Just a little something I took on the way back from the supermarket this morning …

Predictable this week’s subject from The Gallery is Easter. And of course Easter means daffodils, so here’s one I prepared a couple of years ago …

No there’s no story behind this, just some flowers.

Something for a damp Spring day … another picture of our orchid.

There are now 5 flowers open and another 8 buds in various stages. What is really nice is that slight pinky-mauve blush on the backs of the flowers.

Another in my occasional series documenting some of the underbelly of Britain. Britain which we wouldn’t like visitors to see and which we wish wasn’t there. The trash, abused, decaying, destitute and otherwise buggered parts of our environment. Those parts which symbolise the current economic malaise; parts which, were the country flourishing, wouldn’t be there, would be better cared for, or made less inconvenient.

This is the Greenwood pub in Northolt, about a mile from where I live. It’s no surprise it closed as a pub because although often used for filming it also had a reputation (how justified I don’t know) for regular drugs raids. It has been in this state for a couple of years. I’m told that there is (or was) a potential buyer interested in rejuvenating it as a restaurant, although what business they’ll find at this location is an open question. What makes things more interesting is that the building is Grade II listed by English Heritage, so the exterior, and reading the listing maybe also the interior, are protected and so can’t have too much done to them. Such a shame because it is a good building which ought to be able to be reused and could look quite stunning. Let’s just hope McDonald’s don’t get their hands on it!

This week’s theme over at The Gallery is At Peace.

Now this can be interpreted, as Tara did when announcing the theme, as personal peace and quiet (“a quiet corner with a book, or sitting in the bath by candlelight”) or in the sense of beyond the grave. I’ve chosen the latter interpretation.

Click the image for a larger version

This is the grave in churchyard of St Nicholas, New Romney, Kent of David Masey (10 October to 28 July 1882) who was my great-great-grandfather and his wife Mary. Also commemorated are a number of their family members (none in my direct line). We know from the census returns that David Masey was a fisherman, but I’ve been told that he was also variously a greengrocer, fishmonger, boatman and a lifeboatman at Littlestone.

St Nicholas, New Romney is an interesting church in a small country town and has the usual peaceful and rather idyllic churchyard. When I searched there last I was unable to find any other Masey graves, although sadly very many of the headstones are so weathered as to be unreadable.

Now we have nice warm Spring weather I spent some time today sitting quietly on the patio photographing the parakeets on the seed feeder some 10-15 meters away.

Out of around 300 shots (couldn’t have done that back in the days of film!) I got a dozen which, after cropping and some light post-processing, were anything like decent. Here are a couple …

‘Ere, was that your camera I heard?”	Oi, haven’t you finished yet?!

Click the images for the larger Flickr versions

They are very tricky subjects! Not only are the birds themselves constantly moving but the seed feeder is swinging back and forth; and they were in dappled shade – even with the camera on a tripod too many shots were still blurred. I had my big 80-300 zoom lens at full stretch and have still had to heavily crop the frames.

And there are more shots on my Flickr photostream.

This weeks subject over at The Gallery is Extreme Close Up.

Hmmm … this is something I always try and I’m not always very successful at although my little point and shoot Panasonic Lumix TZ18 is especially good at very close range — much better than my big Olympus E620 dSLR! So I took a few close ups specially for this week’s challenge. Here are just two.

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The first is fresh Waitrose French baton. And the second is a nylon strap on a cool bag.

Why not visit The Gallery to see what other people have come up with?

Another in my occasional series documenting some of the underbelly of Britain. Britain which we wouldn’t like visitors to see and which we wish wasn’t there. The trash, abused, decaying, destitute and otherwise buggered parts of our environment. Those parts which symbolise the current economic malaise; parts which, were the country flourishing, wouldn’t be there, would be better cared for, or made less inconvenient.

Click the image for a larger view

The country is in a pretty poor shape when even the pawnbrokers can’t stay in business! But then I’ve seen quite a few dodgy businesses come and go at these premises over the years.

This is by the Petts Hill bridge, near Northolt Park Station.