Puppy Breath

In Your Bag
[Photo A Day June Prompt For "30 Things About Me" Series]

I promise!! I didn't put the puppy in my bag - although the thought did occur to me! My camera was in my bag - for a very important photo shoot.

Fact 17 About Me
I have never seen a newborn puppy. I am really thrilled that the first new born puppies I got to see were also very special to me. These puppies belong to Becky's litter mate. Meet Lil' Girl; the lone female with 4 brothers. She may be the tiniest but I am betting she is first to crawl out of the litter box!



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Procrastination

Out and About

[Photo A Day June Prompt For "30 Things About Me" Series]

Way behind here on my photo a day - but I will catch up! Day 16 was on the weekend and we had a bit of excitement happening! A very special litter of Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppies that are quite dear to my heart, were born. You can count on me to be posting a few puppy photos in the future!

Fact 16 About Me
Sad as it is, "procrastination" is a word I am chummy with. However I am also good friends with "stubborn", so my 30 photos will be posted eventually!

Blooper Photo ~ Where'd Da Ball Go?!

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Polo For Heart 2012

Yellow

[Photo A Day June Prompt For "30 Things About Me" Series]

It appears to be my month for horses - fine by me! This weekend I attended the annual fundraising event "Polo For Hearts" with a local group of 20 photographers. A great event for a great cause.  Everyone was dressed up (well except rebel me), there was a hat contest complete with the background music from "Pretty Woman", loads of shopping (score a new purse!) and the weather couldn't have been more perfect.

Fact 15 About Me

I was a little pressed to keep focused on the game or the task of photographing at this event! Reason being - it was such a fun event to just sit back and watch the game, enjoy the skydivers, and well SHOP. Why yes I did score a new purse! Shopping and horses and cameras - my kind of day!

All Eight Hooves In Flight!

Always Keep Your Eye On the Sky

EEKS! Watch Out For the Other Horse!

Scored!

My husband rolled his eyes and stared at me when he saw this. Not a clue what he is thinking...

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Learning Post Processing

BEFORE  |  AFTER

Time

[Photo A Day June Prompt For "30 Things About Me" Series]

Even though summer means longer days, I still seem to run out of time for everything I want to accomplish. So easy to click 300 photos - not so easy to sort through them, choose those to edit and then spend the time fine tuning them.

Fact 14 About Me

I am on a quest to learn post processing better. It is a very time consuming journey but with each little tool or tip I learn, I like the final results I am seeing in my photographs - little brighter, little sharper.

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Where I Go For Help
Campbridge In Colour
Kelby TV
Exposure Guide

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Ah the Connection Between Men & Wine

Men are like fine wine. They all start out like grapes, and it's our job to stomp on them in the dark until they mature into something you'd like to have dinner with. ~ Kathleen Mifsud

Art

[Photo A Day June Prompt For "30 Things About Me" Series]

The hardest part of taking this shot, was the two drooling dogs standing over me as I laid on the floor clicking away. I am lucky to have a large living room window plus a nice deep golden room paint that gives off a warm glow. Rather than photograph someone else's "Art" I decided to try my hand at creating my own.

Fact 13 About Me

I tend to be a little forgetful! Today was no exception. No matter how many times I tell myself to check my camera settings before I begin to shoot, I always seem to forget. Today's flub was, the ISO was set to 800. Trash the photos and start again. In the end since I decided to add a texture layer, I suppose the additional noise wouldn't have mattered that much.

[Thank you to Shadow House Creations for the textured background]

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Fabulous Friday

Low Angle Shot

From A Low Angle

[Photo A Day June Prompt For "30 Things About Me" Series]

We had rain all day. Finally at 6 o'clock the sun broke out. I grabbed my camera and laid on the wet grass just so I could get this shot.

Fact 12 About Me 
I love the smell of the air just after a rainfall. I think walks in a light, misty rain are refreshing. I loath the smell of worms. Actually I can't say I like the sight of them much either!

