Chipping Campden, The Cotswolds

Situated in the north Cotswolds, Campden is a perfect place to stay with plenty of accommodation. This charming old wool merchants' town straddles the nearby surrounding shire counties of Oxfordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. From Blenheim Palace and the Cotswolds to the south, to Worcester and the Malverns to the west plus Stratford-upon-Avon and Warwick (with the best medieval castle in Europe) all within an hour's journey.

Chipping Campden didn't feature in our Cotswolds visit of 2009, so it seemed a sensible choice to pay a visit twelve months later. And here we were, walking amongst olde worlde Cotswold England.

In tradition with it's neighbouring Cotswold villages, Chipping Campden was another place that we wouldn't forget in a hurry. Well maintained and well presented, this is Cotswold Country at it's very best.

We got a little bit off the beaten track and explored the back streets rather than sticking to the main street that split Campden through the middle. At the junction of Lower High Street sits St Catharine's Church, part of the Clifton Diocese. The church sits nicely on the edge of Campden, alongside the many terraced houses on each side of the surrounding roads. The bells chimed as I took the shot (above), adding to the whole experience of the Cotswolds and all it had to offer.

The properties in Campden will set you back a few quid...not 'arf! I dread to think how much some of the larger plots would cost. But hey, you'd give an arm and a leg to own one of these fella's. It was another good day for the camera though, as Chipping Campden offered plenty to capture on memory card. Once again, this will be another place to add to the 'Must Revisit' list and hopefully it won't be too long before that happens. No matter how much you think you've seen, there's always the bits you miss.

I'll have to put that right next time.
Ash

Lower Slaughter, The Cotswolds - Revisited

Deep in Cotswolds country lies the tiny picturesque village of Lower Slaughter. As the name suggests, Lower Slaughter is one half of two villages more commonly known as 'The Slaughters', with Upper Slaughter being the other half. After visiting Lower last summer, I was looking forward to seeing Upper in the hope that it was just as good as it's neighbour. Unfortunately Upper Slaughter was nothing to write home about so it made good sense to make the short drive to revisit Lower Slaughter, a place that seems almost lost in time.

Last year the sun was shining and as night fell it cast a nice orange glow onto the Cotswold stone of the quaint village houses. This time around though, the sun shone very briefly before dropping behind a very large grey cloud, not to be seen again until sunrise the next day. The right light makes all the difference when photographing this type of landscape scene and I managed to capture one or two decent shots in those brief moments of ideal light.

Lower Slaughter still remains one of the best places I've ever visited in the UK. It's certainly the best village for obvious reasons. During both visits we only passed a handful of people as we walked amongst its beauty. It really is a place that has to be visited, ideally in the Summer, but one can only imagine what it must look like after a heavy snowfall in Winter. Now, that would be a sight to see!

Next stop in Cotswolds Country... Broadway.

Until then,

Ash

Fowey, Cornwall

Fowey is a small town, civil parish and cargo port at the mouth of the River Fowey in south Cornwall between Looe and Mevagissey. Quaint cottages, narrow steep winding streets with glimpses of the shimmering river below, busy with boats and yachts, cobbled walkways perfumed with flowers from hanging baskets and boxes. This is Fowey (pronounced Foy).

Our afternoon in Fowey started off well, on the balcony of the Fowey Hotel with a cold one. Overlooking the harbour on a sweltering hot day with a pint of Carlsberg - doesn't get much better really. Pint down, it was time to check the place out, so we headed down to where it was all happening. The place was well busy, as expected at this time of year, and the weather made our visit all the more enjoyable. The narrow approach roads to the town centre were a bit scary, especially with busy traffic and the need to 'Keep in' as it passed.

At the waters edge people dined at an exclusive restaurant which was throwing out some quality aroma from it's kitchens. And there was me, cornish pasty in hand - livin' the dream...NOT! We sat for a while, taking in the views across the marina towards Bodinnick and also over the water towards Polruan, another village that typifies the whole 'Look' of Cornwall and it's coastal fishing ports. Mrs Corr certainly enjoyed the views (see picture).

