red mum

Bye bye blogger, hello wordpress

2009-07-21T21:10:00.011+01:00

Click the pic to be brought to www.redmum.ie

Red Mum is moving.

Right this is it, I am finally taking the plunge and packing up, getting in the decorators and moving (after many months - eek 18months - of paying for it and doing nothing) to my redmum.ie domain and about time too.

So so long blogger, you have been good to me and Wordpress be gentle with me. If you have any advice on templates etc do stop by and leave a comment. If you were generous enough to have given me a link before, I would deeply appreciate you updating your blogroll.

And thats it, nothing to see here, move along now (to Red Mum of course).

Oliver Bond Flats - 365

2009-07-20T18:21:00.001+01:00

(Today, July 5th)

Lost the match - 365

2009-07-20T14:17:00.001+01:00

(July 19th)

Scott Kelby photowalk - 365

2009-07-20T12:31:00.007+01:00

I WENT out on Saturday with a huge group of snappers for the Scott Kelby photowalk organised by McAWillams. I love photowalks and try to get to as many as I can, normally they are a smaller more intimate affair. Saturday's (now in its second year) Scott Kelby photowalk attracted some 60 attendees in Dublin with nearly 50 showing up on the day.

I personally find that amount of people too big for photowalking but that is not a criticism of the event at all and probably shows how successful these now annual walks are more than anything else.

For me this amount of people meant at the very least sometimes waiting for someone in the group to walk out of your shot, or someone's head popping into your shot at the last minute, or setting up a shot and having others join in and shoot it too (I'm sure I'm as guilty of these things as anyone). And in fairness (while sometimes a little mildly annoying) all these things I suppose just add to the challenge of trying to get some shots you're happy with. So while I am saying all that, I will definitely do next year's so its nothing that would put me off in the slightest.

While there's some duplication of shots (but not as many as you would think), there are fantastic variations in how people saw the same thing; so do check out everyone's contribution on Pixie. And if you are interested you can check out all the other photographs I took here, with more to go up over the next day/s.

We have to pick two images for the competition, so any thoughts on which ones I should choose? I'm steering towards the lads crowded under umbrellas or the orange umbrella one with the black and white building background. Do let me know what you think in the comments.

Finally, well done to John for the day, particularly managing a crowd like that - no mean feat, especially with hecklers like Rymus.

Leaf shadows - 365

2009-07-20T12:28:00.000+01:00

(July 17th)

Into the light - 365

2009-07-20T12:23:00.001+01:00

(July 16th)

Rock star in the making - 365

2009-07-15T10:33:00.004+01:00

I CAUGHT this little fella this morning in front of Trinity as my bus went by. We stopped at the lights when I copped him and I quickly pulled out the camera with no time to check my settings. Thankfully there was no major hiccup and I managed to snap about three shots of him, this was the first and it has already become one of my favourite shots so far this year. I love how he is giving it welly.

I haven't a clue if he is any good, or anything more about it, other than what we see in the photograph. But he does look like a little rock star in the making.

Trinity walking tours - 365

2009-07-15T10:07:00.005+01:00

(July 14th)

I'LL have to, at some stage, get a pic of those tours with the tour leader walking up front holding an umbrella or mini placard.

Speaking of tour leaders some of you may be interested in this weekend's photowalk (Saturday July 18th, 12pm Custom House) which has been organised by John McAWilliams in conjunction with the World Wide Photo Walks coordinated by Scott Kelby. There was a sign-up, which is full, but that just means you are not able to enter the competitions associated with the walk; it doesn't mean you can't come along.

I missed the sign-up last year but it didn't stop me (and a gang of us) from joining in anyway. I can normally know who to expect at photowalks but there was a whole new crowd of snappers I hadn't come across before which was brilliant. So we are meeting at noon at the Custom House, do email John to let him know you are coming (as there are always stragglers); details of that are on the Dublin page.

