Apricot blossoms

The apricot trees have been in bloom since last week. They’re still growing and this year, we’ve had more flowers than ever. We’ve also had a few nights when the temperatures dipped below zero, so you’ll see that some of the petals have been bitten by the cold and have turned a beige color around the edges. We think the flowers are fine though, and the bees have certainly been enjoying them, since they’re among the first blooms of the spring. The snowdrops, hyacinths, forsythia and daffodils may bloom earlier, but you can’t beat a flowering apricot tree because of the sheer quantity of flowers.

In the garden, spring of 2019
In the garden, spring of 2019
In the garden, spring of 2019
In the garden, spring of 2019
In the garden, spring of 2019
In the garden, spring of 2019
In the garden, spring of 2019
In the garden, spring of 2019
In the garden, spring of 2019
In the garden, spring of 2019
In the garden, spring of 2019
In the garden, spring of 2019
In the garden, spring of 2019
In the garden, spring of 2019
In the garden, spring of 2019
In the garden, spring of 2019
In the garden, spring of 2019
In the garden, spring of 2019
In the garden, spring of 2019
In the garden, spring of 2019
In the garden, spring of 2019
In the garden, spring of 2019
In the garden, spring of 2019
In the garden, spring of 2019
In the garden, spring of 2019
In the garden, spring of 2019
In the garden, spring of 2019
In the garden, spring of 2019
In the garden, spring of 2019
In the garden, spring of 2019
In the garden, spring of 2019
In the garden, spring of 2019
In the garden, spring of 2019

Places

Autumn in our garden

As promised and as has become customary for me every season, here is a gallery of photographs taken in our garden this past autumn. Get a cup of tea and sit down to enjoy them, I’ve got 293 images for you!

Places

Summer in our garden

I promised I’d put together a gallery of photos taken in our garden last summer (that’d be the summer of 2018 for those of you who’ll be reading this in future years), and here it is.

Get ready to see 347 photos of summertime, taken between June and August of last year. Grab a cup of tea or coffee and enjoy! 😀

A two-frame focus stack
A three-frame focus stack. The little speck you see in the upper left quadrant is a tiny little insect.
A two-frame focus stack
A two-frame focus stack
A two-frame focus stack at f2.8 🙂
A two-frame focus stack
I prefer them unpicked 🙂
Apparently that’s the name for this kind of blossom 🙂
A three-frame focus stack
Apparently that’s the name for this kind of blossom 🙂
Apparently that’s the name for this kind of blossom 🙂
A two-frame focus stack
An adorable little creature
A two-frame focus stack
A four-frame focus stack
On the evening of the summer solstice, 21st of June 2018
On the evening of the summer solstice, 21st of June 2018
On the evening of the summer solstice, 21st of June 2018
On the evening of the summer solstice, 21st of June 2018
On the evening of the summer solstice, 21st of June 2018
On the evening of the summer solstice, 21st of June 2018
On the evening of the summer solstice, 21st of June 2018
On the evening of the summer solstice, 21st of June 2018
On the evening of the summer solstice, 21st of June 2018
On the evening of the summer solstice, 21st of June 2018
On the evening of the summer solstice, 21st of June 2018
On the evening of the summer solstice, 21st of June 2018
On the evening of the summer solstice, 21st of June 2018
On the evening of the summer solstice, 21st of June 2018
On the evening of the summer solstice, 21st of June 2018
On the evening of the summer solstice, 21st of June 2018
On the evening of the summer solstice, 21st of June 2018
On the evening of the summer solstice, 21st of June 2018
On the evening of the summer solstice, 21st of June 2018
On the evening of the summer solstice, 21st of June 2018
On the evening of the summer solstice, 21st of June 2018
On the evening of the summer solstice, 21st of June 2018
On the evening of the summer solstice, 21st of June 2018
On the evening of the summer solstice, 21st of June 2018
On the evening of the summer solstice, 21st of June 2018
On the evening of the summer solstice, 21st of June 2018
On the evening of the summer solstice, 21st of June 2018
On the evening of the summer solstice, 21st of June 2018
On the evening of the summer solstice, 21st of June 2018
On the evening of the summer solstice, 21st of June 2018
On the evening of the summer solstice, 21st of June 2018
On the evening of the summer solstice, 21st of June 2018
On the evening of the summer solstice, 21st of June 2018
On the evening of the summer solstice, 21st of June 2018
On the evening of the summer solstice, 21st of June 2018
On the evening of the summer solstice, 21st of June 2018
On the evening of the summer solstice, 21st of June 2018
On the evening of the summer solstice, 21st of June 2018
On the evening of the summer solstice, 21st of June 2018
On the evening of the summer solstice, 21st of June 2018
On the evening of the summer solstice, 21st of June 2018
On the evening of the summer solstice, 21st of June 2018
On the evening of the summer solstice, 21st of June 2018
A four-frame focus stack
A three-frame focus stack
A two-frame focus stack
A two-frame focus stack
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
A three-frame focus stack
In the garden, summer of 2018
In the garden, summer of 2018
In the garden, summer of 2018
In the garden, summer of 2018
In the garden, summer of 2018
In the garden, summer of 2018
An eight-frame focus stack, taken with my Olympus PEN E-P3, the 45mm f1.8 lens and the MCON-P02 converter
One of our small cypress trees is recovering after almost drying out

Events

Photos from a recent snowstorm

I know late winter snowfalls are a hassle for most people. I know. Especially after spring seems to have arrived. Having to deal with piles of snow after dealing with it all winter long is not fun for most people.

I am not most people. I love winter. I love snow. I love the cold. And when more cold weather comes, I enjoy it. Like this recent snowstorm. I went outside and took photos in the thick of it. Came back wet, because the snow was melting as it was falling. My camera was thoroughly wet. My lens was wet. Neither of the two are waterproofed. Thank goodness they’re still working.

Remember, it’ll be warm soon enough, and before we know it, it’ll be so disgustingly warm that we’ll be sweating through our clothes and our cars’ ACs won’t be able to handle all the heat. That’s disgusting weather for me. That’s filthy weather for me. It’ll be here soon enough, unfortunately. So I’m going to relish the snowstorms while I still can.

Enjoy the photos!

This is melting snow, cradled in the curled leaf of a honeysuckle vine.
This tree is over 30 years old
During a recent snowstorm
During a recent snowstorm
Blowing in the wind of a recent snowstorm
Sitting under one of our fir trees during the snowstorm. She’d come outside to be with me as I was taking photos.

Places

Winter at home

Even though I can’t handle being in the cold for a long time, I love winter. I love the smell of it in the air. I love the scrunch of the snow under my shoes. The world’s a (mostly) dirty place and I love how clean the snow makes everything look. I love the grey skies. I love how the pure white of the snow makes other colors more vibrant. I love going out into the cold to take photos, then coming back in to a hot cup of coffee or tea while they download to my computer. And I have gotten to love sharing these seasonal galleries of photos with you. I know I didn’t post photos of the last summer and autumn, but I have them and will get to them soon.