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Go Away

Door
[Photo A Day June Prompt For "30 Things About Me" Series]

Fact 11 About Me
I have a quirky sense of humour. I love my door mat. After visitors get over the initial shock upon reading it, it does help that two, very lovable and friendly greeters appear at the door. When I first brought it home, my husband was "Your NOT putting that at the front door?!" However, first visitor 10 minutes later was my neighbour. When I opened the door he exclaimed "I love your mat!". So at least I know, there are 2 of us with the same off beat sense of humor.

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Off to the Horse Races

Best Bit Of Your Weekend
[Photo A Day June Prompt For "30 Things About Me" Series]

What a weekend! Woofstock Saturday and Horse Racing Sunday! They were neck in neck for a bit but on the long stretch, the horses won out as the best photo (and fun) of the weekend! I really love the dirt flying and can just feel the hooves pounding the ground in my favourite photo of the week.

Fact 10 About Me
I used to compete in Equestian Hunter competitions. One of my horses was a chestnut thoroughbred mare named "Gossip" very similar to this beauty. I know my new interest in training Becky in Rally draws on my past experience as a rider and showing my horses. Both require a patience, understanding of animal behaviour and most important, the desire to work as a team.



Getting Ready For the Big Race





Pre-Race Jitters!



Chomping At the Bit





And There Off!



Working Hard Right To the Finish Line.



It Will Be Close!



Heading To The Winners Circle!

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Woofstock 2012

Your View Today
[Photo A Day June Prompt for "Learn 30 Things About Me" Series]

For the last 4 years in downtown Toronto, the streets are closed on Front Street and taken over by the dogs! Woofstock was this weekend and I meant to do some serious dog paraphernalia shopping. That meant I had no desire to lug a heavy camera about. Iphone to the rescue for today's "Learn 30 Things About Me".

Fact 9 About Me
Today I met the sweetest Hananese but due to the heat and crowds I opted to leave Kodee and Becky at home. They made the usual fuss about my return home for split second till they caught the aroma of Apple, Blueberry and Banana cookies from The Barkery.
I see where I stand. Suddenly I was forgotten and tossed aside for a cookie.
Fact -I used to dote on my girls too much people told me. They grew up. Insisted on being independant. Fine. So I now dote on the dogs.

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Turkey Vulture

6 O'Clock

[Photo A Day June Prompt For "30 Things About Me" Series]

A little cheat here! These photographs were taken mid day but post processed around 6. The Second Marsh has great high, platforms built to help you photograph the abundant wildlife.

The SECOND MARSH WILDLIFE AREA is a 123 ha coastal wetland located in the southeast portion of Oshawa, (Regional Municipality of Durham), Ontario, Canada. 



Fact 8 About Me
The skies where jumping with colour and clouds. Quite peaceful, till I had that ugly faced Turkey Vulture  lurking over my head. My husband loves to photograph landscapes, planes and birds. I detest standing in a field for hours waiting for "that shot". But he endures my dog events so I endure a look out station a few times a year. All I can say is on THIS day - thank goodness for good Iphone reception and facebook.

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Waterford Antique Market

Drink

[Photo A Day June Prompt For "30 Things About Me" Series]

Tea <3 My daughter would say, tea in a teacup tastes better but I think traditional tea cups are just too small!

My youngest daughter first saw "Royal Albert Bone China" while working at a Museum and has vowed to one day own a teacup from the "Old Country Rose" pattern.

Perhaps she is an old soul, in a young body because she was enthralled to add this teacup to her collection.The "Old Country Rose" pattern has a variety of styles of teacups and the one she spotted  at Waterford Antique Market was the  "Montrose Breakfast" .



Fact 7 About Me
Teacups are OK, but my head turned at the simpler, old Pyrex collection. Well I did spot a $550 Staffordshire Spaniel  that turned my head till I thought about what lens that kind of money would buy. In the end, I settled for $4 Spaniel salt and pepper shakers.

Snapped on the iPhone

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June's Photo A Day
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June Photo A Day ~ Hat

Hat
[Photo A Day June Prompt For "30 Things About Me" Series]

Fact 6 About Me
I have beautiful children! Yes, just like the dogs, they too tire of me some days putting the camera in their face too often.

