Garden of Adventure There is a large well-cultivated garden at Hill Top, Beatrix Potter's country home. Did Tabitha Twitchit lose her kittens here? Did Jemima Puddleduck waddle by the wall? Did Samuel Whiskers escape down this path?
Writers write what they know and what they see, or they can never be authentic. Many of Beatrix' tales must have begun here in everyday incidents starring her pets and the local wildlife.
@ Garden of Adventure Cheech begins his photographic tour of Northern Light: Plants.
While peeking through the viewfinder, you spot Tassie.
Cheech shook paws with Tassie the Arctic Feisty Fox. They both received one silver mole!
Field Marigold Found in Beatrix Potter’s garden. Calendula (field marigolds) grow best in a cool climate as they are troubled by mildew. The Lake District is perfect for them!
@ Field Marigold
Navy Flower Power Egg The first painted eggs came from Mesopotamia, and because eggs were forbidden food during Lent, people painted eggs while Lent was being observed—after Lent, they would eat the eggs on Easter Day.
Beautifully decorated eggs “pysanka” are associated with Ukraine, and the oldest painted egg that was unearthed in northern Ukraine is dated to the end of the 17th century.
While peeking through the viewfinder, you spot Daphne Fluffster Tinklehoof.
Cheech shook paws with Daphne Fluffster Tinklehoof the Midnight Mauve Unicorn. They both received one silver mole!
Daphne Fluffster Tinklehoof gave you 1 "Navy Flower Power Egg" FULL SIZE
Quince These quince fruits are that much more interesting because they are growing on Beatrix Potter's house wall. Did she make jam from them? Did she plant the tree, or inherit it when she bought the property? How much of her own food had to come from local sources in this remote area? Small details can tell a lot, or just make you think.
@ Quince David was trained as a Systems Analyst in the steel industry and would have loved to stay in that role forever.
While peeking through the viewfinder, you spot Chesterfield.
Cheech shook paws with Chesterfield the Grey Playful Kitten. They both received one silver mole!
I Nearly Got Arrested! Now what can be wrong with taking pictures of a budding branch? It was at the back of a police station! So there I am taking flash pictures and a constable comes out to find out what I am doing. But he was ok with me when he saw the pictures!
@ I Nearly Got Arrested! David was trained as a Systems Analyst in the steel industry and would have loved to stay in that role forever.
While peeking through the viewfinder, you spot maddie moo.
Cheech shook paws with maddie moo the Strawberry Milky Moo Cow. They both received one silver mole!
Oilseed Field Some crops can be a riot of colour. This field was just a mile from my home at the time.
@ Oilseed Field David once cycled 120 miles in a day (a lot of it over 1000 feet up) and was barely able to stand when he got home. He thought he had only ridden about 80 miles and must be ill! Next day he worked out how far he had ridden and everything became clear.
While peeking through the viewfinder, you spot Bolly.
Cheech shook paws with Bolly the Blue Beautiful Unicorn. They both received one silver mole!
Crocuses You only get to see just how smooth and waxy the petals are in a close up shot.
@ Crocuses David was so good at early video games that students formed a queue just to watch him. David developed a sly habit of sticking his elbows out at unexpected moments to make them keep out of his field of view.
While peeking through the viewfinder, you spot Signet.
Cheech shook paws with Signet the Arctic Feisty Fox. They both received one silver mole!
Rose Hips You need not go far to find something to take pictures of with a macro lens. These rose hips were on a dirty lane behind a bus stop. But what fascinating little details there are to see ... are those spikes an anti-caterpillar defense system? Every tiny detail is important.
@ Rose Hips David took an interest in (fluff) friends because a real-life friend said it would unite his love of writing with his love of visual art. The result was the 616 episodes of "Tweety Pi's Daily Adventures", the last set of which was posted the day SGN introduced the 'new UI'. This made him so furious he began work on his own software that month. See the cartoons here!
While peeking through the viewfinder, you spot Roy.
Cheech shook paws with Roy the Strawberry Milky Moo Cow. They both received one silver mole!
