Manningtree, Essex - Trying the Plastic Holga Pinhole Lens

Snow flurries and strong winds greeted my arrival at Manningtree to lecture in the evening  on photographing in all weathers! Undeterred I set off along the Stour in the afternoon and here are a few shots with the Holga pinhole lens with some comparisons to a conventional lens. I liked the dreamy result that it creates - looking like high summer on a very grey day!! Lots of birds on the estuary mud for future reference. I got as far as the Mistley Towers before turning round as dusk fell. Thanks for your hospitality overnight Jenny - very comfortable

Continuing London Skyline Saga

Final entry from the Greenwich trip of the skyline in January 2014 versus the one taken in November 2017 showing the enormous sprouting of buildings during these years

Queens House, Greenwich

It is great that the Queen's House is now free to enter and is a treasure trove of paintings and architecture. Designed by Inigo Jones in 1616 it is filled with works of art representing the 400 years by artists including Gainsborough, Canaletto, Reynolds, LS Lowry, Stubbs and Hogarth. I enjoyed the Tulip Staircase, the first centrally unsupported helical stairs constructed in England, and the Great Hall in particular. 

Rainham Marshes, RSPB, on a Very Quiet Day

I stopped off at Rainham Marshes on the way back from Kent - beautiful sunny day but very little about in the way of birds - hoping to see the firecrest (or even goldcrests) but no luck. Anyway, here a record of what I did see for the diary: juvenile Chiffchaff, Magpie, Pied Wagtail, Lapwing, Little Grebe, Teal, Snipe and Ruff.

Greenwich Skyline 65 Years Later

Comparison of the skyline as seen from Greenwich Park in 1953 and yesterday. The park itself is little changed except for fences to stop kids rolling down the hill (our favourite game as children)

Oxleas Wood, Shooters Hill, South London

As I was south of the Thames, I decided to spend a day visiting some of my childhood haunts, starting with Shooters Hill. Oxleas Wood is one of the few remaining areas of ancient deciduous forest in southeast London. Some parts date back over 8,000 years to the end of the last Ice Age.  It is also home to Severndroog Castle, a folly built to commemorate Commodore Sir William James who, in April 1755, attacked and destroyed the island fortress of Suvarnadurg  on the western coast of India. James died in 1783 and the castle was built as a memorial to him by his widow, Lady James of Eltham. From its elevated position, it offers views across London, with features in seven different counties visible on a clear day.

There were lots of Green Parakeets in the woods.