From the orchard

It was a beautiful Saturday, and for the first time in many months, I took a lot of photos to make a seasonal collage (though I haven't put it together yet). I've been photographing this garden and surrounding landscape, and little else most of the time, for two and a half years now, with daily photos for almost two years, and recently I've found that my conviction that there is always something to notice, has started to wear a little thin; perhaps I'm just tired after the stresses and sleeplessness of J's hospital stay, but I often feel I'm repeating myself and my photography seems to be stuck in a rut. About a year ago I bought my macro lens and found a new way of looking and recording my surroundings, and the bright, breezy day encouraged me to take it for a walk around the garden and see what I could find - and of course, as always, there was plenty to see in the sparkly light, with flowers, insects, berries and vegetables. Perhaps it doesn't matter that I've photographed the anemones, hoverflies, hawthorn and courgettes before - this is the pattern of our seasons and our lives. Later, I took J down to the orchard to pick apples, so that she could be surrounded by the glowing colours on the trees, which are loaded with (mostly rather small) fruit. It's hard work to push, shove and drag her wheelchair through the orchard grass, which has too many large tufts and molehills for a smooth ride, but it feels important to do it sometimes, and she likes to observe, and has painted, the trees through their seasons. I picked a big tub of mostly small apples which I'll clean and cut up for jelly and cordial without worrying about skin or cores, and combine with blackberries and elderberries. I also enjoyed the wide views across and along the valley and the pattern of seed heads along the hedgerows; and then we made a cake. A good day.