Coastal Recces

This week I've been out recceing for a walk I'm leading soon.

I've had the company of the 'Musician' and the 'Sloane Ranger' whose nickname might turn to 'Hawkeye' as she misses nothing.

On Monday morning I spotted this perfect spiders web outside my back door.

There was excitement in Doonhill Woods too. A neighbours cat had been stuck 60 feet up a tree since Friday. Ben Lockwood the tree specialist had to be called out. 

On Youtube, Meeow - Three Days up a Tree is not the best video taking but you get a sense of the occasion.

Nature at its ripest

Here are the pictures from the recces  

Outcrop near the Isle of Whithorn

Heron at the Isle of Whithorn

Here's another interesting 'shroom. Is it also from the Shaggy Inkcap family ?

It's my intention to explore this chasm/cave sometime

WW2 Pillbox south-west of the Isle of Whithorn

I think this is Agaricus augustus - The Prince

Shags

Near Thief's Hole

This lovely lady is called Ebony.

The view looks north-west to Carleton Fell

Burrowhead

The next seven pictures were taken on the inland return road to the Isle of Whithorn

Was I photographing the Flagpole anchor point or the Spaniel ? I think the nuts and bolts win even though I never even noticed them

Wall Brown front view

Wall Brown

The sign on the side of the house says 'Breathing Space'

Anyone know what this is ?..........

..................can't find it in my book
(I've been informed by my very knowledgeable fellow snapper, and excellent gardener Scoop that it's a variety of Hebe. If you want answers I'll always know someone who has them ! )
Another fellow walker has gone as far as identifying it as Hebe x Franciscana Blue Gem. Thank you for the detail fair lady.

Harvesting above the Isle of Whithorn

The last few pictures were taken between St Medans and St Ninians Cave on Wednesday

Shags just south of St Medans

A Rock Pipit

Hawkeye picked out these two odd stones in the walls of the ruins of Knockguisha. Is there a significance to their being there I wonder ?

I was going to make up a myth about this rock formation being a monument to a farmers dog, but I wont.

The Ranger said it looked like Greyfriar's Bobby

This Red Admiral could still fly but a close inspection shows that it's been in the wars.

That's my week up to now folks.

Missing from the photographs are the deer, the frogs,the birds of prey, the noisy typhoon and the six feet high brambles and sloe that turned out to be impenetrable. The former were too blurred while the latter was too precipitous and hazardous to even contemplate taking pictures.  

Have a great weekend.

Resurrected Fuji S7000, Walk Recce and Picasa Effects

Been full of cold this week so I've been hibernating since last weeks walk with the ramblers. I did however manage a walk out yesterday, Thursday the 19th of January. I took my oldest camera, my Fuji S7000 with me. It was it's unreliability and repair costs that caused it to be shelved. Although It's still problematic, I've found with perseverance I can take half decent pictures with it.

Here are a few of the pictures I took. I've also been playing with some of Picasa's new features.
In the sequence that follows, the first picture is the untouched original, the second the Picasa effect.

Comic Book 

Invert Colours

Museum Matte

Pencil Sketch

Posterise

Vignette

Lomo-ish

I don't know  ?

They add a different slant to the photographs, I reckon they'd certainly be beneficial perhaps in a publication.

The last two do it for me.

Recce

Tuesday the 28th of October,and i'm on a recce for Saturdays walk.We're going up Knockdolian close to Ballantrae in South Ayrshire.These pictures are a taster for Saturday.

The chances are that the snow will be gone by Saturday,so this view of the Rhins of Kells range probably wont have their white caps on.

We had a snow shower while at the top.Beautiful views.

And here's a rarity.My walk leader gets me in the picture.
Looking forward to good weather for Saturday.