Not Doing This Right...Am I?

I realize that my so-called daily blog has turned into a weekly appearance. I'll do the best I can, but life has hills and valleys, I think of myself as poor Sisyphus, pushing that boulder, just pushing it up the hill for eternity. I don't think I deserved my boulder though. I think it's just part of life.

My dog's health is still not good. I'm not discussing it much, not unless asked. His recent diagnosis of diabetes is bringing me way down. And my husband, who normally hides his worries, is starting to appear just that, worried. I think, likely, things will be alright...it's just the beginning, it takes a while for blood sugar and insulin to regulate. I don't know what I'm doing, just trying to keep Hamish alive and happy. But that's not a happy or photo related subject so I will get off this path and post a photo. A photo I might add, is ridiculously morbidly beautiful to me...

This photo is a man and woman's graves, side by side, for eternity. I found some beauty in it, but then, I like graveyards...call me strange. Really, I don't mind. The exterior of my being changes, but I'm going to be a goth girl for life.

Here 'tis. Have a wonderful, peaceful evening.

MILESTONE!

I swear I was gonna post this last night but the excitement of the day followed by some drama in life sort of crossed paths and I was asleep fairly early last night.

Today's photo isn't very fantastic in its tech effort, however it's a fantastic pic in subject.

So, to make it all very short and sweet, yesterday I finally passed the road test and obtained my British driver's license. I've only tried and failed 3 times before so I needed to pass or lose every last ounce of courage I had left.

Here it is, the certificate of passing. I can legally drive now and in 4 weeks I'll have the actual license in my hot little hands. I finally feel like life in the UK can finally feel like MY life in the UK instead of a onlooker waiting for permission to live.

:)

Summer, I Thank You for Showing Up for Work this Year" :)

Today I'm just happy. Woke up too early but chilled out on the sofa watching TV while my dog and husband snored down the hall in bed. I edited photos, cleaned up the kitchen and fell back asleep. The sun was out and the temperature was perfect.  I couldn't help by smile in gratitude for the amazing summer we've had this year.

I have never seen Scotland so resplendent this time of year! We've had very little rain, the wild flowers are madly in bloom...EVERYWHERE, and people are outside in flip flops, shorts and getting sun tans. There are BBQs, time spent with good friends and blue skies as far as the eye can see. It's fanfuckingtastic!

And, wait, THERE'S MORE! My husband announced today that he was BBQing for lunch. He made burgers spiced with cumin and chile topped with salsa, guacamole and the works. We had ice cold Scottish cider on cubes of ice and we sat outside, loving it all for what it was worth...alfresco lunch in Scottish summer time.

After lunch, we walked around our front yard and over to the pond so I could show him our ducklings then over to cuddle the lambs for a bit. Into the house I cleaned up a bit, husband went upstairs to do some computer work and listen to the cricket.

“All in all, it was a never-to-be-forgotten summer — one of those summers which come seldom into any life, but leave a rich heritage of beautiful memories in their going — one of those summers which, in a fortunate combination of delightful weather, delightful friends and delightful doing, come as near to perfection as anything can come in this world.” 
― L.M. Montgomery

What's that song say? "Summer time and the living is ea-say..."  Of all my years as a native Los Angeles chick, I had many, many good summers. They were all hot and sunny, predictably so in fact. But having a month or so of typically California summer weather in North East Scotland is simply bliss. Summer has been the one thing from back home that I truly have missed and that I couldn't buy from an online store or purchase when in LA visiting. I have seen the occasional 2 or 3 nice days, but nothing so glorious as this!! I have always wondered what a nice summer would be like in a place so stunningly beautiful as northern Scotland. Looks like I've had a wish come true :)  - to think, the extra long and ridiculously cold winter we experienced through to May, had come with people frequently saying "I hear we're supposed to have a really nice summer though".  I'd nod and smile and secretly hope...finally chalked it up to some sort of ancient Scottish coping mechanism but oh now, SUMMER is HERE!

This has been such a wonderful weekend, even if it rained tomorrow I'd still have a smile for the good times made by possible by lovely weather this summer of 2013.

You should know by now I'm not going to sit here and spout of flowery sentences without a reason. I don't believe in "God" or the Devil" so when you see what I'm about to say you will know, she must be blissed out. What I'm gonna say is that we are just SO very blessed. Sure we've got problems, some of them are quite serious. But at the end of the day, a nice BBQ, a cold beer or cider and some warm sun are excellent for what ails you and a really nice way to take some stress off the mind.

