Birthday Bash - Aberfeldy

Danny and I went to Aberfeldy for the weekend to attend a 60th birthday party for our dear friend, Linda.  Linda sings Scottish folk songs and plays traditional Scottish music.  Therefore, many of her friends are musicians.  This made for a lively party with lots of great music.  And, of course, being a party in Scotland, there was lots of whisky and beer flowing!

Linda's website

While we were there Danny and I enjoyed a walk in the Birks of Aberfeldy.  The photos I took at the birthday party were nothing to rave about, so I've only included a couple of those.  ;-)

One of the waterfalls in the Birks

Danny walking one of the trails

Wild Garlic



Whisky, the Water of Life

A few blooms....

A few of the shots I took today after fighting my way through the evil highland midgies. 

Heading out to Perthshire tomorrow for a two day birthday bash with some fantastic people!! 

Fuschia

Chilean Lantern Tree

Iris

Links to photos

For those who only read my blog when they get it via email, I have links to my photo albums, travelogues, etc. on the actual blog page.  I'm also posting them here:

The first four albums are the ones with the photos taken with my new camera.
My Flickr photo albums

Tomorrow is Day 100!
My 365 photo a day for a year project

Aquilegia

Photo project

After consideration I have decided not to quit the 365 project.  I will simply cut back on commenting, etc.

Our garden is teeming with flowers and photographing them has made me appreciate them like never before!

A few pics from today....

Sailboat out front on the windy loch

Scottish Bluebells

Geranium

365 Photo a Day

Although the 365 project is a good one and very useful, I'm finding it much too time-consuming.  Taking a photo a day is an excellent way to improve skills.  However, perusing the photos of the members I follow and making comments as well as thanking those who comment on mine is becoming too much work.  I've decided that after day 100 which is a week from now, I will quit the site.  Link to my project
I intend to post at least one photo a day on my blog after I finish the project.  As always, tons of photos in my Flickr collections and sets.

One of the apple trees, azaleas, rhododendron, euphorbia, etc.

Flowers and trees!

Been having lovely weather here for the past week.  Sunny and upper 60's.  Here's a few of my recent photos.  I'm trying to catalog everything growing in our garden but it's proving to be very difficult.  An estimate would be hundreds of different types of plants & flowers as well as many trees. 

Magnolia wilsonii in our garden

'Tissue paper' flowers in Benmore Gardens

Late blooming daffodil in our garden

Azaleas & magnolia tree in our side garden

Edinburgh

Last Sunday and Monday Danny and I stayed in Edinburgh for our wedding anniversary.  Weather was mild and there was no rain until we were on our way home.  Luck!

We visited the castle and wandered around the old town and also spent several hours at the fantastic botanic gardens.  Of course, I took a photo or two, or 700! 

Church on Royal Mile

St. Margaret's Chapel, Edinburgh Castle

Prince's Street Gardens

Princes Street

Royal Botanic Gardens

Crawling around in the mud....

Yep, I willingly crawl on hands and knees and get muddy in order to get shots like these Primroses...

I will stand outside in the cold waiting for the wind to stop blowing so I can shoot this magnolia....

I've laid flat on the wet ground in order to capture these daffodils in our garden...

....and I spent a few hours in the botanic gardens to choose the right flowers on different rhododendrons.  

Not a lot else going on just now.  We're waiting for a dry day with a temp of at least 15C/60F so we can go for a bike ride.  In a few weeks there will be new lambs to shoot....emm...photograph.  Then an island trip for a week in June. 

Photography obsession?

Find myself spending a lot of time thinking about what photos to shoot, how to shoot them, when and where to shoot them.  Last night I made a mess in the clean kitchen in order to shoot an antique coffee grinder with coffee beans scattered around, a cafetiere filled with coffee I made and wouldn't drink (I hate cleaning out a cafetiere since I don't have a garbage disposal),  a cup of coffee.  This is the result but it needs to be redone as the handles on both the grinder and cafetiere have been cut out of the photo. 

Macros are challenging and since I don't want to shell out more money on a macro lens (£300) I'm using extension tubes.   A few of the results....

Some of the newer photos including 365 photo a day

Our garden photos so far....

An altered photo in Picnik..

More flowers!

Our local botanic garden, Benmore Botanic Gardens, has opened for the season.  I took a walk there yesterday and was delighted to see so many rhododendrons blooming.  We visit these gardens about once a week in spring, summer, and autumn.