Tuesday 7th May 2013

Before we go on, a few words about Mr 1D: a man with clearly more money than sense, who sees photography in terms of equipment and the such and not in the actual understanding of the basics of it. I had several run-ins with him, not run-ins, but he did once say that there is no point in taking shots in the winter due to the poor light, and I heard he was going to be giving a talk on the basics of photography at the local camera club, and he clearly did not know as many of the other members. From what I gather it was a bragging session from him and saying ‘my camera can do this, but yours won’t’. So, seeing him hogging the best spot in front of the hide and the endless bragging on his part is very tiresome, but Jeremy, it did us something to laugh at all afternoon. So, he is good for something after all, just not photography.

Sunday

A nice as it was to be up at the crack of dawn on Saturday, it was doubly good to lay in bed until gone seven on Sunday looking at the blue sky through the crack in the curtains, and decide when to get up, feed the cats and make the first pot of coffee of the day. Such are the important things in life……



After breakfast we put on our walking boots and headed outside for a walk along the familiar roads and paths to the cliffs and back. Outside the sun shone from a clear blue sky, and for the first time the wind rustled the leaves on the trees without a hint of a chill, it felt like late spring/early summer. Just as it should at the beginning of May.



We headed off down the familiar lanes, down past the pigs, turning left past the fields of horses down the valley and up the other side. Along the cycle path and then then turning off between the big wheat fields getting ever nearer the cliffs and Bluebirds. I snap a Small Tortoiseshell butterfly, which was something to be pleased with, although it was on the ground so making a proper macro shot tricky.

We came up to the cliffs to find this group of what I guess were London based twitchers, talking loudly about birds but mainly football. We wanted to look at a gull nest on a ledge just below this point and so apologised for getting in their line of sight if only for a moment.



So, as we made our way to the cliff edge a bird flew up, but it wasn't a gull, it was a Peregrine Falcon, something I guess the twitchers were on the look out for.



And it was on a ledge about 20 feet from where they were, and they did not have a clue.

Despite waiting for half an hour the falcon did not come back, so we walked home delighted at being so close to such a fine looking raptor.



And with that we headed back home, pausing only for me to snap a Holly Blue on the lane near home. Always a joy to see the first blue of the year. Although this one is about three weeks later than last year’s first blue.

I guess I should take this moment to talk about football. Now, for the best part of three years City have been on an upwards slope with each year getting better and better. Sadly, the wheels have come off the bandwagon since the middle of December. In the six months since we were seventh, we have won just two league games and one FA Cup game, and being beaten by a non-league team in the 4th round. In 36 league games we have managed just 34 goals, which clearly isn’t good enough. City had a golden chance to break that run with a home game against Paul Lambert’s Aston Villa, but it didn’t work out and lost thanks to a poor second goal some three minutes from time, which took Villa above us and us a step nearer the relegation zone. It is desperate stuff if truth be told. We have two games left, WBA at home and Citeh away, and need to win at least one of them and hope that both Newcastle and Wigan below us do worse. Wigan having a game in hand as well. It will be a close run thing, but we honestly cannot complain if we go down with the season we have, if we do survive it will be because there are three worse teams than us, which is hardly a nice thought. Whatever happens to us this season, a massive change needs to happen over the summer, as we cannot afford to be this pathetic in whatever division we are in.

And all this comes after the free scoring double promotions and a first Prem season when we looked like we could score against anybody; not it looks we can’t score against anybody. Oh well, it is only a game, but I really thought this was the beginning of a long golden period for us.

Monday

Monday dawned cold and misty, just as forecast. So with dazzling sunshine forecast we decided to head to Kings Wood for some bluebell action. I had seen friends posting bluebell shots so what could go wrong? Well, I guess Kings Wood is quite high, which mean the bluebells were not quite at their peak, so we made the best of it and had a great quiet walk before the crowds of dogwalkers arrived and the woods would be full the sound of dogs barking.



We took our shots, and headed back to the car, meeting more and more groups of people arriving, glad we had got our stuff done first.



In the afternoon I mowed the lawn then headed out for another butterfly searching walk, although this time turned out to be fruitless. Plenty about but none settled. I even saw a Brimstone fluttering over the fields, but it did not settle either, and I watched as it’s vivid colour headed into the distance.



We rounded off the evening by watching The Hobbit, which was good, although it is not perfect by a long chalk. Anyway, it was good to see it in 2D rather than the eye-watering 3D which we saw at the IMAX last Christmas.

So, that was your weekend. And Tuesday morning is the new Monday morning. Apparently.