Together

 It was a sunny afternoon and like many other people around the city I spent a few hours soaking up the sun and enjoying the views. I also captured a few shots of people taking it easy. 

I like the shots of people deep in conversation, in pictures 3 & 4 for example the speakers were becoming quite animated and their expressions make me wonder what had got them so worked up.

My favourite picture today however is the first one with the older couple carrying their shopping bag between them with a small dog stopped in their path; guarding the way ahead, or maybe hoping for a bit of a fuss? Turns out he was a bit of a scaredy cat and ran to hide under the nearest bench where its humans were sat in conversation.

Long Tailed Tit

Such a cute little bird, long tailed tits are often seen flying about in noisy little flocks as they chatter to each other non-stop. They are quite hard to photograph as they are small and are easily hidden in the branches of trees and the hedgerows so when I spotted this one taking a brief rest I was really pleased to get the opportunity to take his portrait. For his part he didn't seem to mind posing either.

Sunny Bee

I captured this macro shot of a honey bee feasting on a beautiful white Alium in the botanical gardens in Gothenburg. 

It was lucky that it was such a bright sunny day because the flowers were host to lots of bees and pollinating insects and because the light was so good it meant I could use a fast shutter speed which was essential as the bee was constantly on the move.

Forest Fairies

I spotted this beautiful dragonfly during a walk in the New Forest earlier this summer. It was stretched out in the sun on the heath, no doubt taking a break from its hunting. 

It was a really lovely day and it was good watching the wildlife. It was also good to stop and take a rest just like this little chap.

So why have I called today's post Forest Fairies? Well it's obvious isn't it, there are some people who think these are fairies and who am I to disagree? 

Young Bucks

It was great getting close up to these handsome young bucks, the one in the first picture was so relaxed in the sunshine he could barely keep his eyes open. 

The second one was being plagued with flies but seemed to be taking it in his stride.

Snowdon Reflection

Today I went out to Snowdonia with my daughter. Our intention was to walk part way up Snowdon but there were so many people there it wasn't really appealing so we went to Tryfan instead. It was really cold, the sky was beautifully clear and the light was perfect so I think I got some great shots.

This was the first shot I took today testing the settings and it was still set for monochrome, all the other shots I took today were in colour but I thought this works really well so I decided to post it before going through some of my other favourite shots of today.

This is just a small lake with a reflection of Snowdon (the mountain in the background)

A Sleeping Giant

Today I have spent several hours editing and updating my new website and as much as I have enjoyed sorting through folders of photos and playing around with different layouts I am ready to put my computer to one side and take a break.

This would be a great spot to take a break, particularly on a sunny day as it was when this picture was taken. This is a view of the Sleeping Giant seen from Thunder Bay. The ship is a grain carrier coming in to the massive grain silos to collect its cargo and then sail through the great lakes and then who knows where.

Full of the Joys of Spring

Whilst sat eating ice cream (White chocolate & raspberry, and salted caramel flavours) and looking out across the harbour at New Quay this pair of house sparrows were fluttering around and were most definitely full of the joys of spring.

Although they are quite a common species (I am reliably informed that they were the most spotted species in the RSPB bird watch in March) they are often overlooked as being drab and uninteresting. But if you ask me, it's worth taking a closer look. 

A Scavenger Am I?

So there I was sat on the harbour wall at New Quay, watching the dolphins in the bay and eating a delicious pastie and soaking up the early afternoon sun when along came this beautiful Herring Gull. Quite clearly it was looking for scraps and its friend not quite so bold hung back a little waiting to see if it was worth getting a little closer.

Although these birds are quite common and known for scavenging food from tourists there is something quite regal about them and I think the first and last of today's pictures show this in the gull's pose. 

They can make a pretty fearsome noise too and as I focused trying to get a nice close up shot this chap started to screech really loudly. The second and third shots were taken seconds apart as the bird was mid screech. I have slightly cropped the second picture so it is possible to clearly see the speckled eye and the detail around the eye and inside its' mouth. I am really pleased with this particular shot and it shows that even something that may seem common and uninteresting is actually quite beautiful.

Coastal Defences

Here are four views of the sea defences near Derby Pool. These incredible barnacle encrusted concrete structures are a really interesting feature, breaking up the shore line at low tide and breaking up the waves when the tide comes in.

Although three of the pictures offer a similar view the different lighting and slightly different viewpoint show off this magnificent structure.  Tomorrow I will post a few more shots of the break water which will add a new perspective so do come back tomorrow.

I Love Big Cats

Over the next few days I will post pictures of some of the big cats at Chester Zoo.  I would like to see these creatures in their natural habitat but that's not going to happen any time soon.  I was able to get a few good shots during my visit and today I am starting with this beautiful Lion which at the end of the day was relaxing in the late afternoon sun.  It was relaxing but as you can see she was closely watching the visitors who were looking at her.

Beautiful Butterflies

Today's selection of butterflies were taken today while on a walk near Betws y Coed in sunny North Wales.  I have been saying for a little while that I wanted to take some butterfly shots and so I was chuffed to bits to get these, even though they were not the most cooperative of specimens and it took some time to get these pictures.

I hope you will agree that it was worth it...

Messing about in boats

Today I have a few more pictures from Anglesey, these were taken at Red Wharf Bay which as you can see is a peaceful setting in a sheltered bay. On Saturday afternoon there were several people busy at work readying their boats for sea.  They caught my eye and I thought they were good subjects for my blog .

The third picture is a little abstract, the sea was really very calm but a couple of people came into the bay on jet skis, clearly having a blast and kicking up quite a swell. I have tried to capture the motion of the waves, let me know in the comments below if you think it works for you...

This city is sinking

It is often said that Venice is slowly sinking how true that is I am not sure, but while we were there we saw workers on barges busy replacing some of the old piling which supports the city.  I imagine it is a never ending process, but well worth the effort to preserve such a beautiful place..

The first two pictures show street scenes near San Basilio, away from the hubbub of the tourist areas, it looks calm and peaceful but every bit as beautiful as the more familiar parts of Venice.

I like the third picture of the Cormorant as it stands like a sentinel watching our approach.

As we approached the city on the Vaporetto on our first day  we passed the restaurant terrace in the last of today's pictures.  Everyone looked relaxed and happy, enjoying the late afternoon sun.  I wonder how relaxed they would feel if they could see the state of the piling supporting the terrace... it's not a great picture I know but it does show the effect of constant erosion and that is why I took it.

I loved Venice and would definitely go again, and I would take time to explore some of the less seen parts of the city again.

Magere Brug

Pictures two and three are of probably the most famous, most photographed bridge in Amsterdam, The Magere Brug (Brug is Dutch for bridge) on the Amstel Canal.  it looks really nice at night, all lit up and reflected in the canal.  I will post some night time views at a later date but for now I hope you enjoy these.