(Incidentally this isn't just happening in Dublin, there's also one in Cashel (with places left), Cork (with places left), Limerick (with places left), Limerick (Adare) (with places left) and Galway (with places left). Click on the links for more information on how to sign up and where and when to meet.

You can find out more about the World Wide Photowalks on the website.

I <3 TP - 365

2009-07-15T10:04:00.001+01:00

(July 13th)

Doorway - 365

2009-07-14T20:18:00.000+01:00

(July 12th)

Knock the knocker - 365

2009-07-14T20:15:00.000+01:00

(July 11th)

Death rests withinn - 365

2009-07-14T20:13:00.000+01:00

(July 10th)

Brooks & Co - 365

2009-07-14T20:10:00.001+01:00

Brooks & Co, Baggot Street

(July 9th)

Turning 3

2009-07-13T11:46:00.003+01:00

THIS little lady turned 3 recently. We had great fun taking her birthday shots, even if she has begun to do the cheesy smile face adopted by often-photographed kids. (The storyboard was made by Gingerpixel and you can download it with easy instructions for use here.)

Sugarsnap peas - 365

2009-07-09T10:12:00.003+01:00

My sugarsnap peas are doing well though I didn't get as many plants as last year. Its my fault as I grew this year's batch where I grew last year's and they don't like that (of course I found this out after the fact, something about nitrogen rich soil). There is also sweetpea plant growing here which a couple of weeks ago had me believing I had gotten a packet of dud seeds (sweetpea and not sugarsnap pea) but it must have either been an errand one or a straggler from last year.

How and ever the plants that are growing are doing well, I have two small troughs of peas, one planted a lot later than this one. Again a small percentage of what I planted took, but even they are starting to flower.

It is amazing what you can grow in a small place, even a concrete small place. I'll post more pics over the weekend of my efforts.
(July 8th)

A bike in town - 365

2009-07-09T10:06:00.002+01:00

I've spotted these stickers about town and haven't a clue what they are about.
(July 7th)

Aubergine flowers - 365

2009-07-06T17:13:00.001+01:00

(July 6th)

Snooze - 365

2009-07-05T22:52:00.000+01:00

Saturday night on Dawson Street - 365

2009-07-05T22:50:00.000+01:00

(July 4th)

Duty of photographers

2009-07-05T21:26:00.004+01:00

FOLLOWING the recent and brutal death of Neda Agha-Soltan in Tehran in the aftermath of disturbances following the Iranian elections I had a discussion with a friend about it.

She was horrified by the fact that Neda’s last moments were captured for all the world to see. We both watched the you tube video very uncomfortably and she later described herself as feeling ‘mucky’ having done so; we were voyeurs in the last moments of Neda’s life.

While Neda did not ask to be a symbol of things that are happening, that is what she has become like many others before her.

According to my pal she didn’t ask for this so her last moments should be left alone and away from the glare of the world. But her last moments were on the side of the road with some friends and strangers around her. She didn’t choose that either.

So is it appropriate to film or photograph that? As a photographer that is something I have thought about long and hard. What do you do in that situation? Do you leave your camera at your side? Do you help? Do you take your picture then help? Is taking the picture your duty also?

I’m in two minds over this, on one hand I feel that it is important that events like this are broadcast, so the world sees what is going on. War photographers have captured images which we need to see, photographs that at times have changed the course of events, highlighted injustices and at the very least photographs that have informed the world.

I wonder would the events behind Bloody Sunday have been unfolded as they were if the world hadn’t seen the emotive and hugely disturbing images of bodies and the injured being carried through the streets of Derry. Or what about the iconic Vietnam photograph the Napalm Girl, by Nick Út who captured Kim Phúc, then about nine years old running down a road naked after her village had been subject to a napalm bomb attack.

Interestingly (as it is at the heart of why I am writing this) Út captured the photographer for which he won a Pulitzer Prize before bringing the children to the hospital.

