Cellpic Sunday: Pond Life

In the corner of what we laughingly call our lawn we have what we laughingly call a pond – although it more frequently answers to ‘puddle’. It’s been a bit overgrown for the last couple of years, but it’s been tidied up, and it didn’t take long for the local frog population – which is legion – to establish a new outpost.

Cellpic Sunday 31 May 2026

Cellpic Sunday: The Finger

I spotted this on a shelf in the handicrafts section of our local ‘Action’ store. For the uninitiated, Action stores sell a whole variety of items that you never knew you needed: think Lidl, but without the food – and cheaper.

I can’t help wondering whether it was put in this position by a mischievous customer or a disgruntled employee.

Cellpic Sunday 24 May 2026

Lens-Artists Challenge: Choose A Colour

For this week’s Lens-Artists Challenge, set by Ritva, we’re asked to show an image that features, almost to the exclusion of all others, just one colour.

I went for blue, and chose this other-worldly photograph of a tank of jellyfish featured in the Aquarium of the city of La Rochelle.

Lens-Artists Challenge: Choose A Colour

Cosmic: Symmetry

I’ve just encountered the ‘Cosmic Photo Challenge’ for the first time and, as this week’s topic is ‘symmetry’, which happens to be one of my favourite photographic themes, I thought I would play along.

This is a view from below of the ceiling/roof of one of the new buildings being constructed in Guédelon, in central France. It’s a new build castle complex, but using only medieval construction methods. Its an absolutely fascinating project to visit.

Cosmic Photo Challenge: Symmetry

Cellpic Sunday: Collecting Nectar Points

The wild flowers in this raised bed are certainly attracting the bees…

Cellpic Sunday 17 May 2026

Lens-Artists Challenge: Texture

Last week, I used an image from Petra to illustrate a quotation, and when I saw that this week’s topic was ‘texture’, it made perfect sense to go back to the same folder, especially as texture is one of my favourite things to photograph..

The ancient city of Petra is largely constructed from sandstone and the effects of the weather over thousands of years means that almost the entire site offers jaw-dropping images of textural potential. This is just one example (and believe me when I say that I’ve got plenty more where these came from).

Lens-Artists Challenge: Texture

Lens-artists challenge: illustrated quotation

“Match me such marvel save in Eastern clime,
a rose-red city half as old as time.”

John Burgon – ‘Petra’

Lens-Artists Challenge: Illustrated Quotation

Cellpic Sunday: The Hostas Are Back

The hostas that were planted last year have come up again…

Cellpic Sunday 3 May 2026

Last On The Card April 2026

About six or seven years ago, we (i.e. Madame) sowed a wild flowers mix in a couple of our raised beds. The most successful of these proved to be the orange poppies. They returned and proliferated for the next couple of years before their numbers dropped steadily and, as I recall, last year there were none. Now, however, they’re coming back and there already five, of which this was the first.

Last On The Card April 2026

Lens-Artists Challenge: On the water

This photo was taken from the promenade in Scarborough at low tide last summer. My eye was caught by the juxtaposition of the stark lines of the steps with the abstract free-form ripples and reflections in the pools of water.

Lens-Artists Challenge : On The Water