Allotment Cat and all that!

Such fun with the allotment cat! She came for cuddles and treats then sat in her usual place watching me and the girls. I decided to photograph the cat boot scraper on my plot with the daffodils behind it for Flower Friday. Allotment cat was intrigued and decided to investigate, and maybe prove it was a better cat than the immobile imposter on my plot! She adopted the scrapers poses and then used it as a scraper herself! I loved this one but sadly so not focused I had to do something to it to make it viewable - but this unfortunately highlighted an unfortunate body part so I have left it on Flicker along with the others of her posing! 
Brief trip to Tavistock for Friend to have her PICC line flushed and redressed. I recycled my plastic and had a quick look at what they had salvaged to sell. Imagine my delight at finding 2 old gnomes, proper ones not the Disney affronteries! I decided on the one minus it's fishing rod and asked the price - a quid! Blooming bargain! He asked if I wanted the other one too, but I wasn't that taken with it's features and as it was pushing a wheelbarrow felt my backyard didn't have the space. On returning to the car with my gnome I rethought - lots of space on my allotment and where better for a wheelbarrow pushing gnome! Back to ask the price - another quid! I gave him an extra 50p for the wheelbarrow! 
I was a bit dismayed by the #ayearwith assignment - enter a photographic competition, it would make one create more of a polished photograph and stop cutting corners! I understand what is meant but  I'm not sure I could do any more than I already do given my own personal wish to produce the best I can whenever I take and process anything. Also the tip to look at what the judges like and emulate that style fills me with horror. I take what pleases me, I am not about to start constraining myself to suit some anonymous judge. This  assignment following on from Kendallisheres' blip the other day asking our motivations in   taking  photographs, has made me think and examine my motivations and antipathy. Essentially it gives me pleasure to take photographs, as a form of artistic  creativity, as you know drawing is not my medium! I want to take the best I can and try to improve. I want to then share this and maybe see if I have managed to create something others like too, be it for composition, subject, technical ability.  Blip allows this in an open, non judgemental way - it is either liked, loathed or if I'm lucky loved! Most importantly it is judged on it's own rights, it is not a question of comparison, therefore the issue of why did they like theirs more than mine does not arise. I am happy to receive advice on how I could have taken it differently or more effectively, and often when I see something that really does excite me I wonder how blippers I admire would take the photograph, in terms of making the best of something I see as intrinsically beautiful, but that is not to say they would like what I am seeing in the first place! From what I have heard, competitions in the way the assignment is couched, do not give critique, merely an acceptance or rejection, little or no explanation! I have enjoyed the camera club competition events I have attended, to hear what has made a photo work and what could have been done better in the judges personal view and can see the value in that. But I have not been brave enough to enter any of mine for that examination. Maybe I fear being judged, partly because I know how I react when I am! I get defensive! Maybe that is why the assignment  doesn't attract me! Maybe I am disguising  my fear of criticism and rejection  into some airy self justification of thwarting individual artistic expression!!! Maybe I am scared of finding what I think is a good photograph to me is actually a pigs ear! Maybe like most issues it is not as black and white as that! So for the moment I will spare myself what I see as a  negative and pointless experience for me. Maybe my attitude will change, and I am certainly not saying competition is bad if it works for someone else. 
Leading on from this is the experience I had this week with my photographs of MBA Sepia and the marine site. In trying to find out more about what the boat was doing I found the site and  as it allowed the facility of uploading photos of their vessels I thought I would give them mine. I checked the information about no discernable people,etc and uploaded a few just to share. I got an email to say one had been rejected for not enough differentiation! I was incensed! the boat had its name clearly displayed and was sharp in the landscape so what did they mean!! Nothing about the other ones! That day I had put the same one on YouPic and received an Inspiration star!!!  I have just checked their site and actually all 4 I uploaded including that one is there!!! Looking at it again it actually is not as sharp all over as I thought! 
So - my final thoughts - if you want to give any critique or advice on my blips please do - hopefully it will make me correct my errors, and increase my knowledge and technique, for it will be helpful advice not a judgement, rejection  or criticism, just an  asked for critique!!!