Day 31 - January 31st

On 25th January I posted a photo of Wayne's car which was replaced the next day with this one. The new car arrived on the 26th but today has been the first time I've seen it in the daylight and been able to take a photograph.



Well that's the end of the first month of photo taking. I'm really, really enjoying the daily challenge of finding something new and interesting to photograph and it is really making me think about composition, angles, etc... I'm also pleased to have formed a link with several others who also took up the challenge and I love seeing their photos each day and reading the little stories that go with them.

Day 30 - January 30th

When I was a child, if ever I was ill and off my food my Nan would always offer to make me egg custard. I think it was a food recommended for convalescents on the 1950s but I hated the stuff! That slimy, sloppy, gloop! Yuk

Now one of my favourite sweet treats is an egg custard tart and I often sneak a couple in with the weekly shopping - like I did today! Love them or hate them? I love them! I know the one's I buy are mass produced and nothing like a home baked tart ( I have baked them myself on the odd occasion) but Mmmmmmm yummmm!

Day 29 - January 29th

Yesterday my daughter's school has an Enrichment Afternoon. The whole school took part in activities with a medieval theme. My daughter's class made medieval castles. She was so proud of her castle that she asked if it could be the subject of todays photo.

So here it is in Blue Peter fashion made from a cereal box, some sticky tape, corrugated card, card scraps and cocktail sticks.

Day 28 - January 28th

My brother bought this bottle of Noa perfume for me some time ago. I love the bottle. It is so cute. Not sure if the picture shows it very clearly but it has a glass pearl/marble in the bottle.

I stood the bottle on a piece of black velvet underneath a spot light to take the photo and then tweaked it a bit in Photoshop to get rid of some of the ripples in the fabric.

Day 27 - January 27th

Knowing I was going to be out and about this morning I made sure my camera was in the car. I wasn't sure if I would get any decent shots because it was quite foggy first thing but when the fog finally lifted the sun came out and the sky was the bluest blue. On my way to Pegsdon I passed this tree. It looked so striking against the blue that I decided that would be todays photo.

I did laugh! Whilst I was taking some photos I noticed a refuse lorry parked in a layby a bit further along the road. I was so conscious that I was probably being watched while I was taking photos, that I quickly took the photos and no doubt didn't compose the shots as well as I would have liked. I needn't have worried though, because when I got back in the car and drove off past the lorry ............ the driver was fast asleep!

Day 26 - January 26th

I was looking around the house and garden for something different to photograph today when I noticed that my daughter had left this cup of Lego bricks on the table when she went to school this morning. She spent ages playing with the bricks yesterday, talking to them and arranging them by colour, size and shape! I like the colours and the shapes of the cup and bricks when looked at from above so choose that as todays photograph.

Day 25 - January 25th

Wayne is getting a new car tomorrow so the old one is going. He spent some time this afternoon washing and clearing it out and I spent some time photographing it. Not the most exciting or interesting of photos but this will be the last opportunity to get a photo of the car so really it had to be todays subject.

Day 24 - January 24th

Today, as planned, (see photograph from 17th January) we started decorating the new bedroom. The children wanted to help of course so extra rollers and brushes were found and they set too giving the room a white base coat. Not sure how much of a help they were but I think they enjoyed it.

Day 23 - January 23rd

"I can't stand the rain against my window"

Yet another rainy day. It did forecast snow but for the time being we seem to have escaped that.

I enjoyed trying to take photos of the raindrops on the plants outside in the garden yesterday so decided today to try the raindrops on the window. I found the image more effective when converted to b&w so that's what I've posted.

Day 22 - January 22nd

"Rain, rain go away"

It so so wet today but I was determined to go outside and take a photo. I noticed how pretty the raindrops looked on some of the plants and spent quite a while trying to capture them.

I'm beginning to realise more and more how much better my photos could be if I were to turn off the auto setting on my camera and learn how to use it properly - or even get a DSL. When it was my birthday Wayne suggested I might like a new camera but until I have the time to learn more about photography or even do a hands-on course it would be a waste. One Day!

Day 21 - January 21st

Last week my iPod Touch broke and I had to return it to Apple for repair. Well, after inspecting it they decided instead of repairing it to send me a replacement and that is now here. I really missed my little gadget and it's good to have it back.

Day 20 - January 20th

Todays photo is of my cat - Henry. Hubby bought him for me for Christmas in 1991 when he was just a kitten. So that makes him (the cat not hubby LOL) 17 years old. He's very lean and because he looks so sprightly and still goes out hunting mice, birds, etc (the cat again LOL) people often think he's a much younger cat. He is notoriously bad at taking photos of though! I was really lucky to get this shot and although it's not perfect I'm quite pleased just to get a photo of him - he usually does a disappearing act when the camera comes out or runs up to me and wraps himself around my legs so that I'd have to be a contortionist to take his photo.

Day 19 - January 19th

My daughter is off school ill today so not much chance of venturing far to take todays photo. I noticed one of her boxes of beads lying in her bedroom and was attracted to the different shades of pink, so that's todays photo.

Day 18 - January 18th

We went for a walk this afternoon over the fields and I took this photo from a foot bridge over a stream looking back towards the parish church (that dates mainly from the 14th century) on the hill.

Local folk-lore says that originally, the foundations for the church had been dug elsewhere. Every morning after the builders had started construction, they would arrive to find that the materials, stone, tools, everything needed to build the church, were gone and could be located on top of the hill where the church now stands.This went on for weeks, so the builders gave up carting everything back down to the original site and built the church where it was destined to be. Its more likely that the church was built on the hill so it can be seen for miles around, but its an interesting story none the less.

