Back again, twice in one day not quite a record but I am impressed with my stickablity. So why come back and type in more. well today was a bright winters day and I got to go for a walk and took my camera with me. So also had to take the two girls with m. Enjoyed it really. I got to go the Merrions Wood arriving there about 11:00. We had a good walk, well I walked mainly and the girls ran and climbed and talked, they did not stop talking. Mainly to each other but occasionally I was allowed a part usually to hold a hand for balance or I was told to wait" please" as one or both caught up. They seemed to have a good time and as I speak are soundly asleep having spent the afternoon playing on the computer and watching telly.

So what did I see as I walked around. These two images I suppose sum up the wood at this time of the year. Especially today as last night it snowed. Not in great quantities here, though I know in other places there are several inches of the stuff.


The orange brown of the beach leaves still on the trees marks them out and the light the depleted canopy picks them out.

There are still splashes of green with holly being the main contributor. Though over last year or so it seems that those managing the wood have taken out much of the understory growth to open up the woodland away from the main paths.

As the children were clambering over one of the fallen logs I saw this and took the picture. It was not until later that I saw little girl in the middle, It is only a leaf though thumbellina has not been ruled out.

At the far end of Merrions Wood is St Margaret's Church, Great Barr and acts as a end point for the path.

Walking down the path the church almost emerges from the trees with all the lines of the wood leading through to it, though the church itself is almost obscured, the spire extending above the trees to remind all of us of the buildings use.

So I am running out of steam now and I need to go to bed.

More tomorrow, the shortest day.

Friday in the cold

Sunday evening and the children are watching telly and the I can spend some more time catching up. I checked and it has been a couple of days since I last wrote anything. The weather has turned cold and in some parts there are several inches of snow. Here in Walsall there was a light dusting of the white stuff last night and well it has been just cold ever since. Tomorrow looks to be cold again.

Friday took a walk along the river Severn in Shrewsbury. From the English Bridge I walked upstream. I have been downstream just the once since the river receded over a week ago, not sure why I have not been down more often. I suppose it is more to do with familiarity and routine than anything else.

Once I have passed the footbridge it is possible to look into town on the hill and see the Cathedral with the spires of St Mary's and St Alkmonds in the back ground.


Although the weather was cold and bright the sun was very low and on the whole this was a day for keeping walking and keeping warm, rather than getting cold.

Further on up the Lime Tree avenues that lines the river bank, this sentence is beginning to sound very pretentious.

I could see the cupola of the St Chads further round the river, well I do like the word. This time I managed to get the cross at top square on to the camera.

I wandered back to the English Bridge more aware of the time and getting back to work than because of the temperature. Walking kept me warm.

Looking downstream from the bridge I saw in mid stream a group of willows that previously had been submerged in the flood. I also saw the cormorant and the Dabchick in area. I took a couple of pictures.

Although I did not do any of the birds justice it was the colours of the trees that caught my eye when I was going through the images.

That will do for Friday I have been able to go out today (Sunday) but more of that later.

Wednesday and thursday Shrewsbury and Sandwell Valley RSPB

So its Thursday night and I came back to the machine to write some more. I am a lot annoyed that I did not get the job. I didn't think I would get it, it is nice to have the job description changed on you after you have submitted your application, yes I could go on and whinge for quite a while, not sure if it will make me feel any less rejected. Ah well may as well get on with it. I suppose if they want to pay me for not doing a lot and not having to think.


Yesterday I decided to go to bed early and just have a night off from typing things, I just was not in the mood. I had been for a walk at dinner time and although at the time had not thought much of what I had taken, I have looked at since and gone mmm that is better than I remember.


Under Greyfriars bridge on the River Severn in Shrewsbury some one was feeding the birds and I was able to take a couple of pictures.

Flocks of birds I still need to work on but on the whole I am getting better at individuals.

These 2 are my favourites at the moment. I like the impression of movement and the fact that I have managed to get them on the left hand side of the shot and "moving into" the rest of the frame.

So today I managed to have the day off. Well I did not go to Shrewsbury. I had a Hospital appointment in the morning to sort my shoulder out. That was at 8:00 and once that was over I went for a walk in Sandwell valley, around Forge Mill Lake. It started out bright sunny and cold. The sun however stayed very low, well what did I expect in mid December. Having parked by the forge mill farm and walked clockwise around the lake it took a while to be "inspired". Maybe it was the cold and the desire to keep walking to generate some heat had an impact. Anyway having walked around the north of the lake and working my way towards the RSPB reserve there were a couple of paths leading off the main one.

