This starburst filter has really enhanced my photographic fun in 2004 - I have had such a good time with it and all because of a chance surf in on another pbase gallery (not a potd), where I saw a photo of a twig with a raindrop giving a starburst. I’d never even heard the term before but I had seen the effect, as I suspect has everyone ‘of a certain age’. I loved it so much I bought one. Well actually, I bought two - one for my little zoom lens and one for my macro lens.

When I bought it, DM laughed (before helping me to find one) and said ‘everyone will think you are an old hippy, stuck in the 70s!’. I don’t mind that - it’s actually a fairly good description of me. Well, the old hippy bit anyway - I could never forgive the 70s for crimplene, bell-bottoms or prog rock but I’m happy to embrace the daisies in the hair, peace, love and understanding, lentil eating hippydom!

We’ve had a long, long day today - we were up for half of last night, wondering what was making Archie so distressed. He broke into our bedroom four or five times between 3am and 4am and paced round and round the room, shuffling himself under our bed then out again - he was obviously very spooked but we couldn’t work out why. After realising we were destined for no sleep at all if we didn’t take drastic action, DM was very chivalrous and volunteered to go downstairs with him so I could get some sleep as I had to go to work for the day and he had finished his pre-Christmas scribbly rush. It transpired that our window cleaners had left our back gate open and it was banging in the high winds. David soon sorted it and calmed down Arch.

I spent the day at work then we loaded up the car and set off for Cornwall. What a fantastic journey - no traffic on the road at all and a journey time of three hours and five minutes - we’ve never done better than that!

We got here just after ten and by the time we’d unloaded the car and sorted ourselves out, this photo of the miner’s lamp, by the woodburning stove, now ensconced in a miner’s cottage in the heart of the Cornish mining country, was my best shot opportunity. I took a couple then decided to add starburst. I reckon it looks very seasonal!

So, my advent tale - well, it’s really just about doing what I like, rather than conforming to the ‘it’s not fashionable’ mentality of what’s modern or what’s nice. I like the starburst and I like using it so I’m going to whether or not it’s considered cool.