National Memorial Arboretum

En route to Blackpool where we were staying for the PAGB Inter Club National Print Finals, we decided to break the journey at The National Arboretum to take in some autumn colour.  Unfortunately, the autumn colour failed to live up to our hopes as most of the trees are still young.  The fact the the central memorial was also closed for maintenance prior to the Remembrance Day events was also disappointing.  Having said that I would certainly return if travelling up the M6 Toll road - the food was good and it was certainly a pleasant place to explore

Photographing Fungi in Brandon Country Park

On Friday morning four of us went to Brandon Country Park (in Thetford Forest) in search of fungi and hoping to avoid the downpours which were forecast.  In the event, we were spoilt for choice with respect to the fungi - once you left the path, you could hardly walk without treading on fungi and the weather held of until just before we left.  I learned a lot about the fungi, though I am still ignorant regarding the species I was photographing apart from the easily distinguished bright red hallucinogenic fly agaric with its white spots and the delightful fircone fungi which grow on (presumably last year's) fircones - the fircones we found were about the size of the top joint of my thumb and populated with masses of tiny fungi.  The bright yellow fungi at the end are stag's horn fungi which were growing on a tree stump - each one is about 5mm high.  A few "autumn in the woods" shots thrown in for good measure!

For those interested, these were all taken on my Olympus OM-D E-M1, mostly using the 60mm macro lens (fircones using focus stacking)

 

A few autumn shots

And some more fungi

A fly agaric emerging

 

Houghton Mill, Autumn Flowers and Fruits

As summer fades away and autumn blows in, I went out this weekend looking for some autumnal photos. Yesterday we visited Houghton Mill which is a National Trust water-mill which grinds flour on Sundays and bank holidays to make the flour for the delicious scones sold in the teashop. We walked around the water Meadows beside the River Ouse where the blackberries are not yet ripe, but full of colour for photographs.

Today I stayed closer to home and I visited two gardens in Little Wilbraham.  Robert Turner's cottage garden is a wonderful source of inspiration and a tribute to his hard work. Sue Lee's garden is less flamboyant, but quietly sophisticated; it was there that I found miniature cyclamens and beautiful holly berries as well as the shiny conker bursting from its prickly case.

 

 

 

 

 

I realise that a bursting sunflower bud is far from autumnal, but I could not resist it! 

Dunwich - the beach, grandchildren and the dog

As mentioned in my previous blog on Dunwich Heath & Heather, we spent the morning on the beach in glorious sunshine.  The children and the dog loving the sea.  'nuff said!