Medieval Exterior

 So following on from yesterday's post which focused on some of the interior detail today I have shared a selection of exterior shots from Raby Castle.

As you can see from these images the castle is a magnificent structure in a beautiful setting.

The low crenelated outer wall would originally been significantly higher as it formed the main outer defence along with the moat. However it has been largely removed along this elevation as the defensive structure is no longer needed and it provides an effective boundary to the main castle. By removing the wall it has allowed the inhabitants of the castle to gain exceptional views across the parkland and allows visitors to the grounds an opportunity to enjoy the fine medieval architecture.

A Summer Palace

 Built as a summer palace for Prince Eugene of Savoy the Belvedere is a complex of baroque palaces, an orangery, stables and parkland. It is now a museum of art, housing world class exhibitions. and it is designated a world heritage site.

At one point the upper Belverdere as seen in these images was the home of Franz Ferdinand, heir to the imperial throne. Following his assassination and the start of the first world war the palace complex was nationalised and became home for collections and exhibitions of modern art.

Messing About in Boats

I mentioned in a recent post how I would have loved to go to sea and how I would imagine being shipwrecked or living on a remote island, ideas that were inspired by many of the books I read when I was very young.

I think sailing vessels have a unique romantic quality and the thought of being transported, powered by the wind is very tempting for me. Aside from the fact that I do not know how to sail a boat, have never sailed a boat I am absolutely sure I would love the experience.

I have driven/sailed/piloted/skippered (I don't know the correct nautical term) a small cabin cruiser and a friends motor boat and I thoroughly enjoyed that and if I had the money a cabin cruiser would be quite high on my wish list and I would spend time sailing, exploring hidden coves and beaches, maybe fishing for my tea (ha ha) and just getting away from the hustle and bustle of daily  life. I might find myself alone though as my better half does not have sea legs and would prefer to stay on land. Oh well, a little alone time would be fun...
 

Love Liverpool

 I have a little more time on my hands now and so there is a very good chance I will be getting out and about a lot more which can only be a good thing.

Earlier this week as the conditions were pretty good I decided to head into Liverpool for a couple of hours to see whether I could capture anything good. As you can see from the pictures above, the sky was crisp and clear, there was ice on the dock and a definite chill in the air (not quite the coldest day of the year but pretty close to it).

I firstly went down to the waterfront to photograph the architecture around the docks before heading back through town where I captured a few shots of people going about their business in the run up to Christmas, so I have a fair bit to work on and to share.

It is a while since I have been down to the waterfront and I had not realised how popular it has become for people to affix padlocks to the chain link fence around the docks. You can see from the above pictures that it has definitely become "a thing" here in Liverpool as it has in other cities all over. For the effect I think I like the locks in the third image as they go all along the riverside where I think the sheer volume of them has more impact. 

However, although there are currently fewer locks along the dockside fences they do create a fantastic frame for the buildings in the background. In these images the main building is the Museum of Liverpool which is itself a stunning building. I will be sharing some more shots of the museum in the coming days.

Soaring

Today I am posting my 1500th blog post!  That is something of an achievement and when I realised yesterday that I was going to reach this milestone I wondered what I would be able to share, I hoped to find something special in my portfolio but as it happened the three images I have fopr you were taken today and they are a fitting choice.

I have had a busy day today but I found time this afternoon to visit Burton Mere. I wasn't really expecting to see very much but there was quite a variety of species to be seen and with it being the hottest day of the year so far it was good to get out and soak up some sun.

Towards the end of my visit I spotted this buzzard soaring overhead, this was quite a surprise and I didn't have the settings quite how I would have wanted but as it swooped and soared above me I managed to get a few shots the three above being the most usable.

I had snapped a Sparrowhawk earlier in the day but it was too far away to be any good, and just after the buzzard flew by a Marsh Harrier also took a low pass but it was too quick for me to get anything other than a snap as it disappeared in the distance.

Although it would have been great to get pictures of all three the fact that I saw them all in such a short space of time was enough to put a smile on my face.

The Sun and The Moon

I took these shots across the lake early one morning as the sun was rising behind the Sleeping Giant. There was a chill in the air but there was barely a breeze so there was hardly a ripple on the lake.

I love the golden light in these shots it was a perfect start to the day.

