Seasonal Offerings

I have been a bit quiet for a week or so. Work has been busy and taken up much of my time. Travelling to it also utilises extra time in bad weather. Ice, snow or fog will slow me down quite considerably....
However, I have also been busy on some seasonal type things. Firstly, for the first time in years, I decided to bake a Christmas cake! Once I had baked mine, I decided to also make one for my Mum and Dad. I usually buy one as a Christmas present for them but having bought a whole load of ingredients, I thought that this year, I would try to make some extra effort! However,my cooking skills are a lot rusty!



But, it was nice to have cooking smells in my kitchen. Cake mix, spices and brandy have a unique Christmassy smell that I had almost forgotten. I used a recipe out of an old cookery book from St Michaels. It says it all really, Marks & Spencer has long since ditched that tag!

I am hoping it has turned out ok, trouble is with cakes, the outside cannot really provide an indication of what is on the inside. It always reminds me of a passage from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens regarding pudding!

"Hallo. A great deal of steam. The pudding was out of the copper. A smell like a washing-day. That was the cloth. A smell like an eating-house and a pastrycook's next door to each other, with a laundress's next door to that. That was the pudding. In half a minute Mrs Cratchit entered -- flushed, but smiling proudly -- with the pudding, like a speckled cannon-ball, so hard and firm, blazing in half of half-a-quartern of ignited brandy, and bedight with Christmas holly stuck into the top."



I do love the story and for those that live locally...well of course there is a fabulous version that was filmed in Shrewsbury with George C Scott which I never tire of seeing ~ but perhaps that is because I recognise lots of my childhood haunts!



Artwise, I have also been working on some festive type scenes and have been photographing and painting Holly.

The holly and the ivy,
When they are both full grown
Of all the trees that are in the wood
The holly bears the crown
O the rising of the sun
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ
Sweet singing of the choir

I seem to have amassed rather a lot of examples....



As you can tell, I am almost in a Christmas spirit. But, I do think that may be down to the unusually cold weather, certainly for the end of November. So far here in Bridgnorth, we have evaded the big snowfall that has fallen on some but the cold is biting and the frost is severe.
I took a photo this morning of some berries and as you can see here is a little snow that has fallen overnight but also a heavy frost over the top....



This evening the temperature is plummeting yet again and I think we are expecting -9 or something silly. So to all of you that are also experiencing cooler temperatures, keep warm and for those of you that are not....well at least we are providing a little Christmas spirit!

Misty Morning

Before I started work earlier this week, there was a morning that just cried out for a few minutes of my time.
Early morning mist when the sun is not too far behind just lends itself. I love the light, the trees in the mist and this particular morning was frosty too.



It is on such mornings that the light changes at such a rapid rate, your can almost watch the sly clearing as you look at it. As the sun comes out everything becomes amazingly colourful. I think this next image looks almost surreal but I know it is a fairly good replication apart from the steam on my breath which you can't see.



Beneath my feet, the ground crunches and the leaves sparkle with frost in the first rays of light.



The sun comes up over the low lying mist and for a little while, everything is magical.



On such mornings, Enya should be singing in the background!

Donnington Fireworks and Funfair

Well this post is another on the firework theme. However, this time we also had the opportunity to take some fairground shots at night.
I am enjoying this nightime theme, normally come the winter time I am a little lost for subjects.



I think on this occasion it was another first to try something different. Some worked better than others as you might expect.



The biggest challenge are the crowds. The event attracts upwards of 30,000 people. That is a lot of people for a nature type person that elects to get away from it all.
I can easily find myself irritated from a photographic angle for the sheer numbers of people that elect to stand in front of me as I am trying to take a shot. Or those that insist on putting children on their shoulder and then moving straight in front of my camera....or even worse wearing red! I am just a grumpy cow, LOL



To be honest, there were quite a lot of frustrations at this particular event. Probably the worst thing was that we set out with clear skies and I swear that the organisers waited for the rain before letting off the fireworks!
Taking images of fireworks in the rain is bad....really bad. Almost every shot ended up with diffraction from raindrops....so frustrating!!



