You Capture: autumn

After my pumpkin overkill last week, I thought I’d give this week’s challenge a miss. I showed you all my autumnal photos last week. That’ll teach me!

But then I saw this.

There were problems on the train line. Three trains passed without stopping and I seemed to be the only person who hadn’t crammed onto the delayed 7:24 am train to London. I thought I’d get the delayed 7:36 am fast train to Kings Cross. It was late, but they all were and at least this train wouldn’t be so crowded. Wishful thinking.

As I was standing at the end of the platform, reading David Nicholls’ One Day, I realized I was all alone. And when I looked up to see if there were any other people around, I noticed the sky.

I usually have my small camera tucked in my bag. You know, in case I run into a celebrity or I find time to pop out during lunch to take some pics. Or when I see something particularly interesting or beautiful. Like this.

British Summer Time ends on Sunday. I won’t see a sunrise like this from the train platform for quite some time. Once the clocks go back, I’ll be getting the train in the light and coming home in the dark. That’s autumn for you.

You Capture: orange

With Halloween next week and Thanksgiving five weeks away (whoa), I am sure most people who have participated in this week’s photography challenge will have pumpkins featured on their blogs. Add me to the list. Sorry, there just isn’t a lot of orange in my life.

These photos were taken this past week at Marker-Miller Orchards  (Winchester, Virginia) and Hollin Farms (Delaplane, Virginia).

You Capture: photographer’s choice

Hey, lady, can’t you see we’re trying to have a moment here?

(Or, because these are British sheep: Oi, luv, piss off.)

You Capture: summer

The photos from this past weekend’s trip to Hitchin Lavender fit perfectly for this week’s You Capture theme. As much as I wish I could show photos of the beach or tanned legs and flip flops, I think the overcast sky actually sums up British summers quite well.

And all these sunflowers remind me of that film, Calendar Girls. Which is also very British.

Are we all thinking of a topless Helen Mirren now?

You Capture: play

This is my favorite photo from this past week. I snapped it after coming out of an antiques shop. There was just a little stream that divided the shop from the parking lot. It wasn’t really much to look at but after seeing the photo, I really love the reflection of the brick building and of course the random rubber ducks in the water.

For those who know me on Facebook, you’ll recall that I was most pleasantly surprised by all the hot men at the Farnborough Air Show. Nobody told me there’d be US fighter pilots there! In their uniforms and sunglasses looking straight out of Top Gun! I thought I’d be surrounded by dorks.

Anyway, I toyed with the idea of posting photos of the hotties but it really has nothing to do with this week’s theme “play” …except that that would be a lovely thing to do with them. I’m just saying what we’re all thinking!

Ok, where were we? Oh yes…the air show. Planes. Think of the planes.

The Red Arrows, the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, were awesome. They are obviously highly skilled but I bet it’s a lot of fun to do all these tricks. This year they also have the first female pilot which is very cool.

They also have a bunch of other displays at the air show. I suppose this is a different type of “air”.

All in all, the Farnborough Air Show was pretty good and I have been dragged to many aviation-related events so I feel I am a good judge of these sorts of things. I got appropriately teary when the F-16, F-18 and chinooks flew above, feeling like I was in a war movie or something. I “ooohed” and “ahhed” when the massive A380 took off. I think I did Scott proud.

I did read my magazines and work on my tan while a few boring planes flew around above us. Scott only had to prod me once to look up from my magazine. And I only had to say, “But I am reading about Mel Gibson going mental!” before he rolled his eyes and muttered something about my brain turning to mush.

You Capture: black & white

I got to do my fair share of people-watching last night as I was waiting for my friend outside a cafe in St. Pancras Station. Airports, train stations, bus stops…all great places to people-watch because people from all backgrounds come together to get somewhere else.

Most days I am part of the crowd. Headphones in. Head down. Get me to my train and for the love of God, make it leave on time.

It was nice to take some time to sit down and just watch.

Once the worst of rush hour was over, we said goodbye and went our separate ways. As it turned out, my train was late. So I just put my headphones in and played “Spot the American”.

(When St. Pancras unveiled their new look, my friend- same friend I was waiting for last night -suggested we visit the Champagne Bar on the upper level. It is Europe’s longest champagne bar and long story short, the cheapest bottle of champers is around £70. There is some great people-watching to be had there, let me tell you. I swear there were several couples in those booths, having affairs over £500 bottles of champagne before getting their respective trains.)

You Capture: fun

To me, there is nothing more fun than spending time laughing, dancing, and drinking with friends.

Ok, we don’t even have to be drinking.

But it makes the dancing so much better.

You Capture: best shot this week

We had planned to go up to Northumberland this past weekend to spend time with Scott’s mom. I had plans to take a bazillion photos of sheep and cows and the sea. I was going to wow you with photos of “traditional English country life.”

Instead we went to Yorkshire because there was a death in Scott’s family.

My photography was put on hold.

But then I got thinking – as you do when someone passes away – and I thought that some of the things I see nearly every day are just as good a photography subject as any.

I just have to take the time to really look at them.

Flowers in bloom in Spa Fields.

Rush hour in London.

The view from the meeting room in my office.

I know I was only supposed to post one shot, but life is too short.

And because life is really, really short – don’t forget that there’s still time to enter the Potato Crisp/Chip giveaway.

You Capture: sky

A seagull outside Ivar’s in Seattle.

A storm on my right, sunshine on my left somewhere out west.

The most vibrant blue sky I’ve ever seen without a cloud in sight.

Amazing sunset that the locals of Buffalo, Wyoming get to see nearly every night.

You Capture – depth of field

How is it Thursday again? Good God.

This week’s You Capture Challenge was depth of field and I really wish I had more time to focus on this challenge. Focus, ha…how fitting. But there you go – sometimes life gets in the way.

Now all I want is a cupcake*. Who’s with me?

(And some really good undereye concealer. )