Weekly Photo Challenge: Today

This week, using photos from your archive is banned. It has to be a photo you’ve taken today.

The big event this weekend is the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee (60 years on the throne). The country seems to be in a really celebratory mood, what with this and then the Olympics. Pretty much everything you see in the shops is plastered in Union Jacks, it’s really odd.

Anyway, we’re having some friends round for dinner tonight and here is the table setting – you can’t really tell from this but it’s all red, white and blue and there are plastic diamonds in the middle.

Bucket List Update: Photography, Sailing, Wimbledon and USA trip

This year I am definitely going to be able to cross ‘Attend the Olympics’ off my bucket list, but I’m also making progress on some of the others.

Yesterday, I received a message from Shakespeare Hospice, a charity in Stratford-Upon-Avon, which said thay they wanted to use my photo of the frozen River Avon in their Christmas cards this year. I think this qualifies as ‘Have one of my photographs published or in an exhibition’, but I won’t cross it off the list until it’s confirmed.

Two friends and I are making plans to go to Wimbledon this year and queue up outside for Grounds passes, which would be amazing and would allow me to cross ‘Attend Wimbledon’ off the list.

We’re also in the early stages of planning a trip to the USA which, at present, is planned to include a California raod trip and a visit to New York. I want to go to the Grand Canyon whilst we’re there, which is another one from the list, and if we do I’d like to take a helicopter ride over it. If we do all of that, it would be four things from the list in one trip.

There was one disappointment recently. I had an email from the Tall Ships Trust about a reduced rate to sail for 3 days on a race circumnavigating the Isle of Wight. It left from Poole and I was going to be very nearby anyway as I am attending a wedding in Dorset that weekend. However, the race starts the day of the wedding. If it was the day after, no problem! Oh well, there’s always 2013!

Weekly Photo Challenge: Summer

An appropriate theme as summer seems to be well and truly here in the UK (although I think next week will not be so nice!)

My friends and I sometimes take the short trip to Stratford-Upon-Avon in the summer. there’s the river and a nice park so it’s a good spot on a sunny day, though always crowded.

Cadair Idris Walk

Cadair Idris, a set on Flickr.

On Sunday I headed out again with my hillwalking club, following last month’s trip to Stanage Edge.

This time we climbed Cadair Idris, a mountain on the southern edge of the Snowdonia National Park in Wales.

We were lucky with the weather, particularly in the morning when it was beautifully sunny. Unfortunately the camera can’t pick up all the detail in the amazing views, but I thought my SLR would be too heavy to take.

Fortunately I remembered to stretch this time so no pulled muscles!

Weekly Photo Challenge: Hands

I was somewhat short of options for this theme. This is the only photo I have where hands are a feature of it.

It’s an unconventional self-portrait inspired by celebrities who try to cover their faces from the cameras of the paparazzi.

 

Book Review: Eleven, by Mark Watson

I was recently gifted a big box of books by a family friend having a clear out. This was the first book I picked out to read. I’ve always liked Mark Watson when I’ve seen him on TV (he’s a comedian who does a few of the panel shows sometimes) but I had no idea he was also a novelist and I didn’t immediately realise he was the author of this book.

The ‘eleven’ of the title refers to the eleven people across London whose lives are affected by the ramifications of one event. Most of the story is told by focusing on the first person in the chain, Xavier Ireland, a late night talk show DJ who isn’t very good at taking the advice he dishes out to his listeners. Xavier is Australian and as the novel progresses we discover why he now lives in London, which is intricately connected to the reasons why he prefers to live a quiet life and not interfere with others.

It would have been nice to see a little more of some of the others in the chain, most of whom are very minor players. Still, it is interesting to see the connections, mostly unknown, between people and they all feel completely plausible and realistic.

I was impressed by this and I’ll definitely keep an eye out for more Mark Watson novels in the future – he’s clearly talented at more than just comedy.

8/10

Weekly Photo Challenge: Blue

WordPress finally posted this week’s challenge and it’s ‘blue’.

Here’s a shot I took at a gig a few years ago waiting for the band to come onstage. I love the lighting! This is one of my favourite photographs I’ve ever taken.

Physical Challenge: Swim 1 Mile

A month or two back I saw some information about the Sport Relief Swimathon, which mentioned that 64 lengths of a 25 metre pool is a mile. I filed that information away in my head as they pool at my gym is 25 metres. I knew this would make a good challenge one day.

My original plan for today was to have a crack at my 30:30:30 Mini “Triathlon” but my thighs were hurting after a 3.1 mile run on Friday. I don’t know why, because I stretched before and afterwards, but there you go.

Usually when I go swimming I only swim for about half an hour because I find it quite dull, but today, having a target to aim for kept my interest. I finished the 64 lengths no problem, in 50 minutes from beginning to end. I did four lengths of breast stroke at the beginning and again at the end as a warm-up and cool-down and the rest was front crawl.

How far do you swim?

It’s Starting: Olympic Flame Lit In Greece

This is exciting! Yesterday, the Olympic Flame was lit by rays of the sun caught in a mirror. It was transferred to an urn, then to a Greek torch before being passed on to a London 2012 torch for the first leg of a relay around Greece, the home of the ancient Olympics. On 18th May it heads to the UK for the Olympic Torch Relay. I plan to see the torch when it goes through my town!

Fittingly, the ceremony was conducted by Greeks dressed in ancient costume and took place at the Temple Of Hera in Olympia. When the flames had been passed to the urn, it was carried to the ancient Olympic stadium where it was transferred to the torch.

It’s getting close now!

Weekly Photo Challenge: Unfocused

This week’s challenge is ‘unfocused’. Here’s a shot I took a few months ago whilst experimenting with my SLR.

I like the focus being on the raindrops, leaving the building in the background to reveal itself only through its lights.