I like this one, the colours and the effects of the sunlight through the hedgerow.

I also took this of the path I had just walked. With at this point the sun behind me I am quite pleased with it.

Though I am beginning to wonder just how much I like taking pictures of paths through trees and bushes.

OK so far but I should keep an eye on it. My other indulgence is teasels and this walk had lots of them. I do like taking picture of Teasels and here is this journeys favourite


I like it


From this mornings meanderings that was about it though I feel I should include this final picture of the main lake side hide and in the background the RSPB centre itself


Maybe more on this next time. Back to work tomorrow (Friday ) and then Monday and Tuesday next week and it will be almost Christmas.

Monday mid December

Tuesday and not much happened today. I spent most of the morning having an interview for a new job. Not sure when I will know, hopefully this week. It is another training job, but this should be more interesting than what I am doing now. However confusion about time meant that I arrived early and had to wait around. After the interview I went back to Shrewsbury, but what with one thing and another I did not get back until 1:30 and there was not too much to be done.

So yesterday (Monday ) I did manage to go out, I walked down to the English Bridge and after taking a deep breath decided to walk up stream along the bank. Water levels were so much lower than over the last few weeks 4 possibly 5 feet. today I was walking along sections where this time last week I would have been wading maybe even swimming. There was a dabchick bobbing around amongst the willows too quick to take a picture.

As I walked I went up passed the Greyfrairs footbridge and kept going gently up the path. I knew I could not go too far as I had to queue in the post office while I sent off Christmas presents that had been done but the time had been taken waiting in line.

On the river I noticed a group of Goosander, 2 females and a male. Starting on the far bank they were working their way upstream fishing. I assume thats what they were doing underwater.

They spent most of their time underwater or towards the opposite bank, this is probably my best picture of one of them. She has her crest up and was moving as fast as possible away from me.

I walked up the path towards shreswbury school which lies the opposite bank just beyond the bridge.

I took this picture and was quite pleased with the effect. the path and the trees lead the eye one way then the bridge cuts across bringing the eye to the left. (That is what I think anyway).

So I walked up to the where the bridge by shrewsbury school and then gently wended my way back towards the English Bridge following the River.

It was on the English Bridge that I got my best pictures of the day. On the upstream side on the base of one of the centre arches was a cormorant drying its wings. By the time I got within a reasonable distance it had decided to fold away its wings and sit. I was able to walk over the bridge and lean over and take a couple of shots.

This is my favourite shot, I do get the impression that I had seen me and knew what I was doing and was tolerating me. this is the only one where I was graced with a look in by direction. After this the bird paid attention to other things.

I was quite pleased with myself and took myself happily back to the office and an afternoon of fun

Back to it again. The last two days have been more about getting ready for Christmas and sorting out family. It is now Sunday evening and for the next few days Christmas which is fast approaching seems to be (is) the main focus.

I managed to escape for an hour, this afternoon, It could well have been longer but once it is dark there is not much point in wandering around with a camera. The chances of meeting anyone famous are probably vanishingly remote and any thing happening well .....

The RSPB Sandwell Valley is the place I have been going to over 10 years and has been my main source of inspiration. There are a couple of spots that I come back to time and time again. The southern end of the Forge Mill lake with the RSPB reserve is one of my most visited especially at this time of year the light from the sunsets has been good.

Today I got there about 3:15 and caught this of the heads of phragmites catching the light.

As the sun dropped towards the horizon I walked a bit further round and found a towards the farm and caught was taken by a couple of old stems of Rose Bay Willow Herb or as I learnt on a trip to Alaska Fireweed.

Well thats what I think it is anyway.

As I watched the lake I could see a number of species including a male goosander. As he swam around it became apparent he was being quite closely shadowed by one or two Black Headed Gulls. At the southern end of the lake the water is on the whole fairly shallow. The goosander was looking for food I assume but rather than diving he was swimming with his head underwater searching for I can only assume, fish.

The picture shows this quite well. the gull just following the more energetic goosander.

However every time he appeared to catch something he was mobbed by his companion Gull and who was rapidly joined by a "couple of friends"

Who quite rapidly seemed to get what they were after quite quickly, with the "victor(s) " flying off and the goosander resuming his fishing duties.

