Nearly Bonfire Night!!

It's nearly bonfire night and I thought it was time to try out my remote control again, while Margaret wielded the sparkler.. it took a few goes of backward letters etc but she got there in the end!!!

Another photo on the Kew website

This one is entitled Hands that do dishes....It's on the top ten on the Kew Gardens photos from 26th October

Paris Day 1 22-10-2007

Half term holidays at last and I took Jamie and Thomas to Paris with my friend Margaret. The weather was predicted to be glorious, so we were looking forward to taking some lovely photos (well one of us was!). We arrived at our hotel at about 2pm and headed straight out (up the hill) to Sacre Coeur. It's the best way to start any visit to Paris! and the steps down from Sacre Coeur, the other three were keen on using the funicular a few yards away, but I told them I couldn't afford it, in reality I just wanted to take some more photos.

La Place du Tertre is directly behind Sacre Coeur, and full of artists stalls, selling the most expensive paintings in Paris!!!

And this is the making of possibly the tastiest Chocolate Crepe of all time just off La Place du Tertre

and it wasn't just me that liked the look of Thomas' crepe. . .

After all the walking up hills that afternoon, the boys would have been happy to slob, but their cruel cruel mother dragged them down to Montparnasse and up the Tower to the Terrace on the 59th Floor. The views were breathtaking and I wish I could do them justice. I'll start with my favourite photo which was actually the last that I took at 8pm when the Eiffel Tower was sparkling (see tomorrow)
This was the view when we arrived on the roof, of the Eiffel Tower

and the view of Les Invalides

and the Arc De Triomphe as it lit up

and the Wheel on La Place de Concorde, the building all lit up, no doubt rasing Global Warming a few notches, is , as will be no surprise to anyone, The Embassy of the United States of America!!

After I had put Margaret and the boys to bed, I wandered down to Pigalle to see the lights and of course the Moulin Rouge!

Paris Day 2 (day) 23-10-2007

Day two and we were up early and off to Bir Hakeim, the tube station next to the Eiffel Tower. The Eiffel Tower needs no intoduction from me... However I do like this photo, you couldn't actually SEE the Eiffel Tower, just this refelction in the window! Spooky! But around the corner, there was no missing it!

I took dozens of these types of photos and none of them seemed to work terribly well. The fretwork (is that what it is called) is just glorious

First shadow of the trip..... The Eiffel Tower shadow lying across the Trocadero

It was a glorious day, but misty too, which I loved. This is a view of Les Invalides with the Parnethon in the distance

The Arc De Triomphe with Paris at it's feet

From the highest viewing platform, this is the view of the top of The Eiffel Tower

Having pretty much exhausted the Eiffel Tower, we made our way to the Isle de la Cite and Notre Dame. Jamie and I bravely climbed the 280 (yes you heard me right... 280) steps to the Gargoyles... but they were lovely... just like looking in a mirror. I tried to do some clever things with the gargoyles and the Eiffel Tower but to be honest after 280 steps my heart just wasn't in it (it wasn't beating very well either at that point!)

Paris Day 2 (evening), 23-10-2007

You thought Day Two was over didn't you!! Sorry! That evening we had been invited to eat with the Astwoods. I had been disappointed the evening before to have missed sunset from the Montparnasse Tower, so much to the disgust of my foot weary companions, I declared that the Montparnasse Tower was 'Just round the corner' from the Astwoods and that we should get there for sunset. Poor things had no option but to agree! For the first half an hour I was the only person up on the terrace.. It was magical. . . . .

A view of the restaurants below, getting ready for evening trade

A view of the Place De Concorde, with the wheel lit up and Cleopatra's Needle lit up by the American Embassy.

Directly below the Montparnasse Tower is La Gare Montparnasse, I loved the tracks leading from seemingly nowhere. Sadly was battling against the setting sun, but quite like the overall effect

Oh dear, time for the second shadow of the day. It is said that you get the very best view of Paris from the Montparnasse Tower, mainly because it is the only place in Paris that you can't SEE the Montparnasse tower. But you know that I can never resist a good shadow, however unattractive the shadow may be!

View of the Eiffel Tower and the City behind, just to the north of the setting sun

On the hour the Eiffel Tower sparkles like a Christmas Tree, Nit sure if this is a permanent thing of for the World Cup, but is sure is pretty!

and sorry three rather cheesy sunsets. The sun was setting beautifully over Paris, but sadly over a really pants bit of Paris. Not a single nice thing to focus on... so these are people watching the sunset on the Montparnasse Tower...

Paris Day 3 24-10-07

Oh dear, the final day came around far too fast. We started out early to go to the Louvre, although we did not manage to beat the queues.. what time to these people get up??. I have never been a great fan of the pyramid, but today the sun was shining and it felt OK!

Why do so many people go to the Louvre? To see my favourite painting teh Lacemaker?, My second favourite the Astromoner?? Possibly at a pinch the Venus de Milo??? no, all these Philistines just want to see Mona Lisa.... Come on, she isn't even pleased to see you......

and with that it's off for a stroll through Les Tuileries.....

We then walked from the Louvre to through the Jardins des Tuileries towards la Place de Concorde. Any reader of this blog knows how much I love the London Eye. Well Paris hae an equivalent... However this is a fairground ride, in open carousels, that stop at the tp to let passengers one and frighten the *@#* out of me.. however it was a lovely day and I didn't yet have a decent picture of the Arc De Triomphe!

At last a shot of teh Arc De Triomphe and the Champs Elysee.

The view of Sacre Coeur dominates the skyline from allover Paris, however to get this picture I had to twist in my seat which made outpod lurch violently from side to side, and nearly deposited my breakfast on an innocent passer-by below!

The wheel up close... just see that rust!!!!!

Another shadow... sorry!

and looking back as we crossed the Place de Concorde, you will never know how close you came to losing me!!

and sadly that was that... Our wonderful three days was over...

I'm in Paris!!!

Have taken so many photos it will take me weeks to sort them out.... but am back tomorrow, meanwhile, here is un petit cadeau to say 'Wish you were here'!

Ooooh now I'm so excited I could burst!!!!

Oh I am such a happy bunny tonight.. hot on the heels of seeing my photo in the top 10 on the aol site, I had a message from Kew Gardens, to say that one of my photos of the Henry Moore Exhibition had been included in this week's showcase. They chose 10 photographs each week. I am so pleased, I am doing a little chair dance here. This is my photo of the Goslar warrior. . . . .
http://www.kew.org/henry-moore/create/photoshowcase.shtml

I'm so excited

After months of sending photos here there and everywhere, one of my photos has finally made a shortlist. Entitled Mirro Mirror, I don't think it's particularly one of my best... but who cares.... yippeeeee!!