About Me

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Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales, United Kingdom
Bit of a long tooth IT Manager - been and had a few hobbies, as for the title, I make glass beads, its Called Lampwork, I brew my own Beer, its called fun and I take photos, thats the oldest hobby, since I was 16 or so. My first camera was a Zenith E - then a Pentax KR to go digital after a long stint with a Pentax Super A. Now a Nikon D5200 and a D7100 with a Sigma 150 f2.8 macro lens to play with amongst others. Please note all photos used are my own and I retain full copyright to all of them. Thank you for respecting digital ownership

Monday 17 November 2014

Trip to Cornwall for a Birthday



It was Verity’s 21st Birthday last week. Happy Birthday.

I have been struggling since early September to get her a specific present, for whatever reason the lens I wanted to get her was not available anywhere in a Nikon fit - I could get the lens to fit a Canon or a Sony or any other camera but not a Nikon, how frustrating that was.  I even looked at off shore imports from Hong Kong, I placed an order and two days later they mailed me to cancel it as they did not know when they would get stock.

This Friday I noted the firm I normally buy the photography gear from now says they have the lens - one short phone call later and it is on its way - late but at least what we wanted.

Anyway, we went to Cornwall for the weekend for her birthday and had fun. Eden was on the list for a day as was Tehidy.  There follows the usual photographs, a few fungi, and a few other bits and bobs. Oh, and it was my 57th birthday as well that weekend so a double celebration.

First - Eden 

Fungi outside on a log fence

Hover fly on Castor Oil plant

more fungi in the tropical dome

there is always a gekko if you look hard enough

water droplets on a new leaf

a very small but agile and fast jumping spider

I got into trouble for this one !

Shaggy Inkcap they were used for ink in olden days


Yoke at the waterfall relaxing

checking out the label !



Then Tehidy

bird feeding by hand take 1

bird feeding by hand take 2

having a good shout at each other

arghh my head imploded

Porcelain fungi

we like peanuts - oh yes we do

oy - he's nicked the peanuts !
 This weekend has been a bit strange for reasons I wont go into at the moment but today, Sunday, we had an afternoon out to get some fresh air - off to the Allotment to do some digging then off to Tondu for any photos we fancied or could take in the low light so long as the drizzle held off .

This image was spotted as we drove there on the approach road - a side gate into the fields. I had to double back and capture it - makes you want to know the story - or maybe not!



and finally a last fungi shot - these were all of 1.5cm from top to bottom - sweet






Monday 3 November 2014

More fruit of the season, the 3rd kingdom

We went to Lincoln last weekend, I took the opportunity to go seek out a few more fungi at Whisby.

I have not been successful in identifying them all but clearly the Fly Agaric, Amanita muscaris is an easy one, these were taken where a tre had been taken out to make a clearing hence the damage to soem around them. This fungi is used as a hallucinogenic by some people, dangerous game, as it is poisonous. It gets its name from medieval times where the cap was broken into pieces in milk to stupify flies and get rid of them.





Then there is another amanita, there are 24 of them known in the UK, this one is The Blusher, Amanita rubescens. You can eat it - if cooked, but poisonous if raw, oh and after you cook it, throw the water away - its not going to make you feel good !



A few others seen and photographed but so far not identified.




Also a few dragons still on the wing, this is a Common Darter, Sympetrum striolatum I love the autumn leaf colours behind it that compliment the body colour.



In all a nice day with a few nice shots