The Old Lighthouse

This is one of Haverigg's two lighthouses, both of which are defunct.  This is the newest of the two and was built around 1905 on the new sea wall.

In the early evening light it is quite atmospheric and it was an interesting point on my evening walk.  I like the detail in the first picture.

Ursa Major and the Milky Way

Following on from last night's super moon I thought I would share some more pictures of heavenly bodies.

These photos are from my very first attempt at photographing the night sky.  They were taken in Cumbria on the night of the 18th September. I wasn't trying to capture any particular constellations I was really just practicing to try and get the settings right.  I was amazed to see a sky so full of stars and the milky way so bright and spent quite some time looking up in awe. All of the pictures above were taken using a 30 second exposure.

Today is the first time I have looked at these pictures properly and I was thrilled to see in the first picture Ursa Major being so clear so I had to post that one first.

I saw a number of shooting stars on that night and I cannot be sure whether the light trail in the second picture (and the fainter ones in the fourth and fifth shots) are shooting stars or light trails from aircraft. I hope they are shooting stars.

I cannot identify the constellations in the other pictures but in picture three there is a bright planet just right of centre, it has a particular glow around it and I am curious as to which planet (if any) it is.

I had such a good time taking these pictures and just observing the night sky.  I will definitely be doing it again and maybe I will try doing some star trails.  I think I need to learn a bit more so I can try and photograph the specific constellations.  If anybody viewing this can tell me what can be seen in these pictures I would be very grateful.

It has to be the moon

I had to get up to see the Super Moon and took one or two pictures.  It was quite spectacular although these pictures would have been a bit sharper if it wasn't for the light pollution from the nearby street lamps.  Anyway after the effort I went to it would be wrong not to share a few pictures.

Cloudy Cumbrian Skies

Here we are again, on the edge of the Cumbrian Fells near Millom. Today's pictures focus on the cloudy skies (perhaps a common feature in this part of the country) but over the next few days you will see that the clouds gave way to a beautiful sunny clear evening.

The first picture shows the view from the campsite as I was pitching up around about 4pm. It looked a bit ominous but fortunately it did not develop into anything.

The campsite was along a narrow lane referred to on my Sat Nav as "the alley" but known locally as "the frying pan".  The story behind the name is that about 100 years ago a man staying in a guest house on the lane had stayed out late at a local pub.  He returned very late in a drunken state and then slept late in the morning.  The landlady having had a disturbed night refused to serve the man breakfast and as a consequence he killed her.  He was hanged for his crime in Carlisle.

The second picture was of clouds forming over Ulverston, they were quite dramatic, and I like the way the big Cumulus cloud rose up through the other layers of cloud.

Picture three is looking inland across the marina with a glimpse of the old harbour wall. The original harbour wall collapsed sometime around 1900.  This a result of the old mine workings under the sea bed having caved in.  The current marina was formed in 1905 when the "new" sea wall was built.

The final picture today is more about the shadows cast on the mountainside by the clouds and the glimpse of light breaking through. 

A Lovely Evening in Millom

Today I have spent the day in Snowdonia but the pictures I have chosen for my blog are from last weekends trip to Millom in Cumbria.  

We have some really fantastic countryside in the UK and I had one of the best nights ever last Friday camping at a new site on the North West coast between Millom and Haverigg. There were no other campers on the site so it was really perfect.  Over the next few days I will share some pictures from the trip, including my first attempt at shooting the night sky.

For today I have chosen some pictures of the sunset.  The first is looking across the fields to Millom with the Cumbrian Fells in the distance, you can see Scafell Pike and Coniston (if you know what you're looking for).

The second image I took along one of the lanes near to the campsite, I love the evening light as it breaks through the trees.  

The final picture was the view from my tent as the sun was setting, I don't think anyone can argue, that was a great view to end the day.  After that I got some fish n chips with a helping of battered haggis for my supper before settling down to watch the stars. Mmmmm what a brilliant night.

Devils Bridge

I have a number of pictures of this bridge taken recently, these are probably the best views and I think the last one is my favourite. You can see that it was a very cloudy day and so I was dodging rain showers for much of the time during my visit to Kirkby Lonsdale, but the sky adds a bit of drama to these tranquil scenes. 

This is a very popular spot with walkers and bikers.  The town itself is very picturesque and well worth a visit.

A fancy flock

On Wednesday morning as I was walking to work I passed through Covent Garden and I was greeted by a number of Shaun the Sheep in different guises. By late afternoon as I passed through again there were about 50 in total and I have posted a few of my favourites.

