The genius that is @quaystock shared this link http://t.co/f5AA8N47 yesterday so I have been experimenting with close-ups today.

It wasn't a great day in Croyde for taking photos of surfers; the waves were seriously messy, but a few managed to stay up while others opted to stand on the beach and look at it ponderously.

Birds aren't easy to photograph; they move too quickly or fly away just as you're about to get the perfect shot, but they are quite fascinating. I took these on my recent trip to New England for @photomoments (who is far better with birds than me so check out http://www.photomoments.me.uk/)

From Hypnos' poppy potion that induced slumber in Greek mythology to the poppy field which threatens to send Dorothy and her friends to everlasting sleep in the Wizard of Oz to In Flanders Fields by John McCrae the poppy has long been associated with both sleep and death due to the opiate extracted from the plant and  the common blood-red colour, but is also associated with rest and healing. It is one of the prettiest weeds commonly found across Europe and incredibly striking.

Whilst propped on the sofa attempting to cough my lungs right out of my chest this week I have learnt a lot about my photography. I was challenged yesterday to take a fresh look at it and today's #qschallenge of "Street Life" gave me an excuse to further challenge my own perception of a good shot.

I've never really been happy with many of my non-flower shots but a very clever man and excellent photographer challenged me to be less predictable and show a wider range of subjects, so with a little help from Instagram filters here is a selection of my other subjects:

Having being inspired by @quaystock and @The_LukeBarnes to go and get my camera out today, I decided to venture out into my back garden in the dark and have a mess around with the macro function to see what I might find.

Bluebells have always been one of my favourite flowers, and the last few years I have made the trip in late April or early May to the Bluebell Woods at Yoxall Lodge. Here's a selection of this year's delights.