The surrounding coastline of Fowey is popular with fishermen and spear-fishermen. Many sea creatures can be seen all around the Cornish shoreline, including mullet, bass, mackerel, lobsters and cuttlefish. The seafood served in many of Fowey's restaurants and comes from the Fowey estuary, or the sea just outside it.

Well, visiting Fowey wrapped up out visit to Cornwall and it was a good way to end another holiday before the long journey back up north. Again the journey would be split in two and the half way point this year would once again be the Cotswolds, as in 2009. Last years visit to the Cotswolds is featured in my blog, beginning with Bourton On The Water, followed by Lower Slaughter. It might be worth revisiting these pages before I tell you about our return...coming soon!

Thanks for visiting.
Ash

Minack Theatre, Porthcurno, Cornwall

The Minack Theatre is the most famous cliff theatre in Britain, possibly in the world, carved into the granite cliff overlooking the spectacular panorama of Porthcurno bay. Its summer season of plays, opera and musicals runs for seventeen weeks from May to September. Also on the site is The Rowena Cade Exhibition, which tells the remarkable story of how a girl who enjoyed the gentility of Victorian Cheltenham grew up to build an internationally famous theatre with her own hands.

"Minack" in Cornish means a rocky place and in the 1930’s there was only one house here and it belonged to Rowena Cade. She was born in 1893 in Derbyshire. The Cade's moved to Cheltenham when Rowena's father retired in 1906. When the First World War broke out, she went to work selecting and breaking horses which were shipped out to the front lines in France and Belgium. With the war finished, her husband was dead and Rowena's mother sold their home in Cheltenham. Rowena discovered the Minack headland, when renting a house at Lamorna, and bought it for £100. There she built a house for herself and her mother using granite from a St. Levan quarry.

She offered to let local friends put on "The Tempest" in her gardens, using the rugged coastline offered an appropriate backdrop but there were no seats for the audience. So she set about constructing what we know today as the Minack Theatre.It took six months for Rowena and two Cornish craftsmen to build a simple stage and some rough seating.

The first performance of "The Tempest" in the summer of 1932 was lit by batteries, car headlights and a power feed brought down from Minack House. Until then the nearest she had come to manual work was sewing and mucking out horses. During that first winter of 1931-32, she worked as a labourer for her gardener Billy Rawlings and his mate Charles Thomas Angove.

Granite was cut by hand from local rock. The terraces were in-filled with earth. Over the next seven years the theatre was improved. Then with World War II the army took over the site, and by the end of the war it had virtually returned to nature. Yet Rowena slowly brought the Minack back to life. She converted the gun post the army had built into the theatre's Box Office.

Through the early fifties she and Billy Rawlings completed an access road, a car park and a flight of 90 steps up from the beach. Unable to afford the cost of granite, she had developed her own technique for working with cement. She fetched sand from Porthcurno beach initially with bags on her back and then in her cars. She worked each winter in all weathers until she was in her mid-eighties.

Good amateur theatrical groups are encouraged to play at the Minack Theatre. Michael York, Sheridan Morley, John Nettles, Sue Pollard, Sarah Brightman, Will Self, Jack Shepherd, Hugh Dancy and Charlotte Church have all appeared on the Minack's stage.

In 1976, when she was well over eighty, Rowena Cade gave the Minack Theatre to a Charitable Trust which was set up to receive it. The Trustees extended the season of plays, built a Visitor Centre which is open all year round. This has attracted larger audiences and at last the Theatre is able to pay its way.

The views from the Minack are outstanding and the beach below at Porthcurno Bay can be seen from a fine viewpoint within the coffee shop. The theatre seating plan consists of the main auditorium and the upper terraces, with seat prices ranging between £8 and £9.50 per show. The first few rows of seats have the names of well known stage plays carved into them, adding more character to the place.

Our stay was quite brief. The weather here was nothing to get excited about, although the sun did present itself for a few minutes. A large photo of the theatre was on display in the main reception and it was taken on an ideal summer's day, giving a fantastic panoramic view of the theatre with Green Bay and Logan Rock in the background. I might have achieved a similar shot myself, had the weather been kinder, but I was out of luck. Still, this was another place that was well worth visiting in Cornwall. Recommended.

