1000/405: 31 March 2011: Celtic Tiger?

Celtic Tiger? a photo by nmonckton on Flickr.

or knackered, neutered moggy? Inspired by today's news about the state of Irelands banks.

Ooooh! Satire!

1000/404: 30 March 2011: Neuschwanstein

Neuschwanstein a photo by nmonckton on Flickr.

Bought this as a souvenir after a drive/camp trip around Germany in around 1985. Ignoring the rather fake greenery the actual detail on the castle is pretty impressive - it's pretty much how I remember it - only a touch smaller of course.
Am beginning to wonder if I'll run out of ornaments before I reach 1000 days

1000/403: 29 March 2011: Clipper's Quay, Salford

1000/403 a photo by nmonckton on Flickr.

Took the daughters to see Taylor Swift in Manchester this evening, which would have meant an evening hanging around in a car-park if a colleague from work hadn't been good enought to invite me over. Thanks Matt!

Anyway Salford Quays is full of amazing architecture which provides quite a lot of shooting opportunties as the light fades. Thi sone is just a sample.

1000/402: 28 March 2011: Light evenings

1000/402 a photo by nmonckton on Flickr.

Light has returned to our evenings. Hooray!! Went for one of our regular constitutionals around the block and was struck by the way the sunlight was playing into this field. Quite a challenge getting the exposure right in to the sun, but I think I cracked it.

And just as a bonus - the clouds were quite interesting later as well:

1000/401: 27 March 2010: Home again

1000/401 a photo by nmonckton on Flickr.

Clacton and back in a weekend. My rear end knows I've done it , but otherwise the journey was pretty uneventful. Yet again drove past lots of scenery with nowhere really to stop and didn't get home until darkness. hence this fairly unimaginative shot of my car

1000/400: 26 March 2011: Shrek?

Shrek? a photo by nmonckton on Flickr.

Demonstrates clearly why an ultra wide angle lens is not really ideal for portraits. Took this one because I was trying to amuse two of my nieces and all I had to hand was my camera. They thought it was great - their Mum, big sister and my better half were less impressed when i shot them the same way to keep the joke going - and I've had to promise not to show the photos - mwhahahahaha!

I do like the way that my glasses have been widened to almost cartoon proportions, but I'm less sure about the elongated head and the fact that i have a nose the size of a tapir.

100/399: 25 March 2011: Clacton, Upper Prom

Clacton, Upper Prom a photo by nmonckton on Flickr.

In Clacton for a family birthday celebration - actually there were two to celebrate - Happy Birthday Jasmine and Ethan.

Anyway, after 7 hours driving past all sorts of photo-opportunities it was dark by the time we arrived. Fortunately the hotel was on the seafront and the lights on the upper prom provided me with this opportunity. The lights remind me a bit of the Martians in War of the Worlds - perhaps they go to Claction for their hols.

1000/398: 24 March 2011: Helmeted Guineafowl

1000/398 a photo by nmonckton on Flickr.

A few years back i was sent to South Africa on business and these guys were the first African wildlife I ever saw outside a zoo park. A flock of half a dozen were pootling around a monument that my host had taken me to visit. They're actually fairly comical in groups, and when I saw these little models in a souvenir shop I had to buy a whole flock.

All five of them have spent the time since pootling around the ornaments on the mantelpiece in our living room - enshrining the moment forever - which is, after all, what souvenirs are for.

1000/397: 23 March 2011: It's been a hard day....

1000/397 a photo by nmonckton on Flickr.

More self-portraits today - a series of exercises looking at the impact of limb position. This one is just a bit of fun - I clearly look drunk or drugged, although it is actually a genuine self-portrait - I have the remote camera release in my hidden hand.

OK! Own up time. Which of us has not woken in this position at 4:00 in the morning after deciding to have a little lie down before getting ready for bed?

1000/396: 22 March 2011: Daresbury Park

1000/396 a photo by nmonckton on Flickr.

Architecture in business parks - you either love it or hate it I suspect. I fall into the first category - I'm a sucker for modern building materials and geometric designs. Daresbury Park is a rather good example (IMHO) and I think this shot shows why. The evening sun has emphasised the red against the sky and the mix of shapes and textures just does it for me.