As a photographer that is your duty but my second thought on this is that you have to marry capturing the image with your duty as a human being. If you can help you have to help, and then I think but taking a pic sometimes will take only a split second, however at the end of the day we have a duty also to do what we can.

One thing that was very unsavoury recently was the publishing of photographs of Michael Jackson in the back of an ambulance, serving no purpose whatsoever as did the photographs of Princess Diana in her last moments. There’s no wider message to put out there, other than to line the pockets of paparazzi and satiate the general publics' hungry appetite for so called celebrity news.

After Diana died and the huge outcry over invasion of privacy and how the media were being held to task for pursuing her to her death, not to mention the absolute aggression towards the media in the following weeks. But what is interesting to note is that despite the publics' apparent disdain over the constant Diana coverage (after the fact of course) we have more celeb watch magazines than ever providing exactly the same type of coverage. So where any lessons learned, I don’t think so. I also don’t believe that the public stuck to the principles that were loudly and publicly lamented at the time of Diana’s death, if they did we wouldn’t be seeing the proliferation of so-called celebrity news the way we do. These titles sell because people want it.

Of course this is not a recent phenomenon; but we have more and more easier access to it than ever before. There are no clear lines in this either, as I said in the beginning my pal thought the publishing of Neda's last moments horrific, and while I felt it was an absolutely appalling tragedy that the world needs to know.

Maybe there is a line too far with video, I remember seeing footage when in the States in the 1980s of a kidnapped army captain who was hanged and thinking it was the most awful thing I had ever seen in the world, what about his family? Did I need to see that to realise the awfulness of what had happened to him? To put that point in perspective with everything I have already said that video was made by his murderers and is one of the many points why I felt it shouldn't have been broadcast.

I could be wrong but photographs seem to offer a distance for the viewer more than video does. Thats possibly another post in itself. One of the worries is about becoming desensitised to such images again thats a post for another day.

Office growing - 365

2009-07-03T17:04:00.004+01:00

(July 3rd)

I'VE been growing a lot of things this year not only my yarden but also on the windowsill in work. These four tomato plants seem to love our hothouse office, today I spotted the beginnings of tiny flowers. I was supposed to repot them about two to three weeks before I actually did, I just kept forgetting to bring soil, sticks and pots into work. When I finally remembered they shot right up. You can see their (sortof) progress in the bottom pics.

Meanwhile my other tomato plants at home have lots of flowers on them (must remember to bring in tomato feed for the work plants on Monday), I'm hoping for lots of tomatoes this year. I'll definitely do this again next year, at the very least its been a talking point in the office with lots of advice from ardent tomato growers.

(taken on May 18th)

(taken on June 2nd)

Happy Honey - 365

2009-07-03T17:02:00.000+01:00

(July 2nd)

Martin and Miliband - 365

2009-07-02T12:12:00.002+01:00

Spotted these two as I left work yesterday, Minister Micheal Martin and David Miliband, British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs holding a press conference.

(July 1st)

Tribute to Michael Jackson on Grafton Street - 365

2009-07-02T12:10:00.001+01:00

(June 30th)

Cut up first - 365

2009-07-02T10:39:00.004+01:00

(June 29th)

Ponyride - 365

2009-07-02T10:38:00.000+01:00

(June 28th)

The Jackson headlines continue - 365

2009-07-02T10:35:00.000+01:00

(June 27th)

Examiner - 365

2009-07-02T10:33:00.000+01:00

(June 26th)

Little boxes - 365

2009-07-02T10:32:00.000+01:00

(June 25th)

Iranian protest - 365

2009-07-02T10:27:00.002+01:00

(Taken with my camera phone, gasp, I didn't have my camera with me so the quality is pretty poor - June 23rd)

Trees - 365

2009-07-02T10:10:00.001+01:00

(June 22nd)

Almost an incident - 365

2009-06-24T15:55:00.002+01:00

My dog nearly having a moment with a very besotted cutie. She can be quite the barger.

