31st July

I drove over to have dinner in Sevenoaks this evening and was early so I sat around taking a few shots.

I enjoyed this view of an unusual wind vane with the clock - it's just a shame we didn't have a bit more sun.

30th July

No real excuses today. I'm just running out of inspiration. I even went out for a walk today and came back having not taken any photos. Oh well, there's always tomorrow.

29th July

After the long weekend's exertions I've been lazy today, hence this uninspiring photo of some more flowers in the flat...

28th July

This afternoon, Trailwalker was finally completed by the team, about 29 hours and 25 minutes after they started. This was an amazing achievement for a team that hadn't ever attempted a challenge like it and, as they crossed the finishing line on Sunday afternoon, you can really see that they were proud of their achievements.

I was stunned by the whole team's determination to complete the course and enjoyed supporting them, despite the lack of sleep!

27th July

In a fit of madness I agreed to be part of the support crew for my friends on Trailwalker - a real challenge in which teams of 4 attempt to walk 100km within a time limit of 30 hours.

Having taken over the support duties at about 8.30pm and fed and watered the team at about 9.15pm, we drove over the hills and through the dark of the night along very narrow roads to Checkpoint 6.

The team made it here some time after midnight so, as I waited with a friend I took a few shots. This was quite a challenge in the dark field in the middle of nowhere but this photo of some long grass illuminated by a distant floodlight and jostled by the wind is an unusual view.

26th July

I'm still enjoying walks across the meadow. It would seem today that the wind is in the direction that means that Heathrow flights are heading our way as there were a lot of vapour trails amongst the clouds. A very tranquil skyscape.

25th July

I'm working on my low-light photography amongst other things. It turns out that I can actually hold a camera still for quite a long time - as this shot demonstrates...

24th July

Still more plants and flowers in the flat! Here's an unusual bunch of daisies. At least I think they are daisies...

23rd July

On a walk this morning I came across a small waterfall. Having spent a long time just watching it and taking a variety of different photos, this one came out as my winner.

22nd July

With lots to do today I ended up taking this photo, which could quite easily be the backdrop of a computer from the nineties.

That doesn't make it one of best...

21st July

I've taken a few photos of the moon recently. Today I thought I'd try to see if I can actually take a good photo of the moon exclusively.

Not too bad...

20th July

There were a lot of plants in the flat today. I'm getting bored of the usual shots so I've started looking for unusual views.

19th July

At sunset today I drove up to Ranmore Common to sit in one of my favourite places, Denbies Hillside. There are always amazing views of Dorking, Westcott, Box Hill and the North Downs.

I managed to get an interesting view of the moon against a sunset haze.

18th July

I'm on holiday from work. So today I filled the day with 'important' chores and a long bike-run session. Then I went out to the pub. I'm sure I managed to do a lot of other crucial things too.

Nevertheless, here's a photo I took post-pub of the dining room. It's dull, but I was trying to see how well I could get the photo using just the light from the kitchen.

17th July

I took the camera into London again today. I decided to visit the Tate Britain and enjoyed seeing the wide range of pieces on display. Sadly, you aren't allowed to take photos in the galleries.

Fortunately, there is a very atmospherically-lit hallway on the upper level with arches. The people are walking from one gallery to another, enjoying an inspirational morning.

16th July

A long day today, so I've ended up taking a shot of my mint plant at dusk. It's survived so long that it's starting to bud.

15th July

Since the start of this project, I've been meaning to get to a local heath. It's an interesting spot as there are fir trees there surrounding a sand pit. I think the photo explains all really but it's a fascinating place - certainly doesn't feel like you're in the local area when wandering here.

14th July

I went for a walk along a section of the river that I haven't been along before. The views were pleasant but I saw a lot of flying insects around a bush and was more pleased with this than any of the landscapes. Probably a bit more interesting too...

13th July

It was very hot today, hardly an ideal day for a triathlon. Nonetheless, it actually went very well. I spent most of the day preparing for the event, racing, recovering and then driving home through sunny day traffic on the motorway.

To illustrate the heat today, I returned home to this sight.

You know it's been a hot day when the cactus looks like it's suffering...

12th July

Alongside this project, and at times to the detriment of this project, I've been training for triathlons. I've taken one shot of my bike at one point but, with my first event coming up tomorrow, this photo pretty much sums up my day today.

11th July

Wandering home this afternoon I noticed the way that the bricks were arranged beneath this railway bridge. At one point there were straight lines across the base of the bridge but at other points they were diagonal, making the illusion of a spiral.

I'm not sure how well you can see the impact, but it's certainly different to some of the views I've been shooting lately.

10th July

Not so much time today, so I popped out at sunset again. It was a bit later than yesterday, as you can tell from this view of some pine trees.

9th July

I was in the meadow at sunset today and tried to fiddle with the camera settings to get the full effects of the light. I think I had some success here.

8th July

Once again, I was taking photos for work today. A lot of photos.

Unfortunately I can't post my piece de resistance today as it's going to be used in a much more public forum than this - the school's magazine front cover.

7th July

The nearby meadow is turning out to be one of my favourite places. I find myself regularly coming across different animals and today I tried to do some dragonfly-spotting. The little things move so incredibly quickly that the only photos I even got close to taking were of this chap who fortunately sat still for me.

6th July

It was Speech Day at work today and I was on photo duty all day. I took about 400 and here is the first one of the day.

5th July

Another ridiculous day today. Another rubbish photo. At least it's unusual and different...

4th July

Another walk in the meadow, another animal seen. Today I spent some time butterfly-spotting and this was my best attempt - they don't half move quickly...

3rd July

The flowers are dying. However, this unusual white flower is still alive and produces a starburst-like effect.

2nd July

Having had a wisdom tooth pulled out this afternoon, I wasn't really in the mood to take photos. Or do anything for that matter, except perhaps go back in time a few hours...

Nonetheless, I tried to sum up the contrast between the small plant inside the flat and the large tree outside. With moderate success...

1st July

Today was another mad day at work. The view from the window wasn't even that exciting but it was nice to see some greenery surviving the suddenly tropical temperatures.