Sleeping Beauty

Since rearranging the furniture a bit in the living room, Oscar has found himself a new spot to relax and watch the world go by.

He has really taken sitting on the top of the sofa and looking out of the window. And when he's had enough, he just lays down and has a good forty winks. And yes, I've even heard him storing!

Blue In The Sun

It was raining this morning as I cycled to work, so I thought it would be a fairly horrible day, but when I went out at lunchtime, the rain had almost stopped and the sun was slowly showing its face.  So by the time I got ready to come home, the sun was shining, but it was somewhat windy, which made cycling difficult, as it was blowing in the wrong direction.

So I thought I would take a detour through Highfields and see if anything was happening. It was fairly quiet except for the joggers, but I did spot these bluebells enjoying the early evening sun.

Badge Of Honour

The Madeline Rust really care about their fans as not only do they provide free earplugs, but also free badges at their gigs.

I have one on my camera bag. Which incidentally is the only one on there.

Tunes

Popped into a local record shop called Plates this afternoon, to see one of my favourite local rock bands called The Madeline Rust play as part of the shops' music day, interesting called Analogue Excursions.

There are usually seven members in the band, but as there was only enough space for the three main members, Lucy, Aly and Martin. They did most of their songs from their album, which was well received by the audience.

Besides a couple of photographers taking photos, Lucy was being filmed by her work, for a project that they are doing, regarding what their employees get up to when they are not in the office. I bet there can't be that many that play and sing in a band.

Saucy

A trip to Ikea tonight. Fortunately we didn't stay too long, as it's such a big store and it can get a bit overwhelming at times.

Gail suggested that we go for something to eat. It was a difficult choice, as there was plenty on offer at the restaurant menus that we looked at.

In the end we plumped for a pizza at Frankie & Benny's. Of course I could have taken a photo of the said food, but instead here's a saucy shot with some bokeh.

Fingers In The Earth

Besides rhodendrums in Highfields, there are also a lot of trees of different ages and varieties. I don't know what this one is, but it has been there a long time, the way the roots have spread out and exposed. Maybe it's one of the original ones that were planted in the 1930s when the park was opened.

Bursting Out

The rhodendrums are starting to burst out in colour and scent at Highfields park. It's one of the things that the park is well known for. That and the boating lake.

The Blue Period

A few days ago I popped a photo on on the building site that where the fire station in Beeston once stood. It showed the Star Inn in the background. This photo, taken from outside the Star and shows the opposite view.

A Fishy Business

There is presently a window display in the Tourist Information Office promoting an arts event at Patchings Farm with a metal animal sculptures.

There is a large dog and these fish. I took some photos of the dog, but they didn't come out very well, as there was too many reflections in the glass, but the fish came out quite well.

Orange Beauty

Passing through St Mary's churchyard, I same across this big orange tulip enjoying the lunchtime sunshine.

Building Sight

The tram works are still continuing in Beeston, even though the line was meant to be completed by December last year.

When it is finally up and running, this space will be cleared and available for building on.

The council have issued a consultation document asking what people would like the space used for.  Some ideas have included a cinema, a swimming pool and just an open space. There are rumours that a hotel will be built there, but I can't see it being a very big one, or one that would be owned by a famous name like Hilton, or Holiday Inn.

So we will just have to see what the land is turned into. But it is all down to money. How much it would cost and what income would it earn. So I can't see it being turned into a park, as it wouldn't generate any money for the council who own the land.

V For Victory

The general election shocks and surprises of today has somewhat overshadowed the 70th anniversary celebrations of VE Day, when the fighting stopped in World War 2.

Some celebrations have taken place across the country. I saw on Facebook some photos that a friend took in Birmingham of a street party and they actually had a real Spitfire parked outside their new library.

But sadly there has been nothing similar in Nottingham. Some schools have done projects on the subject or dressed up in period costumes. They have lit a beacon in the Old Market Square, which I don't think was advertised very well.

So I've looked through my archive and selected this photo of "Churchill" that I took last year at the annual May Day Knees Up at the Brewhouse Yard Museum.

