30/08/10 - Dragonfly

Dragonfly

This fabulous 'guest' picture was taken by my Twitter friend Nicola Stables who, amongst many, many other things works as a volunteer at the RSPB site at Old Moor

29/08/10 - Through the Chinese window

Through the Chinese window

On a day the rain stopped for a while

28/08/10 - Morning sun

Morning sun

7.00 AM ... 180 degrees away from yesterday's photograph ...

27/08/10 - Evening sun

Evening sun

7.00 PM and the sun just drops down behind the trees and sparkles through the leaves

26/08/10 - Millau - the bridge

Millau, the bridge

As I am sitting here with the rain pouring down outside and the thermometer reading 13 degrees I have just let my mind go back to warmer and sunnier places I have been to.

This picture of the stunning viaduct over the River Tarn always makes me pause and breathe in ...

25/08/10 - Sunset over the Atlantic

Sunset over the Atlantic

A 'guest' photo for today from Tricia's iPhone. This taken from her expedition hotel on Barra looking out over the Atlantic Ocean ... next stop America! (for the weather that is) Just ask her about the wind!!

24/08/10 - Like father like son ?

Like father like son ?

We think that this is a juvenile robin ... it has the same perching habits as the male that lives in the garden. Identification via Twitter is mixed at present. Any views?

23/08/10 - Release the dove

Release the dove

Seen on Twitter this morning: The rain has stopped here, have released the dove!

22/08/10 - Unidentified bird

Unidentified bird

This fluffed-up, yellowy brown little bird sat on the head of our heron sculpture ... need help to identify please

21/08/10 - Let it rain ...

Let it rain ...

The Engineer by A. A. Milne from 'Now we are Six'.

Let it rain, 
Who cares?
I've a train
Upstairs,
With a brake 
Which I make 
From a string 
Sort of  thing, 
Which works
In jerks,
'Cos it drops 
In the spring,
 Which stops
With the string,
And the wheels 
All stick
 So quick 
That it feels
Like a thing 
That you make 
With a brake, 
Not string...

So that's what I make.
When the day's all wet,
Its a good sort of brake
But it hasn't worked yet.

20/08/10 - In a dark, dark ...

In a dark, dark ...

Another National Trust visit and more steps in dark places ... not good for knee that won't bend

19/08/10 - Steps

Steps

I just love the way that these steps have been left as a stairway of daisies

18/08/10 - Fox

Fox

The texture and shape of this root/bark/tree caught my eye ... I could see a fox in it

17/08/10 - Reflections 2

Reflections 2

Biddulph Grange chinese garden

16/08/10 - Frog !!

Frog!!

Biddulph Grange gardens .. been there for some time ...

15/08/10 - Reflections 1

Reflections 1

As part of our collective National Trust property 'bagging' we visited the many stepped gardens of Biddulph Grange in Staffordshire.

14/08/10 - There'll be blue birds over ...

There'll be blue birds over ...

Pity the weather in Switzerland was not always as good as this

13/08/10 - Dancing Lady

Dancing Lady

All over Northern France (and I suspect lots and lots of other places) there are hundreds of these statuesque power providers ... some alone some stretching out in tens along windy ridges

12/08/10 - Ode to a beautiful place

Ode to a beautiful place

Speaks for itself really ...

11/08/10 - 'The' tree

'The' tree

Not one of my shots but one by my friend Geoff taken while he was on holiday in the Borders. It is a tree that I have always loved ... it sits there in the hollow on Hadrian's Wall ... beautiful.

10/08/10 - Distill

Distill

This 'still' was in the car park of the World Masters Orienteering Championships in Switzerland ... it was working away distilling absinthe ... for after the race !!

09/08/10 - On the run in

On the run in

WMOC Qualifying 1 ... last control to the finish

08/08/10 - Border Line

Border Line

Just not too sure which side of the border was UK and which side Switzerland

07/08/10 - Six mile tailback on M25

Six mile tailback on M25

It would have been great to go at 40 mph rather than 40 metres per minute

There was a lorry fire on the bridge at the Dartford Crossing and all clockwise traffic was diverted through the tunnel meaning that the anti-clockwise traffic had only two lanes. This caused a two-hour six mile tailback anti-clockwise and a 'more than' eighteen mile queue clockwise

06/08/10 - Besancon

Besancon

View of the citadel ... the urban race stated at the top of the cliff path !!

05/08/10 - Getting about in Switzerland

Getting about in Switzerland

These bikes were available all over Switzerland ... talk about 'park and ride' !!

04/08/10 - What it is to be young and free

What it is to be young and free

This foal wandered our camp site ... great way to keep the grass down

03/08/10 - Red sky at night

Red sky at night

Evening sky over Guinicourt near Reims ... and it did rain next day

02/08/10 - Did you want fish with that?

Did you want fish with that?
Sometimes it is all a little too much ...

01/08/10 - Early one morning just as the sun was rising

Early one morning just as the sun was rising
Hopefully a sunny day

31/07/10 - Standing stones

Standing stones
Three in a row