Falling Sideways

I have had a couple of good days out with my camera in the past week and got some lovely shots of a mix of different subjects on and around the marine lake in West Kirby, and also along the beach on my walk back home. I have some wildlife shots, some landscape and sunrise shots as well as a few random images of stuff that caught my eye and that I figured I could do something creative with.

In my last post I shared a few pictures from the first day and I now have loads more to sort through and share. I wasn't sure what to post today however I settled on the two images below. A couple of abstract images of a waterfall, actually the sluice overflow that allows the lake to drain without constantly overtopping the path around it. I have flipped the images counter clockwise through 90 degrees creating a very pleasing effect with the stream of water flowing sideways rather than falling down as it actually was. I used different exposures and I have made some adjustments (white balance, shadows etc) in lightroom to create contrasting images from effectively the same scene.

Falling sideways is an apt title for this post because that is what the images show. It is also a reference to the fact that I took a tumble on the walk home. I lost my footing on the path because I was distracted by a group of people doing some conservation work on the dunes and I wasn't looking where I was going. I landed quite heavily, and must have looked quite a sight as I clattered to the ground. One person came rushing to offer assistance and after checking that I was OK one of his fellows quipped "never mind are you OK how is your camera?" As  dusted myself down I admit that was actually my first priority. Fortunately it is fine.

As I walked the rest of the way home (about 1.5 miles) I could feel myself stiffen up and although I dismissed the idea of getting someone to come and pick me up (I probably should have done) I used the time  on the rest of the walk to ponder the question "did I fall over, or did I have a fall?" It is a funny thing that young people "fall over"  but when an older person takes a tumble they're said to have "had a fall". Does "having a fall" refer to the act of falling itself or is it a indication of perhaps more serious consequences of falling when an older person is the one who falls that is what it seems to imply to me. I can't pretend I am as young as I like to believe I am, and certainly I feel more fragile after this incident even though I have suffered only bruises, a few lingering aches and pains and a degree of embarrassment. I am also aware that in the past I would have laughed, bounced back up and not even given this event a second thought. Nevertheless despite the creeping of the years I will not be deterred, next week I am starting horse riding lessons. Oh yes! wish me luck.

For now enjoy these images and look out for more in my next post... 

Lac d'Annecy

 On my road trip after leaving Florence I drove through Pisa, I saw the leaning tower but did not stop to explore the town as time on this leg was tight. There was an interesting drive along the Ligurian coast and then inland via some exciting mountain roads to  a small town called Casale Monferrato in Alessandria, on the banks of the River Po where I stayed overnight. It was a lovely town but for some reason the only photos I took were using  my mobile phone and I don't have any to hand to share on here.

From there I drove to Courmayeur and then through the Mont Blanc Tunnel to Chamonix and then on to Lac d'Annecy where I stayed in a lodge on the edge of the lake just a few metres from the jetty in the images above.

This was in June 2018, in Italy the summer was in full swing and it had been hot and sunny the whole time. In fact apart from the thunderstorm and landslide outside of Dresden early on in the trip the weather had been nothing but hot. So it was a bit of a shock to the system arriving in Annecy where it was cold, and overcast. It was a welcome respite for my son however as he had caught a little too much sun in the preceding days so he welcomed the cooler conditions.

The town of Annecy is very picturesque and is a popular destination for French holiday makers all year round, for the lake in summer and the ski slopes nearby in the winter. 

These shots were taken in the early evening and as the clouds rolled in it was very atmospheric, albeit quite chilly.

Schonwald im Schwarzwald

A few pictures today from the Black Forest.  These shots were taken on the shore of a small lake near Schonwald im Schwarzwald up in the mountains.  We had stopped to get something to eat but as it was out of season all the shops and cafes were closed for lunch. We tried to get some Black Forest Cake but there was none to be had but the alternatives were really good!