the mayfly

I’ve spent the last few days staying with my Gran, teaching her to use a computer, and running around with small American cousins. In a word – exhausting. I did manage to take a few pictures though. Mostly of the blue, blue sky.

Today I finish college for a two week holiday, and I’m going to parties tonight and tomorrow night – good times   :)

(This is the first time I’ve ever used manual focus, believe it or not. It’s not as difficult as I somehow thought it was. I’m too poor to buy myself anything better than a fairly average point-and-shoot, so I borrowed my Dad’s good camera…)

I think I’ve solved my technological issues. For now, at least. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, Nick Drake is on the stereo and I have the day off from college – I’m happy! The first picture is actually a photocopy of a real daffodil, done by a friend of mine. It’s an interesting idea and it seems to work pretty well.

Spring has well and truly sprung, I reckon.

I was in a bit of a black mood on Friday night, but I’ve had a really nice weekend and I’m now feeling much happier. It’s amazing what a little sunshine and fresh air can do… As well as spending hours polishing my car (don’t laugh – it really needed it!), I’ve been to the cinema, and for a picnic at the beautiful Haughmond Abbey, which was where I took the above photos. I can’t stop taking photos of trees against the sky at the moment.

I’ll leave you with one of the loveliest things I’ve read all weekend, a little description of the moments following birth -

“This can’t be true but I remember it: sparks slowly filling a dark screen.

Someone had switched on my eyes.”

- From Middlesex, by Jeffrey Eugenides

It’s been a slow but pleasant week. On Sunday, I think I’m going to do a post to show you some of the images that have been inspiring me lately. Maybe this could become a regular feature, I’m not sure. These are some pictures I took this afternoon - the moon came out early.

(The snow came back.)

Today I begin again. I hope he knows I’m sorry.

My walk this morning was grey. I saw some interesting things, but I wished I was walking somewhere else. Please hurry, summer. I’ll be going away for a while when it comes.

Light can be transformative. As can time and space and mood and… My moods have been all over the place recently, so I just want to say sorry and thanks to those that have to put up with me. These photographs are of the same ‘Honesty’ plant, taken a couple of weeks apart, in different light.