Learning in the u3a movement

Lockdown has led many of us at times to look at the world through a wine glass. Oh how the world has changed, turned upside-down even. Our view of the everyday is certainly different.

This takes the biscuit.

This is a view of my street seen through a lensball which gives it a different viewpoint

I was just filling the bowl, doing the washing up - when suddenly I let out shrieks of excitement as my soap star showed up. Bright eyes and a gorgeous smile looked back at me, giving me such pleasure. Love the teeth!

This is a picture of a piece of cotton about 6 inches long dropped by my wife while lace making. On seeing it my immediate thought was Nativity. I did not touch the cotton and it is a straight photo other than changing it to black and white.

Another way of seeing cling film! Here it's being used to propagate some seeds, I hope.

VW Golf, front passenger door - what more can I say!

I was preparing this leek for cooking. When I cut it open I was surprised to see it hadn't grown straight inside. I thought it worthy of this angled photograph.

This is an everyday stainless steel cheese grater. It is interesting to see how natural daylight through the small holes on one side can be seen through the larger holes on the other side. Also, how natural daylight and the camera together bring out the scratches on the surface, which can barely be seen with the naked eye.

On looking through my desk drawer I had the idea of polarisation of these objects. Laying my monitor on its back with a white screen I arranged the items and with a polarising filter on my lens was able to achieve this pleasing result -a new view of everyday items.

My son-in-law suggested interpreting this theme with an anagram and my idea for making the Travel Scrabble board into a modern magic carpet evolved gradually. The seated boy is telling his DEAR FAMILY that he is going to place the "Y" to form "YE" and it amuses me that they all seem oblivious to their vertiginous surroundings.

We've had some great pictures of spoons and forks recently under other subject titles so I needed to think of something else. My toaster seemed complicated enough to try and capture the inside and I chose to make it black and white for more impact and less of a clue.

I've developed an obsession with Telegraph Poles, and I like to experiment with quirky angles to make the shots more interesting.

This looks like a 'floating' crystal glass. It is in fact two glasses - one standing on top of another taken in a light box with a black background

Since lockdown, my only way, and therefore my new way of seeing the beautiful camellias in the camellia house in Wollaton Park is through a window. I liked the resulting image of the vibrant colour of the flower framed by the frost and old window frame.