today in the garden

 reaching for the sky

lily

This is the first lily I've grown, wish I could capture the fragrance.

For the August Break 2012

first blackberries

The first few blackberries are ripening but its early yet and all stages of the flowers and fruit are here at the same time.

There is  the delicate pink blossom

buzzing with bees

the small green berries

red berries

and finally a few ripe ones. Autumn is on its way.

For the August Break 2012

summer by the canal

The weather has been warm and sunny, perfect for a leisurely walk.

for the August Break 2012

night sky

We drove a couple of miles to an area away from houses to look for shooting stars. Unfortunately the clouds moved in to cover the sky and we saw very few stars let alone shooting ones! We were also a bit early at just before 10pm when the peak meteor rate would have been after midnight.

I took photographs anyway, putting my camera on the ground for stability and using a long shutter speed. Amazing to find that the grey sky turned a deep blue in the pictures and that some stars were visible. The orange line in the last picture was a chinese lantern that some people nearby released. I hadn't seen one before and was surprised how quickly it rose in the sky and then drifted over my camera.

For the August Break 2012

in the woods

for the August Break 2012

changing seasons

Mid-August and with all the rain this summer, the countryside is looking very green and lush. Yesterday though, walking in the late afternoon, I could almost feel the slight change away from summer towards autumn.

There were conkers,

ash keys,

bramble leaves changing colour

and thistles releasing their seeds.

Nothing is static in nature, day to day there are little differences as the seasons change.

for the August Break 2012

city gardens

We stopped in Bath on our way home last weekend and I took a few photographs of gardens in the heart of the city.

1  a rose growing up the wall of a house in the Royal Crescent
2  a patriotic window box
3  a white painted courtyard maximising the light
4  a courtyard filled with plants - the climbers (rose and Tracleospermum jasminoides) filled the evening air with scent

for the August Break 2012

photographs from the weekend

First three photographs - the Exe Estuary, Devon, taken while visiting my parents

Last three taken as we pottered home along the Somerset coast, Burnham on Sea, Brean and the old pier at Weston Super Mare


for the August Break 2012

at home today

1  peeling almonds to make almond milk
2  lunch
3  spinning in the garden

for the August Break 2012

my walk this morning

in the garden

This month I am joining Susannah Conway's August break, capturing the month of August with photographs.