(June 21st)

Rose - 365

2009-06-24T15:53:00.000+01:00

(June 18th)

Manor Street - 365

2009-06-24T15:52:00.000+01:00

(June 16th)

Confess your secrets - 365

2009-06-24T15:49:00.002+01:00

If you feel the need to get something off your chest you can post your secret into this box on Palace Street.

(June 15th)

Rubber gloves - 365

2009-06-24T15:48:00.001+01:00

(June 12th)

Solidarity march for survivors of institutional abuse - 365

2009-06-24T15:46:00.000+01:00

(June 10th)

Cat on a roof (again) - 365

2009-06-24T15:41:00.000+01:00

I told you I can't resist snapping this cat. I've not even into cats.

(June 9th)

Counting the euro election votes - 365

2009-06-24T15:39:00.000+01:00

This was taken late on Sunday night (11pm) at which point I decided I had had enough and went home. The seats were announced in the wee hours of Monday morning.

(June 7th)

Media scrum at the count - 365

2009-06-24T15:24:00.002+01:00

The media scrum at the count centre in the RDS around Dublin Central's newly elected deputy, Maureen O'Sullivan TD.

(June 6th)

Derelict - 365

2009-06-24T15:21:00.001+01:00

(June 4th)

Flowers - 365

2009-06-24T15:20:00.001+01:00

(June 3rd)

Arbour Hill - 365

2009-06-24T15:15:00.000+01:00

(June 2nd)

Cat on a roof - 365

2009-06-24T15:06:00.001+01:00

I also seem to not be able to resist taking pics of next door's cat.

(June 1st)

Yarden - 365

2009-06-23T12:19:00.003+01:00

[Edited to make this paragraph clearer!]
I did a clean-up of the back yarden a couple of weeks ago (when I took these pics) and since then all the flowers are blooming beautifully. The tomato plants are now reaching the top of the greenhouse and everything is (mostly) looking good, more on that soon with pics. Hard to believe this was taken just a couple of weeks ago given how some of the plants are coming along.

(May 31st)

Yarden chives - 365

2009-06-23T12:17:00.002+01:00

I bought these chives in aldi or lidl last year and they are doing great.

(May 30th)

Trinity - 365

2009-06-23T12:15:00.001+01:00

I will have to stop taking pics of Trinity but I can't help it.

(May 29th)

Waiting for the sun - 265

2009-06-23T12:11:00.002+01:00

I was cutting down this street when I noticed the gorgeous light hitting windows and reflecting on the ground. This was all I managed to snap before the sun went behind a cloud. So I stood like an eejit for about 20 mins waiting for the sun to come out again. It didn't before someone in work passed me wondering what I was doing loitering there; I moved on at that stage.

(May 28th)

World MS Day - 365

2009-06-23T12:10:00.002+01:00

Batman gets a hand with his handbag.

(May 27th)

Me - 365

2009-06-23T12:06:00.001+01:00

Me - I have shot this scene before but before getting the wide-angle.

(May 26th)

Millennium Bridge - 365

2009-06-23T12:04:00.001+01:00

Millennium Bridge

(May 25th)

Signing the book of solidarity - 365

2009-06-23T12:00:00.002+01:00

People at the Mansion House, Dublin, waiting to sign the Book of Solidarity for those who were abused in institutions.

(May 24th)

Sunshine on the Quays - 365

2009-06-23T11:55:00.003+01:00

(May 23rd) - A sunny weekend on the Quays with the Samuel Beckett bridge in the background parked at the side of the Liffey waiting to be installed. I meant to get more pics of the bridge there but didn't and now of course it is in place but not yet operational. So I'll have to get some pics very soon.

