I'm not dead yet!

I know I've been very quiet for a while - a combination of crappy weather and a domestic crisis has somewhat limited my ability to get out and about for a few weeks.

I've not been completely grounded though - and today for the first time in ages Babs & myself were both able to take our cameras out to play...

Firstly, some shots from a solo trip. They're from a walk from Saltford Shallows along the old railway line to Bitton.

That old wind-pump obviously hasn't worked in a long time... but I bet with a new rotor it wouldn't be too difficult to breathe new life into it. When the Zombie Apocalype arrives, you might be glad of it :-)

If you look across the section of line by the river-boat terminus, there's a nice view over the river to the church beyond.

In Bitton your point of arrival is a Midland Railway Station is a good state of preservation with loads of engines - both steam and diesel - and a huge variety of rolling-stock.
You don't need to be a 'railway anorak' to enjoy a bit of nostalgia...


The next three images were taken today - (yet) another trip to the Zoo with Babs... but it wasn't the animals I had my eye on.

I have no idea what many of the plants and shrubs are called, much less do I care. I just know what I like!

This bee was having a good day...

That's as close as I dared go because I have a serious allergy to wasp stings - and I have absolutely no desire to know whether a bee-sting would make me throw a blue one too...

Bristol Zoo

As the  weather is forecast to close in again for a few days I grabbed the opportunity to get out and about while I still could - I figured with it being a school holiday the Zoo ought to be pretty quiet, and I almost took a tripod with me to take advantage... I'm glad I didn't because they were running a special kids promotion with an egg-hunt and it was cheerful bedlam!
I just let it all wash over me, because I was enjoying myself...

He's the King, and he knows it.

From power to understated elegance - so many people forget to stop and enjoy the gardens as well... and in doing so they miss a lot of older varieties of plants and some wonderful native wildlife that shares the space.

As well as close to a dozen types of Tulip, there are several varieties of Camellia - and many of them are old shrubs almost hidden by the changes in layout over the years... it's worth exploring the quiet backwaters...

Snake's Head Fritillary is one of my favourite native wildflowers - although they're rather difficult to photograph if you can't get down to their height. The best I can do is stand off a few yards and use a long lens to get the angle as low as I can.
I find them really hard to focus on as they vanish into the background with me being colour-blind, so if they're a bit soft, sorry...

Another native that's hard to photograph for that very same reason - compounded by the fact the little buggers never keep still for more than a second!

Robins are a lot easier to photograph than Sparrows because they're natural show-offs... and the higher contrast makes them easier to follow against the background.

I think they're one of the most endearing of our native birds - pretty to look at, a beautiful song, and they're perfectly at ease in human company.

Ok, so I'm a big softy, but I'll never tire of blossoms like this... and I really wish I could photograph the scent to share that with you too...

Just when you thought it couldn't get any cuter than Robins - Baby Meerkats!

Cardiff

On Friday I went on a little survey mission to Cardiff by train to see how accessible both the journey and the city would be for Babs.
Local won't be surprised to hear the main problem is our own Keynsham station as there's no way to avoid a big flight of steps to get to the outgoing platform...
Once that issue is deal with it's all easy, and the centre of Cardiff itself is all pretty level, and very compact with lots of shopping within easy reach - I love all those little arcades, but the market is wonderful.
I was there quite early so there were still more staff than customers - and I think I'm going to have to learn more Welsh than the rather colourful language I learned on the factory floor if it's going to be useful for shopping!