Fi Phillips

It's holiday season here in the UK so I'm going down an obvious route with this month's photo inspiration - the seaside. There are three photographs to choose from, with differing aspects or view of holidays by the sea. Some are sunny. Others have grey skies. Choose the one that catches your eye. What does it inspire you to write?

This month's photo inspiration is an old photo that I own but I thought it might get your creative cogs turning. Ther are three women in the photo having tea in the garden. What is their relationship to each other? What do they think of each other? Whose garden is it? Whose dog is it? Why has the photograph been ripped into pieces? What does this inspire you to write?

This month's photo inspiration is a shot I took while out walking the dog. It was one of those days ('brisk' as my father would have called it) that pinches your cheeks and hurries you along. The grass was crisp over the frozen soil beneath, and as my dog investigated a nearby tree, I took a moment to, well, just take a moment. Normally, I look up. On that day, I looked down. Peering up from beneath the layer of frost were three daisies. While the winter world lay dormant and still, these tiny flowers dared to show their faces. This year is all about (more) change for me and these daisies, surviving in the chill, reminded me that to make progress, I will have to run the risk of poking my head outside my comfort zone. What do these daisies in the frost mean to you? Survival? Hope? Perseverance? Let me know. I'd love to know what they inspire you to write.

Seeing as it is Hallowe'en in a matter of days, I thought it only fitting that this month's photo inspiration should be suitably scary. Or perhaps, you don't find this image or graveyards scary. There's a leaf strewn path leading through a shady graveyard to an area of bright sunlight. Do you walk along the path? Do you stay where you are? Do you investigate the gravestones, leaving the path to tread in between the stones? Are you walking the dog? Are you meeting someone? Are you escaping someone? What does this photo inspire you to write?

This month's photo inspiration is a little different. It's actually an old slide taken in the 1960s. What do you think? What can you tell about the inhabitants of this home? Who could live here? What would their story be? Happy or sad?  Who is behind the camera? Why is this slide being taken?  The room is empty (apart from the person behind the camera). Where is everyone? Is this a wealthy house? Up to date (at the time)? Well-loved? What story would this image inspire you to write?

I haven't posted photo inspiration for a few months now (sorry about that) so I thought I'd return to it with a summer shot. This is a seaside telescope, all ready for someone to pop in a coin and have a look. Who do you think might use this? Are they alone? What are they looking for? What do they see through the lens?

This month's photo inspiration is a snapshot from my family life. I saved this photo on my computer as 'shopping trip' but it could be so much more. What do you think? What clues can you find to a new story?

With thanks to BADG Can you see me? I'm in this photo somewhere. I thought I'd have a little fun with this month's photo inspiration and use a moment from the pantomime my daughter and I performed in recently.  What do you think? The night there was a power cut in the theatre? The pantomime characters escape? What does this inspire you to write?

It's all a bit bleak out there at the moment. It seems to have rained every day in January so far where I live. Dog walks are short, pavement-bound and with my eyes downcast. I took this photo on one of the few dry mornings we've had recently. The towering branches of the oak trees, dotted with crows, painted a picture of black on white. I always enjoy watching the crows which mass in these trees at the end of the road where I live. What do you think? Depressing? Foreboding? Stark? Or do you find something inspirational and thoughtful in this image? What does it inspire you to write?

I came across this frosty bench while walking the dog this morning. What do you think? A meeting place hidden away from the rest of the world? A well remembered picnic spot? What would this inspire you to write?

One benefit to having a dog is the walks we go on. Since Bailey has been in my life, I've rediscovered the joy of walking for pleasure. I get exercise, I get to meet people and it also presents me with all kind of opportunities to take photographs. I took this shot yesterday on our morning walk. Above this leaf-laden ground are masses of apples and berries, the bounty of the season. I'm sure that most passing people, if they look up, will see the fruit growing on the trees and bushes but very few will notice the fallen fruit at their feet. The image of fallen fruit can mean many things - a fall from grace, something downtrodden, or the bottom rungs of the ladder. What does this image inspire you to write?

A little red devil just hanging around on a street corner. This was taken in York over the summer. It's easy to put your head down and miss so many of these little details that adorn that city.  Is he friendly? Waiting for someone? On holiday? What do you think? What does this image inspire you to write?

This entrance is close to where I live. My family and I traipse through it a couple of times each month. That's as much information as I'm going to give you. What do you think it is? Prison? Castle? Barn? Garden gate? What does it inspire you to write?

A foreboding entrance or a gothic welcome? What do you think? I found this gateway whilst on holiday with my family. What story could this lead to?

This image was taken from my back garden tonight. What do you think? UFO? Hovering helicopter? Angel? Or just the moon. What does this inspire you to write?

At the beginning of the year, my camera broke. Then a couple of days later, the camera on my phone stopped working. Thankfully, our visit to Venice didn't suffer as my husband took his new posh, multi lens camera with him. It produces incredible shots but I find it too large and bulky to carry around with me. I wanted something that I could have with me on the off chance that I saw something I wanted to photograph. My husband came to the rescue with a surprise mother's day gift, a neat, little digital camera that is small enough to fit in a jacket pocket. I've been trying it out, and all its settings, ever since. The result of one such experiment is this. What do you think? Spooky? Inspirational? What story does it bring to mind?

This month's photo inspiration is an image taken on my birthday trip to Venice straight after the new year (which is why I haven't posted until today). There's a burnt-out candle, Christmas decorations, two finished hot chocolates and one biscuit remaining. A lone figure stands at the bar in the background. What does this inspire you to write?

Early one morning last week, while my family remained warm in the house before school and work, I ventured outside to leave the bins for the refuse collection. It was hardly a romantic or glamorous start to the the day but when I looked up, I saw this. In the midst of the lightening sky, a crescent moon and a star (or is it the space station?) sat shining alone together. It was one of those skies that made me pause (and obviously take a photo). What does this sky inspire you to write about? New beginnings? Peace? Partnership? Let me know.

I like unusual buildings and entrances, in fact any kind of threshold that is a little out of the ordinary. I took this photograph back in March on a family trip. What do you think of this? Is it inviting or just a little bit intimidating? Would you like to drop in? What would you find if you ventured through that door? Who might live here? What does this inspire you to write?

I recently walked into my study and noticed that there was a white smear on the window. When I looked closer, I found this.  Can you make it out? It's an imprint of a bird that must have collided with the window. You can see its beak, breast feathers and the feathers from an outstretched wing. I checked the garden but there was no dead or injured bird, and no sign of feathers either, just in case a local cat had taken advantage. The imprint was created by something completely normal but it signifies a suspended moment in time, a reminder of the past, a ghost. What would it inspire you to write?