Daffodil in Detail I wandered lonely as a cloud That floats on high o'er vales and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden daffodils; Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. ~William Wordsworth
@ Daffodil in Detail David can remember random moments from his infancy, some even before he was two years old. But he can never remember where he has put the TV remote!
While peeking through the viewfinder, you spot Frisky.
Cheech shook paws with Frisky the Black Lovable Labrador. They both received one silver mole!
To a Primrose Welcome, pale Primrose! starting up between Dead matted leaves of ash and oak, that strew The every lawn, the wood, and spinney through, Mid creeping moss and ivy's darker green; How much thy presence beautifies the ground: How sweet thy modest, unaffected pride Glows on the sunny bank, and wood's warm side. And where thy fairy flowers in groups are found, The school-boy roams enchantedly along, Plucking the fairest with a rude delight: While the meek shepherd stops his simple song, To gaze a moment on the pleasing sight; O'erjoyed to see the flowers that truly bring The welcome news of sweet returning Spring. ~ "To a Primrose" ~ Poem by John Clare (1793-1864)
@ To a Primrose David hated secondary school (11 to 16) intensely and was so badly bullied he never finished his time there. He went to a 'college of further education' and rebuilt his education from scratch in a place where students were treated like human beings.
While peeking through the viewfinder, you spot Velma.
Cheech shook paws with Velma the Prairie Vole. They both received one silver mole!
African Daisy This South African plant thrives in dry, arid areas.
@ African Daisy David decided to cycle every road in Derbyshire when he was about 18. By the time he was 24 he had done three quarters of a county road network of 3500 miles. Much of the time he had to cycle thirty miles out and thirty miles back just to find a road he had not cycled before. After he turned 24, he learned to drive and got a life.
While peeking through the viewfinder, you spot Fresco de la Rey.
Cheech shook paws with Fresco de la Rey the Ragdoll Kitten. They both received one silver mole!
Beside the Seaside Flowers can make a great foreground when you want to convey a sense of depth. These red and pink valerian contrast nicely with the sea.
@ Beside the Seaside David hated secondary school (11 to 16) intensely and was so badly bullied he never finished his time there. He went to a 'college of further education' and rebuilt his education from scratch in a place where students were treated like human beings.
While peeking through the viewfinder, you spot Moriarty.
Cheech shook paws with Moriarty the Black Feisty Fox. They both received one silver mole!
Peach Blossom Sometimes a shot would be a lot easier if you had someone to help! Out of view here is my left hand, holding the branch, whilst I stand on tiptoe holding the camera between forefinger and thumb, operating the controls with my middle finger and poking the flash open with my pinkie. Srsly! A little wind can make a simple shot next to impossible if you are alone!
@ Peach Blossom As a small boy, David believed he was going to marry his mother's sister when he grew up, because she was so nice.
While peeking through the viewfinder, you spot Wish.
Cheech shook paws with Wish the Midnight Violet Butterfly. They both received one silver mole!
Grass Seeds on a Poppy Somehow these grass seeds ended up on the petals of a poppy. I found the flower on a piece of waste ground fifty yards from home.
@ Grass Seeds on a Poppy David's favourite colour is orange, but he has no idea why.
While peeking through the viewfinder, you spot Choose a name.
Cheech shook paws with Choose a name the Tabby Cat. They both received one silver mole!
Cuckoo Flower Insects and flowers are often shot in still life at home, setting everything up just so. But when the flower is growing under a bush, a close up foreground flash will render the background very dark, giving you a dramatic shot without all that work.
@ Cuckoo Flower Oh look ... you won a little pet!
While peeking through the viewfinder, you spot Lalique.
Cheech shook paws with Lalique the Ragdoll Kitten. They both received one silver mole!
Lalique gave you 1 "Big Wolf, Not So Bad, Cough Cough" size 7
Micro Habitat I was taking pictures of bluebells hidden under a bush, and saw no more until I got home and viewed the picture on a big screen. Do you see the spider looking right at you? He might be less than a millimetre across; but every curve of every bluebell flower is important to him.
@ Micro Habitat David left the Methodist church in his early teens because they convinced him God did not exist. Then he did a physics degree in the hope of explaining to everyone exactly why this was so. Three years later he got saved.
While peeking through the viewfinder, you spot Puff.
