Day 152 - A new toy!

My new lens arrived today and I'm excited. I'm certainly going to be trying it out next week on the Isle of Man!

Day 151 - White Rose

My rose tree in the garden is starting to bloom but I didn't think it produced white roses. I'm sure they were pale pink before this year!

Day 150 - Through the window

I quite like the silhouette of the ivy through the window in my classroom so tonight I took a picture of it!

Day 149 - OOopps

Truthfully I forgot to take a picture earlier on and only remembered when I came up to the office to turn on the pc. Ooopps! Boring pic for today I'm afraid.

Day 148 - One week to go

I am soooooo excited. Only one week until we land in the Isle of Man for race week of this years TT road races. And what a week we have planned. Monday at the new grandstand at Creg-ny-baa, the famous corner as the bikes come off the mountain road, with some friends, and Friday myself and the hubby have VIP grandstand and paddock passes for Senior TT race day!!! I'm seriously like a child waiting for Father Christmas to arrive. Just hope this week goes fast! I can smell the exhaust fumes already..........

Day 147 - Blast from the Past

Out on a hen night on Saturday and I came across this sign in O'Neills bar on St Mary Street, Cardiff. Anyone from Dublin will know this iconic set of cafes that are sadly gone. I used to enjoy breakfast in Bewleys on a Saturday in Dublin city centre as a treat while out shopping with Mum. Fond memories!

Day 146 - End of another week

Boring week in work epitomised by a boring photo. Apologies for the lack of effort!

Day 145 - Sunset

Driving home from my first ever studio photo shoot and as I came off the dual carriageway I noticed the start of a stunning sunset. I stopped but realised I was too low down on the ground so got to higher ground and found somewhere local to shoot from. Patience while the sun dipped in between the clouds and this is what I was rewarded with. You might not think it that good but I was pleased with the results, especially the wooden post circle I found for some foreground interest.

Day 144 - Jinny Joes

I've always know these unusual seeds as Jinny Joes (name for them in Dublin) and was checking yesterday with a colleague that I was right in thinking they were dandelion seeds. He replied yes and thought I was then going to ask if he'd blow some for me to take a shot. I hadn't thought of that but today we had some fun before lunch. Todays picture is the result of 7-8 stalks blown and about 100 shots taken. We were both pleased with it and I'm considering getting a print of it for him for helping me. Pleased at punch we both were with this shot!

Day 143 - Bag Lady

Now, I'm not normally a girl who likes bags, I'm more a shoe person. But after reading an article in a recent Glamour magazine about the founder of the Cambridge Satchel Company, I knew I just had to have one of these. However, after seeing the various sizes, shapes and colours available, I bought two! The first was kindly dropped in by a neighbour this evening and I'm over the moon. It's a smaller size in yellow and embossed with my initials. Cannot wait to try it out!!

Day 142 - Bluebells

I literally couldn't believe my eyes when I walked the madra around the park today. The banks around our football pitches were covered with bluebells. I never realised they grew there and was so glad I had decided to bring my camera with me!

Day 141 - Self Portrait (2)

Repeating one for my course. Unsure if my tutor will like this as she is quite harsh and critical. All I can do is try!

Day 140 - Cleaning

Catching up on cleaning after the week away. And these tiles in our hallway definitely needed a good scrub after the dust from the plaster/grouting!

Day 139 - Ill

After catching up on missed sleep due to being ill overnight, it was the couch and blanket for me today!

Day 138 - HPLC

Work is very quiet at the moment, which I don't like as I prefer to be kept busy. However, it has allowed me to do some method development and work for one of our consultants. Only down side is each run takes 40 minutes and I'm twiddling my thumbs in between.

Day 137 - Repeat Picture

I have taken this picture, in this composition, before for my final project for my second course. I'm planning to repeat some of them again as I rather enjoyed wandering around work looking for inspiration.

Day 136 - Spiderweb

After lunch, just going back into the lab, and my manager calls me from our fire escape and asks if I have my camera in with me. I did but was too late to catch a picture of a bee that got caught in this spider web. It managed to escape and fly off before I got back with my camera. Boo! Decisive moment gone......

Day 135 - Lord Sugar

I read Alan Sugars autobiography while on holiday and started reading his second as well. I had to text this page to the hubby today as the second half of the page relates to himself and the hard time he's having in work at the moment. If nothing else, it took his mind off it for all of ten seconds :)

Day 134 - New bathroom

Who knew coming home from a holiday could be less depressing than normal. It is when you come home to a brand new bathroom! The two guys worked like troopers while we were away and did us proud!

Day 133 - One final dip

before we head home. Boo :(

Day 132 - Puerto de Mogan again

This trip to Puerto de Mogan was not as enjoyable as the first one for one simple reason; a hangover. Moral of that story was do not start drinking with people you've met at the hotel on empty stomachs! No dinner + drinks with nice people = feeling rough the next day!

Day 131 - Mojito time

A nice way to round off a fab dinner!

Day 130 - And relax....

A nice relaxing evening after a hard day catching the sun!

Day 129 - Puerto Rico by night

Not the worst evening view from a hotel balcony!

Day 128 - Infinity

Infinity pools rock and ours was simply gorgeous!

Day 127 - Puerto de Mogan

Well, I was simply in heaven. We took the car around the coast from Puerto Rico to scout out what had been called the most picturesque fishing village in Gran Canaria and I wasn't disappointed. Traditional, colourful boats as well as boring white yachts. Makes me look forward to the days in between race days at the forthcoming TT when we can visit fishing villages around the Isle of Man!

Day 126 - Lunch

A light lunch before we head off to a sunnier climate for a week.....

Day 125 - Self Portrait (1)

A self portrait taken for my course. I think it says it all really. Full-time scientist, part-time photographer.

Day 124 - Stop annoying me!

Bit of practice with the 50mm lens. She was rather patient with me for this picture I must say!

Day 123 - Out the window

An attempt at a quick, sneaky picture out my car window while stopped in traffic. Major fail!

Day 122 - Next...

And another course starts, although I am thinking I might have bitten off more than I can chew with this one. Watch this space!