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June Photo A Day ~ Sign

Sign

[Photo A Day June Prompt For "30 Things About Me" Series]

Ok so it is not a creative photograph. It is not even well executed. But we were photographing at a Provincial Park today and not a good sign insight. Then this. You must admit, at least it's a funny sign!

How perfect this would have been for yesterdays Photo A Day prompt "Close Up".



Fact 5 About Me
No one is complaining here summer has arrived! We love hiking and we love photography. Problem is, we have trouble holding 2 leashes and the camera steady! I was continually frustrating myself and the dogs by telling them to stay while I tried to balance the camera. The end result was camera shake and blurred images. Not working! So the compromise we decided to take the dogs on a daytrip and explore one weekend and the next leave the dogs at home and concentrate on photography. Ah! This is working out much better! Hoping these blue skies and sun last through to the weekend.
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Favourite Flower ~ Orchid

Close Up

[Photo A Day June Prompt For "30 Things About Me" Series]

Orchids are calming to me. Probably because while growing up, my parents always had one - or two about. They like low light, warm places and a light watering once a week. OK seems easy enough. Mark Cullen, Canadian gardening guru explains in this video, Orchids are an easy to care for plant. They are known to provide exotic, continuous blooms with little effort. He even professes they are easier to care for than an African Violet. Err Mark, meet Debbie - killer of the Orchid nation! . 

Fact 4 About Me
Orchids I do seem to have a knack for killing and rather quickly! Perhaps this plant will be my first to survive my tender loving care!

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Edit: I was thrilled to learn "i heart macro" chose my Orchid from that week's entries as Photo of the Week! Thank you!

  

June Photo a Day ~ On Your Plate

On Your Plate

[Photo A Day June Prompt For "30 Things About Me" Series]

I know!! I just had pancakes 2 days ago - curse my talented girls and their cooking genes. Not only are these Pina Colada Pancakes delicately sweet, they are also gluten free - a must for me. To boot, they are healthy. Well sort of - if you skip the rum spiked syrup!

Fact 10 About Me

I can't cook. Genetically we skipped a generation because clearly my daughter's love and skill at cooking, comes from my Mother. Go read "Just Me" and you'll learn burning toast is more my speed!

In our house - where the Cavaliers Rule, Kodee and Becky have been conditioned to recognize, the sight of the grill means one thing! Dot sized mini dog pancakes are a cook'n!
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June Photo A Day ~ Empty

Empty

[Photo A Day June Prompt For "30 Things About Me" Series]

Not sure of the entire journey this antique silver necklace has been on, but I have a feeling from the well-weathered surface its travels might be story worthy. 

How I set up my shot; off camera flash with a remote trigger.

Fact 2 About Me
You can't have enough bags. Take a look at my new Theit ~ Bossi, Bag in Fawn hanging in the corner! My daughter has this camera bag in black and I have been eyeing it a while. Mine was a gift from my husband and I love it! It's a sleek but roomy bag dreamed up by a young, Canadian designer.

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Gluten-Free Chocolate Banana Pancakes

Morning!

[Photo A Day June Prompt "Morning" Also Fact 1 for my series "30 Things About Me"]

* No promises these 30 days will be consecutive!

I kicked off January 2012 by joining thousands of other Iphone users and posting (#aphotoadayjanuary) on  Instagram. It was a lot of fun, so I decided to follow FatMumSlim June Photo Prompt list with my digital camera.

Fact 1 About Me
I am also doing a little series called "30 Things About Me". Fact 1 - Gluten Free is my friend! Thanks to my daughter for this gluten free "Chocolate Banana Pancakes" recipe. Sinful isn't it! Cooking doesn't get any easier than this. Throw it all in a blender, zap, pour onto a hot griddle and enjoy! It's that simple; sinful chocolate and guiltless nutrition.

1.5 Scoop Chocolate Protein Powder
2 Egg Whites
1 Mash Banana
1 Tablespoon Ground Flax Seed

But if you think that is the real start to my morning, your being fooled. You see these faces? Could you resist those eyes pleading to be let out, then fed first? Me either. A "Dog's Life" is not a bad thing in this house.

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