Visit to Olympic Stadium

Due to my daughter,

 contributing to the Openning Ceremony,

 for the Olympics,

her Partner & myself have complimentary tickets,

to see the rehearsals at the Stadium,

 for this occasion.

I am very proud for her to have such an experience, 

& she will be returning to help with the Closing Ceremony aswell.

Good Luck Lucy X

Mottisfont Abbey, a Very Rainy Day. . . .

                                 

During Jubilee week, I travelled to Mottisfont Abbey, 

near Romsey.

Rain may not have prevailed when we left,

but on arrival,

the rain streamed down, & down, & down. . . . .

until we left this National Trust property.

The constant rain did not deter me from taking photos,

but the majority of the day,

these photos were taken from underneath my umbrella.

Finally,

before leaving, when the rain began to ease,

a break in the courtyard area,

were a display of jubilee bunting was on display,

 made  by local school children

This last photo really depicted the character of the day,

a large flower designed umbrella,

 amongst the real fresh ones on display.

Foxgloves & Lavender

Although we've had some awful weather with lots of rain,

there is still some summer colour around as shown with the 

Foxgloves & Lavender, 

recently seen at local gardens.

These  flowers are old fashioned favourites.

Interrupted

With the visit to the Nature Reserve, 

mean't walking & exploring the new walkway

I walked the majority of this 

& even though

 I saw the original path in sight,

 my walk was completely interrupted.

But, although I nearly completed the walk 

& I could see the emerging pathway,

I  was not able to walk pass the male swan,

 protecting a nest of 7 cygnets.

The closer I got,

 the more the Swan would react

 by hissing & movements towards myself.

Although the male

 may have been protecting on the mainland,

the female was just the other side of the nest,

on the waterway.

Definitely good parenting skills to be admired.

Two Swans were protecting & overseeing their babies.

Whilst one remained on the water, 

the other one on land was ensuring 

no one was going to pass by!

My walk may have been interrupted,

but it was definitely worth back tracking.

A good end to my Sunday afternoon.

Re-visit with surprises

For many months, 

I have not visited Greylake Nature Reserve

 on the Somerset Levels.

And much to my surprise, with my latest recent visit,

I discovered that the Reserve 

has been made more accessible for people,

 with a new walk further around the reed beds.

I visited on a very windy but sunny day.

The views from the Reserve

 presented beautiful views 

of a Somerset landscape.

With recent downpours, 

an excess of water still existed.

The extra walk way

 thoroughly enhanced 

my trek around the Reserve, 

I will certainly enjoy my next visit, 

hopefully soon. . . .

Singles....

A single bloom is.....

Is a thing of beauty......

Particularly with a spell of rainy weather.....

The variety of colour.....

Loved by not only us humans.....

But also by the Bees.....

What a Collection

A wonderful collection of Iris's,

 recently taken at 

Hestercombe Gardens, Somerset.

Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee

Congratulations to Queen Elizabeth on the 

occasion of her Diamond Jubilee.

Celebrations definitely historic,

 but certainly welcome

 recent documentaries relating to her life.

These certainly offer a better insight

 to normal experiences & feelings.

The Thames pageant was amazing,

wish I had been there for the atmosphere,

 but I know I wouldn't be able to cope

 with the excessive crowds.

Most probably had the best seat......

by the television......

Bouquets of Roses

The wedding in May was definitely a memorable day, 

predominantly for myself, because at last,

 I had a chance to work with my daughter on this wedding. 

 She was a guest 

but also she applied the Make-up for the bride

 & some of the wedding party.

Although we had had continual rain for the week,

this day it did manage to stop!

Unfortunately, due to these downpours,

 the ground was far too soggy 

to make full use of the beautiful location for photos,

although, we did manage to use 

the lake for some of the backgrounds

The theme of pink was in much evidence,  

with bouquets of Roses for the bride & her bridesmaids

It was an occasion with much laughter,

 blended with lots of sincere thoughts & blessings

from both sides of the families.

I thoroughly enjoyed photographing this special occasion,

with lots of memorable moments to remember.

I really do wish the Happy Couple all the best.