Garden Life

After a yummy Salade Nicoise, which Helena made for our lunch, and between phone calls, I went to water a few plants, while I remembered. The cabin gets very hot from the sun shining through its large glass windows, and I had forgotten to open either them or the door today.

I found a small snail one of which I'd tried to photograph yesterday, as it is very special, being local to this area, and rather pretty. Somehow though I couldn't make an interesting shot of its perch on a stick in a flowerpot. Then while running the water from the butt,which receives the water from the cabin roof, I looked up beside my head and saw this grasshopper perched on the wooden external cladding. I took a couple of shots, then noticed it's back legs were twitching, as if it was preparing to leap away. I quickly changed the settings so I could try and capture the leap, but it went before I was ready.

I stood back and wondering where it had gone, but couldn't see it. Then suddenly it leaped onto my blue t-shirt, by my shoulder. I tried to take some shots using the auto-focus, but couldn't manage any useable ones before it went over my shoulder and onto my back.

I was pleased it had chosen to land on me, but wish I had been ready earlier. I must try and sit out in the garden for longer to look for these type of scenes so I can get some good sharp close-ups. In the end this was my second shot, taken in haste before it leapt away for the first time. I have had to boost the shadows as I couldn't get a good angle to shoot from.