365 to 42

A late post today as its not raining and for the first time this week I can get out and enjoy some fresh air, don’t you just love this barbeque summer were having. Actually that description may not be far wrong, as when ever we organise a barbeque it rains, so the weather centre’s promising a barbeque summer could have been advising use that it was just going to rain all the time. And now the moment you have all been waiting for the results of the competition. The vouchers for £30 off a Blurb book go to, Bran Da Flake , Babooshka and Polergirl , congratulations all, I will use the 3 blogs recommended over the next 3 weeks and a big thank you to Blurb for donating the prizes. Photo today is a view from the top of Kirk fell looking over to the 2 scar fells. Klick on the photo to see it full size. ---------------- Now playing: Red Hot Chili Peppers - Parallel Universe via FoxyTunes

I’m still following the doctors orders and keeping off the computer as much as possible, so apologies if I have not visited your blog in the past few week, it all I can do to keep this and the Leek blog updated. The competition is still running and I will announce the 3 winners on Friday so keep your suggestion for blog of the week coming in. I’ve just joined Stumbleupon, after the blog got loads of visitors from there, just to see what it was all about and was very impressed, I think once I’m fit I could spend ages just click through all the sites. So if any of you are members and want to submit the site I’ve added a quick link button thing at the top of the blog, it has links to all the more popular sites on there. In keeping with my theme of not doing very much, today’s picture was taken from my bedroom window and about sums up the summer so far, rain, rain and more rain. ---------------- Now playing: Extreme - More Than Words via FoxyTunes

Monday already, so here is the blog of the week, What Not to Crochet . This blog is again just a bit of fun and one I like to visit every now and again just to see what has been posted. My favourite post of recent months is the one done just after the death of Michael Jackson, a nice contrast to all the other tributes. Well worth a visit if only to confirm that you were right not to take up Crochet. Next week the blog of the week will be the first of 3 nominated by you, or at least 3 of you, so keep the nominations flooding in and for those of you that missed why here's the information again. The saying goes that “There's a book inside all of us”, well here is a chance to let your book out. The wonderful people over at Blurb have given me 3 vouchers worth £30 off a Blurb book and to be in with a chance at winning here is what you need to do. First you need to be a follower of this blog (just click follow on the link, near the bottom, on the right hand side of the blog). Then...

The saying goes that “There's a book inside all of us”, well here is a chance to let your book out. The wonderful people over at Blurb have given me 3 vouchers worth £30 off a Blurb book and to be in with a chance at winning here is what you need to do. First you need to be a follower of this blog (just click follow on the link, near the bottom, on the right hand side of the blog). Then you need to nominate a blog for the blog of the week, so just a quick comment pointing me at a blog you think deserves highlighting. If I feature the blog (only the first 3 blog featured will get the nominator a voucher, as I only have 3 to give away) I will then contact you for detail so we can get the voucher out to you. This voucher, for example will get you a 8”x10” hard backed photo book with up to 200 pages , lots of space for you photos, memories and words, all printed to a very high standard and finished with a real eye for quality. Here’s a link to Blurb so you can see for yourself. So ge...

Just come back from the Osteopath and have been told to cut back on my computer useage!!!!!!!!! So this is a short post and a warning that there will be a few short ones to come. First the blog of the week, this is the first one to be recommended to me by Siobhan and is one I stumbled across awhile ago but forgot to book mark. It’s called It’s lovely! I’ll take it! And is a collection of poorly chosen photos from estate agents property information, a real eye opener into other peoples lives. More recommendations please as my surfing time has to be drastically reduced by doctors orders. Photo from last week showing 2 walkers heading into the gloom, the whole day was a series of thick clouds and then bright sunshine. ---------------- Now playing: ABBA - S.O.S via FoxyTunes

