'And she's off' by Me

And she's off, a photo by PhotoPuddle on Flickr.

Hooray it's summer! I know techincally it's been summer for a while but weather wise it feels like it's finally begun. I have had a lovely few days in the sunshine and a quick peek at the weather forecast shows me that it's meant to stay nice this week too.

Weirdly though I've not actually taken any photos in the past few days so I'm going to show you one I took a few weeks ago down on the beach. It can be really hard to get a decent picture of my daughter as she's not one to sit still and pose. In fact this one sums her up really well, especially when we're on the beach. My favourite bit of this has got to be her pigtails flying in the air.

'beach huts' by Hamish1979

beach huts, a photo by Hamish1979 on Flickr.

I generally like to blog something different each day but today I'm afraid I'm going to show you another Southwold photo because it's rather lovely. I love the beautiful light as the sunrises. It shines on these stunning beach huts as they are all lined up ready for a day of action by the seaside. They do kind of look like they are lined up ready for battle - except of course there can't be much of battle needed to chill out in a beach hut by the sea.

Happy weekend one and all. I hope it's a beautiful one.

'southwold suffolk' by plot19

southwold suffolk, a photo by plot19 on Flickr.

I may get the opportunity to go to Southwold in Suffolk later this summer and must admit I am rediculously excited! Silly really but I've got it into my head that it's going to be just so pretty there. In all the pictures I've seen it just looks like the perfect british seaside town. And of course there are many lovely beach huts there. If I do go I will definitely be sure to take a lot of photos. Hopefully some of them will be as good as this one that was taken there. It's such a peaceful and beautiful image. I love all the soft colours with an almost pink hue. Yes, it definitely make me want to got for a visit.

'Summer dress' by Me

Summer dress, a photo by PhotoPuddle on Flickr.

A few months ago I told myself it'd be the summer of the dress but unfortunately it's not kind of happened. I've been wearing skirts and dresses if I'm out of an evening so a big pat on the back for me there but during the day it turns out I'm still and jeans, leggings and shorts type person. This photo is of a dress I bought in April which I've only worn once. I blame the weather, I'm sure I'd have been more up for dresses if it'd been warmer! I like this photo because it was a random one. I just saw the dress hanging on the back of the door and though it would make a nice shot... and I think it did!

'Orange Gerbera' by Rixoon

Orange Gerbera, a photo by Rixoon on Flickr.

When I saw this photo I did just think "Wow"! It's really so striking. The colours are fantastic. In general I'm not a huge fan of orange but I love seeing it used effectively with other bright colours. The best bit about this is the water droplets though as they really add something to the picture. I think taking photos of flowers in the rain is a great thing to do. Hopefully, I won't be able to do it again any time soon though. The rain has stopped here and the summer appears to have arrived. Hooray!

'The view from Zetland' by Lyle McCalmont

The view from Zetland, a photo by Lyle McCalmont on Flickr.

I've had a bit of a stressful weekend - don't worry nothing major, just my two year old acting a teenager. So moody!!! Anyway, thought I could do with a nice peaceful photo tonight. Isn't this just so lovely? I'd love to be sitting there right now just relaxing. This photo is great because it's captured that tranquil mood just perfectly. The light and tones of this are lovely too and the composition is just right. Ah, I feel much more relaxed now.

'Bag of Popcorn!' by J-J-W

Bag of Popcorn!, a photo by J-J-W on Flickr.

A bit of Saturday night nostalgia today I think. Don’t you just miss going to rent a video, especially on a Saturday night? I know the likes of Blockbuster still exist but it’s not the same any more now, in fact most of our local store is filled with DVDs to buy and computer games. But I remember many years ago when going to the video shop on Saturday night was actually rather exciting. It was always on a night when you would decide – shock horror – to stay in! It would either be with your friends for a movie marathon (once my friends and I did six films in one night!) or with your boyfriend or girlfriend for a romantic night in (often involving a chick flick!). And of course no trip to the video shop is complete without also purchasing a huge amount of chocolate, popcorn, fizzy drinks and ice cream – all at twice the price of the supermarket.

