Cragside Northumberland

Rain threatened all morning last Wednesday but fortunately we managed a whole dry morning to explore Cragside, a wonderfully eccentric National Trust property. I didn't get further than the grounds which are spectacular. The house and gardens are the work of William Armstrong - Victorian inventor  and landscape genius. It was the first house in the world to be lit by hydroelectricity. The gardens are incredible with one of the largest rock gardens in Europe leading down to the Iron Bridge and an arboretum with the tallest Scots pine in England.

 

Northumberland Coast Through In-Camera Double Exposures

All but the fourth images are double exposures. I don't think all of these work but enjoyed playing and seeing what could be done with the limited double exposure setting of the Fuji X series cameras. 

 

Guillemots on Staple Island

I spent most of our time on Staple Island on Monday morning trying to photograph the Guillemots in flight. They breed on vast colonies on the island and it is difficult to see how they pinpoint their mate when returning with fish. 

Cragside Formal Gardens

Yesterday on a damp and sometimes rainy day, we visited National Trust Cragside. Photos from the house and surrounds to follow but here a few plants etc from the formal gardens. The rain didn't deter one couple from enjoying the magnificent (well would be on a clear day) view from the lawn. 

 

Berwick-Upon-Tweed on a Rainy Day

We managed a morning walking round Berwick before the threatened thunderstorm arrived. Unfortunately, we were out on the pier when the heavens opened so we had to return to our accommodation to dry out

Puffin Parade for Meredith

We booked on the all-day trip to the Farne Islands yesterday and were very lucky that the weather there was reasonable all day. I decided before I got there not to photograph many puffins but, somehow, they found their way into my collection of images. Such comic and yet beautiful birds - can one really have too many momentos?