Hibernation

Been a bit distracted by my boys... so blog is in hibernation, for now x

Marion Rock Mac

Another Marion post, but then I will definately give it a break for a while. I was fortunate to get along to the very limited capacity warm up gig in Macclesfield on Thursday. The whole evening was a bit of a surreal experience, but most definately in a good way. It was fab to catch up with people I haven't seen since 2006, and also of course to see practically the original line-up in such intimate surroundings. Incredibly frustrated that I will miss the 'main event' at Club Academy on 17th December, but after Thursday's performance I am fairly sure this is just the beginning...

More pics here!

Marion memories...

Not many bands would inspire me to make a 200 mile drive to deepest darkest Somerset (well, Bath to be exact) to see them. But Marion are not just any band. So as Marion v. 3 prepare to venture out into the live arena, here's a pictorial recount of Marion v. 2's inaugral gig at Bath's Green Park Tavern, on 1st April 2006.

I ambitiously attempted to photograph without flash using a grainy 800 iso film, but soon gave that up as I was tossed around on the collective wave of adrenalin. Managed to salvage a few flash-assisted shots though, the rest of which are here!

Monday Mosaic ~ New pad

After my initial flurry of activity on here, I went a bit quiet... mainly because I was moving into my fab new pad! It's not quite the finished article yet, but I'm settling in nicely, so I found a few moments in between building Ikea furniture to have a little wander with my camera... And here's the results as a Monday Mosaic. Click on the mosaic to go to my flickr album and see the pics in all their rectangular glory x

Poppy Day

I did post this photograph as part of The August Break, but it seemed appropriate to post again today, on Remembrance Sunday.

I found this on the fantastic Woodlands Junior website:

The First Two Minute Silence in London (11th November 1919) as reported in the Manchester Guardian, 12th November 1919.

'The first stroke of eleven produced a magical effect.

The tram cars glided into stillness, motors ceased to cough and fume, and stopped dead, and the mighty-limbed dray horses hunched back upon their loads and stopped also, seeming to do it of their own volition.

Someone took off his hat, and with a nervous hesitancy the rest of the men bowed their heads also. Here and there an old soldier could be detected slipping unconsciously into the posture of 'attention'. An elderly woman, not far away, wiped her eyes, and the man beside her looked white and stern. Everyone stood very still ... The hush deepened. It had spread over the whole city and become so pronounced as to impress one with a sense of audibility. It was a silence which was almost pain ... And the spirit of memory brooded over it all.'

"We love the winter, it brings us closer together"

Something fishy

Self portrait

Teeth!

Strokkur in the sunshine

Under the glacier

Now that the weather here is getting a bit chillier, and we're getting out the winter woolies and hot water bottles, it's inspired me to look back at my pictures from a trip to Iceland last February. Unfortunately I didn't manage to capture the awesome Northern Lights show we witnessed, but here's some of my others - a few more selected highlights on my flickr.

My walk to work

Wandering to work on Friday, I noticed how particularly lovely everything was looking. Perhaps it was because we've had such a dreary phase (in Manchester? never!) but the sun really seemed to make everything sparkle... back to grey now though. (Taken on the Blackberry)

An Emmy the Great Monday Mosaic!

It's Monday and I've made a mosaic! Not quite in keeping with the Monday Mosaic concept but it seemed like a good way to present these pictures of the beautiful Emma-Lee Moss aka Emmy the Great at Leeds Brudenell Social Club a week last Sunday.

Blue

A few years ago I did a proper grown up photography course with a qualification and everything. This set is still one of my proudest achievements - and where I first caught the bug for taking square pictures. These were actually taken on 35mm film with standard aperture dimensions, then cropped and the edges added in Photoshop. I used a blue filter to get the effect. All taken on a wander around Worsley in Salford in about 2006. Click on any of the images to see the full set on Flickr!

Monkeying around with a long lens

My 'adopted' gentle lemurs were in unusually cheeky mood.

Monkey!

It's like he knows we're all laughing at him.

Time to bring this blog out of hibernation. Well, more of a house-moving-induced hiatus. And, having managed to extract my long lens from the piles of boxes and bags, where better to get back into the swing of things (monkey related pun intended) than Chester Zoo? Click on the pics for a few more little gems on Flickr (finally subscribed so I can get more of an album going on there).

A short jaunt to Edinburgh

Had a little impromptu weekend away to Edinburgh last weekend - drank Irn Bru, ate tablet ice cream and got lost on the way down from Arthur's Seat! Oh, and saw these lovely sights (taken with Fujifilm FinePix F100fd)

August Break #16

As the sun sets on the August Break, here's a sunset at Salford Quays for you...

August Break #15

Waiting for Strokkur the geyser to erupt, Iceland. I decided taking photos of the people waiting to take photos of the geyser erupting, was more entertaining than trying and failing to get a good shot of the geyser itself! (taken on Canon EOS 400D in February 2010).

August Break #14

Hometime... walking home from Ben and Jerry's Sundae in the Park, Heaton Park... all full of free ice cream (shot on Fujifilm FinePix F100fd)

August Break #13

Lizzie outside Imperial War Museum North, Salford (another Diana Mini shot from Spring 2011)

August Break #12

A big Salford love-in on Twitter today (#ilovesalford) inspired me to post this picure of one of Salford's many hidden gems. This is St. Ignatius Church in Ordsall, as discovered on a recent bike ride. It's currently all locked up - such a waste of a beautiful building, but there is now a campaign to bring it back into use. Read more here on BBC News

August Break #12

Spectacular homecoming finale when the Manics played Cardiff International Arena in May (although as an ecowarrior, I cannot condone the gratuitous spewing out of bits of paper). Taken on my Finepix.

August Break #11

Fish on Sticks - Southport seafront, summer 2010 (Diana Mini!)

August Break #10

I've held off the gig photos long enough! And it seems fitting that Bright Eyes should be first, seeing as they are the inspiration for my blog title, and probably behind the blog itself... Taken on Fujifilm FinePix F100fd at Birmingham HMV Institute, July 2011.

August Break #9

Leeds Corn Exchange - taken Spring 2011 with Diana Mini

August Break #8

Keeping with the 'birds in flight' theme, here's another one from my hols in St Ives last week. Again taken with my Canon EOS 400D. PS Just got my Meg Limited Edition Diana camera in the post - v excited!! Hopefully it'll cause my less traumas than my temperamental little Diana Mini.

August Break #7

Car Park Bird - There was a lot of squawking coming from up there - think the car park sign (St Ives, Cornwall) made a handy nest! Taken last week on my jolly-days in St Ives, Cornwall with my Canon EOS 400D.

August Break #6

Poppies - taken on my Diana Mini in Leeds, Spring 2011 Last piccie for a wee while, as I have a break from the August Break! Back soon x

August Break #5

Pink flowers, blue door... taken in one of the Biodomes at Eden Project, Cornwall last summer with my Canon EOS 400D.

August Break #4

The heady smell of Love Hearts was in the air, but not a sweet in sight... (another Diana Mini shot taken on a day out in New Mills, High Peak in Spring 2011)

August Break #3

Lizzie strolling along Perranporth beach, Cornwall, in the evening sunshine... another Diana Mini one from summer 2010.