Delaney's - 365

2009-06-23T11:53:00.000+01:00

(May 22nd)

Sun, rain and trees - 365

2009-06-22T17:28:00.002+01:00

(May 21st)

Building stopped - 365

2009-06-22T17:26:00.000+01:00

(May 20th)

Lavender in Smithfield - 365

2009-06-22T17:24:00.002+01:00

(May 19th)

The Belfry - 365

2009-06-22T17:23:00.001+01:00

(May 18th)

Manor Street - 365

2009-06-22T14:23:00.000+01:00

(May 17th)

Reflections - 365

2009-06-22T14:22:00.000+01:00

(May 16th)

Looking onto Stephens Green - 365

2009-06-22T14:20:00.000+01:00

(May 15th)

Ball bouncing - 365

2009-06-22T14:10:00.002+01:00

(May 8th)

This is one photograph from a series of time delayed pics I took, the resulting film is below. I'm not sure what happened to the sound, I'll check that out and replace it when I find the version with sound. The pics were taken from about 1pm until 10pm about three minutes apart, except for the times when I pressed the shutter myself.

Bus Aras - 365

2009-06-22T14:08:00.000+01:00

(May 6th)

Clothesline - 365

2009-06-22T14:06:00.000+01:00

(May 5th)

Three bears - 365

2009-06-22T14:05:00.000+01:00

(May 4th)

Smithfield Horse Fair - 365

2009-06-19T11:18:00.003+01:00

(May 3rd)

Every month the Smithfield Horse Fair takes place which means there are lots of horses and their owners clip clopping around the place. This horse decided to have a snack from one of the flower boxes on Manor Street in Stoneybatter.

Fun Place - 365

2009-06-19T11:17:00.001+01:00

(May 2nd)

Inside Google bathrooms - 365

2009-06-19T11:10:00.002+01:00

I snapped this inside the toilets in Google where their women employees are provided with sanitary towels, tampax and deodorant.

(April 30th)

Bluebells - 365

2009-06-19T11:09:00.001+01:00

(April 29th)

Making dinner - 365

2009-06-19T11:08:00.001+01:00

(April 28th)

OMG

2009-06-19T10:58:00.003+01:00

OH GOD I just realised I need to post pics from May 13th onwards, jaysus. This is gonna be an epic catch-up day.

EDIT: Its even worse, the last 365 was April 27th. I think I'll stagger these a bit and post a couple a of pics a day until I catch up

Is there anyone there?

2009-06-19T10:41:00.004+01:00

*Peaks head around door*

IS THERE anyone there? I can't believe how time has gotten away from me. On top of being manically busy with work, when I got home at night if I wasn't still working I was flaked out so my blogging suffered. So apologies I didn't intend at all to take a break but all of a sudden weeks have past.

I have to decide whether or not to continue with my 365 project, I missed some days over the last couple of weeks. And I should have been more organised with the pics I did take. I have spent the last few days hunting them out from all my work photograph folders when I should have taken them out at the time and put them into a to do folder as I went along. At times it was just easier to do what I had to do work-wise and put my own stuff on the long finger, even if finding all the pics through the so many thousands I have been taking has felt like needles in haystacks.

Previously I resolved that I would try where possible to post each day as I got it, but again best intentions and all that so please forgive the glut of photography posts I am going to post in an attempt to catch up. I didn't want to have an overload of catch-up 365 posts which I will have - eek. There are days missing here and there and nearly a week from when I was ill. While I said missing a few days wouldn't stop me from continuing I have to decide whether or not I have missed too many at this stage. I'll post and take it from there though I am loathe to give it up after nearly making it to six months.

I have also some other things to do, and if you were in contact with me and I haven't gotten back to you, do contact me again in case the email got lost in the many I resolved to 'come back to' and haven't so far. Once again sorry for not posting and thanks for bearing with me. I am looking forward to a summer of taking pics of my own choosing (mostly anyway).

1

Morning view - 365

2009-05-12T10:54:00.001+01:00

(April 27th) More soon.

