5: May

A Red Kite (Milvus milvus) swooping in for it's chicken lunch at Gigrin Farm Red Kite feeding station, mid-wales.

This suicidal snail was steadily making it's way up the pole to the bird table. As a tasty snack for some birds this was not the best of ideas. Before locating him to the compost heap, sort of payment for saving his life and not eating my seedlings; I took a set of photo's of him/her/it or whatever. I know that as a gardener I should have encouraged it on it's climb, but I suppose I'm a softie at heart.

An image from this mornings 9 km walk from Cromford through Bow Wood to Lea Bridge. The woods were full of bluebells, and the streams bounded by wild garlic (Ranson).

Each time I drive past this farm, I think what a nice photo it would make, bu as always the sky is overcase as I pass. So I took it anyway.

I have never really been happy with this new kettle, now I know why. This evening I was running late so decided to image the changing blue highlights from within the kettle as it boiled. They always seemed spooky to me somehow. Well this image shows what appears to be an evil face in the boiling water. This kettle full of boiling water went down the sink, and the kettle will be in the bin as soon as I can get a replacement.

In the immortal word of Rolf Harris; "Can you tell what it is yet?" Well it's not a corridor on a high tech' space ship; it's cheese grater as seen from the inside.

Techy stuff:
Tripod mounted Canon 7D, Tamron 90mm macro, 1/f25 @ 1/125 second.
Natural light from a window, large sheet of gloss yellow card from Ryman's.
Remote Release.

Image rotated 180" as it works better for me.

Dandelion, that weed that can be a real pain to get rid of, but look closely at the flower and you will see why it is so loved by bees.

My gran used to make a corial from them.

Near disaster taking this image in Birch Wood; Ambergate. While setting up for the shot a group of Mountain Bikers came down the track appeared out of nowhere at breakneck speed screaming at me to get out of their way. I only just managed it! I thought it was a foot path, not a race track. Anti-social or what?

After another encounter with mountain bikers in Birch Wood, this time they were more cuteous. I decided to retire to suburbia as it is probably safer! Anyway I found this patch of Lobilia in the sun, and thought it would make a good image.

Sorry if I seem preoccupied with flowers at the moment, but with so many things in bloom it's hard not to be.

It's true I really do have a binary clock, and yes I can tell the time with it. Sad isn't it, but do you know what the time was then this was taken?

A view of the River Derwent as it enters the City of Derby seen from the A38 road bridge (UK Grid Ref SK 358 399) looking NNE. At this rate I will have mapped the rivers flow across the whole of Derbyshire by the end of this project!

A sure sign for me of a fine morning or evening is the appearance of Hot Air Balloons. This morning (06:30) I saw the first of the year, a lone balloon hanging in the morning sky. I say lone balloon as usually ther appear in flotillas (if flotilla the right word for a collection of balloonists) of two three or four at a time. I don't know where they get their weather forcasts from, but seeing them nearly always means fine weather.

Dandelions again. Not the flower this time but the seed head. As children we would pick these and count how many puffs of breact ti took to blow off all of the seeds. Shouting "One O'Clock, Two O'Clock, Three O'Clock, Four. Five O'Clock, Six O'Clock, Seven O'Clock, more." and so on adding to the time with each puff of breath. I do't think this ever came up with the right time, so much for childhood wisdom.

Another in my occasional series of tools of the trade, this time map compass and route plan. Some of you may be aware I have a walking web site, this is the prep' for a walk planned for the weekend.

Cromford Wharf, the end of the Cromford Canal; now a nature reserve and part of the Derwent Valley World Heritage Site.

Some times the image leaves nothing to say. When I saw this, I just had to take a photo' of it. Funnily enough there was no bin near by; so what are dog owners expected to do with the "after dog"?

When I moved into my home; a long, long while ago, this Peony was in the border under the window. That year it did not flower as it was in a poor state, after a bit of TLC it has flowered every year since.

At last an evening with a blue sky and reasonable light. So here is a second attempt at imaging the farm in a sea of yellow.

Took a walk to Pendigo Lake at the NEC this lunch time to try and get an image of the lunch time golfers. No luck so I went to see how the Eco Wall is geeting along. It's maturing well parts are now starting to bloom, the strips are becomming more pronounced. Somehow I doubt this will be my last visit.

What a difference a couple of days makes. The Peony buds of a day or two ago are now lovely large double red blooms. What seems a bit odd with this image is the fringing around the edge of the bloom.

Finally I managed to find a couple of lunchtime golfers hitting golf balls onto an artificial island in the middle of Pendigo Lake. Unfortunately I could not get as close as I would have liked.

Beautiful Days. A rather strange, ethnic, hippy type shop in Cromford Market Place. It looks like a tiny shop but once inside it is a maze of small rooms across two floors; each full of suprises and colourful things and strange incense like sents. Well woth a visit and a look around if you are visiting Cromford and have a few minutes to spare.

The bell tower of Derby Cathederal. Completed sometime around 1540 and standing some 212 feet tall, the tower is the the major external feature of Cathedral of All Saints. What is not realised by many is that Derby's Cathederal is the smallest Anglican Cathederal in England. The tower has also gained fame over the past few years for it's pair of breeding Perigrines that have nested there since 2006, sucessfully raising chicks each year since 2007. This year four eggs were hatched, but only three of the chicks remain alive at this time.

The River Derwent (again), this time as it flows into Derby City center. I had a feeleing I had already published a similar image but it appeared not to be the case. So not wishing to miss the opportunity to infliict yet another view if this rivers passage through Derbyshire, here it is. To be honest I think the modern foot bridge in the image looks out of place.

I'm not sure what made me stop to take this image, I wish that I had my field camera loaded with Velvia 50 to do it justice. The quality of the light just intensified the colours and the swifts were skimming for insects.

Melbourn Hall, Derbyshire; as seen from the park land across the lake on the approach from Breedon-On-The-Hill. I would have liked to have taken more time over this shot but the weather was closing in quite quickly from the rear of my position.

Originally a rectory for the Norman Parish Church, it became the home of Sir John Coke in 1628 and has been inherited by subsequent members of the family to the present day.

The curious cows! The farmer I spoke to said it I walked less stridently and spoke to the cows they would ignore me. Wrong they followed me licking at my backpack for nearly a quater of a mile!

I'm not having much luck with cows this week! On todays walk these three cows put themselves between me and the calves with the rest of the heard. Every time I slowed there was much foot stomping and snorting. I got the message!

This is the AA I remember from my childhood, motor bikes with sidecars, ford popular vans, black and yellow wooden phone boxes to which all members had a key, and a chrome badge with that logo on my dad's Austin Herford.

Have you ever wondered what sheep do when the weather gets a bit too warm for them with that this wooly fleece. Well now you know!

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