Of course I had to have a photo of popcorn with this post. This is the most creative and interesting one I found. What a great idea to stick the camera inside the bag. I wonder if that had been planned all along or whether it was a spontaneous thing to do. Whatever, it worked really well. The light is perfect and the photo is so crisp and clear. Great work.

'lazy summer afternoon' by SuperDewa

lazy summer afternoon, a photo by SuperDewa (a bit overwhelmed) on Flickr.

Happy weekend everyone. I hope the next couple of days are filled with scenes like this. What a truly wonderful summer photo. I had hoped that this summer would be filled with afternoons in the sunshine like this but sadly it was not to be. Although saying that even though the weather's been pretty poor we've still managed a few barbecues and drinks outside with friends. And we've still got August to come! This photo is great because it captures the warm weather perfectly. What really makes it more than just a snapshot is the fact that only the wine glass is really in focus. Very effective. Mmmm, I fancy a glass of wine now....

'Love my converse' by Me

Love my converse, a photo by PhotoPuddle on Flickr.

Have I shown you my new Converse trainers yet? No? Well here they are - aren't they pretty. It's Pinterest's fault. I pinned a pair of grey ones and loved them so much I decided to get a pair. Then whilst shoe shopping I saw these grey ones with the pink trim and fell in love. The rest, as they say, is history...

I took this photo a couple days ago whilst at a playground with my daughter. I was sitting on the ground watching her and also looking at my pretty shoes.

I'm a bit of a Converse addict now. Next pair? I'm thinking green!

'Fisher Price Vintage' by tienvijftien

Fisher Price Vintage, a photo by tienvijftien on Flickr.

I am posting this photo as this is what I did today. I got to play with my old Fisher Price record player which I hadn't realised my sister had kept from our childhood. So many memories... I think most of my childhood toys were Fisher Price ones which then progressed on to Sindy and Barbie stuff. You should have seen the excitement on my face when I got the Barbie Dream House one Christmas.

Anyway, whilst looking for Fisher Price pictures I stumbled across this one which I thought was very pretty. Love the bokeh and the soft colours. It's a really artistic shot. I also think they chose the right colour record to use. The other ones would have been to bright.

Maybe I'll go look for Barbie Dream House images now.....

'At least she was dry' by Me

At least she was dry, a photo by PhotoPuddle on Flickr.

Well today was mostly sunny except for one rain shower. Unfortunately we happened to be out when that shower turned up. We didn't have our coats but luckily I had my umbrella in my bag. I didn't actually get to be under it much but, oh well, at least one of us stayed dry! She looked so cute carrying my umbrella that I had to take some photos. I really like this one. Now every time I moan about the rain I'll look at this picture and smile!

'Pattern umano 01' by Kazze

Pattern umano 01, a photo by Kazze on Flickr.

I really don’t want to be a person who moans about the weather all the time but my goodness the weather here is rubbish at the moment. So rubbish in fact that it’s really starting to get me down. I hate that because I was really looking forward to summer and had loads of fun things planned. But seriously it’s like November at the moment. It’s even more depressing because the school summer holidays are about to start which to me kind of signifies the countdown to the end of summer. I am doing my best to embrace the weather and do things like snuggling indoors with a film and taking my daughter out in her wellies to splash in puddles but to be honest it is wearing bit thin. I want to be at the beach or in the park or at least playing in the garden.

I was looking for a rainy day or umbrella photo to accompany my weather rant I came across this photo and my first thought was “Awesome”! I love it. The colours and patterns are just so random but bright and cheerful. It’s a really well observed photo. I hope the whole beach was awash with fantastic parasols like this.

Well that cheered my up a little bit. Fingers crossed it’ll be parasols again here soon and not umbrellas!

'Paris, je t'aime' by improduktywiontko

Paris, je t'aime, a photo by improduktywiontko on Flickr.

