Bluebell Wood

Here are a couple more woodland shots from Boilton Woods 

Looking at these pictures the smell of the beautiful flowers comes flooding back.

Sun Kissed

In the early morning this gondolier makes his way gently through the quiet canals as the city wakes up and the locals go to work.

In the background the famous Bridge of Sighs is illuminated by the sun almost as if a spotlight is being trained upon it

Trick Of The Light

There really is something special about this image. There is so much colour and so many intricate patterns and all it is is light on water.

A few moments before a small boat had chugged past creating ripples across the width of the canal and what had previously been a recognisable reflection of a beautiful building became an ever changing abstract image with light and shadow,and in places it was almost like gold leaf spread across the waters surface.

Going to work...

The morning commute for most of us means getting into our cars on our bikes or hopping onto trains or buses to get to our offices or other place of work. It is often frustrating as we jostle with others for space and at the end of the day we do it all again in reverse.

In Venice the commute is somewhat different. Of course many people cram onto the vaporetto (water buses) that travel along the main waterways but many others walk the narrow cobbled streets or take a small boat through the many canals which are the main thoroughfares.

Today's pictures show firstly one of the refuse collection vessels  which is moored up while the workers go door to door collecting the city's waste. The next two shots show a couple of bargees getting ready to go off to collect their load for the day. 

I like these images of the real Venice, away from the tourist sights and crowds. Of course at this time of day there were very few tourists about and it was a nice experience being about as the city woke up.

Breakfast Time For Beaver

The last few posts have been from an early morning shoot at Mission Marsh. I arrived just before sunrise and spent some time watching the sun come up over the Sleeping Giant and across the lake and if you go back over the past few posts you will see some of the amazing shots I captured. 

The reason for my visit however was to search for beavers. A few days before I had been for a walk nearby and I had seen the freshly chewed stump of a felled tree and not far away was the tree itself, abandoned across the path and I figured that we had disturbed the beaver and it had run off to take cover. We searched for a little while around the edge of a small lagoon but without luck and I determined to come back in the morning to see if I would have any better luck.

As you can see from these pictures I was not disappointed. As I walked along the edge of the pool I heard a splash and turned just in time to see the ripples as a beaver disappeared beneath the cold water. I thought that that might be my last sighting of a beaver but decided to hang around for a while longer and I am so glad I did because I was able to watch not one but four beavers busily working on preparing their lodge for winter and having breakfast. I was so excited that I went back a couple of days later and the whole family of five beavers were there. This has to have been one of the highlights of my visit and an experience I hope I will never forget.

Later on the day of my second visit I went to see the Fort William museum, a replica of the original trading post on the banks of the Kaministiquia river. Although it was a fascinating insight into the history of this region and the importance of the fur trade to the prosperity and growth of the North West territories it was also sad to see piles of furs/pelts including beaver that were shipped to Europe and used to make  top hats in London. I thought about the family of beavers I had watched that morning and I was pleased that they would be safe from trappers because they have the good fortune to live in a conservation area.

About Town

There is not much to say about today's selection of photos all taken around and about Versailles.

I really like the different styles of architecture which make this such an interesting city.

The Station is one of several in Versailles, the ticket hall is a vast space and I like the imposing clock in what I think is Art Deco style. 

The shot of the market was taken quite early in the morning as I walked to the bakery for fresh bread and croissants. As you can see there were very few people about other than the traders and I had a pleasant stroll enjoying the quiet and thinking about people at home and imagining how different this place would be in just a short while.

I love France, I just need an excuse to go back soon.

Back Streets

This morning I went out early for bread and croissants from a local bakery, they made a delicious start to the day. I can hardly wait til breakfast time so I can do it again.
As it was early the streets were quiet except for a few traders getting set up in the market square. I walked through this narrow passage and decided to capture the calm of the city before it wakes up...

Songs From The Wood

I never tire of photographing Robins. They have such great characters, they're bold, inquisitive and sometimes cheeky. I love these shots because of the lighting, the texture of the mossy log and the green and blue background from the massed bluebells on the slope behind.

I know lots of you like to see these pictures too so I will keep on snapping Robins whenever I get the opportunity.

As The Sun Rises

Sunrise on Thurstaston Common on a very cold and frosty morning. 

Morning Glow

So yesterday I posted a black and white shot of the waterfront at West Kirby and I mentioned the lovely colours in the morning sky, and today I have decided to post a different view looking across the marine lake in colour so that you can see for yourself the glorious sunrise.

This was a fairly long exposure, as long as I dared given that it was hand held and low light, so that there is a nice effect on the water's surface and the delicate pastel shades of the sky are really beautiful. The moon is also just visible as a bright spot high in the sky.

It was -3C (26F) and so my fingers quickly got numb, all the same I think it was worth it and for the next two hours I made the most of the perfect light to get some great shots.

