Circles of Gold

Scriptor’s recent post with a ring in it reminded me that I have not yet posted about this one, which I had made (or re-made) recently.

I had my parents’ rings just lying in a drawer, not knowing what to do with them. Mum’s rings did fit me, but since they were just plain gold rings (i.e. obvious engagement/wedding rings and nothing else) it felt weird wearing them as they were. 

But then recently a friend of mine inspired me by what she did (or had a goldsmith do!) with her inherited rings. So I decided to do something similar with mine, and had mum’s plain rings soldered together with a brand new one (in white gold with gemstones) which I picked out for myself; and traded dad’s rings in to pay for it (or part of it).

I’m pleased with the result. It no longer feels like wearing someone else’s rings, and yet my parents’ names and dates are still preserved in the inscriptions.

Doing it justice with the camera turned out to be another matter, though. Any reflections on how to avoid reflections (of oneself and the camera)??

FMTSO: Close Up

Some close-ups I’ve snapped over the past three weeks – all taken in the neighbourhood of where I live, for

Friday My Town Shoot Out: In Close Up

‘'

Macro Monday: Breathtaking Beauty

It’s does not seem quite fair somehow that after six dull colourless months in black and white, Nature just explodes like fireworks all over the place. How is one gal and her little camera going to keep up with it all? (All the photos in this post are from today.)

Lilacs:

Rhododendron:

Azaleas:

Horse Chestnut:

Rowan:

Macro Monday

Macro Monday: Tulip

For Lisa’s Macro Monday

Macro Monday: Rain and Snowberries

For Macro Monday at Lisa’s Chaos.

Macro Monday: Raindrops on Daffodils

For Macro Monday

Feeling kind of narcissistic lately… (supposed to be a joke!)

Monday Update
Actually I spent most of the weekend “doing nothing”; well not staring at my own face as Narcissus, but rather at the ceiling (or the inside of my eyelids), just listening to audio books; getting up for some stretching exercises every now and then. Glad to say it helped. While on Saturday I wasn’t able to lift my left hand to my face (as in holding a glass of water and drink from it), I’m more or less back to normal today. In that respect, anyway!

Macro photos from my balcony, Sunday morning.

Tulip Macros

For Macro Monday at Lisa’s Chaos

Macro Monday: Icicles

Winter is on my head, but eternal spring is in my heart.
~ Victor Hugo ~

For Macro Monday at Lisa’s Chaos

Macro Monday: A Christmas Survivor

Poinsettia - we call it “Christmas star”… This one I bought very cheap before 1st Advent in a grocery shop, from a stand quite near the draught from the door, and I hardly expected it to survive Christmas. But it’s still looking quite perky!

Macro Monday: Piece of Cake!

Chocolate cake with mint chocolate icing… I baked it for Christmas/New Year +  saved part of it for my brother’s birthday last week (with whipped cream – mmm!).
Now it’s all gone… All that remains is this tempting photo!

Anonymous chocolate quotes:

Put eat chocolate at the top of your list of things to do today.
That way, at least you'll get one thing done!

Man cannot live by chocolate alone but it sure is fun trying!

I would give up chocolate but I'm no quitter.

I don't understand why so many "so called" chocolate lovers complain about the calories in chocolate, when all true chocoholics know that it is a vegetable. It comes from the cocoa bean, beans are veggies, 'nuff said.

I have this theory that chocolate slows down the aging process.... It may not be true, but do I dare take the chance?

…

Linking to Macro Monday.

Frosty New Year

After a very rainy and stormy month of December, New Year’s Eve offered us a little bit of change in that it was dry, still and frosty. It was also foggy; but the frost and no wind was enough to drag me and the camera out for quite a long walk before noon. Not long as in going very far; but as in almost losing track of time getting into frosty photo shooting mood in the park.

Before I got as far as that, and the camera was still in my bag, I heard honking noises in the air above my head. It was a small group of swans seeming in a hurry to flee south.

They needn’t have bothered, really. Today we’re back to rain!

---

Straight Out Of the Camera Sunday 

Macro Monday: Leftovers

▲ Recent find in the park▲
  ▼Back in the summer – I think they looked like this ▼

It’s Macro Monday at Lisa’s Chaos

Macro Monday: Snowberries

“I am I plus my circumstances.”
~José Ortega y Gasset ~ 

… … …

Snowberries - Symphoricarpos albus:
I remember these berries from childhood.
When you squeeze them, or stamp on them,
they burst with a popping sound…

… … …

It’s Macro Monday at Lisa’ Chaos.

Macro Monday: Blue Flowers in Rain and Frost

Yesterday I went for a walk in the rain and found these blue flowers still in bloom in the park. Quite a colour shock against the yellowing leaves in the background.

I was surprised to see that they had managed to survive the frosty nights we had earlier in the month:

The frosty pictures were taken on 21 Oct, the rainy ones 30 Oct.

It’s Macro Monday at Lisa’s Chaos.

Macro Monday: No Smoke Without Fire

▲ Willowherb/Fireweed … Three months ago they looked like this: ▼

In Sweden this plant commonly grows along railways, and so is sometimes called “navvy’s rose” (Swedish: rallarros).

Oh the colours of autumn are so different from summer!
Thinking of their English/American name Fireweed…
They look more like smoke than fire now, don’t they? ;)

For more macro photography, visit Macro Monday.

Macro Monday: Spider’s Web

“Experience is never limited, and it is never complete; it is an immense sensibility, a kind of huge spider-web of the finest silken threads suspended in the chamber of consciousness, and catching every air-borne particle in its tissue.”

~ Henry James ~

Linked to: Macro Monday

More Living Jewels

Last Thursday, while waiting for the King and Queen (she says casually, once more slipping it into conversation as if this was a common occurrence), I was standing on this bridge across the river, the railings covered with flowers ▼

▲ This photo of the bridge is from another day, earlier in August. These flowers were not especially for the royal visit – they’ve been there all summer for us all to enjoy. Anyway, there I stood, waiting for the King and Queen last Thursday, together with a few other people, and the camera of course at hand, when my eye was drawn to this other, comparatively rather insignificant little couple. Very attractive, of course - but very small, I’d say only about 4 cm or so. I’ve seen them along the river before but never managed to catch them with the camera. But now they landed – coupled as they were – on the flowers on the railing just next to where I was standing. Perfect chance of close-ups! ▼

Actually I was just as excited to get these camera shots as any of the others I managed that day (if not more)!

Having spent some time on internet research afterwards, I think I have arrived at the conclusion that they must be Emerald Damselflies  (Swedish: Allmän smaragdflickslända)

In Sweden this is one of the most common damselflies and they fly between July and September.

Lestes sponsa mate in the usual dragonfly manner and will form tandem pairs away from water. Copulation lasts from 30-60 minutes and after mating they stay paired for egg-laying. The female usually lays eggs in submerged vegetation and whilst egg-laying the female can remain submerged for 30 min. The female pierces the tissue of aquatic plants and inserts her eggs. Occasionally females lay their eggs in vegitation above the water surface in places that will become submerged when the water level rises. The eggs start to develop and will continue to develop for the next few weeks. Then due to changing environmental conditions the development of the eggs slows down. In this state of slow development, called diapause the eggs overwinter. [from Wikipedia]

Linking to Midweek Blues