Honey's ears - 365

2009-05-12T08:27:00.002+01:00

WOW that hit hard, I've been offline mostly over the last two weeks having been hit hard by a cold, that turned into flu before settling on being a full-blown nasty chest infection. More than two weeks after the first sniffle I have drugs and a referring letter for a chest x-ray if things don't get better, thankfully I don't think I'll be using it.

So now I need to catch up particularly with my 365 (not least because I want to move the mountain of photographs from recent weeks off my laptop onto my backup hard drive). I'll do it in dribs and drabs and of course there are no images from some of the days when I couldn't lift my head off the settee. (I half thought of taking a lying down shot showing my little table with flu paraphernalia, ie heaps of snotty tissues, cough bottle, lemsip and paracetamol - but it never got beyond the thinking stages.)

Here's the first catch up, from April 26th. Just so you know I am not yet 40 (check out the balloon in the pic from a birthday party I was at, brought home for the doggie who LOVES balloons.) The other thing to note as well is that this pic was taken on a Sunday which sees our house resembling a Chinese laundry with drying clothes hanging off every possible place, hence the towels drying over the kitchen door. There's a lot wrong with the pic (ie exposure, focus etc) , but look at those ears :)

Next time I think I'm gonna take the train

2009-05-04T23:23:00.005+01:00

FIRSTLY big apologies for not posting before now, but on top of being mad busy I got smitten with a nasty flu. I could feel it working on me for a couple of days and then thump it hit me, and other than mad delirious bursts of energy when I managed to get some groceries and cleaning done, I have been floored.

While I am still feeling it, or should I say coughing, spluttering and snuffling it, I needed to go to Belfast today. So I went to bed early on Sunday night, got up this morning and decided that I would take the bus. After all they run every hour and cost half as much as the train. Bad move.

Of course we got stuck in a line of crazy traffic on the way, traffic all bound for Newry. I couldn't really complain as I brought a small overnight case on wheels to get some shopping myself. Despite the long tailbacks we still made it into Belfast in good time.

So I did my running about, stopped and had a coffee at one stage as I thought I was going to drop, before finishing my day trip in a pal's house having tea admiring their amazing yarden and then going to get the bus home at 6pm.

The bus was packed and somewhere around Lisburn the temperature on the bus began to rise, a lot.

At first I thought it was only me who was bothered and being pinned into the window seat I was afraid that my body would take over and I would find myself standing up shouting 'turn off the bloody heating' before I realised I had even done it. Fortunately others were feeling the same and it turned out the driver wasn't able to work the air conditioning or it wasn't working or something.

Either way just outside Newry after numerous complaints someone from the back of the bus came to the driver and he pulled over and began to open the skylight things in the middle of the roof. The one beside us opened and I was looking at it longing for the moment the bus took off and we would get a breeze of cool air in the sauna we were travelling in.

Alas, when he went to the second skylight, it wasn't attached to anything and wouldn't go back, so we were stranded at the side of the road, cooking at the side of the road. (You should be able to see the steamed up windows

And we had to wait for a bus to come from Newry to bring us on to Dublin. So we sat and waited on the sauna bus until some people got off, against the driver's wishes and stood on the hard shoulder getting some air. I followed them at one stage along with half of the bus and was thrilled to see the rescue bus drive up behind us some time later.

Of course the heating was on again on the next bus but it wasn't anywhere near the Sub-Saharan temperatures from earlier and having left Belfast at 6pm we finally hit Dublin at 9.30pm. So as that song goes, or something like this anyway, next time I think I'm gonna take the train.

When I finally got home, after getting a long glass of water I came back into the living room to find the Young Wan and the doggie delving into the case of things I bought in Belfast. And I swear the dog was looking as much as herself, 'whats for me whats for me'. Fortunately they both got something each, treats for the doggie and crazy tights for herself. I'm wrecked now; what a way to spend Bank Holiday Monday.

(When I locate all the last week's 365 I'll post them, hopefully tomorrow; so much to do so little time.)