Ash

Mevagissey, Cornwall

Mevagissey is a traditional fishing village on the South Cornish coastline with a fascinating history. Mevagissey and the surrounding area provides many things to do, but when just want to get away from it all Mevagissey is ideal for that too. Here you can watch the catch of the day come in, which will be served to you in the evening with fine wine in excellent restaurants, while the fisherman can be found sampling Cornish ale in the local taverns.

The village's maze of narrow alleyways, small coves and great cliffs will bring to life stories of Mevagissey's smugglers and intreague the explorer inside you. The gift shops and art galleries will inspire your creative side and the many walks in the area will put you in touch with the beauty of Cornwall. It is an ideal base from which to explore Cornwall and The Rosaland Peninsula. The village remains unspoilt and offers everything that you would need to enjoy a nice holiday in Cornwall.

Today the weather was perfect. A Summer's day in a prime spot of Cornwall, not much more to ask for really. A crab net and some bacon as bait gave us an hour of light entertainment as the sun beat down. My son Christopher was pulling in crab each time he brought the net back up and there was suddenly a friendly competition sparking up along the harbour wall where everyone fished. The smell of fish and chips wafted past, eventually getting the better of us, which eventually saw us heading for a bite to eat. The tide eventually retreated and as the sun set behind us it suddenly became a tad chilly. Time to head back to the car and call it a day.

If you ever visit Cornwall, be sure to stop off at Mevagissey. This is a traditional Cornish fishing town that typifies Cornwall itself and I couldn't imagine driving past it without paying a visit. For the photographer there's more than plenty to see and record on film (or even memory card, as it is these days). As always, if you get the weather then you're laughing. These are three shots from a bunch I took on our second visit to Mevagissey.

Cheers, Ash

Polperro, Cornwall

Polperro is a place that you won't forget in a hurry. It was last August when I first visited this small fishing village on the southern coast of Cornwall and it was by far my favourite of all the Cornish towns I got to visit. Maybe it was that 'Lost in time' effect that the place had on me - maybe it was those narrow photogenic streets with tiny cottages at every turn - or maybe it was the hot cornish pasties and scrumpy cider. All things considered, it was probably all of those things and more.

As with the majority of the Cornish villages and towns I have visited, Polperro was very well kept. The long road down to the shops and harbour were lined with well maintained properties and gardens, many of which were in full bloom and bouncing with colour. A tiny shuttle bus carried no more than a dozen passengers to and from the harbour, plus a horse and cart chipped in with its regular service on the same route.

Boats lined the small harbour at Polperro, which also has a row of houses along one edge of the water, giving an excellent view from each living area. Opposite these houses is the tiny fish quay where boats land their daily catch. There's a bit of everything here. At the harbour's edge tourists could board a boat for a thirty minute trip to Looe and back. Not for me though, there was far too much to see in Polperro itself, so it was time to explore those back streets to discover things I didn't get to see last year. Off the beaten track is where you'll often find those hidden gems. One of those caught me eye just seconds into the first back street I walked down. A house with rendering to the front, covered in sea shells from top to bottom. There were hundreds of them, which were painstakingly (and stategically) placed to give maximum effect. I think it worked!

A nice cold pint of Cornish Rattler cider in a beer garden near the trickling stream rounded off another great visit to Polperro. The little fella caught site of a chocolate fountain in one of the sweet shops and that was it. Within a couple of minutes his face was covered, but did he enjoy it? Silly question really.

So another afternoon in Polpeero comes to an end. Already looking forward to the next visit...

Thanks for reading, Ash

Another Day In Looe, Cornwall

It was certainly beach weather today, so what better way to pass the time than a visit to another one of Cornwall's finest beaches, at Looe. Like last years visit, the tide was out and the beach was packed. The harbour was dry and gone was the opportunity to photograph the floating boats along the picturesque riverside, so I settled for a walk through the main street with it's many off-shoots.

This olde worlde fishing village has retained many of it's charactertic features, and this was evident as I explored the back streets of Looe's town centre. Tight narrow back lanes with small fishing cottages are in abundance, along with a scattering of 'Bed And Breakfast' houses as you go.

