British Wildlife Touring Exhibition – Stockwood Discovery Centre

I arranged to meet up with a fellow photographer, Colin Bowles to take a look at the photographs on display at the Stockwood Discovery Centre in Luton from this year's awards, but I purposely made a point of arriving earlier so that I might take a few photographs of some of the plants within the gardens or in the long greenhouse, if I could manage to get in touch with one of the gardeners, Jan Tysoe.

She was not too sure I might find anything much of interest at this early stage of the season, though she knew it would not be a lack of trying on my part. I was dressed in layers for the outdoors, and away from the bitter cold inside the greenhouse, I was way over-dressed so hastily shed my coat in order to take a look the length of the interior in search of early signs of the coming season's growth.

It was not extensive, but the signs were there, and I spotted a minuscule snail on a leaf at the far end that was barely half a millimetre wide and at most one long, so had to move very close and up the speed, so that the shutter could cope with my unstable, shaky hands, but there was no way to convey an appreciation of it's scale.

I managed only a few images here before the call came through that Colin had arrived, so I gathered my gear and headed for the exhibition. Colin made an inherently sensible suggestion as to how we might proceed from the outside in, in order not to lose track of those images we had already seen by jumping from the outer walls to the inner display panels and back. It was interesting to note how many of the pictures elicited memories for Colin from his various travels around the world and his encounters with some of the animals or scenes, or how some stirred other memories from the past.

Whilst we were there a member of staff came around with a duster, and her duties must definitely have involved outside work as she was similarly clothed for the great outdoors, as she methodically ensured every one of the pictures were maintained at their best for the visitors.

Once again Colin and I both found the variety kept us interested throughout our visit, it is an exhibition we both recommend to be well worth finding the time to visit as it should be rewarding to all ages and this week is likely to be well-attended by children during their half-term break.

A Morning at Stockwood Park

I had taken the opportunity to visit the Luton Festival of Transport held in Stockwood Park in the morning and having captured some of what was happening there and enjoyed some conversations with amongst others, a local magistrate and Jaguar enthusiast, John Sentinella, John joined me in a visit to the Discovery Centre.

John had not been for some while so I acted as guide as we went around  and I took more photos of some of their wonderful display, we also met up with a group who had come all the way from Essex just to see the gardens, and they mentioned they had visited the Butterfly Centre south of St. Albans and recommended I paid a visit as their wild flower show was exquisite; so I feel a visit coming on.

Stockwood Park Festival of Transport

Very changeable weather greeted this Show, I arrived under grey clouds, but soon came milky sunshine, followed by spits of drizzle and occasional sunshine, but overall it was grey. Nobody seemed to mind, children played in family groups and asked improbable questions of amused parents, whilst enthusiasts of all ages discussed technical features of exotic or simply early vehicles, and many white-haired gents reminisced of distant youth, their memories jogged by the sight of cars and bikes from an earlier era.

I found myself looking at a black Standard Vanguard in poor shape that took me back to my father’s identical car that we had in Malaya in 1949; a car incidentally whose handbrake I managed to release on our sloping garden which ended with the car in a ditch, up against a chain-link fence with a smashed headlamp!

I also noted how some car marques retained their symbolic badges, whereas others were in a constant state of flux – the Vauxhall Gryphon being a case in point for the latter.

I spent a fair time in search of a friend I knew to be marshalling and manning a Jaguar stand, only to be found by him whilst I was talking to some Jaguar enthusiasts – I was only two cars away from his car without realising it! We took some time chatting and looking around before heading to the Discovery Centre.