'daisy morning' by {kittybits}

daisy morning, originally uploaded by {kittybits}.

I'm really smiley because I have reached 100 followers on my blog. I know it’s not all about the followers – it’s all about the photos you know – but it really does make me feel rather warm and fuzzy inside. I can’t believe that 100 people have visited this little old blog of mine and have liked enough to click the follow button. So therefore I just wanted to say a huge thanks to all my followers and to any other readers who regularly come for a visit here. I love you all. I love my blog, I really do, and it makes me happy to think other people out there are enjoying it too.

Here's a photo which I think is so simple yet so beautiful. Beauty really is everywhere and it's so great that it can be captured forever on camera.

'Jack of the Lantern' by Matt Hyatt

Jack of the Lantern, originally uploaded by Matt Hyatt.

This is simply a photo that made me smile tonight. I don't actually know what this is other than it looks like an inflatable Halloween pumpkin of some kind. At first I thought it was a hot air balloon. I presume it's not something as big as that but the photographer has made it look like it could be that size. I also adore that navy blue sky. The navy and orange make a rather fantastic colour combination.

'Toronto' by Me

Toronto, originally uploaded by PhotoPuddle.

I love Canada and I love Toronto but more of that another day. Trying to do a quick post tonight and could waffle on about Canada for hours! This is a photo I took in Toronto in 2005. As well as the happy memories I think this photo is great because of the element of danger. It looks like I'm about to get run over. The truth is I was stood on a traffic island but it does look like I'm risking my life to get the perfect shot! I also really like the mixture of old and new architecture. The Gooderham Building (also known as the Flatiron Building) in the centre of the photo was probably ones of the tallest buildings in the city at one point but it looks so tiny compared to the modern skyscrapers. And of course the CN Tower in the distance peeping out from behind the buildings finishes this photo off perfectly. I think so anyway!

'To eternity and beyond' by David Thunander

To eternity and beyond, originally uploaded by David Thunander.

I think this is such a breathtaking photo. The light in this makes it look so surreal and the sky is so beautiful. There definitely could be some dramatic story that goes with this. Where are they and where are they walking to? I can't help wondering what is behind the photographer too as it looks like they are in the middle of nowhere. And don't you just love crisp unspoiled snow like this? It must have been great fun trudging through the snow to create this shot. Awesome photo - love it!

'★cake' by D - {M u n k h u u l e i}

★cake, originally uploaded by {D - M u n k h u u l e i}.

Often it's the simplest of photos which are the most effective and this is one of those pictures. This is just a doughnut on a table but I think it's gorgeous. It's the tone of the picture that does it and it also looks so delicious. I could dive into that right now. We were actually looking at doughnuts in the supermarket earlier but I decided to be good and didn't buy any. Regretting that decision a bit now!

'Sylvania Magicubes' by Rody Hohberg

Sylvania Magicubes, originally uploaded by Rody Hohberg.

I thought I'd take this opportunity to tell you about my first camera. I think I must have been my 10th birthday when I got my disc camera. If you don't know what I'm talking about have a look here. My first photos included my family, my toys and various school trips. All are rather blurry and grainy although I suspect that might have as much to do with the quality fo the camera as my photographic skills. The camera took a film that had just 15 exposures on it. When you compare it to the thousands of pictures I take now I'm not sure how I coped. And what was even more annoying was the flash. There wasn't a flash attached to the camera, oh no that would have been far too simple, you had to buy flash cubes which were attached to top of camera. Once you took a photo using a flash then that flash was dead therefore one flash cube meant just four photos. When taking a photo you had to decide whether you really needed it to be lit up or not. You can tell by some of my very dark photos that there were many times I had either run out of flash cubes or decided not to use one.

This photo brings back so many memories. These are the same flash cubes I used to use on my little disc camera. I wonder why this photographer had some lying around that he could photograph. The photo is great. I love the simplicity. I wouldn't have thought there was much you could do with flash cubes to make them look interesting but I really like how they've been arranged.

So tell me, what was your first camera?

'Arts and crafts' by Me

Arts and crafts, originally uploaded by PhotoPuddle.

I love doing arts and crafts with my little girl. She has a craft box which is full of paints, paper, crayons, glue, stickers, sparkly stuff etc and often I'll just put a big mat down on the floor, get the box down and let her help herself. And of course she never lets me sit back and watch I have to get stuck in as well. It's very theraputic you know. I rather like an afternoon of cutting, sticking, painting and drawing. This is a photo I took on our last craft afternoon. I love how she looks really engrossed in what she's doing.