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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
Flapper begins his 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

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.

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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
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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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 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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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 would like to drive a Lamborghini, maybe once; but he could never justify owning one.

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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 was born with a faulty hip. After surgery in infancy, he walked with a limp until his hip was finally replaced aged 50.

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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 started programming on a mainframe in 1974. He has spent his adult life trying his best to avoid computers and trying to be a people person, but somehow he always finds there is a need to do more programming, no matter what he does.

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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 cannot swim. He cut his knee just before taking lessons, and ended up with a condition that nearly killed him. He never went back to a swimming bath after that.

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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
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.

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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
David was born with a faulty hip. After surgery in infancy, he walked with a limp until his hip was finally replaced aged 50.

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

@ African Daisy
David was born in the 1950s (just 13 days short of the 60s!) The US number one was “Heartaches by the Number” by Guy Mitchell. There were TWO UK number ones: "What Do You Want?" by Adam Faith, and "What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For?" by Emile Ford and The Checkmates.

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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
At age eight David lost almost a whole term due to a life-threatening illness. The pain hurt so bad he calmly told his mother he understood his leg must come off and she must not feel bad about telling him. Despite this he was still top of the class that year, by a single mark.

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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
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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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
After school, from ages 5 to 11, David would go 'home' to his grandmother’s toy shop, where his mother helped out. He never got any free toys, he had to save up; but he did get to fix all the broken ones!

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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
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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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 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.

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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 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.

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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 comes from a very long-lived family. Every man born in his patrilineal line since 1800 has lived to at least 84 years of age. His grandfather was born in 1864 and died taking the cows to market on foot. Has anyone in PnF got a grandfather born earlier? David says no-one ever does things in a rush in his family!

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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 was born with a faulty hip. After surgery in infancy, he walked with a limp until his hip was finally replaced aged 50.

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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
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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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 uncle Walter used to ride a motorcycle out to Matlock thirty miles away and take pictures of the Derbyshire countryside. David took this as inspiration and rode to the same places on a bicycle, commonly clocking up sixty to ninety miles in a day.

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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?
David came from a family with an endless supply of aunts and very few uncles. Two of the few uncles he had were called Granville. This made life quite confusing for him on occasions.

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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 heard 'Born to run' on the radio and thought Bruce Springsteen was from Birmingham (UK) because the radio station was based there. He went out and bought the album, which convinced him otherwise. Then he went out and bought the other two (there were no more than three then!) Until 'Born in the USA' he barely met anyone who had heard of Bruce. He was most grateful to Lisa for showing him Asbury Park, NJ, and laughed out loud when he saw what ‘Highway 9’ was really like.

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

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

Flapper has enjoyed his photographic tour of Northern Light: Plants, but it is time to go home now! "Northern Light" is over now, but there will be more events in PnF soon!