A while ago I was offered the chance to test a new piece of walking gear, one that it was claimed would save me money, keep me safe and help save the planet, while still be small enough to carry in my rucksack. Well now I’ve had time to play with it I can at least confirm 3 of the 4 claims. The product in question is the Aqua Safe Filter Straw , a plastic tube not much thicker than an AA battery and just a bit longer than a DVD case. This light weight marvel can filter 500 litres of water, equivalent of 2,000 250mls bottles, saving loads of money on bottle water while on trips and saving the need to manufacture said bottle, there by cutting down on the estimated 100 grams of carbon gas is created with each bottle manufactured. Now I can confirm that it will save me money, one strew costs way less than 500 litres of bottled water, I can confirm it will keep me safe, I drank the water and am still here, and I can confirm it fits in the rucksack, a lot better than 500 litres of water ever...

Well where to start, for once I’m spoiled for post topics and photos. So I’ll start with the thing that cheered me up the most POLER GIRL IS BACK!!!!!!!!! As some of you will know I known her in real life and it took me by surprise when she finished her blog and when people started asking what had happened I was not in a position to give any answers, well she is back and all you need to know is here . The next item of good news is that I photographer a christening a few weeks back and the images have just gotten the thumbs up from the customer here’s what the proud granny (she looks way too young to be a granny) had to say "Brett the photo's are absolutely ace, there are some an absolutely fantastic captures, brilliant, Lea and Eddie are really chuffed with them. The one of Leanne on her own is stunning, sooooooooo natural brill, fantastic, brill, stunning, brill and brill and brill and brill I luv it do you get my gist. A massive thank you Brett you have done us proud....

Just got back from a weeks holiday so lots to do, trying to read over 100 emails, sorting out all the photos and catching up on all the other blogs. The holiday was great but something went in my back and I spent nearly 2 days immobile, still the rest of the time I was fine and we managed to do what we wanted. Getting back was even more fun as we had to leave Kep at home and we had both missed him loads. Kep is well on the mend and is nearly back to his old self, although he can not manage the stairs yet. As its Monday here is the blog of the week, this blog has not been going too long and is a bit of light relief in a world that seems to be getting more and more depressing (post holiday blues!). The blog is Awkward family photos , and as the name suggest that what it’s all about, those really bad pictures you just want to keep hidden or not as is the case here. This could be a real how not to take portraits site, lots of thing you should avoid when photographing your family. Photo tod...

Again just a quick post as my back is still playing up. How do you quantify fame? I ask this because my doctor asked me if I was famous and I told him that I did not think so and asked him why? The answer is that he was reading the local paper and inside was a quiz and along side a photo of me was the question “do you know who this is?” (Top marks for all those that answer Brad Pitt). So am I famous, I might just be a little bit! Photo is another from the close ups taken last week. ---------------- Now playing: Siouxsie the Banshees - Spellbound via FoxyTunes

Time again for the Blog of the week and this award makes me a bit nervous as I could be inviting a lot of close scrutiny to my photographs. I first found this site last year and keep popping back every few weeks to see what been posted, it’s a sort of guilty pleasure, its also a way to lift my spirits when I’m have problems editing a shot. When I do get round to visiting the site I find I’m there for hours just looking back over the old posts, even now I have spent ¼ of an hour I’ve not got looking at the latest few posts, its quite addictive. I would now link to Photoshop disasters and to my favorite post but there are so many I cannot pick just one, so you will just have to dig in and have a look yourselves. This photo is untouched, just as it appears on the slide, so I won’t gat caught out by any silly errors. ---------------- Now playing: Big Audio Dynamite - E=MC2 via FoxyTunes

Very short post today as my back is still playing up and sitting down is not the best thing for me right now. Thank you all for your kind words about Kep, he is much better but still not able to do the stairs so I’m still on my own at the computer. Photo today was taken in our garden, it’s a Hover fly and quite a small one at that. Close up photography is one of my favourite types and I have managed to do a bit during the week so I will post more soon. ---------------- Now playing: Marillion - Lavender via FoxyTunes