Biscuit - 365

2009-04-26T19:51:00.000+01:00

(April 25th)

Dublin Bus cuts the 172 route

2009-04-24T22:40:00.004+01:00

I LEARNED today that my bus route to work is ceasing completely on Sunday. Brilliant. Aside from the reasons I'll go into shortly it is completely ludicrous to cut public transport. According to the powers that be no one took the bus. Well as a daily user of the route that is nonsense. Fair enough that isn't a busy route, but it is busy in the mornings.

Aside from that it is a route that goes down Oxmantown Road and invaluable to many of the elderly residents that live in the area. Course I suppose their voice doesn't matter as they will hold bus passes and generating no income.

I understand it is a quiet route for most of the day but what was stopping Dublin Bus from scheduling a morning service and maybe one or two during the day so the older people in my community can get their pensions and shopping.

It is a service that more could have been made of, such as actually advertising where the bus is going. In the 18 months I have lived here I have never once seen the bus properly labelled (is that right) as to its destination, other than Dunard. I don't even know where Dunard is, but it is the start of the route as it goes into town. So many people let the bus go by as it doesn't say it is going into town.

It's also really annoying that we the customers were given two days notice, nice. While this has been mooted and I did, as I said earlier, hear reports that Dublin Bus were adamant that the 172 had no passengers and would go, know it was probably inevitable, still I am peeved. Nevermind the fact that as a daily user of this route it is not empty, far from it unless you count a full bottom deck and some people on the top deck as empty.

Even more annoying, even though the route doesn't stop until Sunday, the timetable is no longer available on their website, you are redirected to one of the Blanchardstown routes.

Maybe the answer is to get a car, yaeh, get more people off public transport and into cars.

Sorry I doubled up on my 365 but there you go, or there goes my bus.

Yarden table - 365

2009-04-24T22:35:00.000+01:00

(April 23rd)

A load of bull

2009-04-24T16:25:00.001+01:00

THIS is brilliant, I am not sure which bit I laughed at most, the farmer running for dear life or the butcher/matador and his expert use of shopping trolley. A classic.

The Times Building - 365

2009-04-23T22:05:00.001+01:00

(April 22nd)

Yardening - 365

2009-04-23T21:42:00.004+01:00

THE yarden got a lot of attention over the weekend, more planting, this time of flowers. I also attempted, foolishly, to move my sweet pea plant which I grew from seed last summer. Unfortunately it took in one of my planters where I am growing sugar snap peas. I planted them together last year with the idea of lovely colourful popping up in and around the gorgeous green flowers of the sugar snap peas. Unfortunately only one took hold but was spread out over the trellis of the next planter box (am I losing you here).

I decided that I would try to move the sweet pea before all the peas came up (the ones I planted before Christmas are doing great, and I have staggered other planting to get a long summer of peas) but it wasn't happy and half of the plant was droopy by the next day. When I checked earlier it was mostly droopy. I knew it was a risk but still thought it was worth trying. Anyway I'll find something to replace it. Its just a pity as it was pretty big and went back and forth.

Among the other things I did was sort out my hanging basket. I was overrun with nastershums last year drowning the other flowers which I had to move never mind making a great feast for some small black pest so I have gone with other things this year, alyssum, petunias and a small white flower called snowflake. Anything left over from the planter trays I planted into pots. Hopefully I will have an explosion of lovely colours over the summer. (April 21st)

Waiting for the bus - 365

2009-04-23T21:37:00.002+01:00

(April 2oth)

Fun in the sun - 365

2009-04-23T21:28:00.003+01:00

SITTING here posting this on a wet and dreary evening, its hard to believe the wonderful weather we have had. That better not have been our summer. Anyway we took advantage on Sunday and went to Phoenix Park where fun was had by all. (April 19th)

'Doing' the kitchen

2009-04-19T00:11:00.002+01:00

THIS has to be a record, herself has been 'doing' the kitchen since 8pm, it is now 12.11am. When I say 'doing' obviously I mean talking on the phone, listening to music and dancing about like a mad thing.

