Spring blossom

Spring receded quite a long way today, but at least that gave me a chance to make an image I've had in mind ever since our pink cherry plum blossom began to emerge. I was thinking of old Japanese prints, but I tried not to overwork this because I didn't want it to become too stylised. I quite like it, but I may have another go at it the next time I'm wondering what to do with myself for an hour, using different textures and maybe a faint colour wash.

Apart from fartnarkling around with the light pad and Photoshop, I've had a fairly unproductive day. But I did finally get around to finishing off some photos I took at Rutland Water last April, of a pair of great crested grebes courting. If you've never seen this performance, I do recommend that you keep an eye out for it because it's a charming thing to watch: it's clear that each of them thinks the other is quite gorgeous, and will make a really fabulous parent. I've put just a few shots from a fairly long sequence here, if you're interested.