Phototober 12…

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Phototober 11…

My favourite water fowl – the Common Eider Duck. The best time to see and hear the males in all their prime is early in the New Year. Standing in the harbour at Seahouses and doing just that is a really enjoyable thing to do. However, you do have to remember that the North Sea is bloody cold in January! So wrap up warm.

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Photober 09 & 10….

A mixture of one of the smaller and the largest (cattle and horses accepted) fauna in the country. There is also a topical nature to the Red Deer given we are entering the rutting season.

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Photober 08

There was a time not so long ago that such a sight was a relic that was deemed to be in the past. Well funny how things work out and now this sight is going to be around for a while longer because this government, which has been in power for over a decade, appears to have done little or nothing to develop energy security let alone a real move away from a carbon based energy policy. This is something to think about as we approach COP 26. If we don’t sort something out then the current refugee crisis will be nothing compare to when millions upon millions of people are on the move because either their former homes are now under water thanks to sea level rises or their former homes are uninhabitable due to heat and drought. This is just one of the many things that will come about as a result of global warming.

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Photober…

It has been a rough few weeks for me for many reasons and I am still not sure whether I have fully recovered. One thing that is clear is that I have lost my drive to capture images. I know this will change, I’ve been through these dry patches before, but until that time comes I thought I would remaster some of the images I captured in previous years. I plan to make one image a day for the month of October, hence Photober. I have been a little tardy in my posting so these are the first seven images. They were captured between come from 2005, and 2007. Oh simpler times.

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Wot no Werewolves?…

I am glad to report that there were no werewolves on patrol in the park at dawn this morning – although as it was nearly dawn I suspect they may well have been reverting to their human form.

Just prove me wrong this morning the aircraft were flying once more – I even saw the U2 out of Fairford heading north to do whatever it does.

Other than that it was very much situation normal on the dawn patrol…apart from a Mute Swan preening itself on the playing field. I guess a Swans got to do what a Swan’s got to do.

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Too Warm….

Autumn is here with a vengeance only it’s not. We are now well into September and the temperature still has a pleasant feel to it. When I was out at dawn this morning I didn’t need my gloves!

Don’t get me wrong I’m not complaining about the weather in general it is just that the warmer it is the less mist I get and that affects the images I can capture and make. If that doesn’t qualify as the most first world problem you can have I don’t know what is: Millions around the world are still suffering as a result of the Covid pandemic; Other parts of the world may no have enough water to survive and Millions are on the move because of War or Famine and all I’ve got to moan about is the lack of mist!

In my defence I’ve never claimed to be anything other than me. I’m not a saint or man of virtue. I’m just a middle aged man (although that is becoming less the case with every passing day!) who is trying to get through the day and so not giving myself a chill for my art is a thing. A pointless thing I will admit but a thing nonetheless.

As I watched the sunrise this morning I also noticed that the sky was clear of contrails. It would seem that aviation still has not returned to pre pandemic levels and whilst that is a good thing for many reasons it is still a proxy variable as to how much life as been changed by the Coronavirus. Lets just hope that the coming winter doesn’t bring new hardships to add to the mix. Then I really won’t have anything to moan about when it isn’t cold enough!

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Autumn is Here….

It has been a while since I published anything but there is a good reason for that. However, life goes on and just at the moment the hedgerows and fields have, for good reason, decided it is is autumn and have produced another bumper crop of fruit.

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Girls on Film….

The last few days my old bones have started to stir – the cold autumn chill is slowly starting take hold. Summer is over and to use that well worn cliche:

Winter is coming

It’ll be awhile before the first frosts, I hope but nowadays you can never be certain! Before then the days will noticeably start to draw in, miasma will rise from the river and the mellow fruits will ripen.

Another summer gone and the second full covid winter awaits: Booster jabs, ventilation and hope that the next variant isn’t quite as dangerous as the delta. Suddenly Old Nan’s warning is even more poignant.

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Change of Pace….

The past few days have been a bit intense so today, this being a day of rest, I thought I would try a little bit of painting with my trusty iPad Pro, Apple Pencil and Procreate. As a result of this diversion I have completed another painting in my Women of The World series.

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