Mmmmmm fresh vegetables!

I spoke about the abundance of soft fruit here in the UK earlier today and thought I'd follow the post up with a word or two about vegetables. If you're a regular visitor to this blog you may recall I photographed courgette flowers back in June and talked about stuffing and eating the male ones instead of wasting them, which I've tried and have to say they were fabulous! Anyway we started harvesting our courgettes recently and they are pretty damn fabulous too. So in just a few short weeks the courgettes have progressed from this:

To this:

Just a few of our wonderful yellow courgettes.

Look kind of cute don't they?

As well as courgettes we've also been eating broad beans, black kale, radish, spinach and mooli from the garden. Other crops are just coming into season and today we cut the first of our cucumbers from the vine.

Cucumber and courgettes from the garden

The cue is a little on the small side, but there are so many growing we decided to take this first one since we know they can go a little bitter if left on the vine too long.

I really love vegetables when they're this fresh, they have so much more flavour than anything you'll pick up at the market and watching them grow is so much fun too. 😀

The early bird...

It has already been a remarkable summer for soft fruit here in the UK with an abundance currants, raspberries and strawberries. Some varieties of blackberries are just starting to ripen now too and from the look of the bushes there will be a very heavy crop later in the season.

Ripening Blackberries

What has surprised me a little, given the various other foodstuffs currently available, was seeing a starling taking unripe berries off the bush. I'd have thought them to be both hard and unpalatable, but it didn't seem to deter the bird. On closer inspection I could see the removal of berries had obviously been going on for some time...

Unripe berry stubs

It makes me wonder whether birds ever suffer the effects of colic?

Are you naturally drawn to the camera?

I've often heard it said some women are drawn to the camera, just get one out and they'll come running! At the risk of being sexist, could that be down to vanity? I prefer to think it's more about seeking fame. Well maybe the reason some women (and some men too!) are naturally drawn to the camera is nothing to do with either of those reasons... I'm sure that's true in Tilly's case!

Such a little poser!

Nature's Variations

This is an interesting time of year if you're a fan of Mother Nature's colour variations. Everyone thinks of Autumn as the time when leaves change colour, but in truth there are colour variations in plants, shrubs and trees throughout the year.

Just a few days ago these leaves were all green, not any more though.

And look at this teasel. A few days ago the head was green and in a few more days it will be covered in tiny flowers and look purple, but right now it's variegated.

Then there are the apples growing on my tree at home.

I wouldn't even like to try and guess how many hints of colour there are in the fruits, but as they grow and ripen they will transform from small, hard green lumps to delicious, sweet red-skinned orbs that won't last long in my fruit bowl!

Spot the difference

Three images, one subject, two different cameras...

Image 1

Image 2

Image 3

Can you tell which of the images was shot with a DSLR and which with a compact camera?

Pushing the boundaries?

I was fiddling around with one of my cameras this morning, just seeing how it felt in my hand really and trying a few things out. I hadn't had a DSLR in my hands for at least 12 months

It was just after 8:00am, windy, spitting rain. The skies were dark with heavy cloud cover, consequently the light was very flat so not ideal conditions for natural light photography at all. Undaunted, I ventured out into the garden and shot this:

ISO 2000, aperture f5.6, shutter speed 1/400 sec, focal length 300mm, flash did not fire

The camera was hand-held and I tried to focus on the stamen - not too easy given the flower heads were waving about in the wind. Here's another effort:

ISO 2000, aperture f5.6, shutter speed 1/400 sec, focal length 300mm, flash did not fire

The camera settings are a bit extreme for me, I rarely shoot with a film rating above ISO 400 and in the available light conditions I would normally use a tripod or some other form of camera support with a 300mm lens. However this morning's experiment was to see whether I could handle a camera again and I think the answer to that question is a resounding yes! Happy bunny. 😃

Healing nicely

Just a quick update on my right hand. As of yesterday I'm cast free and as you can see from the image the scar has healed and it appears the internal restructure is healing nicely. I get the impression there will soon be very little external evidence of work having been undertaken.

So now the rehabilitation begins. I have some simple exercises to do, which will help to mobilise the hand/wrist following its six week incarceration. I'll also be attending some physio therapy sessions aimed at rebuilding strength in the wrist and grip and increasing dexterity within the whole hand.

I'm due to see the surgeon again in about two months time so he can monitor my progress and we can discuss getting me returned to his list for work on my left hand.

I won't deny there's currently a certain amount of discomfort as I go through my exercise routine, but that's to be expected at this stage. The really positive thing for me is the relative lack of pain when I ball a fist or close finger to thumb, especially when compared to similar activity of my left hand. I'm really very pleased with the progress so far.