Monthly Archives: January 2018

I diligently went out just before moonrise this afternoon, yomped up to the top of the nearest hill, and shot the super-blue moon as it rose above the ridge on the opposite side of the valley. There was a layer … Continued

“Did you spot the goldeneye?” I was asked by a birder at Draycote, whose superior knowledge I was tapping. To be honest it would have been difficult to miss him: he was travelling slowly along the western side of the … Continued

On an afternoon when almost everything was fleeing from my lens, this robin bought itself immortality by flying into the frame, settling a few yards in front of me, and singing its little heart out. I like the fact that … Continued

….But no cigar. Had I been on my own in Stratford this morning, rather than walking with R, I’d have stalked this pair of courting swans for much longer than I did, and with patience I might have captured the … Continued

En route home from Durham this morning, we stopped off for coffee and to stretch our legs in Knaresborough – because it looked like an interesting town, and neither of us had ever been there before. It’s a charming place, … Continued

To Northumberland today, to say goodbye to James – who left too soon, but lived his life with such uncommon grace that he left an indelible impression on everyone who knew him. To be admired for your special talents and … Continued

As soon as we’d seen the Offspring away back to their normal lives this morning, R and I began running around, throwing clothes into cases and packing his car. We have a mission tomorrow in the north-east that we both … Continued

This is St John the Evangelist in Iffley, Oxford, a Grade I listed, Victorian Gothic church, which is now used as an arts centre and is the home of an organisation called SJE Arts. I took this photo of their … Continued

The river at Croome has some magnificent plane trees growing along its banks – you can see a couple of them on the far side of the bridge in this blip – and when R and I were walking there … Continued

It’s still very definitely winter here, but in trees all round the village this afternoon there were robins singing lustily, claiming their territories and trying to attract partners. It’s a definite sign that spring isn’t far away, and as I … Continued