Mint & Oranges

I have numerous incomplete drawings lying around.

This is really getting to be a bad habit.

I’m struggling to juggle coming home from work, doing the chores and then trying to make myself draw.

Excuses excuses.

Nearly finished my sketchbook. 

Which at one point I very nearly lost. (Which would have been devastating.)

My agenda for this sketchbook was that I must not tear out any pages,

and all pages one must have a considered drawing (not some half-assed scribble).

So it’s taken ages to fill it up.

Ruined 1 page though. Boo hiss.

Mint & Oranges in the kitchen

Makes me think of summer and Spain

3 Oranges

Orange Skin

My on-going love affair with Rava. Showing no sign of abating. I’ve been making a batch nearly every weekend now.

Raisins are my favourite part.

But nuts are important too.

Kings Cross with star

Kings Cross e. There’s a moon too.

I think that might be Venus. I don’t think stars are usually that bright or that close.

Angel Antiques Market, Camden Passage

On a sunny weekend the Antique and Junk market in Camden Passage is a lovely place to go for a stroll.

There’s a wide range of silver, faux silver, vintage clothes (some over priced, a tad too much fur – rather shabby rabbit), costume jewellery, old magazines, a suitcase full of scissors (who is buying that?), an entire wooden box of spoons (for the spoon collectors I imagine), old stamps, empty boxes, tiny silver cream jugs, candle stick holders, wooden seals, old prints, just all sorts of stuff.

Sometimes the vendors bring their dogs and it’s fun to pet them while looking through what is largely tat.

What’s exciting about looking through reams and reams of tat is that occasionally, just occasionally, you find something that is pretty darn sweet.

The ex and I once had a massive row over some junk. I know, most of our arguments are ludicrous, this one was no exception. (This was ages ago. Now we just fight about imaginary stuff)

I saw something the ex had glossed over as ‘rubbishy rubbish’ and when I went to get cash to pay for it the ex went and bought it. Man, I was pissed! Almost irrationally pissed.

There was a cold front for a little while but we eventually kissed and made up. The ex doesn’t notice things until you sift through all the tat and when you’ve finally found something, then decides it’s worth liking.

Anyway I went on a photo spree a couple of sunny weekends ago. One vendor reproached me gently for taking photos of her stuff. I suppose I should have asked. Naughty naughty.

So I bought a silver Moon face broach from her so that was sort of my apology. (Well, I wanted that broach anyway.) I’ve decided to start a brooch collection.

Found a silver sea-horse broach a while ago, as well as a mounted Grouse foot. My mother saw the Grouse’s foot and squealed in horror. So the next year I got her one for herself. (Because that’s just the kind of daughter I am – Enjoys horrifying mother.)

She has yet to wear it.

One of the stalls just before you go into Camden Passage

Broaches on muslin

Some Old Posters at the same stall. He also sell vintage toys.

1920′s Broach Closeup

Broaches Collage. I rather like the Scottish feathery one.

One of the stalls opposite the Camden head

Marcasite Necklaces. Or some junk.

Sun & Moon & Clock broaches.

Scottish Broaches

Sign Board & Yellow Typewriter

Rocking Dog

Boy Holding Dog Outside Tesco’s. I love the dog’s expression.

Boy Holding Dog Outside Tesco’s

The Breakfast Club in the Evening

Breakfast Club Window. I like the way the light looks from the outside set against the yellow.

Camden Head Pub

Camden Passage street empty.

Camden Passage. Took ages to get a not so shaky shot.

Milky Way Store Window

Milky Way Store Window. Like the light here too.

Remember The Sun?

Way back in March there was this glowing yellow thing in the sky. It made everything warmer, all the colours were brighter, the sky was bluer. Feels like it was yonks ago.

I really enjoy using the word ‘yonks’.

It’s very under-used. I’d especially like it used in historical articles or documentaries.

“The Romans invaded Gaul back in…well… yonks ago.”

The sky was a depressing green tinge a last week (as it is now). There was thunder and lightening. Very apocalyptic in the office.

My only hope is that during the Olympics there might just be a flood that washes the entire village away. That would be fun.

(Apparently there is a ban for Olympic ticket holder taking photos and sharing them via social media. These people are fucking morons. I hate the Olympics. I wish we could give it back to France. Just take it France, please.)

This is a very florally set of photos to combat the general depression.

All the flowers have by now fallen off now and it’s been dreary and grey most days.

I’m like a Gran now. I take photos of flowers.

I can’t help it. I’m enjoying the macro zoom on my new little baby.

Be warned, lots of photos will appear on this blog from now on.

Yellow & Pink Flowers

Yellow & Pink Flowers

Yellow Flowers on tree

Strange Green Flowers. No idea what these are.

Green Flowers Closeup

White Blossom Tree. Makes me feel like I’m in Japan.

