virtually_supine's photostream  

Looking up into a back lit canopy of fiery coloured vine leaves in the Oxford Botanical Gardens - Well worth the discomfort of a stiff-neck !

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Textures: AutumnBlur, EarlyAutumnBokeh, FireAndIce, WrappingPaperBokeh3 are all available in my texture set

Golden sunlight gently shrouded in drifting mist.
Evanescence.
Subtle distortions of shape and distance.
Estrangement.
For now we see through a glass, darkly

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Textures: MorningSky, AutumnFog and GoldenSky1 are available from my texture set

Mental disorders affect nearly 12 percent of the world’s population – about 450 million or one out of every four people around the world – will experience a mental illness that would benefit from diagnosis and treatment. WHO statistics for 2002 showed that 154 million people globally suffered from depression, which is a form of mental illness. According to WHO, mental health is defined as a state of well-being in which people realize their own potential, can cope with normal life stresses, can work productively, and can contribute to their community.

Mental health issues are hard to talk about. There is still stigma attached to admitting to suffering from mental illness. I was horrified and frightened when, in the summer of 2009, I was referred to a clinical psychologist with agoraphobia, severe anxiety and depression.

Now I realize I was lucky. Many people are left without support because services and resources are under-funded, because they can't afford to pay for treatment, or, because their symptoms are misunderstood.

Mental health issues can affect anyone at anytime, just as physical illness can. They are not an indication of having a "weak character" any more than having tonsillitis or pneumonia is. With medication, support and respect for their dignity and individuality, people suffering with mental health issues can and do manage their issues and contribute to their communities.

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Texture: Dappled Sunlight On A Wall is free to use and can be found in my texture set

One from the T189 course of 2007 that I posted on Flickr years ago. I decided to crop it and clicked in the wrong option when saving, so it's appeared as a new posting - Doh !

Reflection in the pond in the Old Quad (aka The Main Quad). The ripples from the fountain behind me have had little effect on the surface of the water . The water is like a mirror. The photograph was taken with a fast shutter speed unlike those in the set which taken of the fountain at twilight. This and taking the shot from a different perspective - looking away from the fountain - have helped here.

If this moth hadn't moved and the light caught it's wing a moment before I would never have spotted it amongst the nettles and weeds. At first glance it might seem rather dull compared with a colourful butterfly. But, when you look closer its' wings are many subtle green tones and intricate patterns. Sometimes beauty is understated ...

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Textures

Seaweed-1
GreenWoodFibre7
Dappled Sunlight On A Wall

Are available in my texture set