Hope you all had a lovely weekend. Mine was nice but a little bit unbalanced. Yesterday was super busy during the day and the evening but today we've hardly done a thing. A good job though really as I'm totally exhausted.

I hope you like the photo I've chosen to show you tonight as I think it's rather beautiful. The Eiffel Tower has been photographed so many times and always looks amazing. I was really interested to see an alternative take on an Eiffel Tower shot and pleased to see it still looks fantastic! I love the dramatic contrast of the black silhouette against the sky. And the design of the tower really is stunning. I wonder if it's possible to take a bad photo of this famous landmark.

'Peek-a-boo' by segamtic

Peek-a-boo, a photo by segamatic on Flickr.

My daughter and I have just had a rather quiet week for us. Usually we're always out and about seeing people and doing things but this week we didn't really have many plans so it was just her and me hanging out, and you know what it was great. I've said it lots of times before but she really is my little best friend and I want to cherish every moment I get to spend with her like this before time is taken up with pre-school then eventually school full time. Sigh.... before I know it she'll be all grown up and won't want to hang out with me any more.

Anyway, I chose to show you this photo tonight just because it's clever and cute and I reckon it'll make you smile. So simple but that's the beauty of it. I hope it is a nice image to to start your weekend with. Happy weekend everyone!

'Sharpen' by Me

Sharpen, a photo by PhotoPuddle on Flickr.

It's funny, you never know when photographic inspiration is going to hit you. Today I was sharpening a pencil and when I looked at the sharpenings I just thought, "PHOTO"! Luckily the sun was shining brightly so I gathered up all the pieces, put them near the sunlight and snapped away. I think the results are very pleasing. I really like the colours but that's not really my doing - it just happened to be the colour of the pencil which needed sharpening. All in all I think this is a rather pretty picture.

'Tell me something' by Damian Gadal

Tell me something, a photo by Damian Gadal on Flickr.

If you were to say the word pier to me I'd automatically picture a big pier full of amusements, food, fairground rides etc - mainly because the first place I'd think of is Brighton Pier. However piers aren't always like that, they're usually much simpler affairs like the one featured in this photo. Their simplicity doesn't make them any less interesting to photograph though. I love this picture so much, mainly because of the beautiful sky and how lovely and calm the sea looks. But I also like the people walking on the pier. Where are they going to? Just to the end and back? I wonder what the view of the beach looks like from the end. It looks like two people in the middle have found something that's made them want to stop and is someone near them having their picture taken? I really could look at the picture for ages.

'farmer's market blueberries' by 68beats

farmer's market blueberries, a photo by 68beats on Flickr.

You know what makes a surprisingly pretty subject for a photo - blueberries. They're really not that much to look at in real life but for some reason they seem to look so beautiful in photos. I have seen loads of lovely blueberry photos recently and here is one of them. Isn't it just so pretty and so well... blue!

It's a bit of a shame I'm not a big fan of actually eating this particular fruit. Although I am often force fed it by my daughter when she's eating them and wants to share. I love that she likes this particular "super food" and don't want to risk putting her off so make sure I'm always pulling a yummy face!

'this is the center of the universe......' by m1nna

this is the center of the universe at this moment unless you're looking in another direction, or are thinking about something from a long time ago, in which case it will wait quietly right here until you return, a photo by m1nna. on Flickr.

Summer decided to make an appearance again today! The weather was just like it should be for the middle of July. My daughter and I had a lovely day just hanging out in the sunshine. The day started with a bit of a lie in - we'd obviously worn her out yesterday, then after getting a few boring jobs done round the house we hit the park and had a picnic, played football, ran around a lot, went to the playground and played in the sandpit. And if that wasn't enough fun we then went off to the library and then home for ice lollies and more fun in the garden. Days like this are so simple but so much fun. I love just hanging out with my daughter.

Because we were making sandcastles in the sandpit today I thought that it would be a good excuse to show you a lovely sandcastle photograph. I this is just delightful and the sunlight is so pretty. What I love most though is that this doesn't appear to be a kid's sandcastle. If you look closely it appears to have been made using disposable plastic cups. The person who took this must have been hanging out on the beach, having a drink and then fancied building a castle in the sand complete with feather flag pole. I think it's lovely.

