And now for the best bit: I get to announce the winner. Drumroll please ...
it's Linda, with her excellent photograph, "Red Hot":
Congratulations Linda, well deserved! You have all the fun of hosting the next EOTB.
I'd like to thank everybody who took part in the challenge: it was a great response with many outstanding entries. Also thanks to Jeff for devising Eye of the Beholder in the first place, I hope that it is now established as a regular fixture.
and thank you @automaticslim for doing a great job of hosting and selecting finalists!
Thank you all very much! I am astounded and delighted to have won. Thanks to everyone who voted and also many thanks to AutomaticSlim for choosing my photo to be in the final 5 in the first place! I can't wait to see all the entries for the EOTB3 challenge.