I’m in the Lakes again. After today, 18 to go. The picture is taken on Middle Fell, near Wast Water, but in the background is Yewbarrow, and if there was a super-dooper 100x zoom you may well be able to see the same sight as depicted way back on Sept 2nd, as that’s Great Door over there. More to come from the Lakes for the next few days, I’m here until Thursday.
Wow, there’s something growing in the garden. Believe me, after the year of weather we’ve had, this is something of an achievement. It’s not edible yet, but we’ll see how it goes.
Returned from Tampere to Helsinki today and have the weekend here before heading home on Sunday afternoon. This is taken in a market near the square of Hakaniemi. Fish, potatoes and berries seem to be the staples of the Finnish diet, which is fine by me.
Does the plastic bag spoil this shot or help it? I also like the little flag in the background, just in case I forgot where I was.
Oh, you are so busted, my little rodent friend.
Tolerable weather today, by recent standards, and I got a Lake District walk in – photos are on my other blog (or will be soon, when I post them). This guy doesn’t get the day off though. He was hard at work as I passed him outside the village of Mungrisdale, Cumbria.
Over the course of this blog I have quite got into taking photos of wildlife: animals and plants make good subjects, they don’t get self-conscious in front of a camera. You can’t persuade them to stay in shot and in focus, but they don’t mind having cameras pointed at them per se.
By the way, I have one more month of this blog to go, at least to get to the full year that I set out to do. However, I am going to continue for a second year and finish, finally, on 25th August 2013.
Joe was on the first weekday of his summer vacation from school. I’m still at work for another three weeks, however, before I get my summer break. Didn’t get out much today: the best photo opportunity was this visitor, who came in one a lettuce that – against all the odds – has managed to grow into an edible state (for more than one species). Slugs grow up into unpleasant, irritating creatures, but this baby was cute enough in its way.
On no other day so far have I wanted more to put two photos up here instead of just one, because I had two quite distinct but equally memorable events to document today. However, I took the decision that the Running of the Bulls event, while funny and highly photogenic, just repeated the general ‘portrait’ theme that has so far dominated this visit to New Orleans – which I have decided is definitely the best place I have been to in the USA. Those who want to see pictures from it (and it’s worth seeing) could visit my Facebook album.
This, on the other hand, was an almost unrepeatable encounter, out in the Honey Island swamp (tour courtesy of Cajun Encounters, who did a good job). This beast was at least 11 feet (3.5m) long, and was quite awesome to behold: particularly this close. Quite amazing. You suddenly feel you are a member of a quite ephemeral species, really.
Sorry to go on about the bloody weather but today was the first day in two weeks which really deserved the adjectives ‘warm’ and ‘sunny’ – and even then it still rained quite severely in the evening, with two heavy thunderstorms. It may flood again tomorrow. Meanwhile, here are some flowers, proving that given enough water (ha ha) life can flourish everywhere, including in the centre of this thirty-feet-high retaining wall at the side of the Keighley Road.
Man did I have to get out on a walk at some point or I was going to go mad. I made it, it wasn’t totally dry, but it will do. More details are on my other blog.
Clare likes me to take a picture of a sheep on every trip: and as it is our 13th wedding anniversary today, this one’s for you babe.
Last full day in Moscow, for this trip at least. (I’ll be back, never fear.) One thing that has been nice this time is that I have been staying outside the city, in a relatively rural spot. It’s very pleasant to wander through the woods and down to the river before dinner. Well, unless you’re particularly bothered by midges, anyway.
Being 42 