1000/395: 21 March 2011: Skirting Board

1000/395 a photo by nmonckton on Flickr.

Not much time between arriving from the office and going off to dinner this evening - bit of a shame because it was a lovely evening. Am finally beginning to struggle for hotel room shots, but not given up yet. Concluded that changing the angle of view would probably throw up some opportunities and I wasn't dissappointed. Paricularly liked the receding lines on this one.

1000/394: 20 March 2011: Orange and lemon

1000/394 a photo by nmonckton on Flickr.

Nice colourful subject for today's photo. Don't often have lemons in the house so tought I'd take advantage. Used them in a Venezuelan pork dish which involved simmering the pork in a white-wine based sauce with coriander and parsley, and adding a whole chopped (unwaxed) lemon, skin and all for the last few minutes. Absolutely delicious.

Accompanied it with an orange, avocado and red onion salad with letuce and baby spinach - even more delicious.

1000/393: 19 March 2011: Emboucher

1000/393 a photo by nmonckton on Flickr.

Thought I'd put in an appearance again. Am doing a people module in my degree course and, while I have no issues with taking people's photos, I don't feel inclined to bother them with my hobby - so I'm tending to self-portraiture - which is harder than it seems. This one is taken from a series which I took as part of my first assignment - the others will appear on my dgree blog at some later date.

Taught myself to play the flute a few years back, and I'm sure any genuine experts loking at this would find fault with the way I'm holding/playing the thing. James Galway and Ian Anderson are unlikely to feel threatened.

1000/392: 18 March 2011: Rather lurid salad

1000/392 a photo by nmonckton on Flickr.

Think I've overdone the reds in post processing on this although i quite like the resulting rather surreal effect.

1000/391: 17 March 2011: Golden Ram Cichlid

1000/391 a photo by nmonckton on Flickr.

Some new fish to show off - although not for the best of reasons. I suffered a total tank collapse a couple of months back and virtually everything died. Not sure of the reasons - I checked the water chemistry basics like ammoinia and nitrite and they seemed fine. My best guess is that my gravel hoover was not working properly, and that during a major water change I stirred up enough muck to deplete the oxygen supply, becaue almost everythiugn keeled over simultaneously - the only survivors being a siamese figher (betta splendens) and a dwarf gourami - both of whch have the ability to nreath air from the surface. The betta died a couple of days later, probably of stress.

So - start again. Nice clean tank, introduce the fish slowly, keep the numbers low. This is the end of that process (I hope) - a Golden Ram Cichlid. This is the male - I have a female as well to keep him company. Very colourful and mild mannered..

1000/390: 16 March 2011: Loose Change

1000/390 a photo by nmonckton on Flickr.

Hmmmm! Didn't really expect to be here again tonight - gleefully checked out this morning, looking forward to being home again, only to find that I'm needed at head office for another day. Fortunately I packed some spare smalls.

Arrived late back at the hotel and then not much time before dashing off to find some sustenance so grabbed this shot - just in case I didn't get back until after midnight.

1000/389: 15 March 2011: Hotel bedroom

1000/389 a photo by nmonckton on Flickr.

Not much to say about this - busy day in the office - arrive late at hotel - colleagues waiting in lobby so we can go to the restaurant. I do quite like the mix of circles and rectangles in this shot.

1000/388: 14 March 2011: Red Cross

1000/388 a photo by nmonckton on Flickr.

Scared the vicar half to death tonight by emerging from the shadows after attempting yet another shot of floodlit leaves. Couldn't get any that I really liked though so was andering around the church-yard looking for a more general shot when this cross catching the lighting caught my eye. Quite apocalyptic I thought.

1000/387: 13 March 2011: Skull

1000/387 a photo by nmonckton on Flickr.

Found this one on top of a clump of something perennial in the garden. Not sure how it got there as I've not noticed a decaying rabbit lying about - and I guess I would.

1000/386: 12 March 2011: Atishoo!

1000/386 a photo by nmonckton on Flickr.

Have a cold and feel particualrly lousy this evening. This seemed appropriate and was, frankly, as much as I could be bothered with. Normal service will be resumed ASAP

1000/385: 11 March 2011: Lovebird calling

1000/386 a photo by nmonckton on Flickr.

