On the smallholding

The weather has been somewhat better over the last few days so when I was out exploring It was more suited to taking some pictures with my better gear so I visited a small holding where I had expected to see more recent livestock after a short walk.

There are a good number of farms around here but obviously you cannot just climb through privately owned land just cos there's something you want to get close to not least for reasons of safety so fields by public rights of way are often the best you can expect.

Fortunately there are some smallholding which are more accessible and where public access is perfectly in order so long as you don't pet or feed  the animals and that is where I found these two.

The Alpaca is not native to Great Britain, but of South America although in recent years Alpaca farms have become more commonplace but I had notice in the last few weeks a few around this smallholding but conditions were not good.

As it happened I caught the attention of this one as it pushed his head over the fence so I let go back talking gently to it as I rather suspect he though I'd come laden with carrots for him.

While talking he was moving around so I took a series of picture and in the midst of that this particular pose appeared with 'final take' stamped on it composed very much on foot using all of the frame for a portrait.

Coventry

 

One of the more interesting places I visited was the City of Coventry, Warwickshire, here in the Midlands.

The original cathedral was bombed in 1940 and it's remains stand at the side of the new one consecrated in 1962. 

It is in many ways a by-word for peace and reconciliation from the ground breaking work started between the city and Dresden in Germany, famed for it's ceramics and optics that also was badly damaged.

Much of Coventry's medieval city centre was damaged in those air raids in 1940 but a few streets survived the onslaught and this is one.

Out in the wood

 

As we come out of Spring and touch wood are able to do a bit more after a rather wet and windy week here's a nice example of foliage along a stem that has buds.

The flowers on things you just might walk past looking for more immediately impressive sights can be rewarding although taming the background was a challenge taking a few attempts to find a view with undergrowth less intrusive. 

Having had a dedicated Micro lens for my Minolta XD7and X500 film cameras, when I bought my Nikon DSLR I bought one for it that allows for easy manual focusing and with the DX sensor in it effectively makes it, a 90mm lens a 135mm in film terms allowing you to fill the frame at a a bit more of distance that helps with small creatures as if you get near than the distance they feel comfortable, the picture is lost as they flee.

The optical quality of a fixed length lens tends to be better for having simpler designs with less elements fitted than zooms too.

Dandelions

Sights that I have always looked forward to over Spring include multitudes of Daisies and Dandelions that I used to see in infants as we walked along country lanes to school as they came out passing small farms.

We used to make daisy chains.

The humble dandelion seed head such as this one caught in our wood soon blows about if we didn't pick one and while blowing upon it, make a wish.

Spring view over the canal

 

Views can be made or broken by such things as from where you are observing it such as ground level, being stood facing it or being above what is you have come to see or photograph and this cherry tree certainly gains presence from being taken from a elevated position even if unfortunately little could be done about the object it is immediately in front of.

Aspect ratios,  the proportional relationship between an image's width and height and the impact on composition are things people do argue about from the days as of 3:2 slide and full frame prints to the brief period during the nineties where panoramic images were in vogue thanks to the fad of APS (Advanced Photo System) film format where cameras had such an option when it came to taking pictures.

I opted to reframe this taken on modest Canon compact digital camera as a panoramic as I felt the image gained more from it   

Looking forward

 

As I write this entry, we are in England looking beyond where have been for the last one and a third years, towards freedom of sorts at least as more restrictions have been lifted that affect what we do.

For instance I can now buy and consume food and drink indoors when I am out exploring which if like me we just got a bit wet this morning being out is much appreciated as is the opening of museums together with other places of interest.

It will be easier for Scouts Association, GirlGuiding UK and others to arrange activities indoors or involving some travel.

As well thanks to the Pears Foundation's generous donation of over £2million the Scouts Association and Girlguiding with be able to work together on a streamlined more IT centred recruiting system for volunteers that make scouting possible and reduce the administrate burden on them.

It's a two year program so change will be gradual but having been involved in the voluntary sector gaining and keeping your volunteers is one of your biggest challenges.

Remaking scouting ready to take full advantage of our restored opportunities and help children and young people come out of lockdown learning new skills and growing as people is important work and this should help on top of much excellent work that has been done since lockdown started last March.

Putting down roots

A group of happy contented boys working hard in the outdoors doing a bit of planting that required teamwork , co-operation and boy muscle which they certain are in possession of.

Time spent out of doors, being physical whatever the context  be it school, scouts or with fathers independently does wonders for boys and that fact these boys are learning to help grow something they can look after is perfect. 

The closeness we feel

 That feeling, compulsion even to make direct contact with nature is so clearly expressed here as we body hug this tree branch as we feel at one with it all that nature means to us.

It's been a feeling I've had personally ever since I was a young boy running around the wood with mates sometimes playing at other times more taking an interest in nature itself as we discovered something for the first time.

Things to consider at camp

 

Camp is wonderful but there a few things to consider beyond of how Woodstock got the fire light to toast the Marshmallows. 

This is a pretty handy crib sheet as one of perennials is how the heck do you get a good nights sleep in under the stars and it starts by ensuring you are comfortable and warm

Overcast morning

Today or at the day in which this entry is being written is very overcast and raining really quite hard.

Yesterday morning, the cows were out in the fields as I spotted a number of finches and sparrows around the hedgerows.

I went down a pathway I don't normally do and encountered this tall tree near some plantings

The ground is a bit uneven around here so had to be a bit careful.

Helping out

Here the cubs are helping with cutting and scooping out the melon with adult help  given knives are sharp and these two look a bit young to trusted with a very sharp knife.

There looks to be some part done B-B-Q kebabs ready to go over the fire the other boys in the background are preparing a safe distance away from the marquee to have with it.

I'd bet when cooked they'd be delicious!

While I have some limits with my abilities with knives, I also do help out where I can whenever I am away with

other people preparing veg and setting things up.

The majesty of Trees

Continuing from where we left off on Monday right by the Tudor cottage there's a lovely tree in full bloom.

Foliage  can be pretty interesting as with the picture below it is combined with the twists and turns of the supporting branches.

In a nearby farm house the cherry blossoms have exploded, attracting insects and birds where there is also a dedicated feeder. 

Finally shapes and intersections appeal and while walking one afternoon I caught this with the buds growing out of the branches forming an almost triangular structure

All pictures on the Nikon Dslr with 90mm Tamron lens rated at Iso 100 except the last taken on Sony compact camera.

Bank Holiday in the woods edition

After marking this blogs 600th post and a couple of special entries we resume this spring bank holiday with the sights of our local wood.

Here we have a group of wild Bluebells, one of several  that had come out in the last few days that I spotted.

The uncultivated has always fascinated me so these small delicate looking flowers held my attention as the insects were flying around (and I was making sure I wasn't their dinner!)

I just adore cherry blossoms and this was an attractive branch I spotted carefully softening the background to enable this branch alone to stand out.

Tree canopies are something I find interesting with their twists and turns and foliage

All but one picture was originated on my Nikon Dslr using the Tamron 90mm F2.8 fixed focal length lens using aperture priority auto exposure.