And it's hard to get by just upon your slime...

I have only just realised that slime is an anagram of the original word smile in the song.

There goes Baby Brian, newly hatched and bravely heading off into the Unknown. Let's wish him the best of luck!

For Macro Mondays theme 'Egg'.

This is an unknown bird egg, found in my garden last year, it is 3 cm long. My snails that I have kept safe and well fed over the winter have grown so well, it was hard to find any that were small enough to fit the opening in this eggshell. But soon, when the weather warms up a bit more, they will be returned to the garden, to face the Wild World.

My apologies to Cat Stevens and anyone who gets an ear worm...

No snails were harmed in the making of this photograph.

Tags:   Macro Mondays Egg macro animal invertebrate mollusc gastropod snail White-lipped snail Cepaea hortensis

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The stigma and anthers of a Christmas cactus, Schlumbergera truncata, blooming out of season. Done as a focus stack of seven images at f3.5 to keep the background soft.

Tags:   macro plant flower Christmas cactus Schlumbergera Looking Close...on Friday Heart of a Flower aoi bestcapturesaoi elitegalleryaoi

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I don't normally go for this style of flower shot, but while weeding in my garden next to my small clump of anemones, I came face to face with this lovely little specimen. As my anemones have never done very well, I decided I really must dash inside the house for the camera. Shot as a focus stack of 14 images at f5 to keep the background soft.

Tags:   macro plant flower anemone wood anemone Ranunculaceae windflower aoi bestcapturesaoi elitegalleryaoi

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The title for the image is taken from the 1964 recording by Roger Miller. The song tells of a homeless man who, despite having no money, revels in his freedom, describing himself humorously and cynically as the 'King of the Road'. Of course, a snail is never actually homeless...

For Macro Mondays theme 'Royal'.

No snails were harmed in the making of this photograph. Brian did seem to enjoy his coronation.

Tags:   Macro Mondays Royal macro crown animal invertebrate mollusc gastropod snail Garden snail Cornu aspersum

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Looking north towards a murky Ben Tianavaig, near Portree, Isle of Skye.

Tags:   Scotland Skye landscape seascape An Aird Braes Ben Tianavaig aoi bestcapturesaoi elitegalleryaoi

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