Mind you, Looe probably has more pasty shops than any of the other Cornish villages I've visited to date. Of course I couldn't help me'sel could I. It was lamb and mint today - straight out of the oven and down me cake hole. Aye, it was spot on! Today we were on a short tour of the southern coast of Cornwall and Looe was our lunch time stop. A couple of hours short stay and it was time to move on - next stop...Polperro. Looking forward to that one (coming soon).

Ash

Hayle Beach, Cornwall

Cornwall at last. The weather wasn't great upon our arrival and the five day forecast was nothing to get excited about either. Don't ya just love the great british weather, eh. Mind you, it's second nature to get on with things and accept whatever weather comes your way. Let's face it - what choice have ya got when you live in the UK!

It was year since our last visit to Cornwall. A retrospective account of it can be found on my blog - right here. 2010 saw us return to the Hayle area, which is situated on the north coast of Cornwall near the more commercial town of St. Ives.

As there was no write-up of Hayle in my 2009 blog I thought I'd include it this time around, adding it to the list of places I'd already visited and 'shot' during my time in Cornwall.

Hayle has one of the finest beaches in Cornwall so this latest blog entry concentrates on that area of the town, as opposed to the urban and shopping areas. The first shot (top) was taken from a position along the beach towards Godrevey Lighthouse. It was shortly after 8.30pm and the sun was very low, casting a nice orange glow across the fine sand. There must have only been a dozen or so people on the full stretch of the beach, which was almost two miles across. The tide was coming in rapidly so I didn't hang about. A rogue jellyfish sat motionless on the sand, as they tend to do, and I almost stood on it, bare footed. That would have been funny eh - not!

I've added a couple of other shots to this blog entry, which were taken at various points on Hayle beach. One shows a rather nice sunset with rolling waves and a solitary ship on the horizon. Coastal shots and seascapes is what Cornish photography is all about, according to me.

I hope you like them, and thanks again for reading my blog.

Ash

Next Stop...Exeter

Yes, being on the road for hours on end can be quite tiring at times. The owld dog aint getting any younger ya know. I remember opening a can of Relentless to help ease the drooping eyelids as I headed towards the A30 for our final journey to base. Those robbing bastards at Trowell Services stung me to the tune of £2.10 for a fix of the energy drink that would keep me going on the long journey south. £2.10 I tell you!!! At least Dick Turpin had the decency to wear a feckin' mask!!!!!!!!!

Aye well, the journey onward was a decent one - sun was shining and the roads weren't too busy. After a while I could feel a toilet stop beckoning. That large can of Relentless was beginning to take it's toll so the anchors were ready to drop in nearby Exeter - another place I hadn't visited before.

It was a fairly brief stop. Must have been no longer than an hour at most. First port of call was Exeter Cathedral and the surrounding shops and cafe's. By this time the weather was great and the crowds were out. I took a few photo's after a coffee stop near the cathedral then it was time to head back to the car. It would have been nice to explore the place a bit more but time was against us and Cornwall was almost around the corner.

Speak soon. Cheers,
Ash

Severn View, Bristol

Severn View, a place I hunted down after a brief spell on the M48 motorway near Bristol. The sun was quite low and it was an ideal time to check out this so-called 'View'. As I drove towards Severn View Services, where the best view of the bridge was supposed to be, I had a feeling it was going to be well worth it. I parked up near the old service building that overlooked the River Severn and made my way towards the banks, lugging my rather heavy kit bag and tripod as I went.

My first shot shows the bridge as the sun was dropped behind it. I was in luck! The sun could have been setting anywhere but luckily it was exactly where I wanted it, so it was clear I was standing in a prime spot as I took my first batch of shots.

The second shot (shown here) was taken shortly after sundown, with the nice subtle colours becoming more prominent over a period of minutes, which is often known in photographer's terms as 'Golden Time'. A mid- range ND Grad was used to balance out the exposure between the highlights (sky) and the dark zones (river at bottom of shot). It worked very well - even with a rather fast shutter firing at 1/60th, freezing the oncoming car headlamps, as opposed to blurring them and giving a light trail effect which I didn't really want.