'X' Marks The Spot

Today the UK goes to the polls to vote for who is going to be their next MP, and which party will be in charge of the country for the next five years. We've had loads of promotional bumf through the letterbox over the last few weeks from all the parties that have put up candidates, telling us how wonderful their party is and what amazing things they are going to do to make the country better and richer.

I popped down to my polling station after work which used a local church hall for it's base to use my vote. It was actually quite a difficult decision to make. I had six candidates to choose from. I instantly ignored three of them, but it took some thought of who to pick from the remaining three, as I consider one candidate to be a friend, another I've met a few times, and the other represents the party I feel closer too.  So after some consideration I put my X in the box. Just have to wait until tomorrow to find out how everyone did, and whether my choice made it through.

I also had to vote for councillors to represent me on our local council. This was much easier, as I was allowed to vote for two people, so didn't take so much brain power.

Whiskey And Rye

For the past few years Beeston has been home to a great little bistro called Belle & Jerome. But it closed a couple of weeks ago, while some renovations took place.  The bar has also been renamed as 'Rye', named after part of Beeston called the Rylands, which is near the river.

They have also rebranded it as a bar & restaurant, but will be open from 8am for breakfast. It officially opens to the public tomorrow, but there was a special opening event tonight, which I got an invitation to.

The owners looked like they have invested a lot of money into the refurb. I have been following their Tweets over the past couple of weeks, and have found out that the new wooden floor that's been laid comes from a four hundred year old mill in Yorkshire.

The place was buzzing tonight and people seems genuinely impressed with the decor, choice of food and drink and general ambience of the place. It should do well, especially as the previous version always had such a loyal customer base.

Spirited Away

It's not everyday that you come across an empty pub, but sadly I did today.

The Cock & Hoop pub in the Lace Market closed last year, when the hotel that it's attached to also shut its doors.  There have been announcements that the hotel and pub will be reopened. But obviously this hasn't happened yet.

Singer In A Spotlight

One of the backing singers at last night's Simple Minds gig.

Alas I didn't catch her name.

Don't You Forget About Me

Gail and I travelled back to the 1980s tonight as we went to a Simple Minds gig at the Royal Concert Hall.

I had won some tickets in a competition through our local newspaper, the Nottingham Post, so it was a cheap night out. The seats were up in the gods, so we were quite some distance from the stage. Of course I had my camera with me, and had chosen to go with a telephoto lens, rather than a prime lens, just in case were weren't near the front. In fact we were so far away from the stage, that we were sitting next to one of the lighting guys.

The concert was a sell out, and everyone was having a good time singing, cheering and dancing along to the various songs that the band performed. I recognised some of the tunes, but I didn't buy any of their albums when they were big during the 1980s. But after hearing them tonight, I might go and buy one of their greatest hits albums.

A Comical Day

My Saturday morning is usually spent in Beeston shopping and having a look around the many charity shops that my town now has. A new one only opened this week. So that makes nine in total to look round and see what goodies I can find.

Besides the many other shops there is one that sells comic books, models and role playing games. It is called Chimera and I think that I have only been inside once before, and that was to see a friend of mine called Tim, who loves playing role playing games. I just happen to walk past and see a poster in the window advertising free comics, as it is apparently Free Comic Book Day, which is news to me, as I didn't such a thing existed.

So I popped inside to see what it was all about. The owner told me that once a year companies that print comic books give copies away to promote their work, and this has been an annual event for some years now. He showed me to a couple of tables that had piles of comics on them. He said have a look and just take any that you fancy, read and enjoy them.

So I picked up some and had a browse. Some didn't really appeal to me, but being a Doctor Who fan, I had to have that one and I was intrigued by the Steampunk version of Goldilocks and the modern take of Alice in Wonderland.

I will give these comics a go, but I can't see them becoming part of my life, as that is shared with photography.

Spin Around The City

The theme for this month's theme day is 'revolution'.

Nottingham has had a few revolutionaries down the years; the Luddites, Robin Hood, and played a part in the English Civil War.

But i've gone for something a little different, in the giant Ferris Wheel that appeared in the Old Market Square earlier in the year.

I used a fish eye lens, to give it and even more round look. Incidentally, I didn't go on it, as I am scared of heights.

