craftedfromtheheart's photostream  

She's going to kill me because I have never called her anything but Pam since I could speak.

My mother is not one's typical idea of a mum and I know she will take that as the compliment it is intended to be. That is one thing I do take after my mother, all my other genetical traits seem to come from my father.

Mind as we all know I am an alien, most of my traits seem to be pretty unique - and Mr. Killen you can stop nodding your head in agreement!

I took this in June on a late Summer's evening down at Bishops Gate garden which is very close to where we live.

I adore this garden in all seasons and the National Trust are doing a brillant job of restoring the original bog garden planted in the early 1800's.

As they also have their own hives, one can always be sure of some bee activity.

This particular colour Poppy is my absolute favourite as it just glows in the sunshine and I loved how little bee's wings caught the evening sun making them shimmer.

Two more sleeps and we are off on my birthday adventure and I can't wait.

GOLDEN GLEAMS LOOK BETTER ON BLACK, CLICK ON PHOTO

Call me a soppy romantic but when I saw these two Common InkCaps, I went "ahhhhhhhhhhh, sweet".

There they are, two little mushrooms facing the rising sun and surrounded by twinkling liquid diamonds and they haven't even been squished yet by the rampaging doggies that the owners let off the leash (and somehow ended up leaping all over me!).

I am the soppiest of the sops and I don't care to admit it either.

Moving right along.....

Thursday I got prepped for Surgery and fortunately my surgeon made the mistake of seeing how I was before the op. I finally managed to persuade him that the scar tissue from my ops ten years ago, REALLY needed to be looked at because the pain which is making my life a misery, is unrelenting, localised and along with the symptoms I am having, I am very concerned that the scar tissue is strangling my bowel.

After all, that same scar tissue strangled my left ovary which is why it had to be removed (I know, I know, too much information for you men!).

So, I am now being operated on 5th December and its now going to be major sugery instead of minor, but as I have learnt to trust my instincts when it comes to my body, its got to be sorted out.

Now that I have given you an update, go back to my image and just feel the love in the air.

SO,SO, SO MUCH BETTER ON BLACK. CLICK ON PHOTO

Mr Killen and I had parted ways in Downhill Forest. I headed for the lake and he obviously did his brisk walk back to the car.

I even came prepared with food for the ducks and peanuts for the birds as I know that Robin has his territory at this particular spot.

Fed the ducks, well I TRIED to feed the ducks but they were as nervous as sheep in a lion's cage.

No amount of coaxing in my best duck voice would get the rotters to feed until I sat down so I decided to ignore them and concentrate on Robin.

Spread peanuts out on the bench beside me and just sat there letting Robin flit around me and get used to me before I went into motor drive with the camera.

It was blissfully quiet, the patch of sunshine I was sat in was lovely and warm and Robin kept landing on the bench beside me.

He had decided that for a human being I was ok, so when he landed beside me for a fourth time I had the camera ready.

Out of NO WHERE, I suddenly had a whole herd of thundering school children surrounding me looking for the next marker on their orienteering run.

Pouf, Robin gone.

The kids charged off, the dust settled and I tweeted and twittered to Robin to come back.

Once again he flew down, I had my finger poised and BLOODY HELL the stragglers huffed and puffed up to me.

I was very polite and didn't teach the stragglers any new rude words but that was it, Robin gave ME the finger and studiously ignored me from then on.

Sigh, the life of a photographer can be very frustrating at times!

SEE HIM ON BLACK. CLICK ON PHOTO

Were lurking under a bush in our garden and I had to zap myself down to fairy size in order to take these.

How I wish that they make wet suits in fairy size because at that level the rain drops on the leaves were as large as pools.

Unlike Mr.Killen, I do not like getting wet, nothing worse than having soggy knickers after lying on lawn that had been rain soaked for what had felt like a whole month!

I was watching a documentry on NatGeo Wild on Sunday night called Nordic Wild.

Towards the end when they were documenting the changes in Autumn, in the wilds of Finland, up pops this meadow of mushrooms, varieties that I have never seen before.

My "to visit before I die" list has now reached its third volume!!!

SEE THEM ON BLACK. CLICK ON PHOTO

I ALWAYS thought this was a Shakespearan quote - whoops and so much for me knowing my Shakespeare plays!

Its attributed to Sir Walter Scott in Marmion and whilst he was a prolific writer I haven't read any of his works.

When I was at school and College it was Shakespeare and Sean O'Casey, specically his play Juno and the Paycock (I played Juno with a terrible Irish accent!) and where I first learnt about Ireland's "troubles".

Never thought that I would end up living in Northern Ireland, leaving my beloved Australia, and being so very glad I made the decision.

When I was hunting for 'shrooms (and Mr.Killen doing his very brisk walk back to the car once I was out of eyesight!), I was in one of the more darker parts of the forest where there really is very little light. Rounding a corner, there was a splash of sunlight that fell perfectly on a spider's web turning it into spun gold.

I was entranced by its shimmering and how the sun highlighted the frost on the branches. Then I noticed because of our incredibly mild weather the last couple of months, its budding!

Somehow, I have a feeling that our Winter is going to make us forget about this prolonged warm spell!

SPARKLIER ON BLACK. CLICK ON PHOTO