Cowslip

It has been a good year for cowslips on the pastures of Arnside Knott, and as you can see from this, they are now starting to senesce. This is a species that benefits from cattle grazing. The Highlands and other cows on the Knott have broken up the thatch of the blue moor grass, and allowed these rosette plants to germinate and compete for light in a more open turf. It was another bright, dewy morning.

I didn't have the macro lens with me, so this was taken with the telephoto to allow the narrow depth of field that would give the bokeh effect with the sparkling dew drops. To me the backlighting and blurry background makes this look more like a painting than a photo. It wouldn't do for a botanical identification book, but I like it anyway.

Yesterday, I chose the blip as one that represented the most significant part of the day, rather than being the best photo. I spent most of today in a Canadian canoe on Windermere, the second and much postponed day learning techniques from the expert Canadian canoe tutor, Wolfy. But I left the camera in the dry bag rather than risk it round my neck, so the cowslips will have to be the day's blip. And it was another lovely morning walk with Gus, so I'm happy with that.

Thank you for the birthday wishes yesterday, it was a day blessed by beautiful weather and a walk in the company of my faithful companion. Then it was home for a tea with Wifie. Thank you to those of my friends in the real world (who look in here occasionally) for the cards and presents.