I'm posting a few things today because by comparison with a lot going on right now in our lives, a nice weekend was the best gift my little family of man, wife and doggy could have received.

First, is a photo I snapped with my trust iPhone as I sat down to lunch. Low carb wrap, amazing quality mice steak, guacamole, jalapenos...etc. My beverage of choice is Thstley Cross Strawberry Cider over lots of ice. And the view? Who would complain about this view?

The rest are just quotes, clip arts and a music video or two about the joys of a good summer day.

Have a WONDERFUL week ahead! As always, thanks for coming along to read this blog.

* * * * * * * * * * *

“Summer afternoon—summer afternoon; 

to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.”  - Henry James

Summer themed songs for ya!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kr0tTbTbmVA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gm2-UuREKd4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3kQt14_5OQ

Tractor pulls and rare breeds...It takes all kinds.

The world is made up of so many beautiful and amazing creatures. That said, you'd never expect, as a city girl anyway, to find so much diversity at a popular, smallish village's annual agricultural show. Hard to believe, but up in NE Scotlandia today, it was in the mid 80s (Fahrenheit) and people were sweating, getting sun burns and generally grateful for this out of character, but totally welcome, properly summery, summer.

We went to the New Deer Show. This is an annual event based on agricultural demonstrations and the showing of one's best of the bunch in hopes for ribbons and other status increasing honors. For an animal lover, it's just a fun day out. With a camera, it's more fun.

This here photo is of a rare breed lamb, known as Jacob.  Jacobs are noticeable for their black and white coloring and their often found double and even triple sets of horns. I enjoyed meeting all the different rare sheep breeds. As usual, I found one that wanted a bit of affection and spent the better part of 15 minutes scratching his nose. *smiles*

“To my mind, the life of a lamb is no less precious than that of a human being.” 
- Ghandi

Resurfacing

I do realize that nobody reads this blog but to entertain myself I pretend as if there is a crowd here, anxiously awaiting my new posts and Cari-isms. So to you, I apologize that I have been somewhat remiss in my duties to this so-called "daily" photo blog. Sorries.

"Never ruin an apology with an excuse." - Benjamin Franklin 

It's been a rough time in our house the last couple of weeks with both my dog and myself having medical challenges. I will say right up front that Hamish's health is far more fragile than mine at the current moment. We've run the roller coaster of emotions and seemingly of medical diagnoses. It was a sore foot, then it was tummy trouble and the vet decided it was an ulcer. Before we knew it, he'd lost about 9lbs.  Then, the other night, it all tilted and my normally affectionate, cuddly, happy and energetic dog resembled a zombie with a bad hangover. Non-responsive to treats or commands, falling over while urinating and drinking water like his life depended on it. We thought he was in renal failure the other morning so after some quick thinking and re-arranging of schedules we found ourselves at the vet. As it turns out, his glucose was sky high and rising and he was suffering from pancreatitis and NOT an ulcer as was previously assumed by the first (there have been 5) vet we saw. Yesterday Hamish spent the day in the vet hospital while they battled to get his sugars in control. Finally, about 5:30pm, they reduced his number by half and were satisfied he'd be safe going home.

So now, my sense of humor makes its awkwardly timed appearance and all I can think of is that my dog and I are rivals in some kind of competition to see who has the most prescriptions. We're just about tied for now, in case you wanted to know. :)

"There's gon' be some stuff you gon' see

that's gon' make it hard to smile in the future.

But through whatever you see,

through all the rain and the pain,

you gotta keep your sense of humor.

You gotta be able to smile through all this bullshit.

Remember that." 

- Tupac Shakur

Now, on to the business of this blog: 

Today's photo is of a female duck that frequents the pond in front of our home and her 6 ducklings. It's a timely shot because after two weeks of my medical procedures, not feeling well, birthdays, and one very unwell doggy, this morning I woke up, saw a smile on my pooch's face and even a bit of energy in his leap from the bed. I felt pretty good too, so the two of us had breakfast followed by medications and then we opened the front door, greeted the warm sun and re-surfaced into life. A few hours later to hear that "our" (she's not ours, she's wild) duck had 6 babies felt significant. 

A day to re-surface, a day...for do overs. 

So without further adieu, I push the "re-start" button on this blog and officially begin again, to be a daily photo blogger. I apologize for the verbal diarrhea...it just is. It's how I am, love it, hate it...if you got this far, you clearly are tolerating it.