'Day trip' by Me

Day trip, a photo by PhotoPuddle on Flickr.

I took this photo on the ferry between Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight. That's Portsmouth you can see in the distance. I was really hoping to be able to take some cool shots from the boat so was a bit disappointed when there wasn't actually much to take pictures of. I think this was the best one I took in the. I wasn't immediately impressed with the results but quick tinker increasing the blue and making the image more square left me with something I'm more pleased with. I like this photos because I think it captures the excitment of going on a boat somewhere. I can't help thinking that for my two year old daughter it must have felt like we were travelling for miles and miles and would have been a really adventure.

'color bar' by smac.pic

color bar, a photo by smac.pic on Flickr.

I thought this was a rather a good Friday night photo. I am always in search of great photos taken in clubs and bars because I think it's very hard to take them and get all the lighting just right. This one has achieved it though and I especially love the purple. The reflection on the bar is really well captured too. Happy weekend folks!

'detective privé' by Thibaut Lafaye

detective privé, a photo by Thibaut Lafaye on Flickr.

I don't really feature many black and white photos on here, nor do I actually do much black and white photography myself. I do really like it though, perhaps it all started with the arty Athena posters of the 1990s - yes I had that famous man with baby poster on my wall. Seriously though, I think a black and white photo can be so powerful. This one for example had me staring at it for ages, so much so I just had to post it here. I'm not sure what it is about it exactly, I am just so intruiged by it and I almost feel like I am walking down that street myself. What do you think? Are you drawn to this picture and if so do tell me why?

'Charday's Daisy' by F.i.n.i.s.h.i.n.g ~ u.p

Charday's Daisy, a photo by F.i.n.i.s.h.i.n.g ~ u.p on Flickr.

This is the photo that made me smile today. I love that the person who took this is obviously able to find beauty in everything around them. I think that is a very important quality for a photographer to have, in fact I think it's an important thing for anyone to be able to do. We may travel the world to amazing places in order to see beautiful things but ultimately it's the little things we see every day that we must take time to appreciate.

'Ready for sunbathing' by Me

Ready for sunbathing, a photo by PhotoPuddle on Flickr.

I'm not sure if the computer / internet is going to let me post this as I appear to be having problems posting photos on my blog tonight. That is a bit of a problem when you have a blog that's "all about the photos"! Therefore I won't say much about this other than to say I took it in Brighton last week. In amongst all the colourful deckchairs there were these two sun loungers. I really like this picture as it looks like it was taken on a foreign holiday when it was just an afternoon at the beach in England. I'm glad I managed to take this picture when I did as shortly afterwards two people came a long and decided to use them. Hooray for the British summer!

'*' by Marie Granelli

*, a photo by Marie Granelli on Flickr.

And so ends another lovely weekend. In theory it should have been so relaxing just hanging out with friends, enjoying the sunshine and eating barbecue food (again) but there's something about watching small children play that is totally exhausting! Ah well, I wouldn't have it any other way.

This is such a relaxing summer photo. It looks like it was taken on a beautiful day. The shadow at the bottom of the photo is intresting though and I wonder what was making it. I hope that after this photo was taken a book, sunglasses, and a nice cold drink was grabbed and a relaxing afternoon by the sea was had.

'Back For the Future' by David Briard

Back For the Future, a photo by David Briard on Flickr.

So many stunning photos of Paris have been taken and I could probably fill a whole blog with them. I can bet, however, that probably 90 per cent of them will be of the Eiffel Tower as it's just such an amazing sight. Usually these photos of the Eiffel Tower project a pretty and romantic image but I love this Paris photo because it's so different. It still makes the place look amazing but for a different reason. It doesn't say romance it says modern and urban. When I first saw this it reminded me of the Docklands area of London. It's fantastic to see a photo like this which shows a different side to the city.