immobilizer/anti-hijack system, Dobinsons shocks and springs all around, recovery strap, window tinting and cd/radio. The "real deal" for overland travel through Africa!

If you are in the market for a good used 4X4 (and you live somewhere in Southern Africa!), then send me an email at thephotophile@gmail.com

And just in case you are interested, here is the obligatory set-up shot, it is a photography blog after all!

Nikon D90, 18-105 kit lens, taken in the middle of the day but in shade, zoomed to 52mm, manual mode, f8.0, 1/200s, ISO200, Nikon sb600 camera right and sb700 camera left fired wirelessly via Nikon's uber cool CLS system. I underexposed the shot a slight bit and let the flashes sort out their own exposure themselves via iTTL, this had the effect of a darker background which made the vehicle stand out. Isn't technology wonderful!?

Sign Of The Times

G IS FOR?

ST. GREGORY THE GREAT!  ~ this sign grabbed my attention this spring whilst out on a glorious day garden visiting. Why? Firstly because himself is a Gregory. Secondly because of the wording when I took a closer gander. I gazed then gasped before wondering what signs had previously greeted church goers of the parish in times gone by.

Gracefully gallop over to ABC Wednesday now for more on the letter G.

'Out On The Streets' ~ At the Fire Station

Our local fire station is just down the road from us ~ near enough when we first moved here for me to jump out of my skin every time a fire engine sped by with sirens shrieking. I have become immune over the years and now take the noise in my stride. Although I have walked past the station many times, en route to the allotment, I had never visited it until last month. I had read about a project to establish a community and biodiversity garden there some time ago and an open afternoon at the fire station proved the ideal time to find out more.

The project was the concept of one of the fire fighters based at the station and was formally opened last year. On what was previously an uncultivated grassed over  area at the back of the fire station, there are now raised beds, a greenhouse, a wooden shed, a 'bug hotel' type bird feeder, wildflower garden area, compost heaps as well as decked seating and a meeting area. There is an interconnecting network of fully accessible pathways.

"The aim of the garden is twofold, to provide an access project for the general community and to act as an access and diversionary project for young people at risk of becoming involved with arson or anti -social behavior." The garden was constructed in partnership with a number of different community groups working alongside fire fighters. We have recently been overwhelmed with images and reports of young people caught up in the riots but here I saw a positive measurement of what young people can achieve given encouragement, support and the wherewithal. Having worked with disaffected young people for a long time, I know that sadly many of them, especially young men, leave our secondary school system with low self esteem and low expectations. Projects such as this are great ways of harnessing energy, providing invaluable work experience, developing team building and communication skills and in some cases completely transforming young lives.

Once the hard build was finished eight of the raised beds are now being cultivated by local primary schools. Each school has grown exactly the same crops in their beds so there is a element of healthy competition. When I visited the beds were filling out with their crops of runner beans, peas, carrots, beetroots, onions and spring onions. Regularly on hand to assist the project has the assistance of an experienced local allotmenteer as a 'Garden Manager'. Other groups including a local Mencap youth club are involved in the garden. After a good wander round and chat with those behind the concept, I left feeling really excited about this project and hope to pop down in the spring with spare seeds etc.

'Out on The Streets' is a regular feature over at 'Vegplotting', where if you would like to particpate Michelle advises that "All you need to do is post on your blog an example of public planting or use of outdoor public space which has taken your notice this month. It may be good or bad ; old or new, in your neighbourhood or something you've seen on your travels." Do make your way over there and join in the street party too!

Mancathalon

My son is a member of a wolfpack.  It's a group of guys he grew up with and they are really close friends.  They even have matching t-shirts.  Here is a photo from one of the wolfpack members recent wedding.  

A nice group of guys. 

Some of these guys recently got together for the second annual mancathalon.  

One of the Mancathalon Scorekeepers

 I'd never heard of such a festivity but the participants spent the weekend competing in the following: 

Hot Dog Eating Contest

Beer Tasting - 12 Beers, Name That Beer

Go Cart Races

Horse Shoes

Guess the Song

Video Game Play-off

The Battle of the go carts

Final Rounds of the Competitions

So as I was thinking about the mancathalon and I was thinking how much fun it would be to have a Woman-athalon, Femalathon or a She-athalon.  What competitions could we hold?  The whole event got me thinking about a fun girl's weekend!!!

This week I'm joining The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sunday.

Jumping weather…

The wind was whistling…

the temp was close to 100

what else to do but jump some bushes and walls

right?

well...so said child number 4...who happens to fear nothing and is preparing for a three day eventing show.

At a stunning barn here in Vero Beach

Sawgrass farms

where the horses are happy….ish I threw in the ish cause nessie aint looking so happy

You can literally eat off the beautiful brick floors

…if you so choose

A chatting room in the barn for discussing your course

evah so comfy!

A wash rack as good as any outdoor shower….yes please.

The money shot…yep.

What did you do while the wind was whistling?

Hoping you held onto your hats and stayed safe from Irene!

