After Dropping Off Diana At Work,

I had a lazy sort of day, 

we already have booked a cruise for the early part of the year, and as last year a trip to the Philippines for Diana, and Thailand for myself, but now I have a nice new camera I have been thinking about a purely photographic holiday, that is a trip organised by a professional photographer with just 6 other photographers with him/her, for the trip I had a few locations in mind, perhaps Namibia, Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, or Brazil, each has its own attractions, Namibia for its scenery and waterholes for it mammals, the others for birds and other forest reptiles, amphibians and insects, I actually had a recommendation from a fellow club member, but all of this year Will Grey was fully booked, but I decided to bite on the bullet and put my name down for a trip to Costa Rica with him for 2027, all I have to do now is decide where to go if I do not go to Thailand this year, so I spent a lot of the day watching videos about the countries I have mentioned above, in the evening a time for a read, no sherry tonight, I am driving to the Beckenham Photographic Society club and then picking up Diana when the club meeting finishes at 10.00,

so 'Cheers!', with a glass of milk, then off to the club, we were going to have a zoom meeting with a photographer who was too far away to travel, but it all went mustang, there was no signal at the school where we meet, but Andrew very kindly, and at a moments notice stepped in, and as it happens gave a very interesting and informative talk about titling photographs for competitions, and how a AI programme can sometimes help in making a decision over the title of a photograph, many thanks indeed, meeting over with a reminder to enter prints next week for a up coming competition I was off to pick up Diana, arriving home there was not much on television, so YouTube it was as we were both captivated by travellers going to the countries I mentioned above on photography trips, before we were both off to bed.

It Was Diana's Day Off,

so no breakfast, 

as soon as we were up and after a quick coffee we were driving out of the park, 

to the car wash, the car was absolutely filthy, it is nice living in the park, but the road past our home is unmade up, so every time a vehicle passes dust every where, 

any minute now, 

and we were off, 

the photographs a tad dark, 

Diana was just pressing the button, 

but as the camera did not appear to have a 'automatic' setting like our Lumix cameras who knew what it was doing? certainly not the two of us!

for today I stuck with f4, as it happens I did not have a choice, I did not have the booklet with me to know how to change it, so to keep a shutter speed of 160 to 200, to avoid camera shake, I moved the ASA dial until it hit those shutter speeds, 

it seemed to work, so into the seafood bar at Polhill Garden Centre,

such a selection, 

as it happens we both love seafood, 

I took one photograph of Diana, eyes shut naturally, I bought a medium sized pot of cockles which we shared, 

outside to the entrance to the garden centre and past the waterfall,

inside a selection of fresh fruit, 

all looking so nice, 

we were hoping to buy a couple of packets of almond macaroons, but alas all had been sold, 

a quick look at the vegetables, I have to say the new camera seems a little more, 'colourful' somehow, 

out of the farm shop into the plant area, a few orchids, 

some peace lilies, 

and a air plant on display, this one I believe is a Tillandsia ionantha rubra, we grew so many of them when we lived in Thailand,

 as indeed we did with Venus fly traps, we were quite successful with them in the UK as well on our window sills, for 2 years they flowered and flourished, then within 2 months everyone of them died for no apparent reason, 

the cyclamen display looking so colourful, 

I mentioned to Diana now we have bare window sills I would like to give these a try next time we are buying a few plants, living stones, (Lithops),

back in the 1950s my mother had one of these, a rubber plant, (Ficus elastica), but in those days there was just one variety, green, 

outside we past some gayly coloured planters,

into the aquatic shop there, 

lots of fish for sale,

so many we had kept, 

like this Siamese fighting fish, (Betta splendens),

they had a nicely planted aquarium as well,

back outside, 

primroses and primulas, 

again this year, 

so many different colour varieties, 

featuring, 

almost,

all colours of the rainbow, 

many with double flowers, 

or multiple ones, before we left we called into the butchers that is in the centre and bought some saveloy sausages for tonight's meal, and heaps of seafood for salads and sandwiches for the rest of the week,

back into the car, 

for our second port of call,

Coolings Garden Centre, 

inside,

 

again a colourful selection of house plants, 

and for the garden, 

fairy lights, 

we made our way outside, 

through the plants to the restaurant for our breakfast, coffees and a sandwich for both of us plus a slice of cake for Diana, the bill came to £32.00, a tad higher than last year, 

outside, 

it looked and was grey and overcast, 

into the glass houses, 

again huge displays,

primroses and primulas, 

lots of strong, 

vibrant colours, 

a nod to the past, one of the company's fleet of vans, 

we had to stop here, 

at Koi Water Barn, which is in the grounds of Coolings, 

a great place, 

for a few photographs, 

with huge koi, 

back inside a few more lithops, we the jumped into the car and made our way home, in the evening what else? saveloy and chips with some gherkins, after which a Outback Opal Hunters then a film, followed by the second episode of,

 Agatha Christie's Seven Dials, a tv mini series we had started watching a few nights ago, after which Diana was off to bed, for myself a couple of Bangers & Cash which like the evening before were being shown back to back, after which I too was off to bed.