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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
Whisper begins her photographic tour of Northern Light: Plants.

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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

Yellow Daisy Egg
My pets are in awe of these beautiful eggs—they would love to try to paint their own one year. Easter and spring are times of joy as the earth awakens, plants are pushing forth from the soil, and the days are becoming warmer. Many baby animals are born in the spring, and life is burgeoning. May these eggs bring you joy and be a reminder of the earth renewing itself.

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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
For David, colour TV began with the Mexico world cup (1970), but he was allowed to stay up late to watch England win the previous one in 1966.

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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 can still remember the registration number of his parent's first car (ENU 362 C) after over fifty years and can remember his grandmother's telephone number after just as long, but most days he cannot remember what day it is.

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Oilseed Field
Some crops can be a riot of colour. This field was just a mile from my home at the time.

@ Oilseed Field
At university, David was captain of his hall of residence table football team. He actually did weight training to develop powerful wrists.

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Crocuses
You only get to see just how smooth and waxy the petals are in a close up shot.

@ Crocuses
David's dog followed him to school one day, over a mile away, just by following his trail. Perhaps he should have changed his socks more often?

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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 got so enthusiastic about cycling he had a regular twenty mile training run over all the biggest hills near his home. One of the hill roads had two mastiffs on the other side of a thin hedge; David used this as an incentive to sprint up the hill instead of taking it easy.

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The Bare Tree
Shooting with the sun behind you at dusk and metering the exposure on the sky produces a dramatic silhouette.

@ The Bare Tree
David's dog followed him to school one day, over a mile away, just by following his trail. Perhaps he should have changed his socks more often?

Photo 9/25

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 freely tells anyone he was committed to killing a believer at the time he got saved. He also told everyone about this the day he was baptised. The guy he intended to kill was holding onto David's towel while he got dunked. They have been friends since about a month after David was saved (in 1987).

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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
At the age of eight, David drove a massive steam locomotive for about five yards when his dad sneaked him onto the footplate whilst no-one was looking.

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African Daisy
This South African plant thrives in dry, arid areas.

@ African Daisy
David's favourite place is Lathkill Dale in Derbyshire, England.

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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 was brought up in the English countryside in the 1960s. Outside toilets were still a thing, nobody had divorced parents, and illegal drugs had not even been heard of. He first realised people killed one another when JFK was assassinated just before his fourth birthday. His aunt lived in a nearby village and never locked her door at night until the 1980s; there was no crime.

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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
David was brought up on plain British fare (which he still loves) and was very nervous about foreign food. He only bought his first pizza because he worked out he could get money off for late delivery by ordering just before rush hour. The pizza tasted great and he's been eating them ever since.

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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 found out about girls rather late at 22. Before that they seemed entirely baffling to him. It was probably mutual.

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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!

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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
As a small boy, David read Winston Churchill's account of the Second World War, and concluded if you want anything done, ask an American.

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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 used to do his own colour photo printing in the 1980s using equipment he built himself, but he got sick of the smell of the chemicals, the time it took and the cost. He only took up photography again in 2007.

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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 has a younger sister. He was always told he had to be better behaved than she was because he was older. He got so exasperated he asked his mother when his sister was going to be older than he was.

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Jacob's Ladder
This plant, very rare in the wild, thrives on the hill next to the source of the Lathkill, a limestone cave.

@ Jacob's Ladder
David never has writer's block. Instead, he has nowhere near enough time to write all the stories he has created plots for.

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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 first computer was a ZX Spectrum. If anyone told you David was 'on the spectrum' he would think they were referring to a time in his life when he spent all his free time programming!

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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’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.

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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's favourite TV programme ever was Top Gear (British version). The cars have almost nothing to do with that. His favourite movies are the "Pink Panther" series. He drives Lisa wild by laughing his head off at the same old jokes over and over again.

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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?
The first time David went to an Italian restaurant he was very nervous, and especially afraid that he might pick something with garlic in it. He told his friends to make sure he did not do so! Then he ordered a Chicken Kiev. When he asked what the delicious sauce was, he found out it was garlic (and not to trust his friends again!)

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Thistle
In a dull field on a dull day, the bright bloom of the thistle can provide a spark of colour.

@ Thistle
David invented the 'gap year' by forgetting to fill out his forms for university. Instead, he spent the year cycling about ten thousand miles.

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Dog Rose
Flowers are not only interesting when at their best.

@ Dog Rose
Whisper has now completed her viewing of Northern Light: Plants. As she prepares to go home, she receives a wonderful gift!

Whisper has enjoyed her 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!"