"We Love Aphids!"

I went to the seaside last week but never saw the sea - instead I went to Southport to the annual Southport Flower Show. I was in the company of a good friend, the forecasted heavy rain never materialised and there was much to see so all in all a perfect recipe for a grand day out. Whilst Southport is primarily a flower show there plenty of other non - horticultural attractions and displays. This year though as I was in the company of a  keen gardener I did not get to see any of them but I am not complaining.  Instead we spent the day permabulating at a gentle and leisurely pace, spending the morning in the busy but uncrowded floral marquee, halting only to sit down at noon to listen to a most thought provoking talk by Matthew Wilson, who managed to persuade his audience that they loved aphids! We even stood up at one point to chant "We love aphids!" in unison. Matthew's logic being that if there were no aphids that there would be no goodies such as ladybirds etc, etc. Then onwards again, making a few purchases as we went along before a late but well deserved lunch. Onto the show gardens before rounding up the day with a reccie of the marquee which housed the plant, garden and horticultural societies in addition to the splendid entries from amateur growers.

Above you can see part of the stand from Bluebell Cottage Gardens . The display was awarded a silver medail. Sue Beesley has described her show experience here on her blog, but I think she is being rather modest about her achievement. Not only did she put some most attractive planting together but I thought that she interpreted the show's theme of vintage most thoughtfully. Sue's stand along with the display from the Hardy Plant Society were amongst my highlights of the show.

Below glimpses of the Hardy Plant Society stand which won a gold medal and best in show ~

and finally some of the contents of the most perfect basket of vegetables you could possibly imagine ~

Now why don't mine look like that ?

P.S. For those of you who do not know Southport actually seeing the sea there seems to be a rare occurence - the tide is usually out so vast expanses of beach instead.

Stop Press - I have just noticed that 'Gardeners Question Time' was recorded last Friday at the show. The programme will be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on Friday 26th August at 3.00 pm and then again on Sunday 28th August at 2.00pm. Well worth a listen to.

Simply Scentsational

F IS FOR?

FRAGRANCE!
"Every two or three days though July and August the house has been refreshed with little pots and odd jars of sweet peas here and there on shelves, by stairs or bookcases, by doors. Their smell fades after a day or two but, of course, the more you cut the more they come, in this case the more you give away the more you get" ~ extract from 'Led By The Nose' by Jenny Joseph.

Well that was my flight of fancy back in February but it did not come to fruition this year. My sweet peas plants planted out in that dry April spell never flourished. So this year for the first times in years I am without one of my favourite flowers. However allotment friends have fared better than me and I have been invited to feel free to snip. This floriferous bunch is flooding my kitchen with their fabulous fragrance today. The fearful fencing installed by the council earlier this year, has provided the ideal framework for them to cling to and fare fantastically well.

Now with a fanfare here is a link to ABC Wednesday where you will find fun, fiction, fables and fantasy all featuring the letter F!

From Sunflowers to Moon Blooms

I planted sunflowers next to moon vine seeds so it's exciting to look out the window right now.  Morning or night there are beautiful blossoms.   The one mistake I made was planting the moon vine seeds so that they would climb on my Carolina Sapphires because the incredible fragrance of the cypress trees overpowers the lovely frangrance of the moon vine blooms.  

Have you ever seen a moon vine in bloom?   The flowers are so fragrant and the blooms are about six inches across.  As the sun begins to set if you are watching the vine, you can actually see the blooms open.  It happens in about 120 seconds!  

I'll stop carrying on about the flowers and let you see them for yourself.  In just a few minutes I'll be going out for a moon walk...just to enjoy the flowers.  

When it rains it pours….

…And when it pours

green stuff grows…

like crazy.

Crinum lily flower

Purple queen growing out oh it’s huge pot, shared with an adonidia palm…

Now a “hobbit entrance” you almost need to duck to get through the gate below.

geesch.

Jasmine vine intertwined with purple heart vine

foxtail asparagus fern…grew a few more tails this past few weeks

Pancake plant Kalanchoe reaching toward the sky.

Crazy bromeliad and orchid growing on an oak tree...notice anything strange??

not that I am complaining or anything…

The elusive blue ginger

Jathropa

Any one wanna help with a machete???

~And a HUGE thanks to the in house IT person who fixed the computer. He knows who he is!~

Take that retrograde!

Dayum you…Mercury.

So I was all set to post pretties and changes at the ole’ casa

After cleaning the contacts on my malfunctioning camera....and

Screeeeeeeech.

Computer upgrades itself, and I lose everything That I know.

Tears ensue.

They Don’t work.

Lost all photos, all faves and the ability to post photos.

Cry with me.

So…they say… Mercury is in retrograde until August 26th.

Get it together Mercury, Ya giant creep.