As the day begins night ends and as I was watching the sunrise the moon was still high in the sky behind me.  It seems so odd with such a contrast between the golden sky over the lake and the cool blue cloudless sky over Mission Marsh

Little House On The Rocks

Cano EF 70 - 300mm F 4-5.6 IS USM

ISO 100  150 mm  F/16  1/250 sec

ISO 100  135mm  F/16  1/250 sec

ISO 100  220 mm  F/16  1/250 sec

I am really loving the current spell of warm weather, it feels like a proper summer at last. The only drawback being that I have to be in work so I can't fully enjoy the sunny conditions. So when I was choosing these pictures for today's blog I was drawn to these shots of the little house on the rocks.

One of the things I was most keen to do on my roadtrip was to see something of the archipelago near to Gothenburg and on a hot and sunny day lots of other people had the same idea. If you ever get to visit this part of Sweden I would definitely recommend visiting the islands and even though lots of people take trips out from the city it is possible to find quiet spots and feel as though you are miles from anywhere and anyone else. What's more it is a cheap day out because a day ticket for the trams and buses is also valid for the boats which shuttle between the islands and you can get on and off to explore as many of the islands as you choose.

We headed to Vrango one of the southernmost islands in the group and it wasn't long after we got off the boat that we found ourselves away from the other day trippers. There are no cars on the island so it is really safe to walk around.

Here I have selected three different shots of a little red summer house which was perched on top of a rocky outcrop, it had stunning views in every direction and I think it looks great. I like the colour and black and white images but whereas I would often prefer black and white in this instance I think the colour images are much better. The colours really pop out and yes the sky really was that blue. This was one of the hottest days on our roadtrip and quite a surprise given it was the furthest north on our trip around Europe and we had expected things to be a few degrees cooler. 

There was lots more to see around the island and so I will be sharing more shots from Vrango in the days to come.

Sunburst

This is the last of the pictures I will be sharing from my recent trip to North Wales when I visited the Syngun Copper Mine near Beddgelert and then the beach at Black Rock Sands near Porthmadog. I really didn't think I would get so many usable images from that day because the conditions were so mixed but I have been pleasantly surprised. 

As you can see it was a beautiful day although if you have followed my posts over the last two weeks you will be aware that it was actually bitterly cold and although the sun was high in the sky behind me a snow storm was blowing in.

I took this shot in landscape mode and again as here in portrait mode and while you might expect a beach scene to look better as a landscape image I think that with the position of the sun it looks much better in portrait mode. 

Shooting into the sun can often lead to washed out or over exposed images but I think I managed to get the settings just right for this one and I love the flare on the sun which was achieved in camera without the use of a filter.

Cold By The Canal

Today with warnings on the news that weather conditions would be really bad across the country I took a risk and set off for Chirk in North Wales for a walk along the Llangollen Branch of the Shropshire Union Canal and across the famous Pontcysyllte Aqueduct (built by Thomas Telford and completed in 1805, now a World Heritage Site) that spans the River Dee.

When I left home first thing the weather was atrocious with heavy, driving rain and bitter cold, it seems that those conditions continued all day but at Chirk and along the canal things were a good deal calmer.

As you can see from these two images the sky was mostly clear and blue and although there was a cold wind I was wrapped up well and managed to stay warm for the duration of the walk (8 miles in total).

I have walked here before but in the summer or spring and there are usually lots of other walkers but today it was really tranquil and I think these two pictures give a perfect representation of how peaceful it was. I was thrilled to capture the rainbow in the first shot as it arced across the snowy fields.

I like the solitary tree in the second shot too. If I had had my tripod with me I would have tried a longer exposure to smooth out the surface of the canal and enhance the reflection but to be honest I really like the picture as it is, even with the sunspots. There is a warmth to the image and I will add the tree to my collection of nature's hearts. I know, I am such a romantic but I like to photograph hearts that appear in nature and I am sure that when the tree is in full foliage the heart would not be as visible.

Making a Splash

I love this shot of the lower slope of Glwyder Fawr overlooking Llyn Idwal. I love the rugged slopes, the thin streak of snow lingering on the distant ridge and the clear blue sky, I also love the super splash courtesy of my rock throwing daughter to whom this shot is dedicated.

Pen Yr Ole Wen

I love this view of pen yr ole wen on the right looking along the Ogwen valley towards Anglesey in the distance.

This is the seventh highest mountain in Wales at 978m or 3,178 feet. 

A Gentle Ripple

I loved this view and I took a shot with the water dead calm but as I was moving along the water's edge I stepped in the water making a slight ripple and so I decided to take another shot but one where I deliberately created a ripple and watched it slowly spreading out across the surface of the reservoir. While I really liked the image with the perfect reflection I thought the small rock centre left of this image combined with the ripple extending out from where I stood added extra interest to the image.

