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I have only sporadically worked with PSP over the last couple of weeks. And I was not satisfied with anything I attempted to do. Watching yesterday's Master Class made me feel more connected again. Then, in one of those moments that sometimes happens, I came across some info and pix of the "Galapagos Island" of the Indian Ocean with its rare botanical specimens found no where else. Of course, as is the case everywhere, this unique place is under threat due to many factors, including its location in a geopolitical hotspot. I had never heard of this island before. There must be some fortunate and intrepid travellers in the world who have gone there. I won't be going, but it's dazzling to see the many images available. The trees alone are worth looking at. Dragon's Blood and Desert Rose to name just two unusual ones (pictured in layout). And I know my shadow on the tag is a bit wonky. But I did what I could to make it appear a little lifted.

Here's my monthly Wild Cat Calendar for September featuring the Iberian Lynx. The text is small so I'm posting it here, also: "The Iberian lynx, a wild cat that used to be common across the whole of the Iberian Peninsula which includes Portugal and Spain, but from the 1960s its numbers plummeted. Habitat loss, poaching and road accidents all helped to push the species to the brink of extinction. "Now, the cat is coming back according to a report by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The increase is largely thanks to conservation efforts that have focused on increasing the abundance of its main food source - the also endangered wild rabbit, known as European rabbit. Programs to free hundreds of captive lynxes and restoring scrublands and forests have also played an important role in ensuring the lynx is no longer endangered. "Francisco Javier Salcedo Ortiz, a coordinator responsible for leading the conservation action, described it as the "greatest recovery of a cat species ever achieved through conservation." Arial font used throughout. Photo of lynx modified by Art Media Pencil behind calendar grid. Information from BBC News. I posted this full size (8.5x11) on Scrapbooking with PaintShop Pro on Facebook if you want to print it.

Only you could make a brown bird look so magical and arresting!

Yes I did - he's a sweetie. I seem to be having a year of insects putting in an appearance in my photos of flowers.

Here is my entry for this one.

I think it's framed beautifully. The reeds only add to it. Did you notice the tiny fly on it?

Week 35 On a walk round Bolam Lake (in Northumberland, UK) my husband spotted this solitary water lily in the midst of a reed bed. I could only have got a better shot if I’d jumped in so this angle had to do.

I don't think PSP should support AI, other than something basic. Even then it slows the program down. I for one don't use AI. I don't have any inclination to use it either. Depending on the AI the program it creates using key words. Making the image not your own, unreal and in many cases far to futuristically unnatural. I will continue to create as natural as possible. By observing the wonders of mother nature.