Day 17 - January 17th

Struggled to find something to photograph today. Went in search of the sunset, but the sun set before I got there! Have to try that again another evening.

So I had to resort to posting a photograph I took this morning. I spent a couple of hours this morning emptying one of our bedrooms ready for decorating. We had two extra bedroomed added onto our house 5 years ago but this particular bedroom has never been decorated since it was built and had become a bit of a dumping ground. So today, I cleared it and it is now ready for decorating. The filler, paint, paper, paste, etc.. were bought a few months ago and have been standing in the corner of the room waiting to be used. Hopefully soon they will get used and I'll then be able to post another photo of the finished room.

Day 16 - January 16th

Among all the weeds in the garden, the daffodils are coming up. Far too cold to be outside weeding so that will have to wait until another time.

Last year a lot of the daffodils were blind and we meant to plant some new bulbs, but we never did so it will be interesting to see if these flower this year.

Day 15 - January 15th

"Food glorious food"

Today Steven made Tabouleh in his cookery lesson at school.

Day 14 - January 14th

"Mud, mud, glorious mud"

Steven did cross country at school yesterday. When it's wet and muddy he should wear his football boots but he didn't have them st school so had to wear his trainers (luckily they were his old pair). Ewwwwww!

Day 13 - January 13th

"Delight in the little things"

I went out into the garden at lunchtime searching for something to photograph and there at the edge of the back lawn, nestled among the grass and moss, still covered in rain almost hidden away was this tiny Primrose. The only flower in the garden that is blooming at the moment.

Day 12 - January 12th

Wet and windy day here today so had to resort to indoor photography again.

This one is for the kids.

Have you seen the PG Tips Tea TV advert 'Monkey and Al' with Johnny Vegas dancing round the kitchen with that knitted monkey? If you don't watch breakfast TV you may not see it 'cos it's only on in the morning. Anyway my kids love that advert so todays photo is of that knitted monkey. If anyone had told me that one day I would be touring the house looking for the best location and lighting to take a photo of a knitted monkey I would have laughed!

(in case you've not seen the ad here it is - enjoy!)

Day 11 - January 11th

Sunday Roast just isn't be the same in our house unless it's followed by fruit crumble. Today I made Blackberry and Apple Crumble with custard or ice-cream - Yummy!!!!!! So thats my photo for today.

Day 10 - January 10th

Got back from an all day crop to find hubby had made an open fire ready for my return so the room was all warm and cosy. So that's what I photographed.

Day 9 - January 9th

Another cold, frosty day although I did read that it may warm up over the weekend.

I went for another walk and decided to take this landscape shot. I took it in portrait mode rather than landscape 'cos I wanted to include all the fields in the foreground as well as the house and beyond.

I really wanted to capture in the photo the essence of a cold winters day. Don't you find it difficult in winter to remember just what it feels like in summer when (in theory) it's hot and warm and vice versa, in summer struggle to remember the feeling of a cold, chilly winters day? I'm hoping this photo will evoke those memories.

Day 8 - January 8th

Struggling again today to come up with a decent photo. I don't want all my photos to be still life or landscape shots but it gets dark so early at the moment that by the time everyone gets home from school and work it's too dark for outdoor photos and I'm not a fan of indoor flash photography. Managed today though to grab my daughter as soon as she got home from school for an impromptu photo shoot on the back door step! So here she is ready for mischief.

Day 7 - January 7th

After taking the easy option and staying inside yesterday to take my photo, today I braved the cold again. I went for a walk up to the Church and back. I took loads of photos which came out really well but this is the one I've chosen to post. It's a view from one of the gates out of the Churchyard looking along a footpath leading to some allotments. Still a bit of snow around, although it is starting to melt now.

Day 6 - January 6th

Day 6 of the challenge and I struggled to find something to photograph. I really wanted to photograph some birds outside in the snow, but it was so cold that not a single bird put in an appearance! So instead I decided to photograph some GoGos Crazy Bones. For the uninitiated Gogo's Crazy Bones are the latest craze. They are small plastic figures to play games with and collect, so I decided to photograph some today because in a week or a months times they will no doubt have been replaced by some newer craze and lie forgotten in a tin in the bottom of a drawer or cupboard.

Day 5 - January 5th

We woke to a light covering of snow this morning so I really had no option but to wrap up warm and get out there and take some snowy photos. Snow is so rare around here that I really had to seize the opportunity. I took far more than one phone today, but this is the one I have chosen to post - a portrait of my daughter who is getting to the stage where she isn't always keen to pose for the camera. The photo's not as sharp as I would have liked but I like it all the same.

Day 4 - January 4th

The Christmas tree and decorations came down today so that's the inspiration for todays photo - a close up of the baubles all packed up and ready to go away until next Christmas.

Day 3 - January 3rd

I was out and about early this morning taking todays photo. It is sooooo very cold and frosty and I settled on this photo of frost on the leaves of a plant. No idea what the plant is but I liked how the sun lit it up and make the frost sparkle.

Day 2 - January 2nd

Not many photo opportunities today so I choose just to photograph one of several thank-you letters that drop through the letter box from friends and family at this time of year.

Day 1 - January 1st

I have decided to take part in the 365 (a photo a day) project. The idea being to take a photo every day throughout 2009. My photos will be of everyday life. What we get up to as a family. Who and What we see.

Here is today's photo of The Lodge at the RSPB Nature Reserve at Sandy. We braved a cold New years Day afternoon for a walk through the woodlands