Let me just put it out there that May is, in fact, my favourite month. Although I love most of the year, except perhaps January - March, if I could only choose one month it would be May. I can't even tell you exactly why. I think perhaps it is a combination of factors. Longer daylight hours (I am around 90% solar powered, the rest is possibly caffeine), flowers, rising temperatures. And it's my birthday month.
This month I have borrowed another Leica camera, in part to understand it better for the workshop I have coming up next month in London. Without wanting to dwell on it too much, the SL is an incredible camera. I have been taking photographs of the lighthouse here for the past 20+ years and these have to be my favourite yet. Possibly helped by the sunset? Who cares, the SL is easy to love.
Anyway, the cow parsley further down this post was also photographed with this camera, suffice to say I loved it and was very sad to have to return it!
On my birthday, we took a trip to Batemans (above), a favourite local National Trust location. Lunch in the walled garden and a wander around the house and gardens was just lovely. And the wisteria was in full bloom, humming with bees and smelling divine.
Followed by wisteria on Mermaid St in Rye, which is always a favourite...
Of course no story of May would be complete without my favourite harbinger of spring, cow parsley. The roadsides and hedgerows have been full of it. My love affair with it is no less intense than in any other May and I have photographed it at all, every year, simply because I enjoy doing so.
Actually, as I said in my previous post, I have loved photographing wild flowers for around 7 years and feel like I am finally getting to grips with capturing something of their nature now. It seems to be a good year for the wild flowers so far and my favourite field is absolutely full of daisies now.
Which is obviously a great excuse to take the camera up there one evening soon...
Having spent a couple of days in London this month, and with a few spare hours to wander, I took in some of my favourite streets for wisteria and roses. Fancy London houses do wear spring well...
Last, but by no means least, the roses in my garden came fully to bloom this month. Happiness in a jug.
So that was May, here's to June...
J x
