usa 2006

i was looking through some old photos yesterday and came accross the pictures i took whilst away in the usa in 2005-2006. i thought i'd share some of my favourites...

san jacinto mountains near palm springs, california...

palm canyon near palm springs, california...

joshua tree national park, california...

red rock canyon near las vegas, nevada...

the grand canyon, arizona...

and a picture i found of the tulips in my garden in 2006, i'd forgotten how pretty they were :)...

thanks for looking :) xoxox

muddy field

muddy field by the warehouse where i work... i love the reflections :)

thanks for looking :) xoxox

bulrushes

i've always loved these amazing plants...

thanks for looking :) xoxox

reflections

i have been doing some more photo manipulation concentrating on reflections. here's some of glastonbury tor...

driving out of a lake?...

cheddar gorge...

chosen hill church...

the pavilion, brighton...

thanks for looking :) xoxox

i just found this picture of a fat robin i took a while ago...

last night i took some pictures of our dog busta-fart-i...

thanks for looking :) xoxox

robin

this is the robin that visits the warehouse every day. i hope to get some better shots than this but for now here's 3 i took today...

thanks for looking xoxox

photo manipulation

I've been experimenting with some photo manipulation today, here's the results...

Thanks for looking xoxox

more bulgaria

some other photos from bulgaria...

barn roof in lyubenets...

ruined house in lyubenets...

stork's nest in lyubenets...

part of the ruined farm buldings in lyubenets...

house in lyubenets...

cows being herded by a young shepherd boy...

massive canon on the side of road in the mountains on the shipka pass...

house in lyubenets...

sunset in lyubenets...

thanks for looking :) xoxox

ancient bulgaria

bulgaria has a rich history. there are numerous ancient places to visit. last year bulgarian archaeologist veselin ignatov found a fully preserved thracian chariot at karanovo about 15 miles from where we stayed. there is a really interesting website HERE about ancient sites in bulgaria.

skull at ancient settlement mound in karanovo...

old cobbled road near gurkovo...

bells at tsarevets, the old town at veliko tarnovo...

tsarevets, the old town at veliko tarnovo...

old bell tower i guess in plovdiv...

plovdiv old town...

roman amphitheatre in plovdiv...

thanks for looking :) xoxox

urban bulgaria

although very much countryside lovers we spent some of our time in bulgaria exploring the towns...

a statue protecting the town of radnevo...

small statue of two children at the entrance to the playground in a park in plovdiv...

graffiti in plovdiv...

house in stara zagora...

flats with a grapevine growing across all the window ledges in stara zagora...

giant chess set in a park in stara zagora...

the town of veliko tarnovo...

reflection in office window in sliven...

thanks for looking :) xoxox

bulgarian people

some of the lovely people we met on our travels in bulgaria...

man with horse & cart...

roma family...

girls from stara zagora...

old lady buying a pancake at radnevo market...

traders at radnevo market...

shepherd in lyubenets...

woman cutting up a freshly slaughtered pig in lyubenets...

woman cooking some of the freshly slaughtered pig in lyubenets...

thanks for looking :) xoxox

bulgarian nature

the nature in bulgaria is amazing, there are more species of animal in bulgaria than anywhere else in europe. there are also amazing landscapes, giant mountains and huge lakes. here are some pictures that capture the beauty of bulgaria.

sunset in lyubenets, where we stayed...

silk strings blowing in the breeze...

herons in flight...

birds on the wire...

panoramic photo of zhrebchevo lake...

heron...

ruined farm buildings...

hollow tree...

thanks for looking :) xoxox

my stuff :)

i have built a new website for my photography. it is not quite finished yet but i thought i'd post it up here now :)

samsimillia photography


and here is some links to my other stuff...


my positive evolution website
my deviant art page
my flickr page
my cafe press shop
my myspace page
my photobucket page
my youtube page

bulgaria

recently we went on a visit to bulgaria. it was my first time visiting this amazing country filled with rich history. the counrtyside is beautiful and the people friendly and welcoming. most people living in the villages grow a lot of there own fruit, vegetables and herbs and some also keep livestock. the seaside resort we visited on the last day was horrible, that is only due to the large scale building of hotels and apartments and resturants that look like they could be in cornwall! i hope they don't let the whole bulgarian coastline turn into the costa-del-black sea :( we did quite a bit of travelling while we were there trying to explore as much as possible. there are some more pitures to follow but first here's some gore :)...