Proving one more time that he really believes he's a human, Mosher joined us after dinner. Not quite sure what is going on here - is he trying to strip bark from it, swallow it or kill it?

We've taken advice from the local experts and, sadly , he's to accustomed to us to accept a female now - loner!

1000/384: 10 March 2011: Concentration

Ashley makes another appearance after a prolonged period of absence. Caught this one while he was concentrating on preventing disaster in some computer game.

1000/383: 09 March 2011: Boomerang

Not a genuine one – pretty sure it wouldn't come back if I threw it. Funnily enough, a souvenir of a visit to Oz in 2004. Love the way the colours blend on the background – giving the impression of a desert sunset without even trying. Not so sure about the ‘roo. Without the white bits it would be quite Zen-art like, with them – well, I’m just not sure.

1000/382: 08 March 2011: The full tea-set

Another night in the Holiday Inn at Woolston Grange. Had dinner out with some colleagues, but returned early and spent some time doing self-portraits (no – you’ll have to wait). Thought this would make an interesting shot, and I’m not disappointed – although your mileage may vary.

1000/381: 07 March 2011: Fan Club

Some more oriental decor – these sit on the sideboard next to my computer desk – not sure why I haven’t taken them before really. Don’t think these were given to me personally – IIRC I recovered them from a pile that was heading for a skip while we were clearing some offices in the distant past.
They’re sufficiently different in style that i suspect they come from different countries. The one at the back is definitely Japanese, but I think the gold-leafed one in the foreground is probably Chinese – that’s how it feels to me anyhow.

1000/380: 06 March 2011: Another Solway Sunset

A bit of an odd sunset today. Bank of haze over the Solway, and the sun dropped below the cloud for no more than about 10 minutes, during which time it looked like this. The sky was a delightful magenta to go with it – difficult to beat really.

1000/379: 05 March 2011: Oystercatchers

I love oystercatchers – they’re eye-catching, big enough to see easily and they remind me of the gangs of boisterous teenagers that people try to ban from shopping centres. Their excited piping is the sound of the seaside to me – much more so than the sound of gulls which I always associate with human rubbish and slightly iffy tourist attractions. And even though they have a giant orange marlin spike on the front of their face they aren’t aggressive like gulls.

They are probably my favourite bird and I could watch them for ages – but they're beggars to photograph. Their excitability is a measure of their nervousness, so it took me ages to sneak up on this lot – and they flew off almost immediately as I made an unguarded movement. Maybe I’ll try again next Saturday.

For the observant there’s also a couple of redshank in the back row.

1000/378: 04 March 2011: Crispy Tangy Fish

Crispy Tangy Fish is a recipe from a Sainsbury’s cookbook we’ve had for pushing 30 years, and now has the honour of being a family favourite. Basically its white fish covered in a roux flavoured with salad cream or mustard,  topped with bacon rashers, cheese and breadcrumbs and baked. Easy, delicious and colourful – what more can you ask?

1000/377: 03 March 2011: Bonnie Scotland

Another trip to Hunterston today – well Ardrossan to be more exact. As usual, a lovely sunny day while I was working, getting progressively gloomier as the time came to take some photos. Overnight at my usual haunt, The Seamill Hydro, so went for a stroll in their gardens in the dark and damp and took this shot from the sea wall. Another hotel I can recommend, should you ever be tempted to the south-west coast of Scotland.

1000/376: 02 March 2011: This year’s thistles

Gorgeous day, but rather busy in the office as couldn’t get out at lunchtime as I’d hoped. Weather was great all the way to Penrith, when it got foggy :0(. Fog had gone by the time I got home, leaving rather drab evening light.

Thought I’d take the wide angle for a walk, and came up with this shot of a new thistle developing on the edge of the path in next door's nature reserve. I really need to use this lens more – it has all sorts of interesting possibilities.

1000/375: 01 March 2011: Underneath Thelwall Viaduct

In the Holiday inn at Woolston Grange tonight. Went out for a wander and found my way to the bank of the River Mersey as it runs under the northern end of the Thelwall Viaduct, so thought I take a view that people don’t usually see. This is a reflection of the northbound bridge as it crosses the Mersey.

As it was a gorgeous evening, i also captured this shot of the evening sun as it was settling behind clouds looking west from the river bank near Woolston Grange.