I have never seen this specific parasitical behaviour before, any seen it before?

Right it is now bed time

Goodnight

Friday and downstream

This will be a short version, it is Friday night I am tired, the Balti I had from the Kajal down the road was very good and I will go to bed soon. I can't keep going like I used to when I was young. Middle age is slowly creeping up on me.

Today has been misty / foggy generally overcast there was one bright interlude on the way in to work on the M54 where the fog lifted, but just after Telford I entered the fog bank and never really got out . Looking up I could see the blue sky through the mist as I walked around at dinner time but in Shrewsbury at ground level it remained murky all day.

Today I walked down passed the Abbey and got to the English Bridge and decided to go downstream. where yesterday had been wet had now dried and thee was a workman clearing the layer of silt off the path.

Before I got on to the riverbank I saw a female Goosander on the River, and I was able to lean over and take this as she swam upstream.

On my first foray downstream I walked gently getting my bearings. The old football ground "Gay Meadow" is no more. Shrewsbury Town now play in the Prostar Stadium just south of the town.

There were fewer people down stream, on my way to the Railway there were a few including the workmen clearing the silt after that I was passed by the occasional cyclist. Maybe it was the nature of the day and the closed in feel but I felt fairly "uninspired". I took this of some over hanging branches.

They sort of sum up for me the sort of winters day it was. Cold wet and just wintry, without the interesting things like snow or ice. I suppose bleak is the word that encapsulates the day and the feel. even the Kingfisher which flew upstream on the opposite bank was too far away and too fleeting to be caught.

I walked down to the Weir just past the Castle Walk bridge, here the water on the left bank had not receded far enough and I wimped out and decided to trudge back to the office.

More soon goodnight

Thursday Shrewsbury Buildings

Thursday and the sun is still out. I am quite impressed. Walking down from Abbey Foregate to the River Severn was nice in the sunshine. However it is so late in the year that the sun is so low that even at noon it seems to spend most of the time behind the buildings. Earlier driving along the M54 and A5 again was lovely with the light and the effect of pockets of mist around the rivers. It was possible to to look out at various points and track the path of the Severn by the ribbons of mist on the Shropshire plain.

Anyway back to this afternoon. Having got to the English Bridge I could see that the water level had dropped even more and that it was worth having a look at the downstream path on the town side. OK as I did not bring my wellies I felt I had legitimate reason not to venture down that way just jet, may be tomorrow, more probably early next week. This was actually taken on the downstream side of the bridge at bottom of the steps, last week I would have been very wet. This week I decided discretion was the better part.

So back upstream again, I went up over the bridge and down the other side. There waiting in the arches was a cormorant sitting on a branch wedged into the bridge. So it was not waiting for me specifically, but I liked the fact that he was there and so I took the picture.

This is the best one of a couple of well OK pictures, I will blame the light and the distance. I could also add in operator error, but I think that may bed taking it a bit too far. As Ian Richardson may well have said, "You may say that, I could not possibly comment".

So I went up stream, I realised that as I had been listening to the Obama acceptance speech which was good, well it ticked my boxes, in the car eating my sandwiches before venturing out, anyway it was latter than I had originally planned so I did not go as far as yesterday.

However in the much brighter light I looked into the town more and without yesterday's distractions saw a couple of buildings, in " a new light". pardon the pun.

The first was I think Bowdler House which I had seen from the city walls and much closer up. When you are up close and personal as it were it does not quite have the look as it does from down by the River. I think there is a Dental practice in the building which does make me want to walk quickly past. further away I think I look at the building and then the contents.

Further on is Shrewsbury Cathedral which I had overlooked in the plethora of places to worship in the town alone.The building itself is mid 19th century, with work being completed in 1856. so it is a comparative new comer in the scheme of Shrewsbury churches.


I took a couple of pictures of the cathedral from the river bank and this is my favourite, though ultimately nothing really stood out. May be it is back to the drawing board and do a bit more learning when it comes to taking pictures of buildings.


Talking of drawing boards I still have not got back to looking at the Website. I suppose It has not generated much interest and there is only so much I can do to it in its present form. I can continue to write this blog as a separate entity and post pictures that I like and have taken either that day or recently or even go back and find a suitable image in the library. Though I don't think that Getty Images has much to worry about.

time for bed, I think and see what tomorrow brings.