dead cat we found with it's neck ripped open...

another dead cat we found in the church grounds...

the weirdest find of all, a severed donkey head! the rest of the donkey was nearby...

the skull of a large animal, possibly another donkey...

thanks for looking :) xoxox

read my reviews... please :)

I have written an article and a couple of reviews for UKRG please take the time to read them if you can :)

Where's the Reggae festival at? Article about the Reggae festival scene in the UK.
Zion Train live in Glastonbury
Dreadzone live in Gloucester

I have been away in Bulgaria for a while so now need to spend some time editing photographs :)

Thanks for reading xoxox

photos i took yesterday :)

here are the pile of pallets at work...

here are the pile of boxes at work...

here is some graffiti in stroud by local artist infinite...

here is a dandelion clock (i love these!)...

here is some various forms of fungi...

thanks for looking :)

dreadzone

dreadzone played at the gloucester guildhall recently. my review will be up at uk reggae guide soon but for now here's the pictures...

home tattooing

my best mate visited this weekend and she wanted me to tattoo her :) i am not really that good but she insisted so after a practice session on an orange we got to work...

all is going well :)...

simon took this great picture of the session :)...

the finished tattoo... it took me just over an hour... a decent tattooist would have done it in 10mins lol...

later simon tattooed me :)...

the finished tattoo... for some reason my blog keeps putting the pic in the wrong way round :( grrr but you get the idea...

and remember kids... don't try this at home lol
thanks for looking :)

chedder gorge from above

i havent been on the top of the gorge since i took lee up jacobs ladder when he was about 9, (he's now 18). we drove up through the gorge and parked near the top. there is a footpath that leads up to the very top. it is really scary looking down to the road below! we encountered massive flocks of birds, a kestrel and some goats :)

thanks for looking :)

glastonbury tor

after we saw zion train we went and stayed up by glastonbury tor for the night. we met a nice bloke in a van who needed a burner so we put him in touch with someone. we both got polite notices left on our vans warning us that we were in a no parking zone! i dont know how long they let you get away with parking up there as we left by lunchtime the next day.

this was the moon as we went to bed...

the tor...

angel graffiti on the way to the tor...

the sheep made a sheep cicle for us :)...

the tor...

looking out on the countryside from the tor...

the tor...

cool graffiti near the tor...

thanks for looking :)

zion train in glastonbury

we went to glastonbury to see zion train on friday, they were brilliant as ever and it was nice to catch up with them before they headed off for the second gig of the night in london.

thanks for looking :)

tattooing

i had an hours touch up on my sleeve recently. there is still probably half an hours touch up left to do but its basically finished at last :)...

simon found out how neat tattoos look in negative :)...

simon finished off my ankle bands with the love anarchy symbol and the O with a leaf in from the zion train logo. i love it :D...

i practised my tattooing on a squash, thats all im allowed to do for now :) i'm pretty crap to be fair, i need to get some grapefruit, the skin is better :)...

thanks for looking :)

stuff

my natty dreadlocks :)...

jaffa looking mean...

there's been loads of these spiders in the garden...

we went to tewkesbury and watched some firemen rescue a sheep :)...

we went to the car boot sale and bought dolls to destroy (simon wanted them for his bike lol) so i took some weird pictures...

scary doll attached to the bike :)...

i like this pic i took of simon's bike...

thanks for looking :)

flounder fest :)

we went to the best birthday party ever for a friend. the birthday boy is one of the organisers of endorse-it festival and so his party was on the festival site :) the bus bar was there and a marquee for bands. pronghorn played and everyone partied the night away. it was weird being there without the festival being on lol

thanks for looking :D

the malverns

we spent the weekend in the beautiful malvern hills recently, we climbed the highest hill which is worcestershire beacon. the view was amazing, we also went to a couple of the quarrys and to castlemorton.

earnslaw quarry...

the malverns...

our van on castlemorton common...

chavs jumping in gullet quarry, one ended up injured...

gullet quarry...

thanks for looking :)

autumn along the ridgeway

we stopped on the ridgeway near oxford recently, the hedgerows were beautiful with leaves changing colour and bright berries hanging heavy on branches.

