Munching

Another view of Fair Head, from the Antrim Coast Road this time.

Nikon/HP5+/ID-11...plenty of grain in this one.  Not many trees around this part of the world - on account, no doubt, of the prevailing winds.  Sheep minding their own business, just getting on with the munching thing, as they do.

Concentrating

A wee moment in time, as those snaps usually are, of course.  Here she is, at her homework.  Note - the writing on the back of the hand, the earphones plugged in, phone nearby and music on.  I don't know about that last thing, actually - I need silence to concentrate, but I know that a lot of others like a bit of background music, Missy included.

On the Nikon, HP5+ and ID-11.

Getting there

OK So my wife finally got released from hospital last night.  Sometimes I wonder about these surgical types, I really do.  What we get told and what the letter to her doctor says are, how shall I put it, somewhat different.  However, she's on the mend and that's the main thing.

A photograph, from a while ago - they're all from a while ago at the minute, truth be told.

Portstewart Strand - but then you knew that already I think.  I kind of sat on this one a while but looking back at it I've decided I like the lines in it.  Now that's a typical Northern Irish sort of sky, it has to be said.  At any time of year.  On the Square-Cam, via HP5+ and ID-11.

Fingers crossed

Not much happening here, on account of Mrs NE Liberties being hospitalised again, 2 weeks after the operation to remove her gall bladder.  Tricky things to extract, it appears.  On this occasion there was a small bleed from the liver, which can happen, we are informed.  They got the bleeding stopped OK during the procedure, but some of the blood is now sloshing around where it shouldn't normally be and this blood has now got infected.  Which has also caused problems with her lungs.  In hindsight they might have been better doing the procedure in the traditional way, rather then laparoscopically.  But anyway, we have to deal with things as they are now.  In spite of being in hospital since Friday last and being on IV antibiotics, pain relief, nebuliser there really hasn't been much material change in my wife's condition.  Temperature still high, as are pain levels.  They won't put a drain in due to the proximity of the blood to some fairly important organs, so we have to be patient.  Which is all well and good for the rest of us, not so good for my wife.

Still at Ballycastle, looking East.  An unusual snap for this part of the world - no clouds.

So I'm in charge at home again.  And that means little time for anything photographically-speaking.  So it's the odd snap now and again until things get back to normal - which will hopefully be soon.  Fingers crossed.

Fair Head

Fair Head, as seen from Ballycastle:

Not sure what the line is going across this snap - could be a power cable, could be a scanning thing.  Dunno.  I didn't notice it when snapping the snapper-thing...probably too worried about getting something interesting on the shot.  D'ya like the arty-sculpture thing?  Pretty good, I reckon.  Sympathetic to the surroundings.  

So, in the distance there is Fair Head, aka Benmore, or An Bhinn Mhór, if you prefer your placenames in Gaelic.  Which means, I am led to believe, The Big Peak, or Big Tip.  Sounds about right to me.

The other name, Fair Head, has a typically Irish bit of folklore attached to it.  The story goes something like this.  Once upon a time, on Rathlin Island (just across the water from Ballycastle) there lived a young girl of great beauty, with long blond hair.  As is usual, she caught the eye of two young men, who both wanted her hand in marriage.  Naturally enough, there wasn't much love lost between them and at a feast on the island their hatred turned to rage. A fight ensued.  Some time later, one was mortally wounded and as he lay dying, he made his supporters promise to extract revenge.  The victor called for music and dancing, to celebrate his forthcoming betrothal.  One of the dead man's friends swept the young lady up in his arms, twirling her around to the music.  Faster and faster they danced, closer and closer to a cliff edge until he flung her over the cliff into the sea.  Her body, so the legend goes, was washed up at the foot of the cliff now known as Fair Head.

Whatever it's called, there it lies.  You might recall seeing it before, from Rathlin - albeit some time ago and from a different perspective.

On Club Competitions

I was interested in a post on Mr Karlsvik's site the other day, when he happened to mention about wasting film - in relation to his use of the Diana camera I think it was.  It got me thinking.

I do think, occasionally.  Recently with this Photographic Club thing I've been thinking a lot.  About competitions - yup, I know, the lifeblood of the Camera Club scene.  There are open competitions every so often (any subject) and there are the odd specialist competitions from time to time.  The next one is 'Textures',  There's also the Will McCrum Memorial Cup, which is all about portraits.  I doubt if I'll make that one, though, since the deadline is early next week and I'm really not organised enough to get a print to Belfast in that time.

Down by the sea in Portstewart the other week.  Pretty calm, it was.  The Square-Cam, on HP5/ID-11.

As I said, Mr Karlsvik's post got me a-thinking.  I'm not wasting as much film as usual these days.  Has this, I wonder to myself, anything to do with the Club Thing?  All I'm thinking about these days is 'Textures'.  OK so a bit of a challenge and focus can be good, but not if it's all-consuming.  And do I really want to go down the inter-club competition route at all?  I mean, does the whole thing just get too competitive then? Perhaps that's the point!  I'm comfortable doing the FADU monthly print exchange - I mean, there's no competition there...I send off a print of anything that I like, get some supportive comments posted online and do the same with a print I receive from another member in the post.  All very friendly and it gives you a gentle nudge to get printing something every month.  Maybe that's all I want.  Maybe that's all I need.

I dunno.  All this competition melarky.  I see from comments on the Club's FB page how some people react to getting a 'Starred Print', or 'A Mention'.  Fair play to them.  I've lived long enough to know that the real competition is with myself - hence the low standards you see on this place.  So I'm not sure how this will play out - probably I should just shut up and get on with it, grow the skin a bit thicker maybe.  I'll keep you posted.

The Fruit Shop

Ballycastle, on the North Antrim coast of Ulster - you know, the place where you get the ferry to Rathlin from:

The Fruit Shop, with Holy Trinity Church in the background, sometime in the early autumn of '16.  Note the strong shadows and clear sky - most unusual.