Sunday, May 2, 2021

Camera and Cemetery


I took the dog and the newly-repaired camera to Hampstead Cemetery yesterday and had some fun taking pictures. Although the iPhone is fine in a pinch, I much prefer my big camera, which allows me to control for things like depth of field (giving me a blurry background above, for example) and allows me to use my zoom and macro lenses.


This area is at the very back of the cemetery, where someone has recently done a lot of clearing -- basically trying to reclaim it from the forest. I have mixed feelings about this, because that forest is undoubtedly good habitat for critters, but I guess if I were there to visit the graves I wouldn't want them to be inaccessible. (I think most of the graves in this area are pretty old -- 100 years or so.)


Olga enjoyed being out, but she was feeling quite leisurely. There was a lot of lolling around in the grass. The squirrels had nothing to fear.


Here's another pattern of lichen growth and weathering on the back of one of the gravestones.


Hampstead Cemetery is apparently known for its large quantity of Celtic crosses.


Finally, here's some wild garlic mustard, a common wildflower also known as jack-in-the-hedge. Some people consider it a weed but it's easy to pull up if you don't like it, and it's good food for certain butterfly species.

Speaking of weeds, I did some gardening yesterday morning, pricking out more foxglove seedlings into trays with individual compartments. I have nine trays of six plants each, so we should have plenty of foxgloves! And I still have a boatload of tiny seedlings in the original seed tray. I say this every year but WHY DID I PLANT SO MANY?!

I also planted a tray of sunflower seeds and a tray of jimsonweed. Apparently I was supposed to soak the jimsonweed seeds first, and I didn't do that, so we'll see how that goes. I have extras of both if these don't work.

Finally, I tried to thin the poppy seedlings in the pot, but they're planted so thickly I can't even discern individual plants! I just took out clumps here and there to try to create some space. I think Darwin is going to have to handle the culling in that particular situation. Hopefully they won't all die, but again, I planted too many, so let this be a lesson for me.

42 comments:

Yorkshire Pudding said...

Cool picture of Olga in the grass. I looked for something controversial or debatable in this blogpost but could not find a thing.

Susan said...

Steve, your photographs are beautiful. It's certainly more than just a good camera - you have an artistic eye.

Tasker Dunham said...

We bought a packet of foxglove seeds, it must be 25 years ago, and they have re-seeded themselves all over the garden ever since. Some years there are lots of them everywhere and we have to pull them up, other years (like this) only half a dozen which we transplant back to the same border. They used to be all different colours but they're now almost all the standard wild colour.

David said...

Great photo of the tree blossom. Worth taking the camera with you just for that shot.

Debby said...

Here garlic mustard is considered an invasive, that it will choke out all other growth. I don't get all rattled about it, myself. I don't see that it is going to take over the world, or anything. (I am much more upset by knotweed, which grows so quickly behind the houses along the river. Give that stuff a week and it is knocking on the door) I find it very interesting to see how our humble garlic mustard is looked at from other countries (it was said to have been brought over on the Mayflower by pilgrims...who were, as it turned out, the real invasives.)

Bob said...

I kind of think if someone was going to clean out the forest around those old headstones, maybe they should fix the headstones so they aren't leaning over?

Moe importantly, Olga's face in the grass is goregous!

Anonymous said...

Nice photo of Olga in the grass there, and I love the lichen pattern on that gravestone.
Good idea to let Darwin handle the abundance of seedlings. I'll have to remember that.

Sharon said...

A great set of photos from the newly repaired camera! I LOVE the one of Olga in the weeds.

Moving with Mitchell said...

Well you and the camera are obviously in perfect form. Beautiful photos... and of course Olga!

Margaret said...

Love the photo of Olga peeking over the grass. I can understand why you prefer your camera although that's exactly why I would struggle. (too many decisions and lens)

Edna B said...

Hopefully, while cleaning out the spaces by the grave stones, the rest of the growth will be left for the wildlife. As long as folks can get to the grave in question, I think the rest of the stuff growing should be left to grow. Of course, that's just my two cents worth. Enjoy your day, hugs, Edna B.

Allison said...

Great picture of Olga in the grass. I just looked up knot weed, which really is a scourge. Right up there with kudzu.

Ms. Moon said...

I know you're happy to have your camera back in your possession.
Sweet Olga! She does look like she's enjoying her leisurely walk and gambol.