For that my kind readers, I thank you...  Today, I'm just grateful. And the quote below is so apt, even though "God" is a loose job title in my eyes, I appreciate this so much.

“A Sunrise is God's way of saying, "Let's start again.”  - Todd Stocker 

For your viewing pleasure: 

"Be like a duck. Calm on the surface, but always paddling like the dickens underneath." - Michael Caine

The Passage of Time...

Today my dad turns 70...where has the time gone? I recall his 33rd...I recall his 40th and not too long ago, I was part of a conversation with him and my mother in law about their 70th birthdays and what they might do, but that they had two years to plan and think about it. Two years is over, it's gone. Time flies, quite literally, even if you're not having any fun.

So I think what I'm trying to convince myself of is this, to take my time, to enjoy the little things, to drink in every moment. Someday, those small moments will be distant memories. They will be the things you remember about people you love and yourself. I still vividly recall my father's 40th birthday party. It was also the year I turned 16. I remember my aunt's backyard decorated, I remember loads of people. I remember me and my best friend stealing beers from the ice buckets to take out front and drink with friends. But most of all, I remember the DJ playing 16 Candles and dancing to it with Dad. I remember being embarrassed both to dance in front of people, after all I was about to be 16 and far too cool for dances with my dad. But also I remember being afraid to show my dad I loved him. I remember just wanting to get it over with so I could go back to my friends. Today, when I think about that night, I think I should have and could have enjoyed it more.

My dad has Parkinson's so things like slow dances with his daughter are no longer possible.He has trouble even typing an email, and living 7000 miles away, I find that I miss the little things. I miss having a sandwich with him at the deli, and I miss sitting in the backyard, having an iced tea and talking about life.

Where the hell am I going with this? What has this got to do with photography and improving my skills? It's this...life is made up of small moments, of fleeting seconds. Every one of these increments of time is a chance to create a memory. To ingrain in our hearts and minds the textures, the smells, the emotions of life. Photographs, for me, are a chance to freeze these memories in time. They're a chance to put a visual with the mental picture. I don't have many regrets in my life except for the photographs I didn't take, the pictures I didn't value enough to handle with care, and the snapshots that I've lost along the way. You can replace almost anything in this world except the people you love. So from now on, a word to the wise, treat every photograph of your loved ones as if they were the most precious, valuable and expensive items you will ever own. Because they are.

This is why I call my photography project Captured Soul...it's a chance with every click of the shutter button to capture the heart of a moment as it pertains to me and my emotions.

I've posted this already today, I posted it on Father's Day as well...but here I post it again. It's a photo I took of my dad on a day trip in 2010. We were walking along and he said "take a picture of your old man, I'm not gonna be around forever you know. You might want a photo of me someday."

Dad's still here, alive and kicking...but he's right, and this photo is one of my most precious possessions. It's not a good photo, not a skilled photo. Who cares?

Happy Birthday Dad...

Happy Sunday....

Today was a spectacularly beautiful day. Not an over statement, it's been a fantastic weekend weather-wise. We bought a new car, had an ice cream cone and Andy Murray won Wimbledon which made my Scottish husband very happy.

So, here's something lovely to end the weekend with. This is Max, the neighbors' cat, doing what he does best...relaxing. Let's all take a tip from Max, have a chilled out Sunday evening all!

Keep smiling...keep clicking, keep on keepin' on...

Friday....

I've been down for the count most of the day so this will be short. It's been a gorgeous day here, absolutely sublime. So, about an hour ago I grabbed my camera and went out for a bit. I got a few great shots of some beautiful flowers but for tonight...I am sharing one of my bumble bee photos. You can't see it in this photo, but this looked to be a very young little bee, not too big at all. Loads of fun to photograph bumbles. 

Have a wonderful weekend!

“The bee is more honored than other animals, not because she labors, but because she labors for others”

-Saint John Chrysostom

Hey Baby, It's the 4th of July...

In case you didn't know it, it's the 4th of July. That's a pretty damn big deal where I come from. America loves its Independence Day, and even though I've moved to the UK, I'm still an all American girl. 

I have had a super long day so I'm keepin' it simple this evening. I shot this photo of some sparklers as they burned. To get the sparklers, I had to buy them in November when the UK celebrates Guy Fawkes Night and blows off fireworks far and wide across the British Isles. Means nothing to me really, except a way to get my hands on some sparklers for July. Ha, it's all relative, or something like that. As I said, I'm tired. 