I’m pissed…

At 03:50 UT (Universal Time) Wednesday, August 3rd, 2011, Mercury the wise communicator—and universal trickster—turns retrograde at 1°12' Virgo in the sign of the Virgin, sending communications, travel, appointments, mail and the www into a general snarlup! The retro period begins some days before the actual turning point (as Mercury slows) and lasts for three weeks or so, until August 26, 2011, when the Winged Messenger reaches his direct station. At this time he halts and begins his return to direct motion through the zodiac

sigh.

Warm Fuzzies

Whilst happily pruning this weekend I came across some little orange fuzzies nestling on an errant rose seedling which is destined for the chop. They are as soft to touch as they look. I have no idea what they are and what they might contain if anything but thought that they looked rather sweet. Would be delighted if anybody could shed light on the mystery.

Used Cotton Thread Reels

I photographed these with the same set-up shown here.

Celebrating Summer With Sunflowers

 Finally!  I was so happy this morning when the first sunflower bloomed!   My husband and I both love sunflowers and he planted some seeds but unfortunately the squirrels made the most of them.

 A few weeks later I planted a dozen seed and six plants made it.   You can't imagine how excited we were when we looked out the window this morning and saw a large blossom looking like sunshine standing proudly. 

 Now I'm waiting for the moon vine to bloom.

I'm joining The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays as we celebrate summer.  Be sure to stop in and see what other bloggers are doing to celebrate summer.

Pink Things Come in Little Packages From à la parisienne Blog

Last month one of my favorite bloggers, à la parisienne, posted a giveaway and low and behold, I WON!   In case you aren't familiar with her blog, you might want to stop in and visit Mandy's site.   I love her site because it's beautiful and I love it even more because of Mandy's beautiful spirit that comes through in everything she posts.

I hate to boast but I can't wait to show you the lovely gifts that were part of the giveaway.   My husband and I opened the small box together and he was just as excited as me to see the contents.  

After we read the enclosures we spotted the beautiful pink silk flower. 

Don't you just love the dainty pearl center?   I can't wait to wear this on my sweaters and coat.  The flower has a clip and pin backing so it can be worn on a garment or clipped to your hair.

Then there was a small box. 

Earring!!!  I just love jewelry and aren't these beautiful? 

And underneath everything was a beautiful CD!!!

 Mandy had posted about her romantic evening out and I loved listening to Pink Martini.   Click here to read about her romantic date.   Aren't they a beautiful couple!!

If you want to see more beautiful things that Mandy has made visit her Etsy store! 

Mandy, I hope you read this post.  THANK YOU!!!   This weekend I'll be wearing my pink and listing to my Pink Martini CD.  

Today I'm linking up with How Sweet the Sound's Pink Saturday to showcase all the PINK!  

Still Life - Taken with a Nikon F801s

An old photo taken with a Nikon F801s and a junky Quantaray 35-80 zoom, in the late afternoon sun. This was my first attempt at a still life just after I had bought my very first SLR. While not a great photo in technical and artistic terms, it still holds a special place for me.

Nesting Instincts

E IS FOR?

EGGS!
"And most I like the winter nests deep - hid
That leaves and berries fell into:
Once a dormouse dined there on hazel - nuts,
And grass and goose - grass seeds found soil and grew"
~ extract from the poem 'Bird's Nests' by Edward Thomas, 1878 - 1917.

Not edible and certainly not belonging to an emu ~  himself and I espied this exquisite clutch of eggs as we walked round Hampton Court Gardens, in Herefordshire earlier this year. All part of an exciting quiz for younger visitors - on examination the letters on the eggs unscrambled to reveal the identity of the bird. Rather easy in this paticular case and not quite esoteric enough for us adults but we still derived enormous enjoyment from this mental exercise.

Escape now to ABC Wednesday for even more on the evasive letter E.

Happy Birthday Julia!

To celebrate this special day I should have made something from this book.

 But because tomatoes are in season and I had plenty of tomatoes on hand, I made my favorite tomato soup from this book. 

This cookbook is one that is worth looking at if you've never seen it.  It's beautifully illustrated and the recipes are wonderful too.  

So here is the tomato soup recipe.  Be sure to have a crusty french loaf on hand!

TOMATO SOUP AUX PARFUMS de PROVENCE

1/4 c. olive oil

4 leeks, rinsed, trimmed and minced

2 fennel bulbs, trimmed, cored and minced

8 cloves of garlic, minced

3 carrots, minced

1/4 c. fresh rosemary

1/4 c. fresh thyme

2 tbs. grated orange zest

12 medium vine-ripened tomatoes, seeded and diced

1 c. dry white wine

4 c. chicken stock

Sea salt 

Garnish with Creamed Goat Cheese & Pistou (pesto)

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat adding leeks, fennel, garlic, carrots, rosemary, thyme and orange zest. Saute until the vegetables are soft.  Add tomatoes, wine  and stock; season with salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil then simmer uncovered for 45 minutes. 

To finish the soup puree half in a blender then recombine it with the original mixture.  Ladle soup into serving bowls and drizzle the top of each dish with 1 tablespoon of pistou and 1 tablespoon goat cheese.  Serve at once.  Makes 6-8 servings.