Today Gaz and I had coffee at the Woodlands Centre and then set off for a walk to the River Creed in the Lews Castle Grounds where the Centre is situated. Gaz had an idea for a photograph and he needed a dull day. Now whilst I sympathise with him (and sympathised a lot more by the end of the walk) I was rather glad that the early morning heavy showers (which returned late afternoon) kept away and I didn't get wet and the sun shone which compensated for the almost gale-force wind.
On the way into Stornoway as I was about to cross the Braighe I tried to capture the turbulent sea and the rainbow but almost missed the latter.
The Lews Castle makes a splendid background to the harbour - note the Wicker Lady in the bottom right of the picture.
Gaz on a mission
The path alongside the River Creed
Dedicated - and wet!
A 'proper' camera
Yesterday my niece Helen in a comment on her blog posting which included some more dragonfly photos pondered whether she showed too many. My view was in the negative. You can never have too many photos of dragonflies. Which is just as well. I think that this is a male Hawker. It looks to me like the Migrant Hawker in Helen's photo but then it also looks like the Common Hawker in my post a few weeks ago. (Helen will doubtless put me right).
Gaz taking his photo of the dragonfly (he had thought that he wouldn't need a macro lens today).
He was very sluggish and I suspect not long for this world.
In Memory of that Stornoway institution recently departed, Smiths Shoe Shop and the Stornoway coves who worked and met there.
And on the way back looking the other way along The Braighe the waves were still rolling in
Anyone who has read Johnathon Livingston Seagull will appreciate these gulls who were just riding the airwaves as they came over the waves and rose over the seawall.
Oooh goody. Dragonfly pictures :-)
ReplyDeleteThis is a male common hawker and I agree it looks a bit like a migrant. The way I tell the difference is to look at the fattest section of the body - the bit between where the wings attach and where the body narrows. The blue and yellow markings there are shaped differently on the two dragonflies.
This is a grand post. The first image is super. A wooden gate would have made it. Not a lot you could do about that mind.
ReplyDeleteDid he get his water pictures, beggars are water pictures. Get him some wellies for Christmas before he catches a chill!
Thanks, Helen, I don't know how you carry all theses subtleties in your head.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Adrian. Do you know I can't remember ever seeing a wooden farm gate on the Island. Replacing it in Photoshop might be a challenge too far. I think Gaz might have got one shot but there was too much sun for the shot he really wanted.
These are all really good photos, Graham. You DID capture the rainbow with the waves. And you do seem to have a very special way with all things flying... moths, dragonflies, birds, whatever... ;) I also like that view of Lewis Castle. The wicker lady I remember from some earlier photo of yours. There are quite a few pieces of unusual art work in those castle grounds, aren't there? I like that boot, too!
ReplyDeleteWow...he is dedicated, isn't he?!?! I'm impressed :)
ReplyDeleteGreat shots of a super walk. Memo to self - must get to the Island next year come what may!
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