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.