White Blossom Tree Close Up

Pink Flowers with the sun shining. Ah the sun. So long ago I’ve nearly forgotten.

Pink Flowers with white blooms close up.

Pink flowers bud. Look I warned you this was an uber florally post.

Pink Flowers and white bloom closeup

Sun! Bring it back!!!!

Goodbye Twitter. Hello Pinterest

My Pinterest Boards

Not satisfied with the scores of social media sites I’ve signed up to I’m now also on Pinterest.

Unlike Twitter, which I never really committed to (I’m a visual person, besides all those hash tags are annoying.) I have only 3 Pinterest boards: one for Arty-Farty stuff, a Home one and my work one. So I’m certain I can commit to updating them regularly.

I have also created another blog called 10 Years of Mediocre Photography where I’ll be posting 1 photo a day until I run out, which given my happy-go-lucky trigger finger is unlikely to happen until I die.

I’m starting off with all my black and white photos I took and developed in our college darkroom at Camberwell, then I’m afraid it’s largely digital.

The rubbish Motorola Razr phone camera first then on to the surprisingly decent Sony Ericsson phone /camera and after we’ve got through all those finally we’ll get to my new camera. God knows when I’ll get to those. I have bucket loads of photos. 

Camberwell was a marginally shoddy college however they had a great black and white darkroom that was open till 9:30 every evening. Having no social life at the time (it was a really anti social 2 years) I spent nearly all evenings in the darkroom.

Can’t say my photos are particularly good, but I like a couple. I do miss developing film. I miss the smell of darkroom chemicals (oddly like fried chicken), I miss watching your photo develop in the tray but it was a pretty expensive hobby.

There is a great photographic supply shop in Southwark called Silverprint where I used to buy lots of discount photographic paper.

I also used to buy cyanotype chemicals (toxic stuff but handy) from there and make up a batch in my tiny student hall room. (No gloves used either. Health & Safety? What’s that?)

Chest X-Ray Cyanotype

If you don’t know what a Cyanotype is, it’s very similar to a photogram.

You coat a piece of paper with this greenish chemical mix, but unlike a photogram this coating is only sensitive to UV light.

So it’s something you can easily do in your room as long as it has a window facing the sun or a sunny balcony.

Once your paper has been exposed to UV light, you then rinse it in water to develop the print and set the chemical coating.

The coating looks dark green once exposed but after the water bath it turns a vivid blue. You can also make these in a warm sepia tone. I’ve found the cheaper the paper (higher acidity) used the better the print quality.

Skull Cyanotype

The only way I could make these was by taping the piece of coated paper to my student hall room window for a couple of hours and the only thing I had that would stay up that long were a series of X-Rays. (Now and then I’d find the masking tape had worn off and the X-Ray and coated paper would fall off)

Some are mine, some are from various family members.

Hands Cyanotype

Clocks & Cranes Photo Series

Borough Market Photos

Took the new camera out last Saturday since it was the hottest weekend of the year. Gloriously sunny and not a cloud in sight.

I still wore a thermal and a coat.

I don’t trust these meteorologists and their optimistic predictions. I especially don’t trust the British weather.

Rule of thumb – always carry a jacket and/or a sweater.

I haven’t been to Borough market since I was a fresh-faced foreigner just off the boat, although there are shots of it on nearly every cooking show – Masterchef and Market Kitchen especially.

I was shamelessly taking photos like a tourist all over the shop. I don’t even look kosher because the camera is so small and clearly not the camera of a professional photographer, but it does the job and 12 Mega Pixels (not just regular big pixels, but ‘Mega’ pixels. I wonder who named it? It’s rather lame.) is a lot of pixels for someone who never prints but likes to imagine she will one day.

A friend bought some Pate and got another one free since the seller was closing for the evening which she then bestowed on to me. So I got some free pate! Better than that Sainsbury’s crap. Smooth, creamy and utterly spreadable on toast. I ate it 2 days in a row.

Anyway here you go, lots of photos. I rarely am able to exercise restraint with a camera in hand.

Market light under dome

Parsley & Blood Orange

Free Taste Girl. The Free taste was way too salty. Horrid stuff. I pretended to like it.

Free Taste Green Curry. They were loudly yelling 'Free Taste' for ages. I don't know who was buying.

Pork & Liver. Mmmmm liver looks so good raw.

Colourful Chalkboard at the Juice Stall

Purple Flower. Not sure what flower this is.

Herbs, Flowers and a Stall Lady

Veg Boxes

Lily at posh Florist

In Season painted board & Lavender

Flowers by wall

Apples, Pears and Pimms. There really couldn't be a better combo.

Walk back via London Bridge southbank walk

Tower Bridge with Tree

New Camera! Test Run! Exclamations!

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Test run from the photos I took with my new Camera. That’s camera with a capital ‘C’.

Very exciting.

It’s an expensive birthday present to myself.

