Bubbles.
Once just a whimsical plaything, fascinating all ages or a sticky signal of indifference from bolshie teenagers, full of Ennui. Now, bubbles are synonymous with the pandemic, in the UK at least.
But no, the title of this post isn’t referring to one of Boris’ illogical ‘Get-out-of-Lockdown-free’ guidelines – it’s something far more entertaining. My new toy!
Our first visit to the local beach since… probably last year…was accompanied by a lensball. A nifty, spherical lens that encapsulates the image, as if in a bubble. They’re all the rage on Insta… well maybe if we were still in 2018. I feel I’m late to the party, as usual!
Thankfully, our beach was empty except for a few dog walkers, so we were safe from being swallowed into a giant pool of human bacteria, like the beaches in Southern England last week.
It was probably down to the good old Blighty weather taking a turn for the decidedly chillier, so kudos to the family behaving like it was the Riviera, in swimsuits and with a full picnic, whilst the rest of us trudged past with coats zipped up to our noses!
However, it was also a benefit not having the sun blazing as I have it on good authority the lensball heats up pretty quickly and can burn your fingers like a spider caught in the glare of a sadistic 8 year old’s magnifying glass…
Anyway, it’s a little trickier to work with than I imagined, such as lining it up if capturing the horizon, but I’m pretty happy with my first attempts and look forward to what else I can create with it.
An added interest to our visit was seeing this poor chap – talk about having a good side for the camera. The other angle was not pretty… missing eye and dismembered fins 😦 Apparently, they regularly wash up on our shores after a storm.
Question: When a a cat also a dog?
Answer: When it’s a fish…
Another discovery was a piece of history. This section of the east coast is renowned for the amount of fossils it holds but having been several times over the years, I’ve never found one. Until this time! Meet Amelie the Ammonite with her friend, Happy Pebble.
What? You don’t name your inanimate objects? You’re missing out…
Once we were home, I had the notion to play around with the images and came up with this:
I still need to refine my Photoshop skills, but like the idea the ‘ball shape’ could be incorporated into something more creative.
And if all else fails, it’s basically a mini crystal ball. I’m available for Zoom readings every second Tuesday… 😉
Stay safe everyone!
IMAGE CREDITS: All my own so please be sweet and ask before sharing!
Aloada Bobbins 