Lake District - Frozen Fells

Last week I had a couple of days walking in the Lake District with my friend Vic. We have done many Lakeland walks when the weather has been awful and the camera hasn't left the bag. But not this time. The weather for the first walk on the Friday was particularly good. Hardly a breath of wind, blue skies and a low sun that gave lovely golden light the entire day. Sadly there was no snow (we were hoping to get some winter training in for an upcoming trip to Scotland), but the normally boggy ground was frozen solid making for easy walking.

This first picture shows the 'forbidden' Wainwright, The Nab, in the middle ground, in the background a cloud inversion lies over Ullswater.

Surfers At Saunton Sands

A few days after Christmas my friend Vic and I spent the afternoon taking photos at Saunton. The day was very much a test of Ann's philosophy that bad weather can make for good photos. The rain had arrived the day before, quickly melting all of the snow. This day was grey, misty and frequently rainy. It didn't put the surfers off though. I became fascinated with shots of them heading through the grey to the barely seen sea. I had in mind pictures of Ian and Sue.

Towards the end of the afternoon there was a brief break of light, allowing for a slightly diferent mood of picture.

Devon Snows

As far as the blog was concerned, December didn't happen. I was just too busy to take any photos, until I was back in Devon for Christmas. There had been heavy snow the week before I arrived, which remained on the ground until the day after Boxing day. The snow had been so heavy that, even after several days, some of the minor roads were impassable to all by 4X4s. Still, I managed to get to the edge of Exmoor for a day out on Boxing day. The temperatures there had remained consistently below freezing, allowing for beautiful ice crystal formations on many of the plants, while the snow under foot was deep and powdery.

More Fungi

Some more fungi pictures. All were taken at Ashridge. The first image is my favourite. I love the contrast between the two Razorstrop Fungi and the colour of the decaying one.

Autumn at Ashridge

Last Saturday morning I had another early start and took a trip to Ashridge to get some autumn colour shots. Unfortunately some low cloud denied me the early light shots that I was hoping for, so I had to settle for detail shots for the first couple of hours. The sun did eventually break through to give some nice light, but by then I was getting ready to leave as I have other things to do.

Red Deer At Woburn

Last Saturday Morning I had an early start and took a trip to Woburn to try and photograph some Red Deer. The weather was good but the deer were distant and I don't really have a good enough long lens for this type of photography. Still I managed a few reasonable shots. There are a little soft but still worth showing.



This last one isn't from Woburn or even from this year. I took it a couple of years ago at Bradgate Park. It was the best shot I managed that day and since I didn't have a blog then, I am showing it now.

A Few Fungi

Some fungi pictures from a recent trip to Gamlingay Wood.