New Toys

 I have been considering for some time purchasing a second camera. I am very attached to my DSLR which I have now had for 11 years. It takes a superb picture with great clarity and definition. 

It has been at my side on many an adventure. There are times however when something more versatile is useful. My Pentax is quite heavy and I can also guarantee that I will often have the wrong lens on for the occasion. I have had a lot of issues with dirt on the sensor from changing lenses when out and about. 

I have therefore invested in a bridge camera. I knew roughly what I wanted having used my daughter’s. I knew I wanted a reasonable amount of zoom so I could instantly capture near and far and I required an old fashioned viewfinder. A Panasonic Lumix met these criteria so I have taken the bull by the horns and bought one, no thanks to the clueless sales assistant in a large department store that is never knowingly undersold! I am now enjoying trying it out.

This is the kind of versatility I am looking for. To be able to go from above to below from one position and instantly.

It certainly has a great zoom.

It has made me realise however how much I had learnt to do on my SLR especially in different light conditions. These two night scenes are okay but I need to experiment with the manual settings to get a variety of effects.

I suspect I may be reverting to my other camera for these kind of close ups although to be fair the light levels were poor.

I have also updated my phone! I had coped with an extremely cracked screen for a year and an increasingly rubbish battery so the time had come! The camera on this is far better and great for rapid captures as I go about my daily chores.

I hope you are looking forward to joining me on my journey of discovery with my new toys!

5 in 5 Early Morning

 I was out this morning before breakfast with my camera after Farmer Daughter called me to see the effects of the frost in the fields. An ideal opportunity to join in with Sandie at Itchifingers for her 5 in 5 where you take your camera for 5 minutes and snap away. The tricky bit is then to choose 5 to post. 

1. The frost had accentuated  the maze of cobwebs across the grass which were shining in the early sunshine.

2. Nature is it's own artist.

3. Farmer Daughter was busy putting out horses.

4. Who were steaming in the cold!

5. Meanwhile remnants of the moon were still visible in the bright blue sky.

Frosty Morning

 It was refreshing this morning to wake to a clear bright day after the wet miserable week we have had. The sun was rising, low cloud hung over the valley and there was a light frost on the lawn. A good morning to pop upstairs to the attic to take a photograph.

The colder weather has also encouraged the birds to make good use of the feeders.

The garden is currently fairly colourful with some plants still flowering.

It is quite likely that the frosts will soon bring an end to this colour but I can’t really complain when we are already in November. There is one plant that will soon be going safely into the greenhouse and that’s the rather fragile (and lucky to be alive) Chocolate Cosmos.

A little bit of sunshine helps to cheer our hearts. I shall be thinking particularly of my English friends as we step into the most recent lockdown. Take good care of yourselves.

Animals

 Eileen at a bracelet of days sets a monthly mini photo hunt. This month the subject is animals which should really be easy for me living on a farm. I won’t say I have failed but somehow I haven’t managed as many as I thought but here goes.

Let’s start with the pets. Firstly Tiggy the cat.

Then Boris.

I have quite a few of Poppy.

Trying to bring an apple into the house to eat.

Out on a windy day with her favourite toy.

Snuggled up in a towel drying off.

Having to make room for a very wet Sky who was frightened by the windy weather.

Her paw print.🐾 

Then a few horses.

Time to come in.

A bit of thinking outside the box. A few different animals found on the farm.

I guess birds count as animals.....

My chaffinch friend who is a regular visitor.

Well I suppose I did find a few in the end!

From my Window

 We are lucky to be able to watch the garden birds directly from our kitchen. The feeders in the apple tree are a great attraction to the birds. Recently there have been a lot of finches. The goldfinches have been particularly busy and will sit for long periods of time munching away.

Such beautiful birds.

We left the sunflower heads to develop and the seed heads are now mature. I have been delighted to see that the green finches in particular are enjoying them. 

By keeping the window ajar and my camera at the ready I have managed to capture them without disturbing them.

This great tit was also busy.

I am hoping with a bit of patience to get a few more pictures.

Summer Colour in Autumn

 Our visit to Tyntesfield a National Trust property in North Somerset revealed a great deal of late summer colour as well as the Autumn hues in my last post. There is a beautiful secluded and sheltered garden huddled between the glasshouses, the kitchen garden and the Orangery and it is here that summer is still present.

There is a mixture of perennials, dahlias and chrysanthemums. It’s the dahlias that are particularly showstoppers.

There are some great blousy blooms that I would be happy to see in my garden.

Excuse my farmer rough hand in this one. Note to self to use a bit more hand cream!

I am not a huge chrysanthemum fan but these are a beautiful colour.

The rose garden was another haven of colour and also tranquility. 

The two back corners have beautifully restored gazebos.

A peaceful and sheltered spot to sit.

I have sat here many times on my visits but obviously need to look up more often.

An example of the intricate craft work of this fascinating estate.