I finally figured out how to use manual mode.

A Few Grubby London Photos

I’ve had a lot of stress lately, both at work and at home over the last 2 weeks.

Stress on issues I can’t even blog about.

As soon as home issues were resolved happily, work issues began.

I have a hard knot of anxiety in the pit of my stomach that won’t go away and there is at the moment a lot of pressure on me to do something that would be really wrong for me.

No amount of mal is going to make that knot go away.

I’m hoping that it’s going to get smoothed out eventually because it really is a storm in a tea-cup.

I just need to be calm, be reasonable and just stand my ground (Fine last words! Fingers crossed.)

Here are some photos.

 

No Entry Sign

Decorated bicycle in Portabello

Key Cut Van with Perched Tiger

Key Cut Van Signage

Missing Tube Sign at Westbourne Park

Levels of paint - Missing Tube sign

Rose Bollard

Rose Bollard Up Close

Rainbow

Instagram: Have We Now Reached Saturation Point?

A good majority of these photos are poor. During the infancy of Intragram, we might have thought they looked better because of the filters, But as more people post other photos with the same or similar filters, it neutralizes that earlier novelty effect. It is now clear these photos are, to put it mildly, shite. And I say that with love, as an occasional poster of shite phone photos myself.

I apologize for publishing this post a mere 24 hours after the last one. I’ve resolved to post max twice a week, no more, but I really couldn’t restrain myself. It had to all come out. 

This is a public service message.

I’d really like to start a petition to get people to stop using Instagram for every single photo.

Sure, I get that some things looks better with Instagram.

I get that it’s a handy little tool with a sweet interface.

Boring food photo? Hey Instagram! Wow! That’s suddenly an exciting food photo.

Ugly child? Hey Instragram! Child with soft-focus blur obliterating face.

It’s a winner I get it.

But Instagram on all photos?

Come on! A little variety won’t hurt anyone.

In fact I hear that this ‘variety’ schtick is the spice of life.

Mostly I’m just bored with looking at the same filter effects on my Facebook feed.

Everyones photos just look the same. Generic.

Fake soft focus, random blurs, rounded corners, the ‘negative’ frames, the yellow ‘retro’ tinge, the over saturation. Some of the filters are subtle, some are way over the top.

Sometimes neither type of filter adds to or improves a photo. Every photo in an album doesn’t need heavy, black mock film negative borders or a violent fake soft focus blur (Blurred everywhere except in the middle. Looks utterly ridiculous). Really they don’t. Sometimes a photo doesn’t need any kind of border at all.

So please, pretty please a little restraint.

Some photos, Instagram. Some photos, au natural.

How hard can that be?

Thank you for your time.

End of public service message.

Vejer De La Fronterra, More Photos

This is a photo depiction of extreme relaxation.

Why aren't all cities like this?

Some more photos from the lovely Vejer De La Fronterra from way back in April.

I especially like the ones on the road to El Palmar, which was carpeted on either side with fields of meadow flowers. The yellow roads reminds me of the Wizard of Oz.

I’m quite impressed with the output of our humble phone cameras. Mine isn’t even a smart phone. It’s an old Nokia with a surprisingly good camera and very durable body (It keeps falling out of my pocket, so it better be durable.)

Road to El Palmar

Sign post as we leave El Palmar.

Beach Triptych

El Palmar is a small surfing beach, as I may have mentioned before. Of course, we didn’t surf. We just sat in the sun debating where we could go and pee. Peeing is a real problem. I think I have a very small bladder. I constantly need to pee.

There was the usual range of hardy Europeans (Germans I think) surfing in the freezing water. I admire Europeans who don’t seem to mind cold water whatever the season. Admire, but have no desire to emulate. There were several there, red and leathery looking, with that painful tan white people get that makes them look like poached lobsters.

An uninspiring look. I think I prefer my own jaundiced pastiness. Besides, there are less chances of developing skin cancer. (Cheerful, aren’t I?)

Then we drove back to Vejer, and debated for a long time where we would eat. On a holiday eating is of paramount importance. This comes secondary to the extreme relaxation.

I wanted to go back to the same restaurant as the evening before (It was really good), but the ex wanted to try some local tapas place.

The ex took offense (irrationally) at the more touristy eateries which was unfortunate. They were quite pretty. The one we eventually settled for had the football playing on the TV and a glump of burly men at the tapas counter. I always consider a TV playing football a distinctly bad sign as far as quality of establishment and food goes. And so it was. Regrettable to be sure.

In Seville we had tried this ‘avant garde’ tapas place. A tiny hole in the wall (I wish I could remember the name), it just had 4 small tables and a counter, really very tiny. The food, however was excellent (all tapas). The highlight being the savory strawberry gazpacho. It was quite unusual and unexpectedly moreish.

Well that’s the last of the dispatches I have from the Vejer frontier.

View from the hotel bar.

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