31/365 Chelsea, main course

It was very difficult to choose a sampling from the 155 shots that I took, but I think I have picked out some of the best ones and I am just going to let the pictures speak for themselves.

30/365 Chelsea, a starter

Just a few pictures to be getting on with - I took 155 at Chelsea, and 212 altogether while I was away, so its taking me ages to go through them all. These are just an hors d'oeuvre, more later.

29/365 Chelsea, here we come

Yesterday continued to be a good day, much more comfortable weatherwise than of late, so we took a leisurely walk along the tow-path in to town at lunch time for a drink at the White Bear.


My very dear friend Kate gave me a ticket for the Chelsea Flower Show for my recent birthday.




We are meeting in London to visit the Flower Show tomorrow and have a bit of a girly time, I'm really excited about it and am off now to pack my bag.
Then on Friday morning I travel from London to Essex to visit my Mum, who will be 86 next week.
I'll be back at my desk on Sunday, prepare to be bored stiff with lots of pictures of my trip.

28/365 A good start to the day

Today has started off really well, just hope it continues in the same vein.
Sitting in bed this morning drinking tea we heard the cuckoo, for the first time in quite a few years (we hardly heard it at all when we lived in Surrey, and certainly didn't hear it down here last year).
And then we had poached eggs for breakfast - look!! Two double yolkers.



These are free range eggs from Paxcroft Farm, about 8 miles from here just outside Trowbridge.
We have a small area of land behind the Trapezium which is currently a bit wild, it is our intention to clear it at some stage and then keep chickens on it - maybe next year.

27/365 Macro photography

I really, really love macro photography, being able to see something through the camera that you might not necessarily see with your eyes. Please excuse me if I have posted any of these before, I dont think I have. If you click on the photo you will see an enlargement. Please really look at the last one especially as there are tiny dew drops on the end of the leaf tips which are reflecting the fence panels, wow.

26/365 Roundway Hill

Yesterday was way too hot to do anything, so we climbed Roundway Hill. Loaded up with folding chairs, picnic in backpack, walking sticks, sunhats and the ubiquitous camera we set out in the heat of the day and arrived at the top just in time for lunch.

This is the view of the hill from near home.


and here is the view from the top looking back, Salisbury Plain is on the horizon, and home is roughly to the right of centre of the shot.



We found a seat in a nice shady spot, and here is Rog looking slightly frazzled and wondering why I am pissing about with the camera instead of getting his can out of the backpack.



Nice shady woodland walk, before the descent.



On the way down we could see the stunning Marlborough Hills in the distance, this will be the destination for our next hill walk (on a slightly cooler day, methinks).



Back down again, and almost home - behind the tall pine trees.

25/365 The trapezium

The trapezium is our brick built outbuilding at the bottom of the garden, its about 8 metres wide, 3.5 metres deep on one side and 6.5 metres deep on the other, so its like a rectangle with a triangle added on. We have plans drawn up and building regs passed to convert it into an office and a studio, and Dave, our builder, has told us that he will most likely be able to start work on it sometime next week. I am so excited, its been a long wait to get this far. We spent yesterday clearing it, there wasn't much in it so it didn't take too long, mostly gardening bits and pieces which have gone into the garage and the garden shed until we get the greenhouse.




Watch this space for progress reports.

24/365 22nd Wedding Anniversary

Oh do lets go somewhere we've never been before, I said, so we looked on the map and found that Chesil Beach and Portland Bill weren't too far away, so off we went. The weather was very kind to us, although slightly hazy it was warm and sunny all day, with just enough of a breeze to keep it from being too hot.



This is the view of Chesil Beach from above Fortunes Well




Here is a gull who sat and watched us as we partook of some alcohol in the bar of the Heights Hotel, well worth a visit for the views alone. We didn't eat there, as the food was far too expensive. We eventually found the Cove House Inn, a lovely pub right on the edge of the beach, it was very busy foodwise and our meal was more than adequate, except that the salad garnish had obviously seen better days.




Portland Bill lighthouse




Rog on Chesil Beach




I was there too