Blue Head

Nothing quite like seeing a patch of bluebells. These are in Highfields.

Torn From History

Came across this display board the other day that looks like it has been used for years, and posters have been torn off to make room for others.

Most are for gigs, with some adverts for nightclubs with drink offers. I think it makes for an interesting collage and clearly shows how vibrant Nottingham's night life is.

Here's Looking At You Kid

Here's Marmalade looking out on the world from the safety of our garage.

The window is quite grimy, but I think it makes the photo more interesting, as it gives it a soft, cinematic look, rather than the bright and shiny Tecnicolor shots that we are more used to today.

Marmalade quite likes to have a snoop around in the garage. He's not really a mouser cat, but can often pick up their scent of where they have been.

Horse Power

As many of you may know, this horse is the emblem of Ferrari.

No, it's not mine. I just took it at the car show in the Old Market Square last week.

Rush Hour

Shoppers going and passing through the Broad Marsh shopping centre.

Brian

A bit of a fun photo today, as my Brian the Robot finally arrived.

I ordered him in March, when I bought some house insurance through Confused Dot Com, the online price checker.

It's a good toy as it has it can be posed, talks and moves through friction power.

We also have a couple of meerkats as well, that we got for other insurances through Compare The Market Dot Com.

Stigmata

Besides some expensive cars parked in the Old Market Square The Stig from Top Gear made an appearance.

Of course he didn't say anything, as The Stig never does. He just stood around posing for photos.

Where's George?

St George's Day and there was a big parade in the Old Market Square. As usual, the procession started at the Forest Recreation Ground and made it's way down to the city centre, led of course by St George and our very own Robin Hood.

I noticed that there seemed to be an awful lot of men in the parade, and while they were marching and singing, I thought I was at a football match.

It was lovely and warm today, and I think that everyone had a good time.

Here In My Car

A Maserati. I wish.

This and several other luxury cars were in the Old Market Square today, and were they attracting quite a crowd.

Besides the Maserati, there was a couple of Ferraris, a Bentley an Aston Martin and a McClaren.

As there were so many people wandering around looking and photographing the cars, I found it neigh impossible to take a decent shot of them, so instead I concentrated on the details, and dashboards, like this one.

New Moon On Tuesday

Whilst going out for a bit of late evening air, I noticed that there a new moon had appeared in the sky, as it was a clear sky.

So I decided to take a photo of it when I got back home, using the Olympus 70-300mm lens. And you can make out the craters etc on the surface.

Spring Greens

 Some late afternoon sunshine making Highfields glow as I cycled home from work.

I passed various joggers, kids on bikes, students walking home from the university close by and a lady exercising her dog. Plus of course squirrels rung around and ducks sitting enjoying the warm weather.

Shadow Lines

Some strong late afternoon sunshine has generated a number of shadow lines of trees in Highfields.

You may be able to spot a jogger running along the pathway in the top left hand corner.

Wedding Wheels

I shot a wedding today, and this is the car that the happy couple arrived in.

It was a lovely sunny day, and I think everyone had an enjoyable time.

Yellow Peril

A workman with a an artistic flair has made an interesting design to highlight some cracked an uneven concrete in a local multi-storey car park.

Sitting Pretty

I took this shot of  the posing model at the Photography Show last month in Birmingham. So I thought I would see if I could give it a vintage look. The sort of photo that reminds you of Hollywood during the 1940s.

Let Me Eat Cake

I went food shopping tonight, as I usually do after work, as I am not one of these people that do a big weekly shop on a Friday night or Saturday morning, filling a trolley and queuing up for twenty minutes to pay.

Besides, doing a little bit every night, I enjoying seeing what I can find in the markdown aisles. Take tonight for example, I picked up this Avengers cake for the knockdown price of £2; originally it was on sale for £9. It's a big one too, so will last a few days.

It can be a real adventure, seeing what's on offer in the chiller, vegetables and bakery departments. It can also help me decide what we are going to have for dinner, as sometimes I am stuck for an idea. Tonight though we ordered pizza from Papa Johns.

Shining

A shot of Highfields basking in the spring sunshine.

Vote For Me

I went to the first of perhaps many Hustings events in Beeston, during the run up to the general election next month.

