Into the New Year

This bronze sculture by Epstein is the image that I have chosen to lead into 2011. It has such great energy reaching forward with enthusiasm and not backward with resentment; it symbolises perfectly my thoughts of what we should aim for in life.

The Bowater House bronze sculpture, The Rush of Green depicts family and their dog rushing towards the park to enjoy the fresh air and green spaces. Pan is depicted charming them away from the shops and offices behind. Sir Jacob Epstein was 79 and working on this sculpture on the day that he died. It was cast after his death. I love the energy of this sculpture and enjoyed seeing it having read about it at the Epstein Collection in Walsall Museum in March this year

Last from London

A couple from Oxford Street on Tuesday evening, some from a visit to the fair on Monday evening and finally Harrod's man this evening.

London Birds

Another foggy morning - I loved the graceful poses of the Mute swans - looked like the pedal boats you get on some boating lakes. The Coot was having a good stretch and the Pigeon a good rummage for crumbs.
It was almost dark when we saw the Heron - fortunately very close with suitable post to lean on.

Highgate Cemetery

Much warmer today and wet resulting in misty conditions. First image from Kensington Gardens as we walked to the tube. We visited Tessa and Ian in Highgate - thanks for lunch etc. We took a tour round Highgate West Cemetery and the soft misty conditions certainly added atmosphere.

More from the Winter Wonderland!

Very grey day in London so no interesting dusk sky. Enjoyed playing with slow shutterspeed and the lights. Interesting that each cabin records on the image as I zoomed - would have expected smooth transition.

Walk through Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens

The Winter Wonderland Christmas Fair is on at the moment with lots of lights and colour.
The Serpentine is almost completely frozen over.
Anish Kapoor has four sculptures in Kensington Gardens in a show entitled 'Turning the World Upside Down' which is exactly what this spire does.

Christmas Dinner

A large party of Fieldfares, Redwings, Blackbirds, and Starlings enjoyed their Christmas dinner of apples in our garden today.

Madingley Hall

A trip to a very snowy Madingley Hall.

Full Moon Photography

There was a full moon this week and a lot of lying snow, conditions that made for interesting night shots. The first was as taken (30sec, f8 iso 400). This could be converted to monochrome either using a lot of blue channel as in the first giving a daylight look with light sky or with little blue channel and lot of orange channel giving a dark sky and a night look.
The fourth shot shows the shadows cast by the very bright moon on the snow.
In the next you can make out the stars in the sky (Orion's belt).
The last picture shows an image taken with the 15mm fish-eye in area where there was no artificial light and the moon was behind the clouds.

West Kirby in the Snow

I couldn't leave the Wirral without a quick visit to West Kirby especially as

snow had fallen during the previous evening with showers continuing in the morning covering the beach and buildings.

More from the North West

Still working through images from trip to Lancashire - now safely returned through the snow. A couple from Crosby beach and the Anthony Gormley figures. Not sure what the lady was photographing!
The other images are from New Brighton as I travelled onto the Wirral to talk at Hoylake Photographic Society.

Lowry Conveniences

Everywhere you go in the Lowry Centre in Salford there are notices for the toilets. So I thought I better visit them (the Ladies that is) and was delighted with the design and colours.