The third and final shot was taken the next morning as the sun briefly shone across the River Severn. A circular polariser was used to emphasise the cloud formation. Yes, it was a good spot on the river banks and well worth a couple of visits. I was lucky to get a good sky for the two night time shots. Job done. It was now time to move on and another brief stop-off in Exeter was round the corner. Weather forecast is good - let's see what lies ahead...

Cheers, Ash

Bath Revisited

It's been almost a year since my last visit to Bath, in the South-West of England. I wrote about my earlier visit on my blog and it can be found here.

A year on and my return to bath coincided with another one night stopover in nearby Bristol. This was the half way point for us as we headed back to Cornwall for another family holiday. Not being at all familiar with Bristol, it was an obvious move to spend a few hours in Bath once again, especially after an enjoyable visit in 2009, but once again the sun wasn't shining. Oh well, you can't have it all I suppose.

We dropped anchor in the Waitrose multi-storey car park and made our way towards Bath Abbey and the nearby York Street. The area was busy, as expected, even though it was a mid-week late afternoon. For a short while we sat near the Abbey, where a busker played acoustic guitar. Later, we headed up towards The Circus and Royal Crescent. It was a lot quieter there, which was unexpected as both locations are often considered to be the more popular tourist attractions of the City. It was back along Brock Street towards The Circus, passing Margaret's Buildings on the way (see image below).

A bite to eat and it was time to head off towards our hotel near Bristol. Once again our visit to Bath more then worthwhile and it probably won't be our last. A lovely place.

Ash

Local Coastline 4 - Seaburn, Sunderland

The last stop on our coastal journey brought us to Seaburn beach in Sunderland. I had recently been commissioned by the Tourist Board to produce a set of ten postcards featuring scenes from the Sunderland Area. The postcards would be available to buy in the Sunderland Tourist Information Centre and two of them were to be beach shots, taken along the Seaburn/Roker coastal path.

Today presented an ideal opportunity to get a typical postcard type shot as the conditions were ideal. I'd already bagged seven of the ten postcard images and the designs had been to print and then delivered to the Sunderland branch, where they are now available to buy. Only three postcards were outstanding - two beach shots and one of the local church, more commonly known as the Stadium Of Light (wink).

I'd planned to photograph my two 'Beach Shots' from planned locations, one with sandy beach and one without. The top image shows the coastal walk between Seaburn and Roker, along the promenade towards Roker Pier. It's a very popular area of our coastal region and one which has great views across the mouth of the River Wear, especially from the bank top near the Roker Hotel.

Well, that's eight cards down and only two to go. A batch of 1600 cards have been delivered so far and as soon as the other 400 have been sorted it will be time to focus on a similar project for the Durham City branch. The last shot (shown below) is my attempt at a 'Smoking Cigarette'.

So, our coastal journey comes to an end. Just two hours and Shields to Seaburn was covered, on a day that typified an ideal day beside the sea. Next time I might brave the rocks and waves by getting up close and capturing some more of those blurred water shots, similar to those I got at Dunstanburgh Heugh's a couple of years ago. Quite a challenge, but that's half the fun.

Time to go. Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Ash

Local Coastline 3 - Souter Lighthouse

Souter Lighthouse is a National Trust property that is located between South Shields and Seaburn, just off Whitburn. Boldly hooped in red and white, Souter is an iconic clifftop beacon that was first opened in 1871.

Decommissioned in 1988, the machinery remains in working order and visitors can learn more from resident tour guides. To the north, The Leas has two and a half miles of beach, cliff and grassland with soaring seabirds and, to the south, Whitburn Coastal Park provides coastal walks and family trails.

The last time I was here there was a deep covering of snow and I got some great shots of the lighthouse and it's grounds, including the pathway to the main entrance with it's converging walls.

Today was a much different affair. High temperatures, bright sunshine and broken clouds - a chance to grab some nice postcard shots. The pathway from the main car park always offers a great lead-in line (see first picture), with it's rocks that lay staggered alongside the route to the lighthouse gardens.

Souter Lighthouse - A nice photogenic area of our coastline.
Next, and final stop - Seaburn, Sunderland. The return to God's Country.

Ash

Local Coastline 2 - Marsden Bay

The seaside town of South Shields in South Tyneside was our first port of call and this was followed by a short ride down the coast, heading south, to Marsden. There are two main access points to Marsden Beach - the first one is the steps down the cliff edge next to 'The Grotto' pub and restaurant. The second is the lift shaft, although it seems to take an age to arrive and even longer to drop down to the beach area via the pub itself.

