Christmas and still going strong......

Hiya again everyone!
It IS rather strange that I am working on my Christmas at St. Hils.............especially since the weather is still quite warm and we are nearer to our Harvest Festival celebration!  However you will be interested to know that I have been very busy making up carol books sent to me by Frances of Buttercup Miniatures especially for St. Hilary's Christmas celebrations this year - thank you Frances!  I am trying not to give away too much here but I guess you won't be surprised if  I tell you that the story involves some singing somewhere?!!!

As a taster I will let you see this sprited out part of a photo which was taken from one of my latest photoshoots tonight before the light was too bad.  WHY I should find more work for myself after a full day in the office though - I have no idea!

My new Canon Ixus 980 is really expanding my photographic horizons in St. Hils because I can control virtually everything.  Shutter speeds of over a second and more with the use of a 10 second timer to avoid any camera shake even when set on a tripod mean so much more flexibility in terms of brightness of photo without any use of a daylight bulb.  I have some control on which "F" number I use too  (Andrew tries to explain what that is all about - something to do with depth of focus apparently and the higher the number - the more depth)

Sadly you can see here that Tinker is trying to have a look inside the box to see how many carol books they have been given but it is too high for her!

I do get friends and family comment on my love of wild life and pets IN church...........never quite sure if they fully approve or not............?!!!!  As a regular church goer myself any accidental visit by local wildlife is usually met with panic and attempts to get the poor creature out at the end of the service if not before - but in St. Hils I encourage them to come IN not OUT!  I know some mention the unmentionable in terms of the inevitable - but all I have to say here is......ALL our pets and wildlife are VERY well trained!

I have a particular love for all kinds of ducks so it was a gift to me when I found that Tiny Tails Miniatures (at one of the Miniatura shows at the Birmingham NEC) made Mallard ducks, both duck and drake.  And of course their names are highly eccentric - but why not?  I LOVE to pick names that are unusual and the idea of a duck called Esme and a drake called Ernest tickled me for some strange reason.

A work friend has even suggested we have "bats in the belfry"....ummmmmmm..................will have to hunt for some at the next Miniatura this coming October for those.............

Well - that is all for now folks.........keep coming back to see what other things are occupying me in the name of St. Hils.............