There have been two Shaun the Sheep trails, in Bristol and in London and now it seems that all 120 of the sculptures will be together in Covent Garden until Sunday and then they will be auctioned to raise funds for the Wallace and Grommet children's charity. What a great cause and what a great way to raise money. Who couldn't love these colourful creations.

Although there are just a few pictures here if you want to see more but can't get to Covent Garden then visit my Facebook page chipster63photograpy where I have created an album with pictures of all the sheep that had been put in place, sadly I didn't see all 120. While you are there you can like my page and find links to other blog pages. 

Under The Bridge

I had a bit of extra time today soon my walk from my hotel to my place of work I took a walk along the embankment and I passed under a number of bridges. I can't remember which one is in the first picture, but the second is the Blackfriars Road Bridge and the last two shots are of the Millennium footbridge which is by St Paul's Cathedral. I like the different structures and I like the perspective particularly looking across the river in the first and third images.bri

Mystery fish

So what is going on with today's blog?
Well, rather than post some predictable pictures of London's iconic landmarks I thought I'd go some quirky images and so I thought I would take some random pictures of window displays and came across these little gems.

The first is of a machine in a Chinese bakery it moulds and bakes little fish shaped pastries which are filled with a hot cream filling.

Having seen this I recalled having seen the fish sculptures displayed in a gallery window on Shaftesbury Avenue so on my way back to my hotel I took a couple of shots to keep the fishy theme going.

The final picture of a bicycle suspended in a shop window clearly doesn't fit the theme but I couldn't resist it. I thought that one or two friends who are cyclists might also appreciate the alternative drinks bottle carrier.

Escape to the country

Having said yesterday how much I love the city I have been cooped up all day in a windowless room, so I decided to post some pictures of the great outdoors. 

Seen here in the first picture is the sunset over Haverigg harbour, more of that later in the week or maybe next week.

The second shot is the view across the dales from Litton, towards Tideswell.

The final picture is of a sculpture on the seashore at Haverigg, it is there to commemorate lives lost, by those who died trying to save people in peril at sea. In Haverigg there is an independent inshore lifeboat and the volunteers who man the service deserve much credit, praise and respect.

Bright Lights, Big City

On Friday night I had one of the best night's ever as I camped out in a field in Cumbria. It was a cold night but the sky was clear and I sat transfixed by the mass of stars. Of course I took loads of photos and sooner or later I will get around to sorting through them and posting them here in my blog.

By contrast tonight I am in London and for the next three days I will be here for work.  Having got here in the early evening I went for a walk and I snapped a couple of photos.

Picture one is of the lights inside the foyer of an office building on Long Acre just round the corner from Drury Lane.

Picture two is of an old street lamp in Aldwych opposite The Royal Courts of Justice on The Strand.

Picture three is of the market stalls at Covent Garden as the traders are packing away.

I love the city and I'm sure over the next few days I'll have some more great pictures to share. But I'm also sure that I will be ready to get back to the quiet life when this job is over.

Pebbles

Today I have chosen a couple more pictures from my visit to Kirkby Lonsdale last weekend. I had gone down onto the river bank and ventured out where the river widened and went around a gentle bend.  I daresay that after heavy rain there would be no chance of getting so far out as I did as the pebbles beneath my feet were part of the river bed.

I was drawn to taking the first picture by the muted colours and the smoothness of the stones as they led me away from the river bank.  I also like the second picture with the brightly coloured leaf caught within the small still pool. It is a small reminder that summer is gone and we can look forward to lots of rich autumn colours.

Later in the week I will post some more shots from this visit, with some great views of Devil's Bridge.

An Anniversary

                     

 

So today is the anniversary of when I started this blog and I have decided to mark the occasion by re-posting a few of my favourite pictures from the past twelve months.

I have really enjoyed doing the blog, which at first was a bit of a step out of my comfort zone, the process of selecting the pictures each day has allowed me to look through old files and new, it has prompted me to get out with my camera more and to try new things.

In that time there have been more 15,500 visitors to my page, people from all over the world, from Canada, north America and South America, all across Europe and Scandinavia, South Africa, Russia, Japan,  India, South Korea and Australia. Thousands more have viewed via Twitter and on my linked page on Facebook and Google+ it is so gratifying that it has been so well received.

The pictures above represent some of my best moments with some special memories attached, maybe some will have a meaning to you. I hope you have enjoyed my blog choices over the past year and look forward to lots more to come.