Thursday, 21 August 2025

Helicopter sky

 

I'm catching up a bit with my photos I take for SkyWatch as I'm in August. This was early this month when we were taking the dog for her morning walk. While crossing a field we hear a helicopter hovering nearby, this is whet happened next and what it was doing

It flew past and turned

Coming nearly over us

Then turned again

Hovered a while

 

Tilted to get abetter look


It was the national grid surveying the electric pylons and lines.

Happy SkyWatch

 

Wednesday, 20 August 2025

World photography day

 

Turns out yesterday was world Photography day and you can post a photo you too on their facebook, twitter or Instagram page. I don't have any of those accounts so here is one I took yesterday 

 It's a cigar tree near St Mary's church in Cholsey. Strange thing is I only noticed it a few weeks ago & I have been going past it for years. I am going to do a post on it sometime. Take care

 

Monday, 18 August 2025

Show photos

 

After showing the photos I did not use I will show the ones I did use and how they got on 

The four photos on a theme managed to get highly commended, better than I did last year

The burned out car was in another class but did not get picked

Nor did  this one which I thought might

I must admit I did push it with this one but nowhere


This one I put in for fun and did not get mentioned either
 

This one I put in thinking a bit outside the box and go third
Win some loose some I'll just have to up my game and see what next year brings
Take Care
 

 

Saturday, 16 August 2025

St John Stockcross

 

This week the Church Explorer visits St John Stockcross a Victorian church in a village outside Newbury. This one was outside only as the church was locked.I'm in two mind about returning but the photos I have seen of the inside make it look interesting 

 


 

Thursday, 14 August 2025

Show Photos

 

 It is our village show this weekend and I have been going through some entry's for it to go in the various classes. Quiet a few I have featured on SkyWatch but I thought it would make a good post this week so here we go


 Now I did think of entering this one but as my wife pointed out on the right is a telegraph pole and streetlight. so it was rejected

This was another contender that did not make it

 
This one I discarded as well
 
 
But this one is being entered 
 
 
As is this one
 
 
I decided against this one
 

Along with this one

 
 Remember the first photo well notice what is missing

 
 I did another photo of the same part of the road with only a small part of the streetlamp showing, I removed that but left the overhead lines and poles in. That is what is missing in the last photo 
BTW if you look close you will see the streetlamp in  the last photo 
I will let you know how I get on next week 
Happy SkyWatch 

 

Monday, 11 August 2025

Walk to Lollingdon

 

The other morning we took our pup for a walk along the bridleway to Lollingdon which is a part of our village comprising of a few houses and a large farmhouse which has a moat around it, one of few in the UK

Pup leads the way with it's nose to the ground

There are probably more barns than houses here

Looking a little further up the bridleway

Looking at the barn on the right it may have been converted to a dwelling, I'll have to go further next time and look. The bark on the left you see is off the ground on Mushrooms

 After going through the kissing gate we passed these cows who were very inquisitive 

Take care 

Sunday, 10 August 2025

St Mary the Virgin Speen

  

This week the Church Explorer is back in Berkshire at St Mary the Virgin Speen a village not far from Newbury a church I did not get to see inside


 

Thursday, 7 August 2025

Simpsons Clouds

 

Quite often you look up the fluffy clouds and think they look like the ones you see on the Simpsons.

Might be wishful thinking with the Simpsons but I do like cotton wool clouds on a blue sky

 Happy SkyWatch 

 

Tuesday, 5 August 2025

14 Million Views


For a few years now I have been a Google guide, and I noticed that my photos have now passed 14 Million views, not bad considering I have on it posted around 1850 photos. I though I would check to see what photos had got the most views.  
 

Wallingford Medical Practice, I took it when I noticed that there was no photo showing for the place, to date it has had 731735 views. The place has become too small for the area it serves so a new one is planned to be built in the future and I hopefully will be there to get another photo


Odd one this the Red Lion in Cholsey, I happened to be walking past and noticed the raindeer which is why I took it and posted the photos. It has had 690950 views.


 This one is a bit strange to me, I had taken my son for a scan at Horton General Hospital and wile waiting went off to the loo passing the chapel I took a couple of photos of it an posted, I find it odd that so far the chapel has had 300100 views


 Recent photos shows this one I took in St Giles church Oxford has had 317 views


 Wile this one at the lake in Llandrindod wells got 488 views


 I'll leave with this one of St Michael at the North Gate church in Oxford. It's had 6671 views, I took it two months ago

 Take care


Saturday, 2 August 2025

St Barnabus Oxford

 


This week the Church Explorer visits St Barnabus Oxford, one of the last churches I need to visit from the book Oxfordshires Best Churches and it is one that does not disappoint