Skies so blue

 

The seasons are changing, and it's a beautiful day.

The sun is bursting through the rain this morning, and it's given a sort of freshness to the day. There wasn't much rain, but there was enough to give everything that freshness. There's a breeze, the leaves are blowing, and it's beautiful. Very atmospheric.

There's still a lot of warmth in the sun, even though it's lower in the sky, and it just feels wonderful to be out and about, walking in the forest.

It makes you realise just how blessed we are to have the ability to experience these changes in the weather and the seasons.

I know it's about to get cold, but there is a certain loveliness to autumn that can't be replicated at any other time of year.

So get out and enjoy a wonderful afternoon if you're able to.

Still cold, but a pleasant walk around the pond

Had a nice walk around the pond. It was good to see a lovely new memorial bench in place. The Fleet Pond Society really do look after the place. Looking forward to some much needed warm weather!

Wow a long time no post

It really has been ages since I've posted on this blog I can't quite believe it. Nearly a year. 

I kind of fell out of love with photography and a lot of things in general. I lost my mojo and system for looking around at the world and seeing the beauty. That saddens me. Still it is what it it is and I'm now back into it, or so I think. 

Back at the pond. 

Lovely spring day.

It really felt good today. It was so nice to walk i the dry. Rhe dog didn't even need a wash when I got home. There is something very calming about walking in nature ar this time of the year. It's calming, but it's also very exciting as you can sense spring round the corner. 

Spring Day

It's been a lovely day here in Hampshire. 17c or there abouts. Had a little stroll with the dog and it's staying lovely and light

. 

A short walk between meetings

 

Had a lovely little walk. It was getting a bit dark, like it always does this time of year. Still managed to see a nice bit of wildlife.

Chasing the reds

It was pretty nice day, although I was only limited to walking the streets as I wanted to get back in time for a call. I decided to go chasing the reds of autumn. When you start looking you see this colour in a lot of people's gardens. It's nice to look up from a phone and just admire the colours.

Of course there are berries everywhere.

Storm Ciaran rolling in from the west. Off to London tomorrow, so that will be interesting. 

And that concludes the little tour of the streets. It was a 20 minute walk all in all, but nice to get out of the house.

 

A brief walk at the pond, maintence happening

Had a pretty nice walk, albeit quite short ad Bella decided she'd seen a scary dog ans wanted tonget out of there.

These red leaves were on a neighbour's acer plant I think.

It was a nice day for a stroll along the brook.

Fungus on a tree

Some clearing going on at the pond. Life jackets seem a bit OTT as it's waist deep here.

Good to see them maintaining the place. It is a protected area. 

Rain Rain Rain

There was plenty of rain today, as there has been for the past few days. More in the forecast too.

Birds and cattle as the light fades

It's been a while since I've seen egrets at the pond. Nice to see. 

The Magpie is a cheeky little fella, picking away at the cattle. They cattle seem to like it. A perfect relationship.

So many mushrooms around right now, so expect loads more of these shots. I always hunt around for the red ones. Not always easy to find as they seem to be off the beaten path.

Then i saw an Egret, if I wasn't with Bella I might have got a better shot, but the Egret spotted me and flew off.

This time of year its getting dark pretty early, but always atmospheric. I'm always tempted to not bother going out. Seems cold, damp, muddy, but I'm always glad I do. 

Bella took a dip

And so there ends another day in the books.

Equally, I'm never sure about taking my camera. After all I've walked laps of this pond for over 6 years, what more is there to see? Yet every time I pause for a second I seem to get a different perspective. 
 

A moody day at the pond

Just some shots from my mid afternoon walk. Clocks change this weekend and I get madly depressed by it every year.

My plan is to try and get out for daytime walks every day. If I don't I may as well hibernate.

Pretty pleased with this shot of a swan. I've been adjusting my settings and shooting on low iso with a faster shutter. Giving a nice dark contrasty look.

It's damp and autumn - therefore mushrooms

 It's that time of year that I'll be taking a few pics of fungi. The damp conditions are just perfect for it. What I'm not so good at is finding the perfect shot, or indeed taking it! The dynamic range between dark backgrounds and bright white mushrooms always makes it tricky!

Bella's game at the brook. Roll the stick into the water and back out.

The colours on some of the trees are amazing. These trees are in folks gardens, I've not really noticed the woodland ever going as red as this:

And here are the fungi:

This was probably the shot of the day. I love the dark background with bokeh

This guy was trapped in the brook. I'm keeping my eye's peeled for more. The colours are magnificent. 

I was treated to a nice sunset at the end of the day...

Peace and best wishes everyone!!!