Garden Orb Weaver Spider

22nd September 2011

We have an orb weaver spider in residence on the other side of our bedroom window...

This is a wonderful short BBC Wildlife video of an orb weaver spider spinning her web...  Absolutely worth watching the beauty of the process...

Although I am a bit nervous around spiders...  This morning when I opened the curtains, she was busy rebuilding part of her web...  and I could not fail but to be amazed at how she was working...

My orb weaver spider has beautiful striped legs...  I often see these spiders in the garden in Autumn...

I pretty much tried every lens that I own to take these photographs... and fervently wishing that I had a macro lens...  In the end I had most success using the AF-S Nikkor 35 mm prime lens with the Canon 52mm close-up lens 500D attached.

Soon after taking these photographs, having finished her work, she vacated her web and headed off to the corner of the window frame to snooze...  

Enjoying a Swim...

21 September 2011

Yesterday I decided to go to the zoo with my camera and the Sigma 70-300 mm lense.  Our zoo in Belfast is on the slopes of the Cavehill and there is a wonderful walk around the animal enclosures along a meandering path on rather steep gradients...  

I thought this photo of the sea lion was perfect for Watery Wednesday...

I think this is sea lion is definitely blissed out...

Yellow Roses...

Monday 19th September 2011

Macro Monday

Gosh it has been a while since I joined in with Macro Monday and it is fun to be back...

I just adore roses...

The sweet delicate perfume...

Delicate soft yellow petals...

And the gaudy showiness...

To me... roses are sheer perfection...

Strange Conversation...

18th September 2011

For SOOC Sunday this week I have chosen a photograph (which has been cropped) that I took on a visit to the zoo with my two nieces in early September...

I would love to have known what these two were saying to each other...

Driftwood...

Monday 12th September 2011

Macro Monday

I have had a very busy summer and look forward to sharing some of the different series of photographs that I have taken while on my many walks and visits to new places.

This series of photographs is of a wonderful section of tree trunk that drifted onto the beach.

I just adored the colours and textures on this wonderful piece of driftwood.

I've always loved driftwood.  I love the way the time spent in the sea water smooths the rough edges.

Partly buried in the sand...

I love the contrast in texture between the wood and the sand and pebbles.

Wonderful textures and green algal growth...

The subtlety of the colours of charcoal, grey, sand, beige, olive greens, ochres... are just glorious.

Beautiful textural swirling patterns...

Sleeping at the Zoo...

8th September 2011

My nieces and I spent a eventful day at the zoo before we travelled over to England.

As we arrived Maya said that her tooth was bleeding.  It was a baby tooth.  So I gave her a tissue and said she should wiggle it gently.  By the time we reached the elephant enclosure the tooth was out.  So I carefully wrapped it in tissue so that the tooth would not be lost.  She was a little worried that the tooth fairy would not be able to find her on the ferry.  I said that the tooth fairy was magical and would find her.  When she expressed concern that the tooth fairy would be too tired to fly home, I said that she would be able to rest on the ferry and travel back with it to Belfast on the return trip.

There was general consternation that we could not locate the ring tailed lemurs.  These sleeping black and white lemurs had to suffice.

I thought it was really cute...

When we reached the monkey house... we peered at the mass of monkeys all snuggled up together.  My niece wondered how many legs and arms each monkey had.

I said two legs and two arms.  

That they were just enjoying a group cuddle and a snooze in the warm sunshine.