Last hot day

It was another scorching hot day today - I am not complaining as this will probably be the last hot day until late spring next year, what a depressing thought! The weather gets a bit cooler from tomorrow again. I walked Xena in the tree covered woods where we tried to keep cool in the shade, which is where I took this photo. 

We have a few family birthdays this month including Gavin's, so after my walk I shopped online for a new rain jacket for him - it ended up taking much longer than I expected. I then went to the Post Office to ask them about using Parcel Force to courier my ARPS submission to Bristol (where the Royal Photographic Society offices are based). Under new post Covid rules their offices are only open on a Monday, Wednesday and a Friday so we tried to work out how I can ensure it will only get there on one of those days - you cannot request an exact delivery date with Parcel Force. Anyway we decided it was best to post it tomorrow, so if it gets there in 24 hours as it should, it will arrive on Friday, and if it is delayed, as is likely, it will get there on Monday (as they don't deliver on a weekend) - problem solved! 

This morning my prints arrived - I was too anxious to open the envelope in case the prints were not acceptable. I finally opened the envelope and I think they look fine - I like the way they are printed, but not to say the judges will. I used a Hahnemühle Photorag paper and I think it is the perfect choice for the subject and colours, with a matt cotton-like finish. I spent the entire afternoon placing the prints into the mounts, then attaching a label of the print number and name to the back of them. It was fiddly work but it all went well. I then rewrote my Statement of Intent, only to discover by reading on the RPS website that it is limited to 150 words (no one had told me that), so I spent ages re-writing it for the umpteenth time and trying to condense everything I wanted to say into only 150 words. I have printed off all the accompanying documents and now it is ready to post. I just hope the mounted images do not get knocked about too much in the portfolio box during transport and they arrive looking as pristine as when I put them in the box.

It is now late so I must get on and make supper, I will catch up with journals tomorrow. 

And because I have been blethering on so much about the ARPS submission I have added my panel layout in the extras in case you are interested.