Well the cliffs were in shade when we arrived so there wasn't much point in photographing them from the beach so I played safe and fired off a couple of lazy frames from the car park on the cliff top. It was a nice view along the beach towards Marsden Bay, and the clouds added something extra to an otherwise 'Flat' seascape. Not a great deal of interest in the picture shown here, but never mind, there's always a lot more further down the coast. Time to move - Souter Lighthouse was next on the list...

Ash

Local Coastline 1 - South Shields

Cooked up in the sweat shop all week before waking up on a Saturday morning to bright sunshine and the urge to get out and get amongst it. Two days off work and certainly not a time to sit indoors without taking advantage of the good weather. The little man was off out with his nana for the day so me and Mrs Corr got the owld glad rags on and jumped into the car, leaving it all behind for a few hours. A weekly ritual that has been going on for quite a while now and the first port of call was a nice pub near Fulwell Mill where a pub lunch kicked off proceedings. The Harvester does a great spit roasted 'Kickin garlic chicken' with all the trimmings, plus a free salad bar, which comes in very handy. Weshed doon with refillable pepsi - hey, ya cannit get robbed man!

With bellies full of scran we then headed off on our coastal journy towards South Shields - also known locally as 'Sand Dancer Land'. We parked up at Littlehaven, just off the dunes, and walked onto the fine sandy beach that overlooked the Groyne Lighthouse and Tynemouth. The sun was beating down and there was hardly a breeze - perfect summer weather! A couple of lads owned the waters nearby, going ape-shit on their jet ski's. We just sat for a while and took it all in. There were plenty of broken clouds kicking about, which were ideal for those polarising shots that I keep churning out, he he. These filters come in very handy, not just for landscape photography, but also those occasional seascapes. Job done - it was now time to head back along the coastline towards Marsden...

Ash

Canvas Prints

Hello again pop-pickers!

Well it has been 'Full On' in the printing department lately, mainly due to my recent expansion into canvas gallery wraps. I'd done a fair bit of research into canvas production and it seemed like a natural progression from standard paper printing, so I decided to dip my toes in.

As you may have already read on a previous blog entry of mine, I got my hands on a large format Epson printer (Stylus Photo 4000) along with several rolls of Epson printable media, including Premium Glossy, Water Resistant Canvas & Hannemuhle Photo Rag. Each roll is 17" wide and the custom 'User Defined' settings will allow a panoramic print of several feet in length, if required.

Running with genuine Epson K3 Ultrachrome ink carts, I was quite looking forward to seeing what results came off the printer and I certainly wasn't disappointed. An A2 print measuring approximately 25x17 inches took approximately 8 minutes to complete and the results were stunning! Delivering a wide colour gamut (range), these K3 carts were very much the 'Doggies Danglers' and the fine detail in the print was one that I hadn't previously achieved, even printing on smaller media such as A3.

Once the print jobs were complete I then laminated them with Giclee varnish before framing each one on machine cut fir stretcher bars. The canvases were then hung on the wall and it was great to see the finished work in all it's glory, so to speak. Mind you, they weren't on the wall for long - the first 8 were all bought by one person and it's time to set to work again and produce another batch for the various outlets I'm currently selling my work in. It's all time consuming but I wouldn't have any other way to be honest. It's great to know my work is out there and hanging on Joe Public's walls around the region and much further afield. My 'Penshaw Poppies' canvas was sold to someone in Australia a couple of weeks ago. Who's have thought it, eh.

Anyway, stay tuned for more canvas updates.

Thanks, Ash

Red Carpet Treatment

No, I wasn't invited to a film premiere in Leicester Square - I was knee deep in poppies in Houghton-Le-Spring! Worlds apart I know, but I've never come across a field with so many poppies growing, and it was right on my doorstep.