Good Morning Grebe

When I first saw this bird I thought it was a juvenile Loon, but looking at the pictures I am pretty sure it is not a Loon but I haven't been able to accurately identify it.

I have called today's post Good Morning Grebe because it was a very good morning and I think the bird is a variety of grebe although I may be wrong. I would really appreciate it if anyone could say for sure what type of bird it is because I don't like not knowing what I post. 

I do however like the way the early morning sun lights up the birds face and gives it a gleam in its eye and I like the reflection, because I always like reflections.

Barely a Ripple

I had stopped here at Surprise Lake just on the way in to Silver Islet on my early morning cycle ride/photo expedition. I had taken a few shots of the lake with the trees reflected in the calm water and I was about to set of when this guy pulled up in his car, casually got out and walked into the lake and began to fish. I was so impressed by how calmly he set about his business and how he left barely a ripple as he cast his fly. I watched for a little while until he caught a lake trout and then I left him to it. It was such a calm and quiet morning, after this I stood and watched a downy woodpecker and a small flock of cedar waxwings in the trees by the shore and I was so glad that I had made the effort to get up and out by myself. 

This was also one of the few spots on the Sibley Peninsula while camping that I was able to get a phone signal and I took a moment to call loved ones back home. It is funny that as much as I was having fun being by myself it was also nice to share the moment.

At Silver Islet

A couple of week ago I posted a photo, taken using my phone, of the front of the old store at Silver Islet and gave a very brief history of the once thriving mining town here. I really loved visiting the area although it is no longer a bustling mining community it has a very special feel to the place and was probably my favourite spot that we visited during the whole trip. 

I liked it so much that one morning while camping in the provincial park I got up early, borrowed a bike and set off on my own for the ten mile round trip to take some photos before other people started arriving. It was warm and the air was quite still so I managed to get some nice shots of the small harbour, a small lake and the islands just off the shore as well as the many interesting buildings which have stood for many years against the harsh weather conditions in this area. I will of course be coming back to share some of these pictures with you and I look forward to doing so. 

This photo is a rear view of the old store taken from the jetty, it involved a bit of scrambling to get to this spot as the jetty itself was fenced off but it was worth the effort, for this and the several other shots I took from here.

This isolated community as I say had a special feeling to it and I could easily see myself settling here in a cabin facing out into the bay. 

Sunflowers and a Sleeping Giant

I've been away camping for a few days and not able to post anything but I've been getting loads of photos which I can share in the weeks ahead. 

Today's first picture was taken on the morning I left for the camping trip as I went for a short walk. These beautiful flowers added extra brightness to the morning, they're in a beautifully tended garden at Heritage Park overlooking the Sleeping Giant at Thunder Bay.

This second picture is a view of the Sleeping Giant as seen from Marie Louise Lake in the Sleeping Giant Provincial Park, there will be lots of different views that I will share because it was always changing. This particular picture was taken on a really calm morning just before a trip out onto the lake in a canoe. Again there will be more of these adventures in the coming weeks, after I've had time to sort through all my pictures but please come back to see...

Rising With The Sun

In the past week I have missed posting to my blog on a couple of days because I went to Birmingham and then to Manchester to see my absolute favourite band The Cat Empire in concert. Their recent album Rising With The Sun is fantastic and full of energy, all their music is really and it's well worth a listen. Anyway these early morning pictures of Snowdon lit by the rising sun seem fitting.

Pink Sunrise

I have decided to take a break from the waterfalls for now, I still have a few pictures from that day out to share but maybe another day... For today (and tomorrow) however I wanted to share a splash of spring colour. Visitors to my blog will know that I love photographing flowers and spring is a great time to get some early colour.

The second day during my recent week off I got up at 4 am and set off for Snowdonia in North Wales to capture some early morning shots of the mountains at dawn. I have got some great images to share in the days ahead. 

After my trek up the mountain and back I decided to stop off at Bodnant Gardens to see what I could see. I was a little disappointed to be honest because there were only a few different varieties in bloom although there was lots of fresh new growth and a profusion of greens.

The first flowers to see were the tulips at the top of the page, the bright sun really shows the flowers off at their best.

The next picture is of a Magnolia coming into bloom, the tree as a whole was loaded with flowers and was a spectacular sight but I felt that this individual flower made a great picture.

The next image is of a Hyacinth, I think they were getting to be past their best but I managed to find this specimen in a sheltered spot and so it was not too badly damaged by the wind. Again the sun helps to bring out the rich colour of this delicate flower.

The final picture today is my favourite from today's selection. It was a tiny flower, no more than a few inches tall and it was growing in the shaded border in a trellised walkway. The main feature of that part of the garden will be different varieties of Clematis and this little gem will probably be seen by very few visitors and so i was thrilled to spot it and get a few shots. It is a variety of Muscari called Pink Sunrise, which after my early start and the sunrise I had enjoyed seemed very apt indeed.