#euripe

A bronze Cannon made for the fortress of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem at Rhodes,

OaL: 9.8 ft/3 m

Weight: 4,479.8 lbs/2,032 kg

15/02/2021-A green day at home and Lakeside 

I took the first two pictures in this photoset before going for my lunch time walk of the back garden a very green scene but with some of the daffodils starting to show a little bit of yellow which is exciting I cannot wait for them to flower and some beautiful purple flowers in the front garden which have been around for a while with green scenes around which looked lovely and I liked capturing. I then took my lunch time Lakeside walk and took the third, fourth, fifth and sixth pictures in this photoset of views all of which looked quite green. 

The green theme today continued as I took in again something I loved noticing during an epic walk here last Monday lunch time in the southern fenced off area in an area you can walk under trees loads of beautiful lichen covering the branches and in delightful shapes too. I wanted to take a picture of them today and I did manage some including the seventh, eighth and ninth pictures in this photoset of these fascinating, beautiful and wonderful organisms which is something I want to photograph and take a bit more notice of this year. As explored in BBC ‘Winterwatch’ recently they are very remarkable. I loved seeing these and zooming into a fantastic scene around at my local country park, and taking in their many delightful and varied shades of green. A moment where I really felt intrigued by something I knew little about nor had ever really appreciated before and engaged in the natural world. The lichen really do cover the area of trees so well and expansively. The reason I didn’t take any pictures of these when I noticed them last Monday was because I knew to do it there was only one lens for the job for me which being a winter’s day with is usually used by me for autumnal fungi and butterflies and other spring/summery sights I didn’t have with me a week ago my macro lens. But I walked with it in my bag today with these shots of these lichen in mind and it paid off. One of the best parts of the day for me was my macro shots the flower too I was proud of and some other photos in the front garden which I tweeted pictures of on Dans_Pictures tonight of you guessed it, some greenery. I think I am going through a phase with my macro at the moment where its not my newest lens anymore and I have seen over the last year and a bit what a fantastic lens it truly is that I live and breath it and almost don’t notice when I take pictures with it. But its being used sparingly until the butterflies and flowers emerge really when it will become my main lens at times that when I have a day I take one or two with it I become amazed all over again at the detail it can produce which I am loving.

At this point where the lichen are I got as I had done here before a smashing sight of a Siskin. For a bird I wouldn’t have thought would be around so locally in an urban area especially going back five or so years which I’ve seen a decent few times since 2018 on its New Year’s Day and 2019′s before 1st January this year and twice since, this was probably one of my closest and most recognisable views of this finch at Lakeside. 

As I walked back down the path between the two fenced off areas taking the tenth and final picture in this photoset of a nice sky at this point I was happy to hear and then see a Greenfinch. I do really like their call and they are birds that look great and its always nice to see around. The green bird hat trick that I achieved on New Year’s Day this year by seeing all three and getting them as year ticks was nearly complete again as I heard a smashing Green Woodpecker call I am going through a great patch of encountering them a lot at stronghold for them Lakeside again lately. A great Monday to ease me into the week.