It is a sad day

Which is a shame because it is a warm sunny day today, but my camera died :(

It was not unexpected, it had been getting quite grumpy for some time. Sometimes it ignored me when I told it to focus, other times it would change mode to shutter priority (which I very rarely use) all by itself. It had had a muddy shower from a wet dog in Dorset a while back and was beginning to groan when focusing. It had also started to rattle which, in my experience, is never a good sign! Now all it takes is photos of 100% white. The sensor has failed somehow, and maybe terminally.

It was old and battered but it was a dear friend and I can't find anything quite like it and I can't really afford to anyway so, I have nothing to lose - I have to try open camera surgery. I don't expect will be able to fix it, cameras are horribly complicated inside and even if I can get inside far enough to find the problem there is then the problem of putting it all back together. In memory I will show some of the last pictures it took.

I have been told* (you know who you are) that my pictures are too small so I've made them a bit bigger. What do you think?

* but not in comments - sigh.

 

lambing time again

 

Sadie in one of her more usual poses. She is trying to find rabbits. Eventually I had to pull her out by the tail.

 

Home made lanterns - from old tin cans

 

Donkeys

 

On top of Uplow Hill*

* Not its real name. I don't want everybody to know all my favourite places!

 

Sadie - the whole dog!

 

Flowers

 

More flowers

 

and finally - a flower

Nothing else to show, but I may drag out some old pictures one day. Sad day :(

Eclipse

Will you see a solar eclipse tomorrow (20th March 2015)?

 

click image to go to original website for more information

If you live within the dark green area you will see at least a partial eclipse. If you live inside the dark blue area then you will see a total eclipse. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be much land there but I guess there is ice as you get closer to the pole. At the pole the sun will be just on the horizon - all day, it is equinox time again.

In London the times (GMT) are:
Begins: Fri, Mar 20, 2015 at 8:25 AM
Maximum: Fri, Mar 20, 2015 at 9:31 AM
Ends: Fri, Mar 20, 2015 at 10:41 AM


Go HERE to find out times for your location

I meant to do a post today but...

... I ran out of time.

I am away for a while so my dog will have to stay in kennels with a load of other dogs and a bunch of very caring carers. I will miss her.

Anyway, have a few pics from our walk on the beach today.

a boat

and some more beach huts...

and finally, introducing my friend Sadie

Lazy wind

It was a lazy wind blowing, too lazy to go round so it goes straight through you. Although it was quite sunny the wind made it feel very cold. I was hoping to go to the beach but I chose the shelter of the woods instead.

The bluebells are beginning to peek up through the leaf litter promising a nice display in a couple of months time. At this time of year there is still quite a lot of light in the woods because the trees are still not in leaf.

It picked out the lichen on this dead branch rather nicely.

The snowdrops are looking really good just now.

And today I saw frog spawn. It looks as if it has been accumulating for 3 or 4 days. Unfortunately for the frogs this is not a particularly good place to spawn because it is a ditch and will dry out if there is no rain for a while.

Birds are singing and some are collecting material for nesting. The world is coming back to life.