You'd think there was loads to do, there wasn't/isn't. There were few dishes, groceries to put away and to clear away the corners where she has been cultivating the beginnings of clutter; you know the sort, tea-towels, tea-bags, ketchup, plates, etc.

Anyway I can hear her gabbing away, looks like she will be definitely beating her record this evening. So much for early to bed to start trying to get back into school mode!

Blackrock - 365

2009-04-18T23:40:00.001+01:00

(April 18th)

Doorway - 365

2009-04-18T23:38:00.001+01:00

(April 17th)

Next door's cat - 365

2009-04-18T23:35:00.000+01:00

Out the front - 365

2009-04-18T23:30:00.002+01:00

I COULDN'T resist and did another time lapse during the week, this time out the front of my house. I love the kid's tractor parked in front taking up a car space and being one of the few streets without pay and display, I'm sure this annoyed countless park and ride drivers. It had been there a couple of days until in the middle of the film you'll see a gang of lads kick it about.

Anyways here are the comings and goings in my street during a quiet grey afternoon.

Yarden time lapse - 365

2009-04-15T14:57:00.004+01:00

I WAS directed to this brilliant time lapse video on Flickr by Hugh, do check it out as its fantastic. So I decided to try my own, I've seen others and wanted to try it for a while and as my new camera allows me to set it so it will automatically snap away over a particular period of time, there's no time like the present.

I basically set up the camera on a tripod, set it to take pics at two minute intervals over about an hour and a half. While its hard to see at this size you can watch the light move over the chimney as the sun set last night and in the last frames next door's cat makes an appearance in the middle of the video.

Once the pics were taken, I resized them down and then imported them into a quicktime movie at the rate of two pics a second. The music is a piece called Freedom by Ken Bonfield which I also added to the movie. I then uploaded it to iMovie to add a fade to the end, and I think the picture quality suffers for that, so I probably won't do that again the next time. I think I might try this again in the rain today. You should probably brace yourself for more of these, I'm just saying like.

Anyway this is my 365 for yesterday, my first time lapse attempt (April 14th).

Guarding the yarden - 365

2009-04-15T14:55:00.001+01:00

(April 13th)

Sunny Sunday Trinity - 365

2009-04-14T21:47:00.000+01:00

(April 12th)

Dublin City Hall - 365

2009-04-14T21:40:00.001+01:00

(April 11th) Taken during Phil's photowalk, I'll post more from that shortly.

Picture window - 365

2009-04-14T21:35:00.000+01:00

(April 10th)

Sunday Tribune - 365

2009-04-14T21:33:00.001+01:00

THE former offices of the Sunday Tribune, April 9th.

Feet - 365

2009-04-14T21:32:00.000+01:00

(April 8th)

GPO and Spire - 365

2009-04-14T21:30:00.000+01:00

(April 7th)

Trinity Gate - 365

2009-04-14T21:26:00.002+01:00

THERE are a few images I cannot resist when passing and you will probably see them over and over again here, the Trinity gate is one of the them. (April 6th).

Lens cap vignette - 365

2009-04-14T21:21:00.002+01:00

THIS is what happens when I leave my camera in the living room, the Young Wan gets her hands on it. Two things here: firstly take the lens cap off the camera completely when trying to take a pic, secondly Young Wan do not touch my camera, I repeat do not touch my camera; oh and thirdly pick up the newspaper off the floor. (April 5th).

Spring Hanging Basket - 365

2009-04-14T20:17:00.001+01:00

UNFORTUNATELY my hanging basket doesn't look like this anymore, the flowers are dying off. (April 4th)

Another Dail protest - 365

2009-04-14T20:13:00.002+01:00

AND another Dail protest, this time by the Cystic Fibrosis Society of Ireland. (April 3rd)