The Cloud Catcher

The Cloud Catcher, a photo by julian sawyer on Flickr.

The Last Hammer

The Last Hammer, a photo by julian sawyer on Flickr.

The hills of the Isle of Purbeck have been shrouded in cloud for most of the day so I wasn't too surprised to find it getting worse this evening. I really like walking in the fog, when visibility is very poor.
The ghost of a shy Roe buck kept appearing and disappearing not too far away and the last of a small flock of Yellowhammers sat in the Hawthorne waiting for me to pass.

Back To The Start

Back To The Start, a photo by julian sawyer on Flickr.

I first came here years ago, whilst surveying Devon and Cornwall, and it is one of the other places in the UK that I could happily live.
Start Point, silhouetted against a moody, grey sky looks like something out of a pirate film.

Fruit For Breakfast

Fruit For Breakfast, a photo by julian sawyer on Flickr.

Well, we are in Devon for our annual pilgrimage to the Abbfest beer festival and all is well.
I try to eat plenty of fruit in the hope that it will limit the effects of testing the occasional beer.
Luckily for me, Cider is a fruit.....
Cheers

Spiders, But No Pirates

Spiders, But No Pirates, a photo by julian sawyer on Flickr.

Today is, of course, International Talk Like A Pirate Day. After a brief tour of the cliffs I am pleased to report that there were no pirates, just lots of spiders.

Red Back

Red Back, a photo by julian sawyer on Flickr.

A bit of a close up of yesterdays Common Darter, which let me get rather close. It was parked on a bale of hay.

Carry On Admiral

Carry On Admiral, a photo by julian sawyer on Flickr.

Just two Red Admirals around today, which was enough to have me charging around trying to get a shot.
It took a while because both were quite active and I probably got on there nerves a little.

Enter The Dragon

Enter The Dragon, a photo by julian sawyer on Flickr.

It was quite windy this morning, but a wander was definitely in order. Not too many mini-beasts around, but there was one Common Darter (so not that common) and he spent a while sat on a hay bale.

Distant White Horses

Distant White Horses, a photo by julian sawyer on Flickr.

A perfect antidote for a particularly bad week at work.
The Purbeck cliffs are a superb place for a wander at any time but when there is a very strong wind blowing from the west, all of the weeks woes disappear.

The Purbeck Anteater

The Purbeck Anteater, a photo by julian sawyer on Flickr.

As the Sun was setting tonight I spent half an hour trying to get a decent shot of a rather busy Green Woodpecker. The youngster was hopping from anthill to anthill and seemed to be listening for his dinner.

Flower Power

Flower Power, a photo by julian sawyer on Flickr.

As the evening start to get shorter I get less time to go for a wander. It was a bit of a rush to get out tonight but it was well worth it. This young Roe Buck was happily taking the tops off of the flowers as the Sun went down and he let me get nice and close.

Big Blue

Big Blue, a photo by julian sawyer on Flickr.

After a day of rain and cloud on the Saturday, on Sunday we had enough Sun to show off The Dominion of New Zealand to full effect. Half way up the Corfe Castle hill was a good place to sit and watch the world go by.
This big old blue engine was the star attraction of the Swanage Railway Steam Gala and very nice she was too.

Spiders And Snakes

Spiders And Snakes, a photo by julian sawyer on Flickr.

Portrait Of A Lady

Portrait Of A Lady, a photo by julian sawyer on Flickr.

The day started with plenty of Sun but also a fierce wind that kept the smaller birds deep within the hedges. If you could get out of the wind however the real warmth of the Sun could be felt. Taking full advantage of this was a very beautiful female Adder and she let me get very close.

Rainy Days

Rainy Days, a photo by julian sawyer on Flickr.

It seems like ages since I managed to get out with the camera and no amount of rain was going to stop me.

Bells & Whistles

Bells & Whistles, a photo by julian sawyer on Flickr.

The Swanage Steam Railway is on our doorstep and you can always hear the engines as they make there way through the valley. I don't take many photos of it though and chose a terrible day to change that. Plenty of rain and a very boring, white sky gave me very few views to play with and so I thought I would go all black & white.
I may be doing a few more of these....

The Dominion of New Zealand

The Dominion of New Zealand, a photo by julian sawyer on Flickr.

We had a bit of a posh visitor to Swanage this week and she was guest of honour at the Swanage Railway Grand Steam Gala. The weather was pretty awful and low cloud scuppered my plans of a photo of the train from the top of the hills. The sky in every picture is that horrible washed out white and there was nothing I could do about it.
Still, she did look impressive and it was good to see so many misty eyed chaps braving the morning rain.
For the steam buffs she is apparently an A4 Pacific, built in the 1930's and took 40 years to restore.

Too Windy To Hover

Too Windy To Hover, a photo by julian sawyer on Flickr.

"Staying unsettled and windy, with further rain or showers....."
Now, I quite like the rain and I don't mind windy days at all! The problem lately is that we have had them both, mostly at the same time and that doesn't make it easy to take photographs.

Darting About

Darting About, a photo by julian sawyer on Flickr.

It took a while for the Sun to come out, but when it did we went for a bug hunt. There were dozens of Common Darters but I couldn't get very close until this one sat next to me for a while.

Black Pool

Black Pool , a photo by julian sawyer on Flickr.

In the middle of nowhere, surrounded by trees there used to be a pool filled with very dark, very still water. It took a while to find that pool today, until I realised that the trees that used to surround it had been felled and the water was now crystal clear.
Plenty of darters around, mainly Commons with a few Blacks (I think) and one huge Emperor Dragonfly, the size of a small plane, that made me jump when it hit the camera.

Hanging Out With Your Peers

Hanging Out With Your Peers, a photo by julian sawyer on Flickr.

It is getting towards the end of the Summer and the crowds have already started to go home. Ours is a town that is pretty well dependant on visitors and without them we would live in a much different place. So it was good to see all three of our piers getting plenty of use today and good to see so many people enjoying the sun.

I 2 I With A B

I 2 I With A B, a photo by julian sawyer on Flickr.

I don't know why, but I really struggle with Bee shots but this one, although busy, seemed to chill out and pose for a while.