this is a dog rose gall, there are grubs inside that will develop into wasps...

hawthorn...

apples...

sloe berries...

thanks for looking :)

catching up on blogging :)

havent done much blogging recently so gonna try and catch up a bit :)

i did a couple of interviews at endorse-it festival with zion train and dreadzone which can be found HERE and HERE at the UK Reggae Guide website.

we went to a small festival near luton called east end valley, my write up and pictures are HERE

in august we went to climate camp cymru, pictures HERE

a bit late but write up and pictures from the summer solstice at avebury are HERE

we've been away loads in the van... here are a few pictures from our travels & some other pictures from the last couple of months...

me photoshopped :)

catterpiller, one of many eating my cabbages...

tattoo finished at last apart from a bit of touch up :)

veggies from the garden :)

rollright stone circle...

at hempstead bike show...

worms head on the gower...

me on the beach on the gower, photoshopped obviously!...

light graffiti...

caerphilly castle...

robin hoods stride...

nine stones circle, derbyshire...

winnats pass, derbyshire

spofforth castle near harrogate...

sculpture trail, forest of dean...

stanton drew stone circle near bristol...

poole harbour...

corfe castle...

waylands smithy...

thanks for looking xoxox :)

ENDORSE-IT IN DORSET

amazing wonderful brilliant fabulous ace festival :) my review and pictures are on my site HERE

crop circle

we went cycling up the ridgeway a couple of weeks ago and saw a crop circle :)

camper conversion video

simon made a cool video of our camper conversion :)

talybont reservoir

here are some shots from talybont reservoir and the surrounding area. the brecon beacons is a beautiful area :)...

stroud graffiti

i stopped in stroud a couple of times recently to take some pictures of the graffiti there. there is a wealth of talent there as well as a few toys (inexperienced or rubbish graffiti artists). stroud council have voted to keep some of the graffiti around the town. i love this idea but i also dont like the bristol council's reasoning that if its a genuin banksy it stays but everything else gets wiped out. i hope stroud doesn't end up like that with a few elitist artists allowed to paint. after watching some graffiti documentarys recently i realise it takes a few months/years of doing some pretty crap work to get to the skill of being a real artist. i love graffiti, it adds to the character of a place it gives the viewer a glimpse into the lives of some of the people living in that area, the people that usually dont have much of a voice.

there is a huge amount of graffiti on the railway bridge going out of stroud, here is a selection...

this character can be found around in quite a few places...

graffiti stickering is evident in the town, this is a piece from infinite...

this is another bridge down by mcdonalds...

this is probably stroud's most famous piece by knight, infinite & freshco...

i found these cool gun stencils near mcdonalds...

here are some pieces from along the river...

some random photos i took recently

havent had a chance to write anything again so here's a few snaps :)

postcards from bude

here are a few pictures from a recent trip to bude in cornwall, i'm really pleased how they have come out :)

our beautiful van :)

we have just finished off our campervan... ok there is still a cupboard to build over the bulkhead and then when we have the money and time we are thinking of getting a new stereo and leisure battery and then we really want solar panels etc etc the list goes on and on. unfortunatly our camper is so slow on hills that i doubt we'll ever be able to take her proper travelling in europe, she struggles in 1st gear on a 16% hill now the woodburner is in (we did have an extra passenger that day tho!) so we are restricted where we go even in the UK... i guess we'll just learn to live with it!

below are some pictures of the paint job we did. its matt green military paint we got off ebay. we then did a load of stencils to decorate her :) we also fitted the woodburner with some help from a kind friend...

random pictures

i went to the university of gloucestershires exhibition of all things arty at the pittville campus on friday. there was some really good art work particually the illustrations and photography. i was inspired by the photography to try more things :) here is a couple of pictures from brighton seafront that i have modified...

these two pictures were taken on a farm looking through a hole in an old barn...

here i am taking my own photo in the glass of an old shed...

i was trying for a bit of an 'arty' look with this flower...

i was trying to get some good close-up shots using the tripod...

this one came out pretty well i think...

about this time last year i found a dying fox under a tree in the yard where i work. i rang the RSPCA but it died before they got to it (they were shit and took hours). this is what it looks like after a year decomposing...

