Sunset

A picture at sunset from a couple of weeks ago – beautiful sky and a spurious oat stem (I think!) making a nice silhouette – and this is in a field of Soybean – this has now been harvested, so the combine harvester cut everything in the field – it is quite barren and stubbly now…

Interlopers!

I have not been through the wild garden in Shipton-under-Wychwood for a while – but there are a lot more ducks on the pools there now – here are some of the interlopers – the regular ducks are mallards. This was taken mid-morning yesterday, with a long lens but with the angle and the shade behind,…

Busy Bumblebees

A quick birthday post – Here are some busy bumblebees captured on a walk up to the top of Shipton Down in the Cotswolds – this was captured with the standard 18-55mm lens, so I was pretty close, but due to a gusty breeze, the flowers were moving every so often – so I am lucky…

Hawk Stone

This is the Hawk Stone, near Dean, Oxfordshire – a Neolithic oolitic limestone standing stone – according to Wikipedia, local legend has it that the stone was used for burning witches – the cleft in the top was made by the chains used to tie them up. I was not aware of the connection to witches until after…

60009 The Union of South Africa

Here is the LNER Pacific class 60009 Union of South Africa locomotive pulling another Cotswold Venturer service from London Paddington to Worcester – here seen between Shipton and Kingham stations – a panning shot on a slowish shutter to give the impression of the speed – of the 18 shots (3fps continuous mode), only about 4…

Five ducklings…and a watchful mother..!

After a long hiatus, here is one of many photographs I have taken over the past few months – Five ducklings and a watchful mother!  Coaxed out of the pond by some pitta bread that I had brought with me…greedily eaten by all five – I think mum got some as well! Taken in the…

The Oliver Cromwell

Here is Britannia class locomotive 70013 “Oliver Cromwell”, at speed, pulling the Cotswold Venturer service on the North Cotswolds Line from London Paddington to Worcester via Oxford – taken from a farm bridge between Bruen Crossing and Kingham in West Oxfordshire station this morning – the weather was rather drab (cold, wet and a little blowy),…

Super Blue Moon

This is the super blue moon – taken from the edge of the Wychwood Forest, near Charlbury. It is super because the moon is closer to the Earth than usual, blue because this is the second new moon this month (2nd January 2018 and 31st January 2018) – and, in certain parts of the world…

Three Dancing Fairies

This is a temporary sculpture installation called ‘Three Dancing Fairies’, currently sited at the Rollright Standing Stones, Oxfordshire – previous photographs are Rollright Stones and Rollright Stones Revisited.  The sculpture is sited near the stone circle (about 20m behind me when I made this photograph). From the notice nearby: This temporary sculpture by environmental sculptor…

Ducks all in a row?

Happy New Year everyone!  One of the first photographs of 2018- not quite ducks all in a row, but swans…and a goose on the bank (one of several who were getting a little upset because of Sparky being sat next to me when this was taken!) This photograph was taken on New Years Day in Stratford-upon-Avon,…