I had heard the name ‘Ruskin’ but knew little of the man until visiting Brantwood House and Gardens last weekend. It turns out he was a rather interesting and influential man. A little quote by him caught my attention – “Take a handful of rubble from the roadside, and pick out a small stone. When examined …
May in the Lake District must be one of the most colourful times of the year – at least one of the most green times of the year. These photos are from a little walk we took up to a great vantage point over Windermere. I wonder how many shade of green there are here?
Here’s a my ‘portrait’ of the Cocker’s doing what they do best – walking up hills, climbing trees, and surveying the Lakes.
A weekend away in the Peak District with a great bunch of friends and some sunshine – what could be better? Not a lot! We went on two walks: on the Saturday a wander up to Solomon’s Temple with great views over Buxton, and on the Sunday a march from Bakewell up to Over Haddon …
Meteorologically, spring began on 1st March while astronomical spring does not start for a few more days yet (on 20 March). Either way, last weekend, it certainly felt like spring! We were out walking; setting off from the Cammo Estate which sits along the River Almond. With the sun shining, you could almost observe everything starting to wake up …
After a walk around the Shore at Leith, I came home disappointed with the shots I’d managed to take. It wasn’t until I imported them into Aperture, that I spotted an interesting little collection of images. The Shore has been regenerated in recent years, but I think these rugged highlights bring it some welcome character.
It was lovely to see so many people outside, enjoying the snow on the Pentlands today. We just walked, as we were sledge-less, but we got some great views with North Berwick Law out in the distance.
Aside from photography, another hobby of mine is knitting. I usually use big, chunky wool – mainly because I’m a tad impatient and thin wool takes so long to knit up. However, a few months ago I embarked on a cowl using 4 ply. I love the bold colour combined with the delicate pattern. Today …
With Newhaven Harbour being a short walk up the road, I’ve taken quite a few photos there. Yesterday I tried to look out for the more unusual details in and around the harbour. This metal ramp and chain caught my eye. I’m pleased with the effectiveness of the photos after a little editing.
It’s 1st January 2016 and time to shake away a few cobwebs with a nice walk. We headed over to Beecraigs Country Park – somewhere I’ve been meaning to explore for some time now. It was a lovely, crisp winter’s day. We were certainly glad for our hat and gloves. At Beecraigs you can say …
This Christmas is all about the pom-poms! I’m rather pleased with my wrapping of pressies this year. Hope everyone thinks of something fun to do with the pom-poms once the presents are unwrapped.
Spotted these cleaners at the Bullring – what a job!
Having lived in Scotland for more than 10 years, I felt it was time to get organised a visit some of this Nation’s more remote communities. To date, my exploration of Scotland’s beautiful islands has only extended to one trip to Skye and a couple of short breaks on Arran. I knew there was much, much …
280 minutes on the plane and we had arrived in Rhodes. A holiday to relax, unwind and explore. €2.20 on the bus from our hotel to maze that is the Medieval Old Town of Rhodes. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site with history and culture all around.
Hopetoun House is hidden away along the coast near South Queensferry. We accidentally drove through the grounds a couple of years ago but recently paid it a proper visit to take a walk around the grounds. There are two walks to choose from and we opted for the ‘Sea Walk Trail’, which offered great views …
Anyone driving along the M9 over the last year will have seen some of Scotland’s newest artwork – two 30 metre tall horse heads, otherwise known as the Kelpies. We decided to pay them a visit a few weekends ago and quickly learnt that they aren’t exactly horses, but instead mythical transforming water beasts who often …
Easter weekend had clearly drawn lots of people out the the beaches at Gullane and North Berwick. There were kids and dogs everywhere we looked. Most people were just out for a stroll, but a few were taking the activity levels up a notch.
My camera has been lacking outings recently. However, this weekend we took my parents out to Gullane and North Berwick so I was hopeful to get some good photographs. This huge log caught my eye straight away when we reached the rocky area at the easterly end of Gullane beach. It looks like it may …
The Forth Rail Bridge is such an iconic feature of this part of the world. I love spotting it from different vantage points around Edinburgh. Last weekend I though it would make a good back drop for a picnic with a friend who was visiting for a few days. The lighting was lovely at around …
Just a fun little blog post today. I felt like this lovely old toy bus needed to be freed from its box and put on show a little!
I often see people strolling along the pier and stopping for a moment or two of contemplation. I set out to try to recreate these moments in my photography today. Thanks to a willing model (aka James) and a low sun, I managed to get a set of shots that I was pretty happy with.
A soggy day in the Lake District had us searching for something to do indoors and the Lakeland Motor Museum seemed like a good choice. I wouldn’t class myself as a car enthusiast but I certainly enjoyed admiring the variety of cars and bikes on display. I only had my little Lumix compact camera with …
I was very lucky to spend this Christmas in Villard Reculas (part of the Alpe d’Huez resort in the French Alps) along with my mom, dad and brother. Although there has been very little snow this season in the northern parts of the alps, we did manage to ski every day with the added bonus …
I think it’s great to head out for a walk with other photographers to be inspired by what they decide to photograph and to learn some new techniques. I am, therefore, very lucky to have James and has dad, George, as regular walking/photography partners in crime! On our last walk, I enjoyed turning the camera …
We’re back in the Lake District for a few days visiting James’s parents. Today we headed out for a walk along the River Kent and then into Kendal. While I enjoyed the landscapes we were walking through, I don’t think my photographs of it really did it any justice. Instead here are a few …
I first spotted the signpost to the Scottish Owl Centre back in the summer and straight away it went on our ‘To Do Before We Go To Canada’ List. Today we certainly enjoyed ticking it off the list. Most of the owls were in large pens, so I was taking photos through the mesh. Having …
Edinburgh is full of architectural detail – most prominently, the well recognised sights of the Castle and the Scott Monument. Yesterday I went out to explore some of Edinburgh’s less well-known sights. – down Calton Street and Market Street. However, it was only as I reviewed my shots that I suddenly realised how prominent arches are around the City. …
Last weekend my dad attended the Tern Vintage Machinery Show at the Chetwynd Deer Park with his 1958 MGA. The rest of us popped along for a couple of hours to see the array of vintage vehicles on show. There was everything from steam engines and tractors to motorbikes and military vehicles. Here are a few …
Thinking about going to pick strawberries brings back some great memories from my childhood. We were lucky to have a Pick Your Own Farm literally down the road from where we lived, and we always went on what seemed like the hottest day of the year. This year we had to travel a little further but …
I couldn’t resist one last post drawing from my set of photos from last weekend’s Royal Highland Show. I’ve already shared some photos of the cows, but here were some of my other favourite animals.
