Millennium Park Afternoon

 

Warm, calm weather settles on Marston Moretaine, and rather than drive anywhere I decide a walk along the main road away from the village, past the main entrance to the Millennium Park on the left, and the open gates to the new graveyard on my right, heading towards the turnstile entry before the allotments.

Once, beyond the gate, I walk a short distance to the perimeter path and head to the right, and soon encounter small family groups, lone runners, and cyclists, and I soon begin capturing billowing Cumulus clouds, before moving closer to the treeline to capture Autumn leaves, and a large clump of mistletoe. Leaves of varying colours from still vivid greens to yellows and gold to definite brown interspersed with red berries. My eye soon spots faces on the trunks of trees, often covered in small patches of yellow lichen. One such, resembled the face of a man, another a pig, yet another looked as if caught running in a green sack race, sporting a hula-hoop.

Leaves of gold, leaves of green, early catkins, and late blackberries, all are spotted along the winding path, then through the thicket, I spot an albino duck with its partner in the water below. The clouds begin to hide the sun and I spot a man in the distance who I thought at first was also toting a camera, but as I near, I realise it is a pair of binoculars, and we begin chatting. I come across some unusual, reddy orange berries with pink bulbous headgear. The lowering sun clears the clouds for a time, and two separate contrails form a cross against the pale blue sky. Having walked in conversation with binoculars man to the far end of the park, I bid him farewell, as it is far quicker for me to return the way I came than exit to the main road.

The journey back means I am heading towards the setting sun which gives me the opportunity for its capture beneath interesting cloud shapes. It marks the end of my walk, as it sinks below the horizon, and my penultimate image is shot with flash to silhouette the tree, yet preserve its detail, as the sun sets on my last image of the afternoon.

I met two charming ladies just prior to the last shots, with whom I chatted as one had asked a question about Photoshop, and this conversation was held with me walking backwards, so that I could speak to them whilst walking, yet keep the regulation distance.

Visit Two Lakes With my Niece

         We agree a meeting, but since neither of us have any prior knowledge of the chosen lake destination, I purposely set off early enough to arrive first so I could check out exactly where the Car Park and entrance were located. The location I set on the SatNav was close, but a couple of hundred yards short of the parking area or entrance, which I found by walking further along the road, so I suggested the same setting to Virginia, and told her to set the same details, but then drive a bit longer along the lane, where I would be waiting.

        There was no long wait, as I only had time to take a sort walk along the path to check it out. We walked around and I took a few shots, and suddenly Virginia recognised that we were back where we had started! That realisation was a surprise to me, but we were not that far from a destination for which I was very familiar, so we headed for Tring Reservoirs, in particular Marsworth Lake.

On our arrival there, the lake was far more alive with both visitors and birds on the water, so subjects for capturing was way more prolific, hence filling many more slots on the subsequent gallery. It proved to be a good move, as there was far more interesting and abundant life here out on the water. In the margins were numerous leaves from lush green to rich red, and on to golden brown, often further enhanced by the low sunlight giving a warm glow, and detailed, backlit veins. These images and the fortunate lighting made for attractive images, since they effectively covered both late Summer and early Autumn.

It was good to spot a young Heron by the reeds, with its languorous stroll by the Reed margins, and a pair of cygnets occasionally with their parents. I also had the good fortune to have the Grebe to be reasonably close to shore. I found the Mallards to be difficult to capture their  intense green colouring, more so on this camera’s sensor than my Canon lenses, not simply by the lighting direction.