i think i have almost perfected the art of taking photographs of remote controlled cars thanks to simon's hobby :)...

horses and foal

jackdoors nesting opposite my house

bird n busta :)

standish woods

light grafitti

i have been trying out more light grafitti... these were all done using a multi-coloured rope light :)

gloucester graffiti

gloucester's very own stencil artist has been leaving their mark again. this is on the road up to the new police station on waterwells drive. this stencil used to be on bristol road until it was painted over. click HERE for that picture :)

sand sculpures

there was these amazing sand sculptures on weston beach...

weston super mare beach

cheddar gorge

dandelion clocks and bugs :)

beltane horsedrawn gathering 09

we went to the beltane horsedrawn gathering at the weekend. i have been to this gathering for the past few years and it is always a lovely experience. one of the few truly free gatherings left. i mean free in more than a money sense. there is no tickets or admission fee for this event although a donation to the horsedrawn camp is asked for on the gate but it is the free vibe on site which is something special. there is no babylon forces operating on site, no police, no security and people get on and look after each other and are generally friendly to one another. this is a place where you can be yourself without fear of being judged or mocked and everyone is accepted as long as they do no harm. i'd much rather spend my weekend here than at glastonbury festival thats for sure :) below are some pictures from the gathering...

levellers, pama international, hobo jones & the junkyard dogs

the levellers, pama international and hobo jones & the junkyard dogs played cheltenham town hall the other night...

hobo jones & the junkyard dogs

pama international

the levellers

RC hummer & car

daisies & dandelion :)

more tattooing :)

just had another 3 hour session on my tattoo :) here it is a few days after looking a bit bruised...

and here it is on the day it was done... ouch sore :)...

west pier brighton

brighton beach

brighton pavillion

brighton grafitti

i went to brighton to visit a friend... i dont really know what all the fuss is about this city... unless you like shopping or partying i dont see that it holds a great deal to offer. there does seem more alternative people around which is cool :) saw some good grafitti art...

titnore woods protest camp

The protest camp against the 875-homes development at Titnore Woods, Durrington, Worthing, is now approaching its third birthday and the campaigners are still in good spirits. Visitors are always welcome and help is always needed. At the moment beams of wood for building more tree houses would be particularly useful, plus someone with a van or truck to help bring material to the site. Tinned food provision are always gratefully received.

TESCO'S application to go ahead with its massive Tesco Extra store next to the protest camp is currently up before the council. Write in against the new megastore, quoting application number WB/09/0146/ARM and send to the Development Control Manager, Worthing Borough Council, Portland House, Richmond Road, Worthing by 14th May 2009. Opponents are also being urged to write to the Worthing Herald at letters@worthingtoday.co.uk setting out their feelings about the proposal. The issue will also be discussed at the next meeting of Worthing Alliance, to be held at Beechwood Hall, Wykeham Road, Worthing, at 8pm on Thursday April 30.

See http://www.protectourwoodland.co.uk for more info :)

reflections inna lake

tulips

9 hours of tattooing...

looks a bit like this :) ive had 3 3 hour sessions so far and another 3 hours next week :) its gonna be so cool when it's finished :D

gloucester graffiti

there is a real lack of quality graffiti in gloucester but i did find a mickey mouse with a bomb graffiti done stencil style on the brockworth bypass the other day :)

also came accross this stencil near port ham in gloucester. it was on the side of the cow's drinking trough!

also found some stickering had been going on in the same area.

not all of it was very nice though :(

not even quite sure what this means... any ideas?

slideshows :)

as you can see from previous posts i have discovered photobucket slideshows! seems a better way of uploading pictures when there is a set of photographs. so i have uploaded my light grafitti pictures, bob marley birthday celebration pictures and avebury pictures. here are some random pictures...

narrowboats on the canal in gloucester...




looking through the railings...

part of the swinging bridge...

message in a bottle?...

a swan takes flight...

these pictures are all from the churchyard at somerford keynes, a beautiful cotswold village where i was lucky enough to grow up...





an amazing sunset at edge quarry...






trees at crickley hill country park...

thistle...

ducks taking flight...



simon's remote control car...

this female wasp had just woken from hibernation so i was lucky enough to be able to get some good shots...

bob marley birthday celebration

spring equinox at avebury