Wet, wet, wet

A review by the Meteorological Office of September's weather notes that, "England, and more specifically southern England, has been particularly wet compared to average. Ten English counties experienced their wettest September on record and for Bedfordshire and Oxfordshire, September 2024 was the wettest calendar month the counties have experienced, in a series dating back to 1836." Moreover, Northern parts of Britain and are noteworthy for having less rain than is usual for September. Anecdotal evidence and daily experience in Herefordshire confirms the wettness of last month. To underline the wetness theme today's macro photograph shows the tip of our conservatory door handle, positively dripping with rain.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10

Winter flowering cherry

One of the most attractive of the winter flowering cherry trees comes into bloom around the second week of February in my part of England. I've photographed the particular specimen shown above before, but haven't produced a photograph that I've liked. So, in the hope of getting something that pleased me I took a macro lens on a walk that took in the tree. The shallow depth of field areas set off the sharpness of the main bloom to much better effect I think. The lingering raindrops added a further dimension.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10

Maple leaves in August

Recently I stood and looked at the maple tree in the corner of our garden. Like many plants in this exceptionally dry summer it is looking a little distressed. The absence of rain, the high temperatures, the clear blue skies and the regular, strong and drying winds have all taken their toll. And yet, standing below the branches and looking upwards through the leaves there was still plenty to delight the eye - subtle complementary colours, delicate outlines, cellular details, overlapping shapes and deep shadows. So, I mounted a macro lens on a camera and took a few shots before any further deterioration set in.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10

Art glass bowl

Every now and then we buy a piece of art that takes our fancy. Today's photograph shows the interior of an art glass bowl by Paul Barcroft, one of a pair, that we bought in a now defunct gallery. The other bowl has a similar pattern in sea greens and blue. It wasn't immediately obvious where they were best placed to show off their beauty. However, our current house has a south facing window in the living room and the direct sun falling on the bowls make them positively glow.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10

Propagator condensation

Sitting at the picnic bench in my grandchildren's garden I couldn't help noticing a pink and clear plastic, domed container with condensation inside it. Curiosity got the better of me and I took the top off to find it filled with soil and child-painted labels/signs. There were also a few green shoots and I worked out that it  was my five year old grand-daughter's plant propagator. When I put the clear top back on I noticed the multitude of different sized beads of condensation, each displaying some of the painted labels. It looked like it might offer a macro semi-abstract image so I took this shot.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Cyclamen flowers

Over the winter months a few pots of cyclamens have brightened our conservatory. Though they look like delicate plants they actually thrive in lower temperatures. Now, with the days lengthening, the sun higher in the sky, and other colours coming into view in the garden, I set out to photograph the pink flowers against their multicoloured backdrop. A macro lens with a shallow depth of field achieved the somewhat "dreamy" image that I sought.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10

Catalogue index pages

Thumbing through a DIY store's paper catalogue I was struck by the way the coloured edges of the index system produced a pattern when I bent them. So, thinking that a close up would not be without visual interest I mounted my macro lens on the camera and took several shots. This is the best of the bunch but I think there's a still better shot to be had if I can find it.

photos © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10

Pink Panda

When we first encountered the ornamental strawberry "Pink Panda" we researched its characteristics. We found that it is low growing, produces small, insignificant fruit, bears flowers from May to November, has strawberry-like green leaves, and is regarded as difficult. All bar the last quality are desirable, and in our our experience all those qualities, bar the last, are true. It certainly isn't difficult to grow and it spreads quite quickly through runners, just like all strawberries. Fortunately it is easy to control and consequently we like growing this pretty little plant for the colour that it adds to the garden through late spring, summer and autumn.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10

Fleabane

The common English names for wild and garden flowers often derive from their appearance, for example cranesbill, which has a fruit capsule reminiscent of a crane's bill. Quite a few others, particularly herbs, medicinal or therapeutic plants, have names that reference their useful qualities. Today's photograph shows one such example. The Latin name for this daisy-like flower is Erigeron but in England it is widely known as Fleabane. It is a somewhat unnatractive name for such a charming and delicate flower and is thought to come from the belief that when dried it repelled fleas. I wouldn't like to test that theory.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10

Why bluetooth?

Sitting at my computer the other day the question, "Why bluetooth?" popped into my mind. A quick rummage on the internet provided the following answer. In 1996 Intel, Eriksson and Nokia were deciding a name for a new short range wireless link to connect PCs with cellular devices. The Scandinavian involvement in the discussion resulted in the proposal of bluetooth, a name borrowed from King Harald "Bluetooth" Gormsson. His nickname derived from a dead tooth that was blue/grey in colour. Moreover, the king was responsible for uniting or linking Denmark and Norway in the year 958. The symbol for bluetooth was arrived at by combining the runic letters H and B. Interesting! The macro photograph shows the bluetooth symbol on a speaker on my desk.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10

Bee on pyracantha

Like many gardeners I have a love-hate relationship with pyracantha. I love its evergreen presence, snow-like covering of white flowers and plentiful orange berries that keep the birds happy. I hate its lethal, stiletto thorns. This year our pyracantha has been particularly well covered in flowers and each time we have walked past it has hummed with the sound of bees collecting the plant's pollen. This busy buzzer spent only a couple of seconds on each cluster of flowers. But, by chasing her around, I managed to get a couple of reasonably sharp shots.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10

Hebe

Hebe was the Ancient Greek goddess of youth, a daughter of Zeus and the cup-bearer for the gods and goddesses on Mount Olympus to whom she brought nectar and ambrosia. Hebe is also the name of a genus of plants native to New Zealand and a particular favourite of mine. The approximately one hundred species come in varying sizes, varying leaf shapes and colours, and varying flower colours. In their native land large leaved varieties favour coastal areas and small leaved species are usually found in mountainous areas. In the UK, therefore, leaf size has come to determine hardiness - small are hardy, large less so. This photograph shows a new arrival in our garden seen through a macro lens.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10

Tiny chocolate Santas

A family Christmas beckons so, from me and the chocolate Santas a Happy Christmas and an eclectic new year to everyone who stops by.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10

Daffodil stigma

Some work in one of the garden borders required the removal of a group of daffodils. So, the budding flowers were cut in the hope that they would bloom in a vase indoors. And they did. The morning sun through the kitchen window gave me the opportunity of a macro shot of the stigma of the flower, enveloped in its yellow trumpet. The word "stigma" derives from a branding mark on skin and comes from the word "stick", which must I imagine, account for its application to this part of a flower.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10