OK, so today I regretted

What a lovely morning! I was outside briefly very first thing, pre-dawn even, and it nearly captured me. After getting some coffee and feeding the cats, I was outside a bit more, thinking it would be perfect to work on my novel(s) while sipping coffee, watching the day begin. Alas, work was calling. Just before leaving I was out with my camera to see what the flowers had been up to overnight. Wow!

The light was catching this geranium just right, and I nearly laid down on the dewy grass to get the camera angle just right. Then I remembered I was in work clothes. Still, this is why articulating back screens and live view were invented. Yes, 4 stars.

Some of you may have seen this on Instagram already. Life is so hard for you.

Another of these. Every now and then I catch the light. For some reason I thought this was the third one, but I can only find two.

And a couple more white peony just for you.

And to finish you off in style, the red peony complete with ants.

1621

It's been a busy weekend for photos. A family fun day event for the local community association. Trying to get some photos for a writer buddy of mine for inspiration. Yes, JB, this chunk of river is deep enough to hide a body in, if the current will let it sink to the bottom. Not a bet I'd want to make if I had a body to hide. Though there are lots of rocks nearby. Hmmm.

Plus the Wild Rose Triathlon today. That was most of the photos, and I'm pleased with how most of them turned out. I'm really pleased with some of them. You can see them via my photo blog, if you so desire. Look for the Wild Rose 2018 gallery.

It was a fun day! BRBE Michelle was part of a team with Erika and Tara, and they placed second. I ran into several buddies and chatted. One recognized me from a swim camp put on by Client Lien and Sara Gross oh so many years ago. It's the 'stache, I can never shave it unless I want to go into hiding. Of course the famous Rose and Richelle put on an amazing event! If you're a woman looking to get into triathlon, there is no better race than this one to get started. Well run, fabulous swag, amazing food, and they always have the best weather. You've got a year, start training!

It worked out to 1621 photos over two days. Not even close to a record, but it's still a lot of clicking, and appreciating the mass edit features in Lightroom.

Oh, and a buddy from Nova Scotia dropped in for coffee and scones on Saturday. Pity it was pour rain in a major way. We had been looking forward to chatting on the patio, and enjoying the garden.

Here's Michelle and her team crossing the finish line.

Meanwhile I'm nearly ready for bed. Oh, except for a few white peony shots, lest you get withdrawl symptoms or something.

Bee bokeh white

There, a title that tells you everything that you're going to get in today's blog.

This bee really liked the Columbine, working it over and over. Good thing, as it took about 60 shots to get one I liked.

Here's another where I saw the shot and it worked out the way I had hoped, though it took a bit of tweaking in Lightroom.

And your white peony of the day.

Oh, and in answer to a question my faithful reader SPD asked, I've had one go at focus stacking, and might come back to it, but there are other things I'd rather work on.

If not now, when?

There are 44 photos from the last 30 days, edited and ready to show the world, that have not yet made it onto the blog. Why? Just lately I've been taking photos faster than I can display them, short of dumping them in a huge batch and overloading my faithful readers.

Here's some of the oldest that you haven't seen yet.

That gets me up to another white peony extravaganza. There are 17 shots of it ready to go and wow your socks off. Maybe I'll do a white peony of the day for the next 3 weeks or so, and see how far behind I am then. Or would you rather see one post overflowing with fluffy, gorgeous white peony shots, some with water drops, in a variety of light, from lots of angles?

What goes with peonies?

Ants! If you want macro shots of ants, setting up on any random peony bulb with good light is all you need to do.

I got this little guy by accident. This is the remnants of a clematis bloom about 7 feet off the ground. The idea was to capture the silky strands, but the ant stole the show.

I've got a bunch of white peony photos happening, since it's putting on a great show just now. I might be late for work tomorrow, getting some more sunrise shots. Here's one example just to whet your appetite. Yes, there's an ant in there.

The red one has some blossom action happening as well, but this is for the ant. You might need to look for it.

Mindfulness. Or not.

My manager and I had this conversation this morning. No, not the one that leads to packing up your things. We were talking about making notes to ourselves, documenting what we're doing, and then leaving it behind. Both of us are learning how much context is needed before asking, "So how is task x coming along?" because there have been blank looks on both sides.

We are all focussed on our tasks, scurrying to meet deadlines. Concentrating hard. Everything else slides out of our minds. Like Sherlock Holmes and his brain attic full of useful facts, I like to think, though I'm likely to remember the earth goes around the sun. I'm not likely to remember what was in an email I sent 5 minutes ago. In fact, I've proved it any number of times.

This photo is an example. I know it was taken in our garden. I just can't find those plants again. I have no idea where I was standing. I look at the photo, and all I can think is that I should sell the image to a puzzle manufacturer.

They remind me of Moya

If you haven't seen Farscape you've missed the joke. Perhaps if I tell you they look a bit like a Bussard Ramscoop. No? Enjoy the pretty flowers, and don't think about what my imagination is up to. 

 Plus some more Iris for good measure.