Only one Iris

This time last year the front garden was ablaze with orange and blue. Today it's aflicker with this single Iris. But beggars can't be choosers and, short of anything else, this is it, the reason being that I'm office bound just now. Office is a bedroom and the floor is strewn with brochures full of luxury yachts. The guys I'm speaking with are all floating around in the harbour at Monaco where their clients are drawn to the waterfront like bees to a honeypot - well it's grand prix weekend. It's the world of the unbelievably rich, not millionaires but billionaires. I don't envy them. I like my world.

A little bit saddened by the unkindnesses I've seen in the past few days on the forums here, people unhappy about Spotlight and the awarding of stars and stuff - unbelievable pettiness layered with cynicism, this on a photography website that set out to be inclusive. There are plenty of snapper sites where you can talk about F stops all day to your heart's content, but this one emphasises the social and celebrates subjectiveness.

Lots of people here enjoy visiting journals and commenting aplenty, nothing wrong with that, makes the world go round. Stars and hearts - why not? It's recognition, encouragement, appreciation. But it seems to bug some people that some really good pics don't get rated while some not so great images can hit the glory page.

Guess what? Some of those yacht owners might be described as the undeserving rich but that's how things are. I like my pictures, some more than others, and, yes, I hope others like them too. I know if they're any good or not, with or without stars, but that's my view of good. We shouldn't get too worked up about stuff and we certainly shouldn't pick on people. I'm not joining in that forum nonsense but I have read it -all pretty unedifying. Maybe this isn't the place I thought it was.

As for the changes to Blip - all in favour of forum discussion on that. I see that I have friends now. Romans, countrymen, lend me your......