Another shot of one of the alliums, but I tried to get a different lighting effect, after watching some of the Andy Rouse webinars. My small garden, limited subjects, direction of the light and available backgrounds, and my limited skills, mean I can’t hope to achieve what he demonstrated though.
I don’t have many roses left now, and this is the first one to produce a bud this year. It’s one that a fried gave me a couple of years ago.
I opened the back door with the intention of walking round the garden, and found this delightful young bird in the porch, hiding behind the Nespresso recycling bag. It hopped down onto the step when it saw me, as shown in the main photo, and then struggled up onto the side of the back gate before making off.
I think it is a young goldfinch, as immediately afterwards an adult came and landed on the top of the gate, and I’ve not seen one on the gate before. When I was going out again an hour later the young one was back in the porch, but made off when it saw me.
I have very few insects in the garden at present, but a few bees have been visiting the large rhododendron near the house. I’m planning to try to get a few photos, using one of the modes on the G9, but this was just a first (not very successful) trial using high speed burst mode.
This is one of the four which have come up in a tub, presumably descendants of the single one which mysteriously appeared last year! I describe it as ‘white’, though in the late afternoon it appears at present to be more cream and yellow.
The gardener has spent most of the day here working, primarily, on tidying one of the border’s, in the hope that this would discourage the rat/mouse. The garden looks vastly better for all his excellent work, but the rat/mouse was back repeatedly in the evening.
I’m looking forward to no less than three Andy Rouse web presentations over the weekend! If weather permits and I have the time and energy, I really want to try to capture (photographically) some insects, inspired by one of his Wildangle Youtube presentations, though I’m afraid I very rarely see any in the garden now. The camera is set for high-speed bursts in preparation.
For anyone who can’t get around much now, the many tutorials, webinars etc which people have started posting are wonderful!
This is the last of the rhododendrons to come into flower – a slightly lighter and more pinkish colour than the others.
