Bright pink daisy-like flower
England,  The Changing Seasons,  Themed galleries

Gallery: a May selection

June 2, 2022 / 21 Comments

Among the changing months, May stands confest the sweetest, and in fairest colours dressed

James Thomson

I was spoiled for choice when I looked for appropriate quotations for my May photo selection. Can it be the most written-about month of all? In addition to the one above I was taken by this:

Yet though it be the chilliest May with least of sun and most of showers,

Its wind and dew, its night and day, bring up the flowers

Christina Georgina Rossetti

We have had a cooler than average May, although not with many showers until the end of the month. But yes indeed, the flowers are here in abundance! It was time to get out and about with my camera. In the first part of the month we enjoyed several days out in London, visiting the Travel Photography show at Coal Drop Yards in the revitalised Kings Cross area; and the beautiful Kyoto and Dutch gardens in Holland Park.

The second half of the month was dominated by a week-long visit to Newcastle where I hosted the Virtual Tourist Euromeet (postponed – several times – from May 2020). I had a day trip to York to meet up with some of the members there and then a busy long weekend of activities in and around Newcastle itself. Much of the time I was busy ensuring everyone had fun, but there was time for me to enjoy some photography too.

Again I’m linking my May photography highlights to Ju-Lyn and Brian’s Changing Seasons challenge.

Technical notes

This month too most of my shots were taken with my compact Panasonic Lumix and a few with my phone. Some are straight out of the camera or with minor adjustments. But again as usual, I’ve enjoyed playing around with others. Those ones were edited with Nik Color Efex, or in a couple of cases Nik Silver Efex. As I always say, it’s pretty obvious which ones have been ‘fiddled with’, like my feature photo which was taken in our favourite local coffee shop, The Moon and Maybe, and heavily edited with Nik Color Efex.

  • White flowers in a plant climbing a fence
    In a neighbour’s garden 2022-05-01
  • Purple and white wild flowers
    In Lammas Park, Ealing 2022-05-01
  • Narrowboat on a canal with trees on bank behind
    On the Grand Union Canal at Coal Drop Yards, Kings Cross, London 2022-05-02
  • Large bird standing among rocks by water
    Heron in the Kyoto Garden, Holland Park 2022-05-05
  • Head and neck of a peacock
    Peacock in the Kyoto Garden, Holland Park 2022-05-05
  • White tulip with purple streaks
    Holland Park tulip 2022-05-05
  • Bright scarlet tulip
    Holland Park tulip 2022-05-05
  • Spray of mauve flowers against a brick wall
    Holland Park wisteria 2022-05-05
  • Ball of purple flowers against a blurred background of more
    Allium in Queen’s Square, London 2022-05-14
  • Sepia photo of warehouses on a river bank
    Old riverside warehouses in York 2022-05-18
  • Large ornamental poppy with a snail nestling inside
    Poppy and snail, Bamburgh 2022-05-22
  • Window looking out at green fields, with fruit on a table in front
    A window in Bamburgh Castle 2022-05-22
  • Distant castle framed by a tree
    Lindisfarne Castle, Holy Island 2022-05-22
  • Church ruins with a field in the foreground
    Lindisfarne Priory, Holy Island 2022-05-22
  • Statue of a saint and a cross
    St Aidan, Lindisfarne Priory, Holy Island 2022-05-22
  • Sepia photo of a man in a cap with machinery
    Retired coal miner demonstrating winding mechanism, Beamish 2022-05-23

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