But, my thanks to the stall that sold drinking chocolate laced with brandy...it was very acceptable. I also decided perhaps I should not complain too much given that the whole event is free, yep GRATIS! And the fireworks were lovely too....
So I shall just shut up moaning ;)

The Last Of Autumn

With gales forecast for this week and failing light, I knew that the last remnants of Autumn was last weekend. So we went to the Severn Valley Park to take a few last images of the most vibrant Autumn that I can recall in a long time.



The reds have almost gone but the russets and golds remained, up until this week at least. When you get just a little winter sunshine it transforms it all into golden splendour.




Autumnal


Pale amber sunlight falls across
The reddening October trees,
That hardly sway before a breeze
As soft as summer: summer's loss
Seems little, dear! on days like these!

Let misty autumn be our part!
The twilight of the year is sweet:
Where shadow and the darkness meet
Our love, a twilight of the heart
Eludes a little time's deceit.

Are we not better and at home
In dreamful Autumn, we who deem
No harvest joy is worth a dream?
A little while and night shall come,
A little while, then, let us dream.

Beyond the pearled horizons lie
Winter and night: awaiting these
We garner this poor hour of ease,
Until love turn from us and die
Beneath the drear November trees.

Ernest Dowson




I spend a lot of time looking at the countryside, being nearly an hour away from my workplace and I won't really mind when we get crisp frosty days and beautiful sunrises in my mirror. But, for a little while I shall miss all this vibrant colour. I am reminded by the poem up above that we are in fact well into November and it amazing that it has all lasted so long. Other reminders that time is passing at a rapid pace is the onset of Christmas entries in my diary........
But, I am not quite ready for all that yet! I am hanging onto the leaves....

Innocence Playing by the Sea

Whilst down in Dorset, one of the mornings we spent at Lyme Regis. It was unsually warm for October. Out of the wind, it was great to watch the children playing (and some growed ups too).
This little one caught my eye as she ran around the beach in a white dress. Not only was it the simplicity of the dress that struck but also her nature. She was simply happy and totally enjoying the moment.............

Bridgnorth Rugby Club Fireworks

In association with Bridgnorth Aluminium, the local Rugby club firework display was last night. We decided for the first time ever to have a go at photographing fireworks. It was a very different experience and lots of fun. Made all the more enjoyable with a live group playing, a hog roast and even more importantly a couple of bars.

My results were not too bad considering that I was working with some new settings and some new equipment too.



Although I have to say that Andy seemed to get on better with the different subject matter than I did so if you like fireworks, it will be worth checking how his blog in the next day or two as well. What Andy Sees
As an aside it was also a great event for people watching. Having had a bad experience with someone not wanting their photo taken recently, it was quite novel to be approached by people who did!



Sadly, I rather think that they thought that they would make the Shropshire Star rather than my blog! However, I think they all look great. These are courtesy of Andy but as he has told people in the pictures to look up my blog, I am putting them here in the hope that the people featured manage to find them... :D



Seeing people enjoying themselves is contagious somehow!

Anyway now some more firework attempts............



It wasn't as difficult as I anticipated although I confess that most of the best are happy accidents.



It is also quite addictive and I want to go and have another go now.........:)I have an idea that you could improve skills quite well on this one with a little practice.



Well done to the organisers for a really great display.....



I could be a pyro technician!

Dorset Coastline

What with one thing and another, I have a lot of images that I haven't got around to posting. I think more than anything it is now that I am back to working full time. Anway I hope that people won't mind me going back and resurrecting a few images from a weekend back in October time.

We quite often have a long weekend in October, which is our last stand before the winter sets in. In fact the weather was extremely kind to us this year.

I love to watch the sea, scour for fossils (not that I ever seem to find many) and see the the last insects of the year. This isn't quite true but I love to visit Hive beach which this year was my only sighting of a Clouded Yellow butterfly here in the UK.
I was lucky enough to see some birds that we don't really get to see here in Shropshire, For example, a Stonechat and a Wheatear. Sadly my photo's are a bit distant and ropey but I will suspect that a few of you will be glad that I get fuzzy ones too! I also watched this Pied Wagtail catching supper:



and lots of Rock Pipits.



We spend time simply watching the sea which it is often the first of the very high tides which can while away an hour or two...



and lots of dramatic sunsets.