CN Tower

In Toronto I did some of the touristy things like going up the CN Tower, it gave some spectacular views. Walking away afterwards I looked back and saw the glow behind it almost like a halo and thought it would make a good shot. I wasn't wrong.

Flying High

Stood here looking across the St Marys River towards the USA a french speaking couple asked if I knew what the building on the far side was. At the time I had no idea, there was a large old sailing ship moored nearby and I wondered if it had a military function. There is also a large freighter and so I wondered if together it was a maritime museum. 

It turns out that the freighter the SS Valley Camp is a museum but the building is actually St Marys Falls Hydro Power Plant. The river has been diverted from above the locks via the Edison Sault Electric Company Canal.

However it wasn't the building that caught my attention I was really more interested in the way the early evening sunlight lit up the fountain giving it a warm glow. 

From the lookout

On Monday we visited a spot known as the Thunder Bay Lookout. It was a fantastic spot high on the cliffs overlooking Lake Superior. There is a platform which extends beyond the edge of the cliff allowing these spectacular views. The first is looking out towards Amethyst Harbour, the second is a panoramic shot of the whole bay. 

This was also the only spot at this point in the trip where I had a good signal allowing me to call home and check on the family left behind.

Following this little excursion we headed off to Pounsford Lake, a beautifully secluded spot, for snacks and a bit of synchronised swimming.

Misty Mountain Morning

Today has been a good day because I have just got back from the opening of an exhibition at the Williamson Art Gallery where for the second year I have had two photos accepted for the Open Art Exhibition. What made it even more special though was that my youngest son also had a picture accepted. It's a real thrill to see your work on display for others to view and it was a really high standard this year, so I am so proud of my boy!

Anyway today's selection of pictures follows on from my Snowdon Sunrise series. A few years ago I camped out on the mountain with my eldest son and some friends, it was in January and the overnight temperature was - 11celcius and we had camped overlooking Llyn Llydaw which was the lake in yesterdays shots. I couldn't find the exact spot on my way up the mountain so hiked up further than I had originally intended.  The path up was quite a hard slog but as you can see from these pictures it was well worth it.

These shots show different views of Glaslyn a small(ish) glacial lake just below the summit of Snowdon. The first two pictures were taken from slightly different vantage points with my back to the mountain. As you can see the clouds were quite low and it was still a little misty.  The second picture, for me at least,is the better of the two because the surface is calmer and so there is a sharper reflection. I think the picture give a real sense of how cold it was on this particular morning but within a very short space of time the clouds cleared revealing the summit and allowing me to get the next two stunning images. I like the way the snow appears to be flowing down the mountain and how the pattern in the snow is reflected in the surface of the lake. The final image is taken from just below the lake as it spills over a series of falls down to Llyn Llydaw in the valley below.

Tranquility

Just one picture for today, still in Golden Valley.  If you have seen my blog before you will know that I like reflections and so I wasn't going to pass up this opportunity to capture this reflection in the slow moving river.  It is a really peaceful scene and I love the strong colours.

Hopefully you will like this picture as much as me.

Great Tits

The first shot is of another Blue Tit the other two are of a Great Tit which was noisily chirping away to warn other birds of my presence but it seemed quite happy to stay close by as if watching what I was doing.

I really had a good time watching the birds and capturing these images but I was even more convinced that I need to save up and invest in a bigger telephoto lens.  I'm thinking a 150mm - 600mm lens will probably be on my shopping list to get even closer and hopefully better pictures in future

In the meantime I hope you have enjoyed today's photos.

Semur-en-Auxois from the L'Armancon

Today's two pictures are similar views of the town of Semur en Auxois in Burgundy.  These pictures were taken on our last day of touring the region because later in the day we were involved in a car smash on our way back to the gite.

This was a lovely town with the citadel overlooking the town and the river below.  The narrow streets and medieval buildings are a real delight and the street cafes and patisseries serve up some real treats.  One famous local treat is Gateau Mont-Auxois which is a light and delicious cake.  I bought one to take back to have as a dessert  that evening.  Later on having crashed the car we were all sat in an ambulance waiting to be taken to the local hospital to be assessed.  At the last minute I remembered that I had left the keys to our gite in the car and told the medics that I needed to get them.  I found the cake on the floor of the car next to the keys and returned to the ambulance keys in pocket and cake in hand. The paramedics laughed as I approached and one somewhat incredulously commented to his colleague "il a sauve le gateau!".  I have to say it was worth saving!  Fortunately no one was badly hurt and after our checkup we were allowed to go home...