My last blog post focused purely on the animals at the Royal Highland Show. However, it wasn’t all about the animals. I loved how much was going on at the Show – from sheep shearing, to men racing up 80ft poles, stunt riding and terrier racing… This blog post aims to capture some of the men and women, …
We had a fantastic day yesterday at the Royal Highland Show. I had hoped to get some good photography opportunities and I was not disappointed! It was great to get so close to the animals and to watch events such as sheep shearing and show jumping. Here are some of my favourite cattle – just don’t …
A slight road diversion had happy unintended consequences last week when I spotted this row of garages hidden away out of sight. I headed back with my camera today to capture my find. I think the sun was probably too bright to get the best photos so I might need to head back when the lighting …
Whilst on the Isle of Arran we were attempting to spot Scotland’s Big 5 – the Red Squirrel, Red Deer, Harbour Seal, Otter and Golden Eagle. On one particular walk we were trying to spot red squirrel. With so many trees around you would have thought that would have been relatively easy, but no – I think we …
This week we were lucky enough to be able to take a few days away from our desks to join my mom and dad for a trip over to Arran. It’s a fantastic island with some lovely walks, plenty of wildlife, great food and beautiful landscapes. We were staying in Whiting Bay which is on the …
Last weekend we had the opportunity to tick one more item off our ‘To Do Before we go to Canada’ list. This time it was a visit to Stirling Castle. As a top tourist destination, the Castle was naturally full of other photographers, which prompted me to try to take some time to get a few ‘unique’ images that …
On Friday the sun was shining, we had the day off and wanted somewhere to go for a stroll with our weekend visitors. We chose to head east along the coast to the Gosford Estate near Aberlady. It is a private estate but you can pay £1 for a day’s pass to take a walk …
Studio One in Edinburgh’s West End is somewhere I could literally spend hours, looking at all of the fantastic things they have for sale. I went in a couple of weekends ago and couldn’t resist buying these little guys who look great on my window sill.
This blog post is a little break away from the usual photography. In January I started to attend an 8-week painting class run as part of the Edinburgh Adult Learning programme. It has really motivated me to start drawing as well as to begin to learn how to use watercolours. There are so many forms of …
The Easter break gave us an opportunity to travel south to see my parents. We were lucky to have a glorious sunny day so headed off to Attingham Park – a National Trust property near Shrewsbury. We took a long walk around the grounds and through the Deer Park. I realise these deer aren’t wild and …
Whilst in the centre of Edinburgh yesterday evening, we made a quick detour to St Andrews Square to see Bruce Munro’s art installation – the Field of Light. It is a great spectacle. I’d love to view it from up high. I only had my Lumix camera and no tripod so I wasn’t expecting to …
Yesterday, Edinburgh hosted the ‘Red Bull Hill Chasers‘ event. I’d never heard of the Hill Chasers competition previously. It’s basically a short uphill bike race where any competitors can come and race on any type of bike. What’s more, the race was being held up the Mound. I wasn’t too sure what to expect but …
Our apartment is looking lovely with a scattering of daffodils. We didn’t have quite the right vase for them all to go in together so instead I split them up and shared them around the living room.
When I was flicking through my photos, this one made me chuckle. I’ve enlarged it so you can see the little blue tit hopping from one branch to another.
I couldn’t resist popping these on the blog! How cute!
Last weekend we had a fantastic meet-up with some of my oldest and best friends down in the Peak District. We chose to visit Chatsworth House and took few hours to walk around the gardens. Not only did we have a lovely stroll in the sun, but we also got a bit of exercise in …
What better a way to spend your Sunday morning than with a walk around a local food market. Trouble is, I just wanted to buy and eat everything in sight! We did succumb to a bread roll for lunch and nice fresh pie for our dinner, although I couldn’t quite bring myself to try Squidgeon …
Portabello has been a semi-mystical place for me over the past few years. It’s only a 20-minute drive away from our flat and we regularly pass close-by without ever venturing down to the beach and promenade. With our move to Canada inching ever closer, we seem to have a renewed motivation to get out and …
This week we have been loving the Winter Olympics. I don’t think I have watched so much TV in a long time, but for some reason it does not seem as bad to be watching sports. After a while, however, we were definitely in need of some fresh air and to stretch our legs so …
A while back I published a blog post about bokeh which was inspired by the Photocrafty book. Last weekend we decided to have a play with another of the projects in the same book. This one required us to make a box which could fit onto our off-camera flash. The box has a window cut out …
Our ‘Guest Book’ from 2013 – loved having you all to visit! Some good artists amongst them …