Signs of Spring at Paxton

On a sunny afternoon at Paxton, it felt like spring might come soon with the birds collecting nesting materials, showing off the pristine breeding plumage and stocking up on food ready for the busy times to come. 

Focus-Stacked Images from Antigua

At last, I have found time to process some of the Focus stacks that I took on our trip in February. These ranged from 6 to 25 handheld individual images.

 

Gardening for Wildlife

Rushden U3A Garden Club booked a talk from me with the title 'Gardening for Wildlife' and, though it meant writing a new talk especially for the event, I really enjoyed preparing for it and delivering the lecture yesterday. I keep part of my garden for Meadow flowers - the front area is grassland, which is mowed in late August only  (Scabious, Cowslip, Buttercup, Clover, Knapweed). Two areas in the back  are sown with cornfield annuals one in full sunlight and very dry (Corn Marigold, Corn Cockle, Corn flower etc), the other a shadier, moister area with Red campion and Salad Burnet. Hard to believe these will be dense with flowers and, hopefully, insects in a few months time.

Southend's Iconic Buildings

I made a brief visit to Southend this morning after talking at Benfleet club last night, hoping to have a bracing walk along the Pier and back but it was closed along with almost all the rest of the resort. So visited two of my favourite buildings and did composite images in really dull light. 

Originally named the Metropole, the Palace Hotel was built in 1901. It was one of the last great Edwardian Hotels. It had 200 bedrooms, a billiard room and a magnificent ballroom. During the First World War it was temporarily converted into Queen Mary's Royal Naval Hospital and treated over 4,000 soldiers.

In the 1950s & 1960s the Hotel got into financial difficulties and was then bought by Polish refugee Motel Burstin who turned the building into an old people’s home. 

In the early 1970s the Palace provided cut price bed and breakfast but fell into disrepair. In 2007 is was purchased by the Radisson group and the Park Inn Palace Hotel remains one of Southend's most prized hotels.

The Kursaal is a Grade II listed building, which opened in 1901 as one of the world's first purpose-built amusement parks.The word Kursaal means a "Cure Hall" or spa, but was adapted to mean a place of healthy amusement. Southend's Kursaal became the largest fairground in the south of England. 

Southend United F.C. played at the Kursaal until 1933, when they moved to Southend Stadium.The Kursaal declined in the early 1970s, with the outdoor amusements closed in 1973, and the main building finally closed in 1986. Although the outdoor amusements were redeveloped for housing, the main Kursaal building reopened in 1998, after a multimillion pound redevelopment, containing a bowling alley, a casino and other amusements. Now Tescos have put a shop there

Still No Hoverflies

Despite lots of sunshine today, still no sign of  hoverflies (or other flying insects) on a visit to Waresley (the wood is closed because of the wet conditions).

 

Double Exposure at the Fitztwilliam Cambridge

A bit of creative time at the Fitzwilliam Museum using multiple exposure and changing the white balance between exposures. And just for fun, last one done in the computer as you can't change blending modes on the Fuji double exposures 

Cambridge Botanic Gardens - Glasshouse Windows

The second topic that I tackled on Sunday was the condensation and algae etc on the windows in the hothouses plus glimspes of what is beyond. Such a variety of colours and shapes it was difficult to know where to stop but here are a few.

High Contrast at Cambridge Botanic Gardens

We set a few topics for our CCC trip to Cambridge Botanic Gardens - one was High Contrast Monochrome so I spent some time seeking out flowers and leaves in very contrasty lighting. However, I have decided I like them best in colour.