Nest

Sorting out the garden involved going through the plant pots. I found this nest in one of them. I hope it is from last year and not this. I think that is the case.
 

Raised Beds pt 3

 

After one day the raised beds had progressed to this. Really pleased with the progres being made by Roman and his mate.

Raised Beds pt 2

This is how the garden looked after we had sorted it out, prior to Roman putting in the sleepers. That is the new fence on the right, which makes the whole vegetable patch a lot less windy and a lot warmer.

Raised Bed pt 1

 

These are railway sleepers ready for the creation of raised beds in the vegetable garden. We spent the weekend sorting out the existing garden to make it easier for the changes to take place. A busy old time.

Sunday evening we walked/hobbled down the road to the Crescent where Kristin Hersch was playing. Danielle is a fan, I'd never heard her or the Throwing Muses (her old band), so it was a voyage of discovery. A really good gig as it happens, enjoyed it a lot.

Kurly Kale

The foot injury means that the vegetable garden is not on track this year so far. Luckily there is plenty of kale and spinach hanging on from last year, so some produce is making its way into the kitchen.

Lighting 2

 

The low sun was shining through the rain splattered glass onto Danielle's bonsai plant in the office.

Lighting 1

Venetian blinds do deliver great lighting. The bulbs are over but the plant still looks good.

 

Back Home

Danielle me and the dog dropped Rowan off at the station yesterday as she made her way back to London. It has been great to have her here for a few days.

Easter

It has been a good Easter. Rowan has been here with us, the weather has been fine and a good relaxing time has been had. (Obligatory when you have a broken foot, but still good). Neighbour Gwen came round for tea and cake, I watched a fantastic Paris-Roubaix unfold live on Eurosport, and we finished the day watching a Poirot together.

As the cataloguing of my photos continues and I coming across shots that I have not exhibited for a long while. This one, of a moth camouflaged on a weathered hut in the Austrian alps was pretty popular back in the day. I took it when Danielle's father joined us on a cycle trip from Salzburg in 2005.

 

Kino Klub

Sue, Eddy, Danielle and I have started an informal film club for the four of us. Last night they came to us and we watched Odds Against Tomorrow. I discovered this last year as part of my Film Noir project. It is one of the best films ever made. Stars Harry Belafonte and Robert Ryan, directed by Robert Wise who went on to direct West Side Story and (unbelievably) The Sound of Music, it is brilliant. We all loved it.

Health Update

The foot is in its boot until May 4th when I see the consultant again at York Hospital.

The eye seems to be fully recovered and the antibiotics have worked. Obviously the thing about things coming in threes is nonsense, but you know ...

The people who bought a large acrylic of Clouded Glass also bought one of Rainforest Reflections. They should make a nice pair.

Clouded Glass

It has taken a long time for me to really like this shot, but I do now. The reflection of the cloud on the office building in Melbourne seems to merge with the clouds in the sky at the top left corner. Having stood looking at it with a lot of different people over the last two weekends, I can also now see office lights scattered around the various floors of the building.

 

Weekend Resume

This was another successful shot at the weekend, taken in Paris ten years ago. Someone thought it was 40 years old, until their partner pointed out that there were about 20 mobile phones on show.

The Second Weekend

Well it was another real full-on Open Studios. Virtually no minutes when there was no one in the gallery. A lot of chat, a lot of appreciation and plenty of sales. My most successful show for a long while, I rang out of books and had to call international rescue (aka Danielle) to bring some more up the hill to The Mount School where I was showing.

Today has been spent getting orders and sales records sorted out. Next task I have set myself (foot allowing) is to catalog all my photographs that I sell or exhibit.

For many shows I have included this shot, even though it gets little reaction. I love it so I like to put it up there. And this time someone loved it too and bought it for her daughter who lives in London. Very pleasing.

It is called On The Beach, 

Taken at lunch time on a London working day. The walkways of the South Bank were alive with the jostle of office workers on their break, and tourists on the move. I looked over the wall and saw this woman who had found some peace and quiet amidst it all. An unexpected beach. Sometimes composition falls into your lap like this, other times you have to work hard at it.

Aye Eye

Two weeks since I was in A&E with my foot, I was there again. This time I had a foreign object stuck on my cornea in my eye. A friend who is an optician diagnosed it for me, then drove me to A&E again. That is where I saw this oxymoronic image. 

In fact it was more like 3 hours, which felt like a result. They cleaned my eye and sent me home with antibiotics to be applied in the eye; not easy.

It was a bread crumb, which I used when making some spinach balls. That is what I was eating while those 3 hours crept by. Felt appropriate.

Foot New Update

Good News. Saw the consultant this morning, and we agreed that I would not have the operation. So I have to keep the foot rested for a month and then see him again. Big relief.

Meantime here is one of Rowan's photos from her walks around Islington. She's good.

The Silver Forest

I was very pleased to sell a 120cm wide version of this at Open Studios last weekend. It works best as big print, allowing you to imagine walking through it. 

On foot news, I am off to see the consultant orthopedic surgeon tomorrow to discuss my options. I am pretty sure that I will end up having to having an opperation on it, but hope that this is not the case.

YOS 2022 2

This shot, The Writing On The Wall, has been a consistent seller since I first showed it in 2016. Someone has ordered it in a metre square for a spot in their house, I shall be interested to see what it looks like so big.

When showing it there are usually at least half a dozen blokes of an age who I'll looking at it quizzically then looking at me and saying "Led Zep 4". It looks nothing like that cover, but everything like it at the same time.

YOS 2022 1

Just got back after the second day of 2022 York Open Studios. Doing it all with my foot in a boot leads to a pretty exhausting experience, but sales are going well, with good feedback too.

I sold a couple of this shot - taken in Wuppertal when I visited with Danielle as my 60th birthday present. Probably the most colour shot I show, so nice to see it being appreciated!