Morning Walk up the Hill

 

 Nearly a month ago I finally managed to climb back up the hill by the caravan site I go to and though I did not record it at the time I did take photos the next morning when we walked back up there again.

Looking back towards the camp site from the path which the sheep watch us

Further along I look back on a blue sky

 

 

 Further up from the point I normally stop I look back towards the quarry we climbed up

From the stopping point you can look at the whole valley

This is the next climb

Further up the track gives a different view

The track we climbed up

Along the hillside you get a magnificent view

The track we came along is on the left

Finally we reached the top and looked down on the camp site

Hours later I watched the sunset from my front garden

Happy Skywatch

St Mary Banbury

 

This week the Church Explorer Visits St Mary Banbury. An opportunist visit I had while in the town. I had hoped the church would be open but sadly I was to be disappointed 

Weston - on - the - Green

 

Weston on the green always seem to me to be a few houses along the side of the what was the old A43 to Northampton. We would pass through on our way to Silverstone and it never looked much of a place to stop. It did have an RAF parachute training base there as you could see the balloons taking them up in baskets to jump out of.  When they built the A34 dual carriageway to the M40 the village got bypassed. Last week I went to visit the church at Weston on the Green and knowing the A34 might be very busy I took a route that would take me over it to see how bad it was. Turned out very as the traffic was slow from Oxford the the M40 junction. I decided to take another way and came in the back of the village

 

I parked by the church near this old Phone Box, it is now used as a library which is quite common to see in villages, this is our version of the little library 

 

Looking down the road towards the old main Northampton road you not help notice the thatched houses 

 

This was the village show which sold bread and fresh produce as well as other groceries and some hot food, I went away with a very tasty pasty

 

Sadly is is under threat as this sign tells you. I hope it is saved villages need shops

 

Going back the way I came I stopped to take this shot. It was only when I processed the photos I noticed something 

A bird and bee had flown past when I took the photo. I've not been photo bombed by a bee before.

As I will be useing this on SkyWatch Friday

Happy Skywatch

Take Care

St David’s, Llanddewi Fach

 

This week the Church Explorer visits  St David’s, Llanddewi Fach in Wales.  This is the first one I visited in Wales this year, it stands on a remote hillside and was one of the churches that Frances Kilvert visited 

A Welsh Hillside

 

The other week I went to visit a hillside church in Wales. I took a few photos as for Skywatch as well

This is the church I went to, as you can see a perfect blue sky above

Looking out toward sthe hills from the churchyard

I did have to walk along a footpath to the church which you might be able to see in the distance

This looks down onto a nearby farm not far from where I left my car 

 Vome evening my wife & I went for a walk and I managed to get right up the top of the one you see with the blue sky above. I had been aming to that since comming out of  Hospital. The church will feature in The Church Exporer this weekend

Happy Skywatch

The Ducks

 

Remember the photo of the duck nesting on Friday well I went out the next day with my camera and 400mm lens to get some more photos

I started by taking this one of a bee in a flower

Spotted this bird on a bullrush, I thought it was a sparrow

I got a better photo of the duck which had ducklings if you look. Just after I took the photo I went along the lake for a better viewpoint only to watch a coot swimming towards the next with nesting material. Next thing I see was the duck go for the coot and the ducklings scatter.

They disappeared into the reeds

Can you see it in the reeds

The coot had to dive underwater to get away from the duck and moments later popped up and was back with it's own young

 

I took this a week later with the same long lens and the ducklings sat around mum

 

I got a little close so they decided to go and hide. Turns out there are 5 duckings.

As you can see 5 duckings, I made a retreat after this and they went back to mum.

Take Care

St Mary Sydenham

 

This week the Church Explorer visits  St Mary Sydenham the last of the three churches I visited in the Chinnor benefice and one of the few churches in Oxfordshire with a wooden tower

Welsh Sunset

 

First of all let me apologise for not posting Tuesday Like I normally would, over the weekend we had a power cut during a thunderstorm. it knocked out my router and I had to have a new one  

This was the beginning of June when we were at our caravan, I normally take the dog around the lake for a walk so take photos with my phone, I spotted the geese with their gosling 

Quite happily swimming by

I also noticed a duck on a nest

Around 9:30 in the evening I saw the sun has set and there was a beautiful colour to the sky so I went out to the lake fro some photos

Going a bit closer to the hills

I did like this effect the sun had on the clouds

Looking back the sky looked clear blue

In reality the sunset looked a little like this which is how it looks through my camera

Happy Skywatch

St Andrew Chinnor

 

This week the Church Explorer visits St Andrew Chinnor a beautiful historic church on the boarder of Oxfordshire 

June Sunset

The second of June and while looking out the back door I noticed the setting sun shining on the trees

The effect is lost on them I'm afraid

The leaves on this one were glowing

Looking through the front room window you could see why

Looking out of the bathroom the sun had set

From the front room a glow was all that was left

Happy SkyWatch