I was sitting in the chair in front of the telly the other day and noticed that Humphrey’s flower spike looked a lot like a rocket (well, it did to me anyway) so I discussed whether it’d be possible to get some movement in my shot with DM and we came up with the view that a zoom lens and a long exposure would be the best thing.

I’d thought maybe on fireworks night or Diwali but then I realised both dates were out as Diwali had passed and fireworks night I would be away from home and much as I love Humphrey, I didn’t see myself taking him to the Lakes just so I could get the shot.

So, tonight, after a day when I have been showering myself with toxic chemicals, supposedly for the greater good (woodworm in the lobby needed to go and needed to go quickly), I decided that a nice antidote would be to try the shot. It’s not come out exactly as I’d imagined but it is quite OK anyway (in my view).

As for the woodworm – picture the scene – me, up a ladder, breathing mask on, eye mask on, unable to see because the eye mask was steamed up and anyway doesn’t fit with the breathing mask properly, sloshing a highly toxic (carcinogenic) chemical around above my head using a paintbrush and a fluid holder that was a milk bottle’s bottom, with the top cut off.

Of course when working overhead, the biggest problem that you face is gravity and it plays a role in a number of ways – firstly, it keeps trying to pull me off the ladder and onto the floor in any way possible. Then there is the dust and other crap that, despite me vacuuming the beams, still managed to fall all over me. Next comes the stuff itself and it’s a very thin liquid that won’t spray through my plant sprayer for some reason so the only alternative was to paint it on and of course good old Newton’s gravity meant that it trickled down my arms, fell in my hair and onto what was exposed of my face and to top off the whole lot, it was all over the floor so the hem of my trousers was soaking it up too.

The best bit (read for that worst bit as I am resorting to sarcasm, the lowest form of wit) is the fact that the house now smells of the stuff and I can’t seem to escape it. It’s just like Southall all over again. Will my nostrils ever be clear of the vile stuff? Will we ever recover? Will life here ever be ‘normal’?

As for indoor fireworks – did you know they can still burn your fingers?

Last year was Canon EOS 10D
30s f/27.0 at 42.0mm iso100 full exif