JohnP

Thank you both! My wife Pamela died at 9.30pm on Wednesday. I have been her full time carer for nearly 15 months. During this time besides looking after her at home I drove her to the QE Hospital in Birmingham 53 times (100 miles round trip each time) for treatment and scans.

This is just a short post to say I am sorry about my extremely long absence from the forum. I will explain in more detail later. I have been caring for my wife for 14 months, she has terminal cancer and she went into a hospice yesterday and is expected to pass away very soon... possibly today! So goodbye for now I will be back in a few days... Hopefully! Regards, John.

I made a video.

Well caught Polly!

Thanks Cheryl & Polly! Cheryl... The eclipse started just after 10am and peaked just before 11am, it ended at about 11:50am. I took 51 shots which was far more than I needed... I've never been known for doing anything without going over the top... I used a home made filter using solar photographic sheet cut to fit into a filter ring with the glass removed. Proper filters are too expensive and would not get much use.

Taken from my garden. Panasonic DMC-FZ2000.

Panasonic DMC-FZ2000.

Brilliant capture...

Brilliant captures Paul... Not my favourite insect but they don't bother me!

I think I have the correct ID. Anyway it's very young and it seemed to like the Begonias in my garden, I'm not sure if No5 is the same species, that one was also on a Begonia plant, it looks more mature than the other one. if anyone would like to do a positive ID... feel free! Panasonic DMC-FZ2000.

In order to take part in the forum I sometimes have post something from my files as getting out in not so easy right now. Here's an oldie from my files.

Well done Polly! It's a metal watch strap link pin remover used to shorten bracelet type watch straps.

You are sort of heading the right direction... Think much smaller!

Nope!

OK! ... What is this?

When I was just a kid I remember my grandad using one, I seem to remember him putting the end of the sprayer into a bucket of mixed spray and pulling on the handle to draw fluid into the sprayer and then pushing the knob back into the sprayer to squirt out the fluid.

Taken from my garden a while ago. Panasonic DMC-FZ2000.

A vintage garden sprayer.

An automatic wooden gate closer?

My friend has seen four Hedgehogs in her garden all at the same time on several occasions, food is put in her three hedgehog houses for them every evening.

The Hedgehog house I made for my friend gets used regularly, this shot was taken by her using her phone early this morning.

Wood Whites are quite rare, I took these shots in June at a site about 10 miles from home... They seem to be doing well there! They are not the best shots I've ever taken of Wood Whites but I had to take them as going out is not so easy these days due to my bad feet. Panasonic DMC-FZ2000.

Polly... Speckled Wood butterflies are hardly ever seen out in the open in direct sunshine, they are almost always seen where the sun is coming through gaps in the overhead tree cover. Just before taking these shots I had been talking to a lady who was sitting on a bench, she asked me what I was hoping to photograph. I said there was a good place about 50 yards away where I usually see Speckled Woods, I carried on to the spot and I took these shots straightaway, I went back to her and showed her the shots... She was impressed...

Well done Paul.