Meadowlands

It's a bit late but in sometimes take longer than they really should and this was one of them.

One thing I like about my camera is I can easily control how much either side of the what I make my main subject is in sharp focus and here is a good example of what people call differential focusing.

I like the local Meadowland areas heaps, finding it a great place to relax and find 'inner space' which can help when you're needing to switch off a bit from the stresses and strains and I took this a few days before the Picnic.

I used my 135mm fixed length lens as I find it really separates out the subject at a wide aperture on the camera using Fuji's Superior 200 colour print film which was then scanned from the negatives to digital.

Wild flowers have always intrigued me so this cluster just caught my eye, taking full advantage of the close focusing properties of this lens to fill the frame

 I thought this corner to corner picture of wild meadowland came out rather well, bring out the peacefulness as insects go about their business.

Taken using Tamron 28-70 close focusing zoom  and again on Fuji Superia 200 film

To me, as much as we talk about the active, doing things, like the places we travel to, the things we undertake there are times when you need something that's more reflective, enabling you to think through the stock of experiences you'd had.

They may not be just those of the last few days or weeks even but from way back in time because those past events have helped shape us and do influence to a point how we see both ourselves and the things that are currently happening in our lives.

So time spent away from the immediate hear and now, albeit online activity or face to face in favour of time in a secluded pleasant place well away where we are able to let our mental guard down and just think at length free from interruptions is beneficial.

Standing, watching local meadowland is one thing I find that helps and it sums it up in that at first glance it doesn't look that busy but when you really get to focus in, you see a lot of small connected things happening.

I think learning to discern things, identifying patterns is very desirable in itself.
*Photo by me.

Seeking self improvement

I do wish I felt better today and will be resting after doing this but I woke up also with a bit of an idea for a post.

A friend wrote something a few days back about her emotions and how she feels about herself the other day that struck a chord with me.

When we think of 'naughty' what we usually are thinking of is the girl (or for that matter boy) who is mean to others.

It may be that you set out to upset someone by saying unkind things about them and the things that matter to them, you pull their hair, pour paint all over their art or ruin their toys.

That might come from feeling insecure in the presence of someone who either is popular or who has something we feel ought to be ours and needs to denied the pleasure from them.

Most of us can relate to this either as one who did this the odd time or were on the receiving end of it and personally I get it both ways although it is many years since I last did anything naughty in that sense.

Sometimes arising from that childlike sense of wonder and excitement  we can more  thoughtless, we dash and maybe collide hurting each other when it would be more sensible walk slowly instead, we attempt to do something that sounds like fun but oblivious to risks involved for ourselves and others and so on.

On the the other hand there are other things that may have continued from an early age, such as not appreciating what others may do for us, feeling very much World must conform to and supply our immediate needs with a pout and a stomp.

You may feel the best way of getting what you want is shouting over anybody who has the audacity to question or just fail to give total support.

Although starting something can be daunting just putting things off because we'd sooner not or prefer to do more enjoyable or possibly have a lazy streak even doesn't help us and may not help those we are are close to like partners, work colleagues or friends who rely on us especially when we agreed to do them.

In effect sometimes we self sabotage things.

It's no secret to some of you I share some of these traits which I'm getting quite a bit of support in overcoming because they hold me back when I could be that much more effective and responsible.

There's nothing wrong in wanting to be a betterer girl or boy if you're prepared to accept some growing pains and maybe your present issues aside you've the maturity to see it.

If that's you, go for it.

Ode to being a Feminine Gurl

 

I feel the eternal spirit of the boy is best exemplified  by Christopher Robin in the many Winnie The Pooh stories.

Meeting up with the gang for a bit of a lark with a commanding view of our target, you'd be right to think something is going on but we loved that whole easy camaraderie as one boy passes the arrow ready to fire.

We know we might be caught with one of us getting a spanking for it but I'm prepared to take mine for the gang.

I loved my childhood and understood the consequences of the game we played with the grown ups in having our boistorus fun.

Charlie Bear

Something unexpected was given to me at Christmas (and I'm still overdue one present!) but it needed shall we say a bit of work to give it some life.

You will of gathered from some of my comments the problem a feminine boy like me had when it came to getting the sorts of presents we might like cos while a train set is kewl, I just adore teddy bear kits with that whole given given an identity by you bit too.

That's right the Grafix build your own teddy bear  that needed some groan up assistance with it  as I don't do sowing and so on with my amazingly bad hand to eye co-ordination.

Well at least he's alive is Charlie Bear having been named, having his birth certificate filled out and quite huggable too.

Tis a good life to be a teddy bear of a little.

A survey of Classical Music for 2015

Another bright sunny day so why not get this post written so I can chill a bit later on as after that rotten migraine I need the rest.

Anyway as several of you know I have had a long liking for what is termed Classical music  stemming from actual childhood having had my own meagre record collection from around the age of 8 of my favourite pieces.

Over the years I've added recordings to them, changed formats  as the years have seen the availability of and advent of recordings new media has changed and I've written a bit in the past on the blog about them.

The music of Ravel was one of the first composers I encountered and recently this recording by the distinguished American conductor  Leonard Slatkin, whose career I've followed over the years. The playing by the French orchestra is superb and I can see this and  it's second volume that I also purchased gaining a few awards at the years end.

Bela Bartok's Concerto is a fine example of twentieth century classical music, indeed many have said it has some of the boldness associated with American composers that period so it's fitting this is performed by an an American orchestra and a remarkable female American conductor Marin Alsop who has conducted in many countries including the 2013 Last Night of the Proms in England.

How many of us just loved watching Disney's Fantasia and can remember that series with Mickey Mouse getting in trouble as the Sorcerer's Apprentice?

Well that was written by by France's Dukas and is featured in this excellent modern recording that has plenty of character.

 Finally and fittingly back to violin music and a violinist I first encountered way way back in 1992 in a program of French Sonatas for violin and piano.

One thing technically all these recordings I purchased have in common is that although they are available on regular cd, I bought these as better than cd quality 'High Definition'  24 bit downloads which can be played on a computer.

I play them using my Fiio x3 digital audio players line output through my hifi system as well as on headphones where the smoothness and lack of the low level artifacts that even the best cds have is noticeable.

The Social side

I liked physical play, swinging on things as much as any child ever did even it scared the living daylights out of my parents.

I found it helped me cope and form relationships with others.

I also loved cute stuff and this Katie Kitten Jellycat is one of mine that helps when I struggle with social anxiety as I can keep it on me whenever I go anywhere or see someone I don't really know.

Are You Blue? (Bluetones)

On a bright sunny and distraction free morning I felt like working on this weeks blog entry.
For me one of bright spots of the 90's was a whole raft of British rock bands which reenergized the music business, getting youngsters into stores buying albums and singles as well as attending concerts .

I was well placed to observe this first hand being in the UK at that time and near a university city with lots of music fans who I hung out during lunch breaks with although I was by this point working.

For me outside of Liverpool's Cast, Hounslow's Bluetones held more of a fascination for they played more bluesy rock with well drawn, sometimes quite cutting lyrics looking at people, personalities and relationships.

One their singles they issued often quiet experimental material that wasn't incorporated into their albums and this lead me to track down the deluxe edition of the 2006 A Rough Outline singles collection as it held all the a  and b sides of their singles during this period and even a number of the A sides never made it to albums issued at the time.

The deluxe edition contained an extra disc of b sides in a card slip around cover making this a 3 cd set.

Also recommended studio albums:
Expecting To Fly (1996) -own on lp
Return to the Last Chance Saloon (1998)- very much Tex-Mex influenced
Science and Nature (2000)
Luxembourg (2004)