Cragside ~ Nov 2018 ~ part 3

Categories: Adventures · Fuji · FujiX-T2 · gardens · landscape · nature · photography · reflections · stately homes & estates · sunset · uncategorisedTags: · · · · · · · · · 44 Comments

Part 1 HERE.      Part 2 HERE We only had a couple of hours if that before darkness was due to descend, so we drove the 6 mile route around the estate, but stopped for a wander here and there when we came across something interesting. Our first stop was the quarry from whence the stones came to build Cragside. It’s full of rhododendrons in summer so we will be returning then. Next stop was a short walk up to a lake bed that was drained but still had its boathouse. On the way I spotted some weird lichen/fungi…

Cheeseburn Sculpture Park ~ part 3

Categories: Adventures · art · Fuji · FujiX-T2 · landscape · nature · photography · reflections · UncategorizedTags: · · · · · · · · · · 27 Comments

On to the main event following on from part 2 HERE the reason Sophie & I went to the park in the first place was to see big shiny things, by a gentleman called Qi Yafeng.  I can’t find a website for him, maybe not allowed one in China. Anyway he’s done quite a lot of stuff, and these were his latest pieces. The big, shiny pieces did not disappoint, they were mesmerising, you couldn’t help seeing yourself stretched thin or shortened fat, curved, wobbly, and sometimes not even there! Just like being in the house of mirrors at a…

Cheeseburn Sculpture Park ~ June 2018~ part 2

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Following on from part 1 HERE The gardens at Cheeseburn Grange are quite lovely and a perfect place for delicate glass sculptures Can’t remember who did that sorry!! Laura Johnston   http://www.laurajohnston.com  thrilled us with these beautiful glassworks in the woods I loved how the colors reflected onto the woodland path   Simon Hitchins    http://www.simonhitchens.com combined the rough texture of rocks with smooth shiny mirrors     On one of the walls in the grounds we came across these, by Louise Plant  http://louiseplant.com they reminded me of what I used to call ‘Jacks’ when I was a kid, can’t remember what…

Alnwick Gardens ~part 2 ~ the water features.

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Part 1 HERE WARNING- long post alert, short attention spanners cease here. 🙂 I neglected to tell the History of Alnwick Gardens in part 1, so I’ll remedy that here. The History Bit Adjacent to Alnwick Castle, the gardens have a long history under the Dukes of Northumberland but fell into disrepair until revived at the turn of the 21st century. The first garden was made by the 1st Duke of Northumberland in 1750 and he employed Capability Brown, a great English architect and known in the 18th century as Englands greatest gardener. He designed over 170 parks/gardens, many of which are…

Herrington Country Park~ March 2018~part 4

Categories: Adventures · animals · B&W · birds · Fuji · FujiX-T2 · landscape · nature · people · photography · reflections · swans · Uncategorized · wildlifeTags: · · · · · · · · · · · · · 46 Comments

Part 1           Part 2            Part 3 So on we go over the dinosaur rib cage and back towards the lake, alongside a rivulet where we watched a swan doing it’s thing   Back at the car park we came across a hound meeting I think they were Beagles after googling doggy pictures. Saw this cute little lad at the cafe while we had lunch and then after lunch, back to the lake for more birdy shots We watched a seagull fighting a tern for some bread Birds on a buoy…

Herrington Country Park ~ March 2018~ Part 3

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Part 1 HERE Part 2 HERE After we’d finished at the standing stones, Sophie and I made our way down the hill and went on to the next hill where there appeared to be a big rock. The rock has square metal engravings fastened to it, as you can see, each one bears the face of a miner (not sure whether living or dead) I think if you had some paper and charcoal or crayon you could do like a brass rubbing in churches and get a better idea of the face. Each panel had a different face and a…

Rising Sun Country Park ~ Nov 2017 ~ Part 3

Categories: Adventures · autumn · B&W · Fuji · FujiX-T2 · landscape · nature · photography · reflections · uncategorisedTags: · · · · · · · · 33 Comments

Part 1,  Part 2,   We’ll finish up walking the last leg of our trek around the park today, there were not many leaves left on the trees so it was nice to come across some pops of yellow   but mostly it was grey and brown   I’m not sure what this next thing is, maybe stocks for naughty giants? even when the leaves have gone, and there are no bright little flowers to photograph, there are always some interesting shapes and textures to find, and reflections in puddles and that’s the end of our visit to the Rising…

Rising Sun Country Park ~ November 2017 ~ part 2

Categories: Adventures · animals · autumn · birds · Fuji · FujiX-T2 · landscape · nature · people · people · photography · reflections · swans · Uncategorized · wildlifeTags: · · · · · · · · · 41 Comments

Part 1 HERE So we’ve had a little rest, and now continue past where the Back to Future train disappeared, turning right and starting the long trek up an incline to the top of a hill under some stunning cloud formations the horses we saw earlier came charging past us in the opposite direction Looking back down the path at the top of the hill we could see from Hebburn on the right to Newcastle on the left. The yellow structures are on the River Tyne and we saw one of them being brought up the river when we visited…

Pow Hill Nature Reserve ~ Sept 2017 ~ Part 1

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Pow Hill is set in moorland overlooking the Derwent Reservoir. The word Pow comes from Old English and means ‘slow moving stream’ which refers to the waterlogged boggy area in the north of the site. Conserved for its special wildlife interest, the area is home to goldcrests, coal tits, roe deer and red squirrels. The western end of the lake is protected as a nature reserve although there is access to the water’s edge in some places. Needless to say Sophie and I went for a visit here, though we didn’t spot any red squirrels sadly, plenty of sheep though!…