Linda Sue said...

Must agree, Olga !!
Here is a song for you.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cKttOv7YQ8&ab_channel=VestonBruno
Pretty sure you dress like one of those book people/ monster to do your work...

Janie Junebug said...

Olga is as pretty as can be. I thought the photos taken with your phone were great, but now that we return to photos taken with the camera, I see the superiority of the camera.

Love,
Janie

ellen abbott said...

love the photos of the cemetery. what's the pink flowers in the top pic?

you ought to just sow the poppy seeds in the ground instead of a pot.

Catalyst said...

Good photos! I love the one of Olga peeking out from her hiding place in the tall grass. Apparently a lot of other folks did, too.

Beth Reed said...

Hey Steve, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth but have been up to my neck in establishing new patient appointments now that I have moved to Nevada and had to wait on a lot of things for my new insurance to take effect and then it was filling out 15-17 pages of electronic new patient packets to scan and upload and after all of that I didn't want anything to do with my computer lol. Then I had several appointments that I had to take care of. My hand needed x-rays and I had to have lab work done and on and on it goes. Of course I will do what I have to do since having a heart attack is a really big deal.
I am very glad that you have your camera repaired and that you are able to use it to show your incredible photos. I just love the one of Olga in the tall grass. I'm not sure of the appeal but I never met a dog who doesn't enjoy tall grass or freshly cut grass to romp and roll in. Much better than romping in the mud lol.
Have a awesome day/evening and a great work week. I am going to try and be a bit more attentive to my blog friends and my blog. Yeah I know that I have said that before lol! Hugs to you and Olga!

gz said...

Different tools for different jobs...but good you have your camera back.
Foxglove seeds are so fine..almost like dust! It is difficult to sow just a few.

Ellen D. said...

The other Ellen knows more about gardens than I do! What she said!!

Steve Reed said...

I need to be more of a provocateur!

Steve Reed said...

Thank you! The camera helps a lot. :)

Steve Reed said...

Ours rarely seem to re-seed. Our soil is so hard and clayey (is that a word?) that seeds seem to have trouble getting a foothold, except for dock and various other weeds!

Steve Reed said...

Thanks! I liked that one too.

Steve Reed said...

It's a fairly aggressive weed, but I guess because it's native here, it's not considered invasive. (At least not that I've heard.) Japanese knotweed, on the other hand, is a nightmare, and if you get that on your property you're required by law to eradicate it.

Steve Reed said...

The English don't seem to worry too much about leaning headstones. They are a feature in many churchyards and cemeteries. These are leaning more than most, though!

Steve Reed said...

Well, we'll see how it goes. I suppose there's a risk that they'll all die.

Steve Reed said...

She's looking at me like, "Don't you have ENOUGH pictures of me?!"

Steve Reed said...

Thank you! Olga always steals the show.

Steve Reed said...

The only think I don't like about changing lenses is that it takes a few minutes, and sometimes your photo subject (a bird for example) will have flown by the time the new lens is ready!

Steve Reed said...

They do seem to be leaving some patches of woods, but I can't tell if that's on purpose or if they just haven't gotten to them yet.

Steve Reed said...

Yeah, knotweed is horrible. It's taken over whole mountains in Wales and western England.

Steve Reed said...

She seemed to have a good time, but she moves at such a slow pace these days.

Steve Reed said...

Ha! Great library video, and very '80s!

Steve Reed said...

Yeah, when you put them side by side, it's obvious that the camera can do so much more.

Steve Reed said...

Cherry blossoms in the top pic. I DO sow the poppies on the ground as well, but the seeds on the ground never sprout. (As I told Tasker above, I think our soil is too hard/compacted.) The ones I sprinkle in the big pot at the corner of the patio always sprout. I just sprinkled WAY too many this year.

Steve Reed said...

She's always very photogenic!

Steve Reed said...

Glad to hear from you, Beth, and I'm glad you're getting established in your new home! I can't wait to hear about your move!

Steve Reed said...

Exactly! I started trying to sow them sparingly but I lost control relatively quickly. LOL

Steve Reed said...

Yeah, poppies ARE supposed to be sown in place, but seeds on our ground never seem to work. We need to prepare the soil better and be a little more careful, I suppose.

Debby said...

How do they do that there, out of curiosity.

Sabine said...

Great photons!