We have six candidates standing to be out next MP, but only five turned up to answer questions from the very large audience that had packed into our parish church. For some reason the UKIP person stayed away, which is probably just as well with their brand of politics.

For some reason Broxtowe is a marginal seat, and often features on the TV news. Our recent MP Anna Soubry only won by less than 400 votes, over our previous MP, Nick Palmer, with many think he'll be making a welcome return next month.

It was a lively debate, with topics ranging from Trident, the economy and HS2. Strangely there were no questions about the continuing privatisation of the NHS. Only David, the Green Party candidate mentioned it as part of another question.

There was a bit of a commotion when an old soldier got up a couple of times to complain about how the armed forces, especially the Army that were being poorly treated over their pensions, Government spend on kit and equipment and health concerns of soldiers.

He started off well, then it defended into farce, as his dad joined in the argument, and the vicar and verger had to break up the duo. Things then calmed down and the discussion continued.

Paper Doves

Here is my friend, musician Emma Bladon-Jones appearing at this year's launch of Oxjam, with fellow musician Christine.

Besides being a singer in her own right, Emma is also part of a duo called Midnight Special and now she has joined multi-instamentalist Christine as Paper Doves.

Quiet Contemplation

A simple shot of Beeston church with a small burst of spring daffodils.

Purrfect

You may remember a few days ago I told you about a new cafe that had opened in the city centre that special attraction was in having a number of cats freely wandering around to entertain the customers.

Well I paid a visit today with some friends that I used to work with. It was quite busy, with plenty of people coming and going. At the entrance there is a sort of "air lock", so any of the cats can't escape into the busy city centre. The kitties seem quite happy wandering around and playing on the various items that were lying around. There is also a bridge that winds its way around the cafe that the cats can use to move around without being disturbed by any customers.

Besides paying for any drinks etc, the cafe charge a fee which goes towards food and vets fees for the cats, which is fair, considering there are about a dozen furbies, and they all need looking after. The cats are available for adoption, should you take a liking to any of them.

Waiting

I forget who said that bus stations are full of lost people and lost suitcases, but walking through the one in Broad Marsh, the people there certainly look lost, whilst they wait for their bus to take them to their destination.

Spring Is A Colourful Time

As it was so warm and sunny this morning, I stopped off at Highfields and took some photos of the cherry blossom that had exploded into life during the recent spell of brilliant weather.

As Clouds Go By

Cycling home from work via the supermarket tonight, I saw that there was a really good cloud formation in the sky. Not particularly white, or a blue sky, but worth photographing just the same.

Obviously I could have tweaked it in my digital darkroom, but didn't, as I wanted to keep it natural. Hopefully it will mean another lovely day tomorrow, even if I am at work.

Camouflage

The pond has been busy today with frogs enjoying themselves in the sunshine, as there were plenty popping up every so often from the water below. I keep trying to get rid of the duckweed, but with little success so far.

Yoda

Gail and I have been sorting out some clothes and of course Oscar wanted to get involved too. So much so, that he climbed inside a pair of my trousers and had to scramble down the leg and appear at the end of the leg.

The way the material has bunched around him, he looks a bit like Yoda from Star Wars.

Wet

There's nothing quite like a shot of the city centre at night and when it's raining and you get some good reflections of lights in dark and shiny Tarmac.

Cat Food

A new cafe has just opened in town that is a bit unusual. Yes it serves food and drink just like any other  cafe, but its USP, or unique selling point, is that there a number of cats and kittens running free inside the building, that customers can stroke or play with whilst they are having their tea and cake.

I'm planning to go and see it sometime soon with some friends, so I'll be able to tell you what's it like.

Tweetie Pie

Here's a shot of Josh Kemp, who entertained us with his own brand of folk music at the Tweet Up the other day.

I've seen Josh a few times, especially at Beeston's Oxjam music festival.

Camera Shy

The beginning of the month and its theme day. This month's is a camera shy self image.

Not difficult for me, as I hate seeing myself in photos. Yes I do have a negative body image, always have done. So here's my photo for the day. Fortunately it was sunny when I took it, so I got a decent shadow. Just a shame that you can't see my camera.