Calm, Warm Afternoon

          Another Autumn Day with promise and warning. There are high clouds, but my untutored eye reading was that these were a view of the present, as their power hinted of a less benign future. I was not considering a distant location, but a walk towards the nearby Forest Centre. Potentially, the distance involved, could take me a not inconsiderable distance to head home should the heavens open!
          Fortune favours the brave — at least on this occasion, for though there was a suggestion of possible rain, it remained within the clouds, and I spent the afternoon capturing a relaxed view of autumn colours and with the aid of the sun, textures of leaves, especially where the wind had turned and sometimes trapped them upturned to reveal their undersides. Not only was I treated to Autumn golds, but also vibrant reds that sometimes only formed a border to the earlier lush green. This season treats us to a grand finale with a curtain closure of as rich, but a different palette of colours to that of Spring.
          Getting out with a camera, and being able to gather the images together to illustrate the narrative of an afternoon’s activity is currently one of the ways in which I can exercise my ‘little grey cells’ and fill the void created by my overall lack of fellow human contact and interaction. I was pleasantly surprised by the overall variety of subjects that filled my time whilst exercising my legs and eyes. I hope others can share and enjoy the results of my efforts.

By Bromham Mill & River

  I head for a walk alongside the River Great Ouse, by the bridge on the Bromham side. Whereas the majority of the walkers keep to the path in the open, I choose the path close by the river, and often by the river bank itself. I come upon a lone man relaxing on a seat in the shade, who I learn is an Angler from our conversation, so I question him as to where there might be chances of spotting Kingfishers. It was from this spot I take a few shots of the Bridge and the rushing water beneath its several arches. Once again, I see signs of Spring in the blossom, and the tail end of Autumn in the Thistle heads by the bank.

I hear the sound of a high-revving engine on the nearby boating lake and catch sight of a high speed powerboat as it makes two end to end trips down the lake. My walk along the river was not very fruitful overall, but it did have variety! I retraced my steps encountering little of interest. I then crossed the bridge, frequently taking advantage of the triangular recesses, with occasional bursts of increased speed to seek their sanctuary.

Once at the other end of the bridge, I ventured into the lawn on the opposing side of the road, by the Mill, and crossing the lawn, came to the riverbank where a couple of swans were feeding from the shallows close by the reeds. Trying to get an uninterrupted view meant waiting till the pair moved past the intervening reeds. It was after that that two young mothers with their children approached, and one asked whether I knew one of her friends, but I had to reply negatively, but the one who had asked, happily took a photo of my business card such that later she might view some of the day’s images.

I continued shooting in that location for a while longer before moving back to the long bridge, the sky had become noticeably darker with the low angle of the sun brought wonderfully dramatic lighting the scenes of the river on the opposite side of the road to where my car was parked, and I duly took advantage of the river and fields and wood scenes that now presented themselves to my delight! I then duly packed my camera and tripod into the car and headed back home, with a fairly varied set of images from my afternoon out, and a happy heart.

Stevington to Harrold-Odell Nature Park

Originally setting off to look for areas close by where abandoned quarry pits, might now be accessible and offer sitings of indigenous wildlife I surrounded one such area close by Stewartby, but it was surrounded by established hawthorn bushes, with no access, and even less chance of seeing what might lay beyond, so I ventured north towards Harrold-Odell Country Park, a Nature Reserve run By Bedford Borough Council.

On the way, I came across a small layby with a descriptive board describing local features, notably the reason I pulled over which was the distant sighting of a windmill. This was near Stevington, so I took out a camera and two lenses, and put on boots to make my way along the nearby path through long grass, and abundant nettles heading for the windmill, I had spotted a van close by, which seemed to render any photos from a distance out of the question. Once I finally arrived at the structure there was even less chance for a shot at this time as it was very much a work in progress, as the van belonged to Dorothea Restorations, a company that took its name from initial work the fledgling company undertook at a quarry in Wales, not as I imagined; the forename of an entrepreneurial lady who founded the company! There were steel guys supporting the structure outside, and a mass of steelwork supporting the entire mechanism within as this is an example of a Post Mill, where the main structure is supported on a single post, allowing the structure to be rotated around this central post.

Much of its vital woodwork has rotted, which is why it is being repaired to preserve it for future generations. The siting of the mill is very picturesque, and as I walked up to the building the wind came up and stayed for the entire time I was there, which meant it was not simply in that place for its visual appeal!

I returned to the car having taken a few pictures and headed for my original destination which was still some way further, and being a weekday was very quiet upon my arrival with only a handful of visitors, and even fewer cars, it would seem it is a natural destination for the area’s locals especially those with dogs. I went through the steel kissing gate away from the nearer lake to see what I might find and it was a pair of geese, that so far I have been unable to put a name to, it was the male that attracted my attention as it seemed somewhat haughty for a bird that seemed ever so slightly scruffy around the neck. I soon found it was not alone, and I edged ever closer to get shots that might later allow me to name the species.

Later still, I came across a lady with two dogs, the younger of which definitely had a passion for swimming for thrown balls, so I grabbed a record of its antics, but kept my distance when he came ashore, since he also loved a good shake, and I valued my kit!

Once the gallery is up, I shall take another look to try to ascertain the name for the geese, because my cursory glance through my references failed to find a match.