Opening

The easy pickings, macro-wise, of the past week have now come to an end - though only temporarily, I hope. Today was dreary and overcast, with a cold, cutting wind and regular spatterings of drizzle. Not Enticing At All.

I used my indoors time quite usefully, processing files and logging invertebrates on iRecord, but I was raging to be outside, right up until the moment when I picked up a camera and stepped out of the front door, at which point I discovered that I couldn't wait to be back in the warmth and shelter of the house. There were one or two bees around, of the chunkier and less fragile kind, but they weren't in any mood to sit for their portraits, and the exposure triangle wasn't working in my favour: essentially, it was a question of choosing the least worst settings, pressing the shutter button, and hoping for a lucky break.

My best photos were all taken in the yard where we park our cars, where the south-facing blue lias wall and pale gravel reflect the light, even when there isn't much of it. A few years ago we removed the vast Leylandii hedge that some previous owner had planted along the wall, and replaced it with some small trees, shrubs, and climbers, and I was very happy today to see that the blossom on the 'patio' crab apple is just starting to open. The next time we get a sunny day this little tree will be humming with bees - experience even allows me to predict which species - but for today these flowers were gift enough.

This is my final week (for now, at least) at the helm of Tiny Tuesday. Your host for April will be Sheol, followed by H0tamer in May, jensphotos in June, osuzanna in July, and dbifulco in August. H0tamer is still looking for hosts for the autumn and winter though, so if you don't want me doing it again, why not get in touch with him and volunteer to host a month yourself? It's fun, and free, and there aren't many activities these days of which you can say that.