It was hard not to notice the sea of red when dropping down Houghton Cut on the A690. Unfortunately the field, which is situated just off the dual carraigeway between Houghton and Rainton Gate, didn't have anything of interest surrounding it. Penshaw Monument sat in the distance and how I wished it was a lot nearer, like...right next to the poppy field. I've sold many photographs of Penshaw Monument recently - the best seller had poppies in the foreground. That shot was taken three years ago but the farmer hasn't planted rape seed since then so I'll just have to hang fire until he gets his arse into gear.

It was a very hot day and the sky wasn't doing much to help the shots. Sometimes when it's too hot the blue sky appears to be a light shade of grey. Never mind, grab what thee can, lad!

A rogue poppy stuck out like sore thumb and ended up being the subject of a few frames, as you can see here. That's about it folks. There's only so much to say regarding a poppy field on a hot day, but there ya go. Nice photogenic flowers though.

Ash

Liverpool

Our last trip to Liverpool was an enjoyable one, despite the poor weather. Almost a year since our last visit and despite the fact it was Summer once again, the weather this time round was even worse! There was the odd bit of sunshine here and there but we made the most of it during our weekend stay near the city's Albert Dock.

I was hoping for good weather so I could get to work with the camera but again my chances were scuppered so I just had to settle for what I could get, under the circumstances. The sun broke through the clouds as we walked past Albert Dock and through the residential area known as The Anchorage. This was quite a picturesque setting with many boats and yachts moored there. Looking back along towards the dock you could see the Ferris Wheel and Liver Building.

After a bite to eat in The Pumphouse we headed through LiverpoolOne towards the shopping centre for a spot of retail therapy. Later we made our way up to the Cavern Quarter and walked through Matthew Street, passing the Cavern Club and Wall Of Fame on the way.

Well, bollocks to the weather. It's all about about making the most of, and we had a great time. Mind you, it wasn't all about Liverpool. Last year we visited Chester while we were in the area and it was time to revisit, along with an appearance at a rather damn tasty Indian restaurant in Ellesmere Port. Aye, ya didn't think the curry addict would pass up an opportunity like that, did ya (he he). I'll tell you more about it in my next blog entry - coming soon!

Ash

More Of Those Swans

Another brief write up about the local Mute Swans.

I wish I had a quid for every swan photo I've taken this year. If I did then I doubt I'd be sittin' here prattling on about these long-necked hissy buggers, that's for sure. But there were no quids folks, so here I am eh, toggling between writing this blog and watching the Italy vs Paraguay match on TV.

Another opportunity to throw a few more nature shots your way, folks. There's even a shot of some Canada Geese in flight. Not arf bad for a bog standard lens at some distance away. Rainton Meadows on Pond Two, the location.

One Saturday night me and the little fella popped round the meadows and got our eyes well and truly opened when we noticed kids swimming in Pond Two, just yards away from the Mute Swan family. A couple of lads, must have been no older than 16 or 17, with some bikini clad girls!

Oh aye, what's gannin' on 'ere then? Not exactly Ibiza but there ya go. Takes all sorts I suppose. Anyway, we were off round the reserve to see what other surprises were in store. Not much to be honest, but who cares, it was a lovely night - there was no breeze and the waters were still.

Anyway, a few more photo's from Rainton Meadows.

Cheers, Ash

Swan Activity - Rainton Meadows

An update on the Mute Swan's at Rainton Meadows nature reserve in Houghton-Le-Spring.

There were two nesting pairs this year - one on Pond One at Rainton Meadows and the other across the way at Joe's Pond. There were eighteen eggs in total but only sixteen of them hatched, as the cygnets could be seen at close quarters on the water. However, the nine cygnets from Pond One were later reduced to eight, with a bit of mystery surrounding the missing chick. Maybe a fox or some other predator was responsible, who knows.

Mind you, if it wasn't for the bag of bread I was carrying I probably wouldn't have got near both families to take my photo's. Aye, as I've said before - coaxing the birds with grub is a sure way to get them eating out of yer hand. Not literally though, as the parents are very aggressive and wouldn't think twice about giving you a dig!

The sun was setting at around 9.00pm when I took the sunset shots (shown here). A few minutes after the sun went down parts of the the sky turned red, giving the shot a bit of badly needed colour. By this time the bread was gone and so were my hopes of squeezing the last few shots from my opportunity. The swans were off.
That's all for now, Ash