23rd February 2010

York Minster - one of my favourite places to take my camera. It would probably have been a more productive trip had we gone for lunch, and the accompanying glass or two of wine, after we had been to the minster, rather than the other way round!

22nd February 2010

Another lunchtime photo from Strensall Common. There was a little more snow at the weekend, and a tiny covering remains. This lane leads up to the railway line, and a wood beyond.

21st February 2010

Yet more snow! The bird feeder has only just been introduced to the garden, but it hasn't taken long for it to be fully utilised. Today we had visits from a number of sparrows and starlings, two robins, a collared dove, great tit, dunnock, blackbird, and a song thrush.

20th February 2010

Winter Aconites are a lovely vibrant yellow, yet I somehow prefer the subtleness of them in sepia! My intention was to bring out the texture of the anthers and the shadows of the stamens. If you click on the photo it will bring up a larger version, and the texture can best be seen.

19th February 2010

Another lunchtime photo. These snowdrops were in the graveyard of Strensall parish church, St. Mary the Virgin. I stepped inside the church, too, and will return at a later date with my tripod.

18th February 2010

Horible grey day so no new photos. I saw this male Greater Spotted Woodpecker on Tuesday at Potteric Carr.

16th February 2010

Had a day off work to visit Potteric Carr, a nature reserve 45 or so miles away. Saw quite a few birds that I don't see regularly -most notably a Greater Spotted Woodpecker, as well as grebes, shovellers, teals, but the best photo of the day was of this common or garden blue tit! I like the way the wind had lifted the feathers to give it this ruffled look.

14th February 2010

I managed to leave the card I had bought for Peter at home when I came over to stay, so this morning I set to making one. Ok, I know that sprouts aren't the traditional means of declaring one's love, but what's a girl to do with limited materials to hand and not much time? And he does like sprouts!

11th February 2010

An enjoyable drive home from work tonight. The days are clearly getting longer, which makes me happy!

10th February 2010

Took a drive up to the Howardian Hills in my lunch hour. There had been a brief flurry of snow earlier in the morning, and a little was still lying.

The Carlisle Memorial Column is a 19th century monument built to the memory of the 7th Earl of Carlisle, paid for by public subscription. To give some idea of scale, the central column, which is hollow inside, is over seven feet in diameter, and 250 feet tall.

8th February 2010

Another lunch-time walk on the common. My attention was caught by the two seeds that had become snagged by the skeleton of the flower-head.

4th February 2010

I haven't had an opportunity to get out with my camera. This was an experiment with a scanner - trickier than I expected, and not really as I wanted the image to come out, but I think I may try again some other time.

1st February 2010

A short walk on Strensall Common at lunch-time; the weather was bitterly cold.