#The100DayProject: day 16

I nearly took a break today. I’ve done something to strain my right arm — no idea what — and carrying the camera for too long is enough to exacerbate it. Also the return of the sun, along with unaccustomed warmth, was enough to remind me that I haven’t bought a fresh supply of sunscreen this year (I only ever complained about the lack of sun, not heat). But it’s quite pleasant outside right now, so I grabbed a quick snap of this lonely solar bulb hanging on our fence. We used to have a pink one to go with it; I know it got blown off its hook during a particularly windy episode, but as for what happened to it after that…

day 16/100 — #100daysofleavingthehousewithacamera – #the100dayproject

#The100DayProject: day 15

I am determined to get a good photo of these flowers; this one is a definite improvement over previous attempts. Not sure what it is — my brain says “pink magnolia”, though not with any level of confidence — but it’s a welcome splash of colour on yet another grey (and windy) day.

day 15/100 — #100daysofleavingthehousewithacamera – #the100dayproject

#The100DayProject: day 14

Feeling uninspired today, but I still persuaded myself to go out for a walk around the local rec. It’s surprising just how many padlocks there are when you look… you seen one, then another, and another… Though it’s the rusty metal textures that appeal to me here.

day 14/100 — #100daysofleavingthehousewithacamera – #the100dayproject

#The100DayProject: day 13

Well, the sunshine didn’t last long. Back to miserable grey skies which are clearly visible through the bare branches of this tree. I love looking up into trees and this is a particularly impressive specimen on the edge of the local recreation ground.

I used to be able to identify trees, but that’s a skill that has almost completely abandoned me — especially when there are no leaves to help — this one does have rather distinctive bark patterns though.

day 13/100 — #100daysofleavingthehousewithacamera – #the100dayproject

#The100DayProject: day 12

After so many completely grey days with not the slightest hint of blue in the sky, there was really nothing else I could share a photograph of today.

Now if only I could stop seeing that middle cloud as Snoopy…

day 12/100 — #100daysofleavingthehousewithacamera – #the100dayproject

#The100DayProject: day 11

Just to show that it’s not all owls in the garden, here’s Godzilla of gnomes. Absolutely the only way gnomes are getting anywhere near my house, and even then…

day 11/100 — #100daysofleavingthehousewithacamera – #the100dayproject

#The100DayProject: day 10

I don’t know what I’ve done, but my right arm and shoulder are particularly painful at the moment and painkillers aren’t helping. That, combined with yet another grey day, rather dampened my enthusiasm for wandering the streets today. I still got the camera out though and took this pic of the pattern on another of our garden owls.

day 10/100 — #100daysofleavingthehousewithacamera – #the100dayproject

#The100DayProject: day 9

In spite of the seemingly never-ending greyness, I am quite enjoying wandering the local streets in search of interesting textures and pretty flowers. My knee isn’t quite so happy about the walking, but apparently exercise is good for you…

day 9/100 — #100daysofleavingthehousewithacamera – #the100dayproject

#The100DayProject: day 8

Another dull day weather-wise, but at least it wasn’t raining this afternoon so I went out for a wander around one of the local recreation grounds. Lots of lovely textures, but I thought I’d counter the greyness of the day with this shot of bright yellow.

day 8/100 — #100daysofleavingthehousewithacamera – #the100dayproject

#The100DayProject: day 7

It well and truly is April. If we don’t start getting some spring sunshine to go with the April showers soon then I may well have to rethink the challenge. The idea was to give me a reason to get out of the house, if only for a short time, each day. But it is almost making it harder: now it’s not just “leave the house”, it’s “leave the house and find something that isn’t going to look miserable in this horrid grey light”.

Now, I happen to like today’s photo. I love textures and details and decay and there’s a lot of that in this image, along with those tiny sprigs of green poking out. But the only other photo I took was this:

It’s not just grey, it’s uniformly grey. Solid cloud cover. No texture. No variation. The only reason I included the top of the tree was to prove that I hadn’t just photographed a sheet of grey card. And the forecast for the next week seems to be filled with more of the same: “mostly cloudy” and “overcast”.

So I’m pondering how I can change this into something I will enjoy doing every day. I’m definitely happy to have picked up a camera again for something other than photographing my cards and art for my other blog. And it’s good to have woken this blog up again (and yes, I will do ratty updates). But I need to stop this challenge becoming just another thing on the todo list…

day 7/100 — #100daysofleavingthehousewithacamera – #the100dayproject