Forgotten you again!

Hello All,

Thanks for dropping by on the email you get sent to a spend a couple of minutes hearing me drone on.

Well, it’s been a busy and interesting couple of months for me. To be honest, the less said the better, but in the middle of it all was a three week holiday, so I will use that as my very valid excuse for not posting. I went to the south-western tip of Ireland again…some of you may remember I posted a video of the time I went whale watching in the same area. No? Shame on you! If you wish to have a look, either search my name on YouTube or go to Humpback Whale Awesomeness in my previous posts.

For those who wish to go to the area, I can highly recommend it and will be posting pictures of that area in the near future, as I now have time on my hands to do more regular posts. The first time was gorgeous weather, this time it was less so, but still very enjoyable and there are some lovely vistas to post.

However, I stray from the post I am doing. Now that Autumn is upon us, I though I would keep a few of the Summer pictures coming for a short time to keep us all from seeing too much brown and wet images by looking out the window! In the first instance, just along the way, it pays to look out of the window for those photogenic weather shots as along popped a little back-lit shower…

I’m quite proud of this. I would put it in the folder marked “might consider getting printed when I have a place to nail it to in the future”. Catchy, huh? Alas, the folder is quite full, so I will need to purchase a stately home! I thought I’d add a slightly after picture too, to point out the lovely glaciation (virga) effect as the little cell collapsed…

You remember me talking about glaciation? The jellyfish clouds are the most common form of this but in this case, I think what happened is that the top of the cloud suddenly outgrew what could be supported and became a little icy, then just fell down slowly, creating the shower you see above.

Next, a lovely sunny picture to inject a little landscape love! This is one of my favourite views on the Preseli Hills. I know most people climb the road or hike the hills and look south, but I much prefer the view to the north…well, the north-east. Essentially, in the distance from this view-point, you can see all the way to the end of the National Park and you are looking along the line of hills towards Crymch. This side is noticeably more rugged than the south, which is why I like it.

Also, don’t forget, there is a lot of history here and that adds to the attraction. Pollen analysis suggests that the hills were once forested but the forests had been cleared by the late Bronze age; the hills are dotted with super-aged remains, including evidence of very early settlement…you know, grunting and flint type stuff. It has been mooted that bluestone from the hills is similar or the same as that used to build the inner circle of Stonehenge. Lots of people with beards and letters after their names have argued but seem to have settled on the fact that the stones have come from multiple sources on the northern parts of the hills…the exact way the photo looks.

Further south now, a few colourful pictures from the southern extent of the Park, thankfully not showing the overrated beaches and towns, but the much ignored Blackpool Mill. Again, I have mentioned this before but I like this picture showing the old mill tucked away in the forest…

Moving in a little closer here, a tiny member of the thistle family in full flower, covered in pollen and waiting for a bee come along and do a swap and continue the line. No proper thistles here and I’m afraid I can’t put my finger on the exact name of this one.

From bees to wasps. Now, no hatred for the poor wasp. I know they buzz your food and beer on the 3 or 4 days you are able to eat “al fresco” in the UK and that is a pain, but they’re only trying to eat. Anyway, I’m going to big these little blighters up. I mean, check this bad boy out, that’s quite an undertaking for a tiny insect….

But wasps have a useful purpose. Wasps are predators who hunt and eat almost every pest that harms crops including grasshoppers, aphids and flies. Also, don’t forget, the nest is made of what is basically a wasp super wallpaper…they chew bark or wood up, mix it with saliva and spit it out in a thin rough paper to a high degree of accuracy which is brilliantly efficient at both retaining heat at night or to grow larvae and to cool residents on a hot day. So, even if you hate them, give a little respectful fist bump to a wasp, rather than smacking it with a copy of the Daily Mail….additionally if you do that, it just attracts more as a dead wasp releases pheromones attracting the masses!

In this case, I returned a few days later to see the nest destroyed…I hope the person who did this got a most uncomfortable sting.

To finish, as is usually my favourite thing, a dusk scene. Again, not very far away but hopefully attractive in the way there are lights, darks and silhouettes in the same image…

Well, thanks again for popping by. No promises on the date of the next blog which will be moving on to a trip to Germany, but I am hoping for sooner rather than later and I may even consider a slight revamp of the set up if I have the option. Groundbreaking stuff! However, I might need to speak with the PC first as it’s beginning to creak a little. Should be fine though. Famous last words…..

Ta-ra for now!!

A mysterious red rock

Hello All,

Well, well, well. I do some of my viewers who came along last week keep coming back. It seems a few days back I got a massive 54 in one day. I suspect it’s my Dad and a good friend in Plymouth using different computers and visiting to boost my ego, but thanks!

I did recently go out in the inclement weather to take a few pictures, but I’m not posting them as yet as the tinterweb is saturated with them and it would be in bad taste following the injuries sustained by people doing it in a foolhardy manner.

You may have seen my favourite beach on the national BBC news, Newgale, as the shingle (well, large pebble) breakwater to the beach which is directly next to the road to St Davids was washed wholesale inland and covered the road to a depth of a few feet. This subsequently let all the water from the stupendous high tides through and flooded one of my favourite coffee shops, dagnammit. If anyone wants these posted, let me know and I’m happy to do so, just pop me a comment. I also have images from Cenarth where the river was a record level flooding the car-park which is usually a good 6 to 10 foot above the water!

But, on to this weeks images and the first one, which inspired the weird title which you see below….

Red? This is not a sandstone red either…it was BRIGHT red

If anyone can account for a moss-covered rock which is this red, I’d love to hear it. I say moss-covered as I have removed from the equation that this may be due to chemical in the water from the fields in the Preseli Hills as some may think as surely moss would not settle. I did this by the time-honoured prodding and scraping of the surface and nowt came off. If anyone reckons it’s expensive, I shall return…..with a hammer.

I am quite proud of a few of the pictures in this entry as I manage to have nailed the use of the shutter and polarizer very well with some of the water shots, not least this one….

Makes for a relaxing wallpaper doesn’t it? Don’t nick it though, I can send you the higher res version if you want!

Bear in mind the water at the extreme right of the image is at least 6 inches deep and you can still see the rocks on the bottom, there’s some skills there I think (I have one two awards you know). A nice scattering of foliage adds to the hues as well.

Now this isn’t a macro, just a zoomed shot but I think it should be entitled “The Silver Curtain” as it looks just like that to me. Again, using a polarizer to cut down reflections and such, you can see the water behind the water and the reflection from the rock isn’t too bad…..

This a little mini waterfall; you can just see the main body in the upper left

I was spoilt for choice of which of the two I had taken in a similar place to post but I decided on this one. Pretty good eh? The sun shone through the trees just at the right time to put rays right into the water which were exaggerated by the longer exposure time I had set; makes for a quite ethereal image…..

Sunrays and water, what a nice combo. Alas, I haven’t seen many of the form lately

As ever, if anyone wants the originals of these pictures, please feel free to ask and I am happy to send them however you want them.

Now the last image, which isn’t as nice as all the others I admit, but is here as a reference point for some more recent pictures I shot after the storm. Basically all the stepping stones you see here have either been washed downstream or toppled over!

All those block probably add up to the weight of a small car and they don’t look like that anymore. Amazing

Never underestimate the power of water. All I will say is that I am glad I don’t live nearby or was anywhere near when the water was that powerful, as those blocks look damn heavy.

Well, that’s your lot for this week as I am back in work tomorrow. Not that I’m complaining, as it’s warmer and drier there than it is outside. Both Dad and I were lamenting earlier of the state of our cars! It will dry out some day.

Cheerio! Thanks for stopping by.