Hellebore flowers from the garden

While having a lunchtime snack, I started reading 'The book of tofu' a definitive guide to creating and consuming that delightfully strange asian food, which I will be doing later for supper. But as I ate I saw a nuthatch at speed arrive to feed on the neighbours feed table. I have seen it a few times recently and always missed getting a photograph of one.

So I ended up standing in the open garden doorway to avoid shooting through the double-glazing, for ages and ages. No more nuthatches. A thrush stopped by, but as always it was taking the camouflaged route so was not easy to pick out.

I had intended to go down to the canal to check out the site of a possible wildlife resource area where the canal has to be re-sited, under the old Capel Mill railway viaduct. There is a meeting to discuss it tonight. But the rain started falling and I decided not to go.

Instead I turned my attention indoors as the light was failing under the thick grey cloud cover. I had taken a couple of picture of the hellebore flowers Helena picked yesterday which were beginning to droop. I was using my zoom outdoors for a change, and didn't bother to swap it.

Last week in Bristol I went to a book sale at the Amnesty International shop, where all books were a pound. I found several classic Focal Press basic textbooks on photography as well as one on low-light photography. I am really pleased as I think they will help and encourage me in to some adventures with light. So I decided to use a bit of fill flash to see what happens. It is not as garish as I had feared.

I picked two of the limp flowers from the old broken mug and placed them in the salad bowl, one of my favourite things. I have loved it ever since my parents bought it fifty years ago, from a dedicated olive wood shop in Bormes-les-mimosas, then a perched village at the end of range of hills called Les Maures in the south of France. I did a lot off growing up on my holidays there throughout the 1960s.

PS
Thank you everyone for the very kind wishes you sent to Helena yesterday. She isn't a blipper, but she does watch this space, so she will be very pleased.