Kings Cross Outing 4. Francis Crick Institute and St Pancras

The final leg of our walk round the Kings Cross area on Saturday included a visit to the Exhibition 'Outwitting Cancer' at the Francis Crick Institute. The Exhibition gives an overview of the latest cancer research and treatments with Crick scientists. An impressive audiovisual display illustrates how people's lives  people are affected by cancer. Then it was back through St Pancras station to Kings Cross and home.

Outing to Kings Cross 3. The Environs including Nature Reserve

Our route on Saturday took us through Coal Drops Yard - now a fashionable place to shop (and hold Hen Parties), past the Gasometer apartments and Garden and then back along the Canal to the London Wildlife Trust Reserve where we were captivated by the hundreds of Ermine Moth caterpillars that had stripped the spindle trees and were descending on silk threads.

CCC King's Cross Outing 2. People

One of the challenges for me on Saturday was to take some images of people. There are so many contrasts of style of dress, professions and interests in this cosmopolitan area. My favourite is the third image with its four separate cameos. I tried being a bit more creative in photoshop separating the elements and recombing - not sure it works!!

CCC King's Cross Outing 1. The Tunnel

Always a great location for images, many of us started our photography in the underground tunnel. I started playing with shutterspeeds to see the effect on the tunnel lighting. The faster shutterspeeds (above 1/200th) gave patterns in the wall as did slow speeds 1/60th (image 7). The smooth effects as in image 2 were shot at 1/125th - no doubt someone will add an explanation. Also here a couple of in-camera multiexposures

Slow Worm in Spinach Patch

First time I have seen a Slow Worm (a legless Lizard rather than 'worm) in the garden in Toft. Amazing feeling body as it wraps around your hand and the tongue that flicks out is quite fat compared to a snakes. Meredith loved handling it but accepted that it needed to be returned to the wild as soon as we had photographed it. The tongue flicks in and out and is a strong forked structure looking as if it is made of metal..