Izzy having fun!

It's been scorching hot here this week...at last! I do love the heat...we managed to get out to take a few pics too, this one below is from the 'Hot Garden' at Sissinghurst Gardens, one of my favourite places to go...it was glorious, so many colours and scents, ahh!

I used the texture 'Potting Shed' from Collection 1 to add a bit of earthy warmth!

So, Izzy is now almost fully recovered from her op and has now just started running again this last few days...

Izzy is a Lurcher, they are also known as 'long dogs', 'running dogs' and 'sight hounds'...we are finding it really great, learning about her ways...she's like no other dog I've had before! Now she's starting to really come out of her shell and her true personality, which is so funny and quirky (a perfect fit for this household!) is beginning to shine through...and boy, is she fast!

She has the need to run, she'll start running around the garden, from the front garden, zooming into the side and on into the back garden, jumping the flower beds with ease!  She really enjoys it, running at full pelt for about five minutes, then...sleep! I finally managed to get some footage of Izzy running in the garden today...as you can hear, I find it so funny to watch, she really is a gift! I hope you enjoy this as much as I did...this running session was slow compared to some but it was still pretty hot outside!





(Notice all our blankets and duvets on the line being washed and aired like crazy here this week while the weather is good! This was the second lot today!)


I do hope you're all having the weather you want (I had varying requests from others around the world for our rain!) and that you have a wonderful weekend  :)


linking with: this or that thursday,photo art friday, photo friday, flower art friday, weekend flowers, flowers on saturday, weekly topshot

Simplicity...

I'm loving playing with my texture collections to find different ways to get varied effects...I've been encouraged by those who have been using them as backgrounds in graphic design as well as using them in their photography...thanks for the positive feedback :) I'm also enjoying finding new angles on taking pictures, and have been getting into working with negative space again...I like negative space, sometimes less is definitely more!

'Amethyst' Texture - Collection 1

For those asking about Izzy, she is doing really well and is almost fully recovered :) I hope to be able to take some new pics of her to share soon, it's such a relief to see her getting to a happy place, playing etc again...thank you to everyone who has been sending warm wishes and love to her, we really appreciate them all and I read them all to her (I'm sure she understands)  :) I hope you all have a wonderful weekend...

linking with: this or that thursday,photo art friday, photo friday, flower art friday, weekend flowers, flowers on saturday, weekly topshot

Do we need to build an ark?

It's been so wet here now for weeks, some of you may have heard about the severe flooding here in the UK recently and the rain keeps coming on a daily basis...sometimes it's soothing, sometimes exhilarating (with massive storms which I love) and often rather depressing...my camera has seen the light of day only twice these last few weeks and I've felt rather indifferent to the whole photography thing, a state of mind that I'm not comfortable with but which every creative person experiences from time to time, I know...

'Linen' texture with the edges dragged out to remove the border - Collection 1

Sweet Izzy was spayed 3 weeks ago and is now doing well although it is a long healing process and has been hard for all of us...she was just starting to trust us but then because of the timing issue (you have to spay directly between seasons) we had to go ahead with the surgery...we knew it was the 'responsible' thing to do but it still doesn't sit well with me...perhaps it's a female thing! She's already had such a traumatic first year and we felt awful putting her through this so soon but she is now starting to be able to have more exercise and hopefully will be back to normal walks and exercise in about 2 weeks...my little girl! I feel so protective of her, we are so grateful to have found her :)

I took this photo a few weeks ago...I hope to get back to feeling the creative urge again soon although I am currently writing an e-course for my therapy business, so I guess that's where I need to be focused at the moment...it's all a case of trusting the creative process...

I hope you have a wonderful weekend :)

linking with: this or that thursday,photo art friday, photo friday, flower art friday, weekend flowers, flowers on saturday, pink saturday, weekly topshot

A blue Monday...

Only in the sense that I've been working away on my Delphinium pictures...the one I'm sharing today is from our garden...I love blue...

'Levi' and 'Crush' textures used and 'White Smudge' frame - Collection 2 

I wanted to create a watercolour effect and it turned out as if it's printed on fabric, which I really like. I used a monochrome adjustment layer at about 50% to tone down the blues and greens to add to the washed out look I wanted...I used the frame on a 'soft light' blend mode to give it a little softness too...although these are truly vibrant flowers, I wanted to reflect the softness of the individual blooms and the rain that fell moments before I took this picture...

linking with: I heart macro & macro monday,tones on tues,tues tips & pics, sweet shot tues, show off your shot, inspired tues.

Cosmos...

I used my bokeh overlay 'Serenity' - Collection 2

I wish you all a wonderful and creative weekend :)

linking with: this or that thursday,photo art friday, photo friday, flower art friday, weekend flowers, flowers on saturday, pink saturday, weekly topshot

Simple is often best...

In my healing practise, I am often heard telling my students and clients to keep things simple, or to simplify the way they are looking at their lives, to gain a clearer viewpoint or perspective...take one day at a time, take a breath and let the unnecessary chatter fall away...

...today, before I posted this picture below that I managed to snap yesterday in the garden between the deluges (of which there were many) I was forming ideas about how to 'finish' the images I shot, thinking about textures, quotes etc...

SOOC

...but when I got to looking, I noticed this macro of the red rose that I planted six years ago, in memory of my dear Father, and I thought that nature had finished the picture perfectly for me, with the fleeting sunshine and the rain drops...



linking with: I heart macro & macro monday,tones on tues, texture tuesday,tues tips & pics, sweet shot tues, show off your shot, inspired tues