Cheech shook paws with Puff the Midnight Happy Dragon. They both received one silver mole!
Yellow Archangel In a garden this flower would be a pest, but growing wild in Palmerston Wood, it adds one more fascinating rarity to the uniqueness of Lathkill Dale.
@ Yellow Archangel David can remember random moments from his infancy, some even before he was two years old. But he can never remember where he has put the TV remote!
While peeking through the viewfinder, you spot Dizzy.
Cheech shook paws with Dizzy the Green Rapid Dragonfly. They both received one silver mole!
Windswept Welsh Poppy Who has seen the wind? Neither I nor you: But when the leaves hang trembling, The wind is passing through. ~ Christina Georgina Rossetti
@ Windswept Welsh Poppy David was born at home, which was his mother's preference. Home was above his grandmother's shop until a year later.
While peeking through the viewfinder, you spot Ted.
Cheech shook paws with Ted the Dark Chocolate Bear. They both received one silver mole!
West Derbyshire Poppy Using a telephoto on a foreground subject renders the background in soft focus ... which is just what I wanted.
@ West Derbyshire Poppy David’s parents tried to have a child for seven years, then gave up and left the matter to God. David arrived shortly afterwards. They chose his name from the bible to give thanks for being given a son.
While peeking through the viewfinder, you spot ypmblessed.
Cheech shook paws with ypmblessed the Blue Beautiful Unicorn. They both received one silver mole!
Golden Light Under the shadow of a high hill, a few shafts of golden light illuminate the dying leaves of a beech tree. Underexpose a little, and you have a smooth black background instead of a confusing dark mess.
@ Golden Light David decided to cycle every road in Derbyshire when he was about 18. By the time he was 24 he had done three quarters of a county road network of 3500 miles. Much of the time he had to cycle thirty miles out and thirty miles back just to find a road he had not cycled before. After he turned 24, he learned to drive and got a life.
While peeking through the viewfinder, you spot midnught.
Cheech shook paws with midnught the Midnight Happy Dragon. They both received one silver mole!
Tiny Fungi Fungi aren't plants, but there are often opportunities for charming shots of mushrooms when you are looking for plants. Or vice versa.
@ Tiny Fungi David was a big Tolkien fan in his teens and twenties. He credits Tolkien with explaining more about Christianity to him than the church he was raised in. He never saw the word 'fellowship' used anywhere before he read "The Fellowship of the Ring".
While peeking through the viewfinder, you spot Coal.
Cheech shook paws with Coal the Grey Playful Kitten. They both received one silver mole!
Rain or Glycerin? A quick shower can create great flower pictures. Some photographers carry a glycerin spray to simulate this effect. I just rely on the rain; in Derbyshire there's usually plenty to be had!
@ Rain or Glycerin? At university, David was captain of his hall of residence table football team. He actually did weight training to develop powerful wrists.
While peeking through the viewfinder, you spot Selene.
Cheech shook paws with Selene the Arctic Feisty Fox. They both received one silver mole!
Thistle In a dull field on a dull day, the bright bloom of the thistle can provide a spark of colour.
@ Thistle As a teen still going to church, David was taunted with questions like "What if God made one very special person for you and then they turned out to be on the other side of an ocean?" When David was in his fifties, he found that woman, crossed that ocean, and married her.
While peeking through the viewfinder, you spot Joy.
Cheech shook paws with Joy the Red-Crowned Crane. They both received one silver mole!
Joy gave you 1 "'Northern Light' Travel Token" size 7
Dog Rose Flowers are not only interesting when at their best.
@ Dog Rose Cheech has now completed his viewing of Northern Light: Plants. As he prepares to go home, he receives a wonderful gift!
Cheech has enjoyed his photographic tour of Northern Light: Plants, but it is time to go home now! Please select another pet as visitor, so it can also enjoy a photographic tour of "Northern Light!"
While peeking through the viewfinder, you spot Lunaray.
Cheech shook paws with Lunaray the Gentle Jellyfish. They both received one silver mole!
Lunaray gave you 1 "Big Wolf, Not So Bad, Cough Cough" FULL SIZE
Cheech has completed the quest of