So, I wish you all a happy 4th of July and if you're not of the American persuasion, I wish you a happy summer day. I'm falling asleep as I type this...so I will leave you now with a photo and a bit of fun...oh and um, the photo I actually took, is the one on the bottom ;) 

Be sure to watch this too:

--->http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cf-p37KhD6Q , enjoy! And...you're welcome! 

Still Patting Herself on the Back

Yes, I'm still really super pleased with my heifers of Strichen photo shoot from yesterday. But I can't rest on my laurels for long...so, without any further adieu...I show you, a new cow. And, I announce a new goal. Next door we seem to have two massive Black Angus bulls that cuddle with each other. Yes, gay bulls.

I don't have their photo today, but I am up for a challenge so I hope to bring you something soon!

I will work through my cow kick in a day or two, for now...sit back and enjoy the view.

:)

“Sometimes I arrive just when God's ready to have somone click the shutter.” 

 - Ansel Adams

Mad Cow

Today was looking fairly uneventful. Got up, sun shining. Took a shower, got dressed and walked the mile into the village, grabbed the bus to hell, AKA as Fraserburgh, Scotland, got off the bus, went and ran errands, got back on the bus, got off the bus proceeded to walk home. I packed the camera with only one lens, my 40mm macro (micro in Nikonese), just in case something might be interesting. A bit of a gamble carrying an expensive camera in the junkie capitol of NE Scotland, but hey, who knew I was carrying it?

Walking home I wasn't feeling well. Then, I was thinking I'd be lucky to get home without being sick on the way. I took my time, I slowed down, I bought some cold water. About half way home, I was passing the farmer's fields when I saw a pretty, obviously young, cow. She had a shiny coat and was interested in me. I took a risk, I debased myself by baby talking to her until she got up, stretched out, and came over to the fence to see what I was and what I wanted with her. I took a few pics of her, pretty girl. 

Just as I was counting my blessings that this young cow gave me the time of day a large, clearly very adult female came sauntering over shakin' her weight around for all she was worth. "Who are you, bitch?" seemed to come from her eyes. I took a step back and let her approach, she was interested in the tall, white flowers that grow near the fence. When she'd eaten all she could reach, I got more and handed them over, submissive like and hoping she didn't shout "STAMPEDE HER!" to the others. I was surprised when she didn't attack me, no, suddenly every other cow in the field walked up to stand at the fence, and beg for some flowers. 

I stood there for ages (more like 30 minutes) handing flowers to grateful heifers. I took photo after photo until it started raining. I said good bye and was on my way. When I looked behind me, there were about 15 cows trying to follow me, at least as far as their side fence would allow. When I turned around, all I heard was "Mmmmooooo!". 

It made ME smile. I also won't be eating red meat too soon. I remembered why I stopped eating meat all those years ago, these gentle giants put their faith in us to shelter and feed them, to care for them. How do we return the favor of their trust?  

This isn't a moral soapbox and I'm sure I'll fail in yet another attempt to follow my heart and give up eating red meat, I know I know...chicken is meat too, but you get the point. I know better, but I am, as ever, failingly human. 

And thus here I am, one of my favorite philosophers, one of my favorite quotes:

“Compassion for animals is intimately associated with goodness of character, and it may be confidently asserted that he who is cruel to animals cannot be a good man.” 

- Arthur Schopenhauer 

There's no excuse...

Day??

It's hard to maintain a (daily) photography blog when you don't take new photos. Case in point: this blog is suffering from lack of love and attention. But, I have an excuse...

Last week my dog was unwell. He was in a lot of pain and every time he ate, he would cry out and whimper. The vet is fairly sure he has some kind of ulcer. Getting him back on track has been a work out. Boiling chicken and rice on a daily basis is a bit beyond my abilities as a cook. In other words, I didn't even know HOW to boil chicken and rice. And I burned the rice the first three days. Not a good thing for a food snob of a dog.

Dog is back to fighting normal now, asking to eat and demanding food. That means I had to leave the house today to find some new photos.

This photo is of some flowers that I honestly don't know what they're called. How's THAT for a grammatically awkward sentence? I like this photo. It's mild and a bit fresh. It's green, but grey and it's delicate. It reminds me of my wedding colors. It's not a GREAT photo. I just like it.

Tomorrow I shall find a challenge. Today was just not that day. I've got a lot on my mind and I'm homesick for California and all that I love back home today. It's not an excuse, it's a reason.

Have a lovely week...thanks for reading.