The Wolds

I drove across to the East Riding of Yorkshire today - a lovely drive in gorgeous spring sunshine, but oh so frustrating!  The light was amazing….which made me want to leap from the car every two minutes and snap pictures.  Unfortunately, the roads I was travelling were mostly the sort where it was impossible to stop.  Besides, if I’d given in to temptation, the journey would have taken all day instead of the two-and-a-half hours each way it did take.

So I can’t show you the hens pecking amongst a bank of snowdrops in Menston; or the pub sign that glowed bright in Otley; or the waterlogged field where the sun danced close to Arthington; or the massed crocuses in front of the entrance to Harewood House.  I can’t even show you the ponies tethered on the verge near Stamford Bridge. 

I can only tell you that the Yorkshire Wolds are a very different landscape to the Pennine one I’m used to.  The fields are big and open and the skies are wide and huge.  There are hedgerows and fences instead of dry stone walls.  The fertile soil is a chalky clay.  The elevation’s lower than here so the spring flowers have raced ahead of ours.

Joss and I snatched a brief walk at our destination and it was refreshing to investigate a countryside that’s not our own.  And, of course, there was nothing to stop me shooting whilst we walked; so I can at least give you a glimpse of what we found there.

Progress

Doing a happy dance here because - for the third day running - one of my photos has made it to the Popular page on Instagram.  Believe me, that’s a big deal.  For me, anyway!

I’ve always been a creative dabbler with a finger in so many different artsy pies that I’ve flitted about, never sticking at any one thing long enough to become remotely expert.  Too many interests, too little time.

But….I think photography may finally be the thing I run with.  I’ve been snapping away now for 18 months or so and I’m only becoming more addicted, more engrossed, more obsessed.  Best of all, I can actually see some progress in my work, which is rather a novelty.

Comparing my stuff against other people’s on Instagram has helped me see that I do have a particular style….subjects I’m drawn to….looks I favour.  I can see my visual voice developing and I find it fascinating after years of never staying the course long enough for that to happen with anything else.

So, I’ll carry on shooting.  And I may just turn out to be a photographer after all.

A Message from the Holly Berries

Yes, here we are, fruiting late
when most other berries are withered or withering
when you thought maybe we wouldn’t fruit at all
here we are at our peak
glowing and vibrant
reflecting the rays of the sun
bringing a bolt of joy you never expected in this secluded corner of the woods
holding all the goodness of the season gone and the promise of the one to come
in a bright burst of jubilant colour
Shining.

You can be like us:

Fruit in your own good time
even if it’s late and you’ve been written off
surprise everyone
brighten the world with unexpected pleasure
glow
be vibrant
reflect the sun’s rays in your corner of the woods
hold the fullness of the season gone and the promise of the one to come in perfect balance
know your moment and step into it boldly
brilliantly
Shine!

Snatched Moments

Ever since I first wielded a camera a couple of years ago, I’ve been one of those annoying people who lags miles behind everyone else when out walking or sightseeing.  I hang back, steal a few quick shots, then have to leg it to catch up with the rest of the gang.  Before immediately falling behind again.  And so on.  Over and over and over.  Keeps me fit!

This stop-start, keep-half-an-eye-on-the-others-so-I-don’t-lose-them approach doesn’t make for relaxed photography, but a) I’m obsessed, and b) I still glean some worthwhile images.  What’s more, a moment which was hurried and snatched at the time becomes something significant and lasting….one I can revel in and ponder at leisure.

These ducks were a quick grab by the lake in Lucerne last Saturday morning.  Now I’m enjoying their company at home in the Pennines, keeping them close by me.  The sight of them makes me smile and takes me back not only to that split second, crouched on the ground, when I snapped them; but to the beauty of the lake behind and the fabulous, lingering meal that followed.

I love the way photography condenses time into a single moment yet makes it last forever.  Pure magic!

Switzerland Again

I’ve just got back from Switzerland.  Spent a lazy weekend with husband and friends in Zurich and Lucerne.  Which is sort of strange…

When I began this blog some eighteen months ago, I had no idea it would turn into an intermittent travel journal.  Why would I think that?  I wasn’t a traveller.  I was, in fact, a total homebird who never ventured anywhere if I could help it.  Didn’t like going on holiday.  Got homesick if I wandered more than a few miles from base.

Suddenly all that seems to have changed; and the pendulum has swung to the other extreme.  Now I’m globetrotting at every opportunity.  My friends no longer recognise me.  I’m not sure I recognise myself.  But I’m loving every minute of it.  And no-one is more surprised than I am.

P.S. Today I’m taking part in Mosaic Monday, hosted by Mary at Little Red House.  Why not pop on over and take a look at some of the other lovely mosaics you’ll find links to there?