ABOUT ME

I live in a camper van with a West Highland Terrier for company.
My passion is creating images but it is a work in progress.
I am always willing to share what knowledge I have and can be contacted through the comments on this post or e-mail ADRIAN
ALL IMAGES WILL ENLARGE WITH A LEFT CLICK

Monday 22 July 2013

THE WILD RAVER DAY SEVEN. (21/07/13)

I’ve had a fabulous time at Grummore. There have been plenty of damp windy days but three with barely a cloud in the sky. Saturday the temperature hit twenty nine degrees Celsius; that was far too hot. I was going to write a post every day and save them up for when I had an internet connection. Never mind here are a few photos from the last four days.

_MG_1008    Dawn.

_MG_0941    From here to the trees there lay the township of Grummore. In 1813 it was home to thirty two families. In 1819 the last sixteen residents were driven out and their homes burnt. It seems that the Bishop of Orkney was responsible for this Clearance.

_MG_0939    This is one of several remains of the turf and stone houses that made up the township. This one is about a hundred feet long and fifteen feet wide.

On to happier subjects.

_MG_0945     This is Eyebright and is about three and a half times life size. It’s also a bit blurry. I put this down to the lack of falling down water in these parts and the wind. It’s amazing how a stiff drink steadies ones hands.

I first saw one of these on my first day here but it was chasing sheep through the bracken and doing fifty miles per hour.

_V0G7215

_V0G7219   The Golden Ringed Dragonfly. They are massive but it still took me till Thursday to find one drying it’s wings. These are just cropped square so should enlarge quite well with a click.

_MG_0978   I had less success with the Black Throated Divers. The blighters were determined to stay with the sun behind them. I thought blow it! I just exposed for the birds.

_V0G7223 copy    That’s all from this stay at Grummore but I’ll try and get back in the autumn. This dusk shot, though not painted is very heavily processed; okay I did paint a bit.

Have a grand week.

31 comments:

  1. Welcome 'back' Adrian.

    Someone in that township must have said something to really upset his Holiness!!

    So you reckon a good stiff shot of falling down water is just what I need to fix all my blurred and out of focus images!..perhaps two or three stiff shots would be even better?

    The Golden-ringed Dragonfly was a good find, and the 'divers. I've never seen either!!

    Not too sure about the last image!...[;o)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nice blog Adrian. I loved the photographs, the first and last, they are the best.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Bob....Have a word with Trevor.

      Delete
  3. The Divers is the one I kept going back to. I love how it pulls your eye directly to the birds and seems impossible to let your eye wander anywhere else in picture. The water and the shadows frame them perfectly.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. David, they are a different bird. Little buggers they are. My images are manipulated. If I could get them in camera I would....believe me I would!

      Delete
  4. Trevor, the Bishop His Excellence was into sheep. Subsequently the Church decided that bestiality wasn't on so they were encouraged to play with children.
    I would never advise drink.....I'm not a doctor....I didn't need more than one glance to tell that the lass next door was fit. Education; who needs it? The MP-E 65mm is a right bugger to use.....I need educating.
    The Dragon Fly was drop dead gorgeous and couldn't fly away. I have seen them before but only at Mach1 and eating cows.

    I did my best with the last. I'm sad now, it took ten minutes.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Interesting how community could be wiped out. Stone and turf houses were practical as they had nothing else to build houses from. Now wonder when they came to the prairies they found building sod houses so easy. Sod houses wee warm in the winter and cool in the summer.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wat een heerlijke streek daar zou ik ook wel een tijdje kunnen verblijven.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Red, they had plenty of practise. The Lairds or Landlords were for ever moving them about.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Oh the church, that organisation that insist we must love thy neighbour...buggers. Like the "dawn image" very nice indeed, with no blog post I was getting a bit worried all them sheep had got you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Douglas, the CHURCH: a lot to answer to their God have that lot. I get out of dongle reach from time to time.
      I wouldn't go so far as loving my current neighbour but I am definitely in lust.

      Delete
  9. yep the divers photo i like too, sets a mood. well done


    peter

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Peter, I wanted them closer, crisper and clearer. No worries I'll do that one day.

      Delete
  10. HI Adrian Glad to hear from you again and you seem to be well and enjoying the wonderful countryside. Great Dragonfly shot however the Divers shot is mesmerising and enchanting. Margaret

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Margaret, I don't particularly like high key images but as this has gone down okay I'll try and process a snap of the whole family. There are three chicks and Mum and Dad. They are were here last summer but didn't hatch owt.
      Many thanks.

      Delete
  11. You should have photographed your lusty neighbour, and let us have a look at her.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Horst, I'll ask....I'm sure she'll oblige and pose. Should I put the flash behind and have her facing the gale and sun or visa versa?

      Delete
  12. That dragonfly is positively scarely when enlarged! Thank heavens they aren't that big. I, too, love that shot of the birds.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They are ferocious predictors Pauline.

      Delete
  13. More great pictures Adrian. Are there clouds of midges up there just now? They keep me away from Scotland in the summertime...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Y.P. Yes there are when the wind drops. They don't bother me too much it's the Clegs I can't be doing with. Vicious sods they are.

      Delete
  14. They are all good ADRIAN ... But the first and dragonflies :) I like better)
    A hug.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Laura, I have had better shots. It wasn't a very productive time.

      Delete
  15. I'm open to correction Adrian but I think that dragonflies are like crane-flies and their mouths are not designed in such a way that they can bite animal flesh (a crane fly bite would be exceptionally unpleasant if it could penetrate human skin). The dragonflies pursue small insects which, of course, could be why they are pursuing sheep which gather clouds of midges around them.

    I think the composition and treatment of the image of the Divers is very pleasing indeed.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Graham, you are correct. They only eat insects. I was exaggerating a bit.
      The divers were an accident. I really wanted a proper picture of them.

      Delete
  16. Wonderful shots, Adrian. Love that dragonfly.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I like the last one; it has a nice artistic touch!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Maria, it could do with another half hours worth of touching.
      I tried to e-mail you regarding the 600EX-RT. Apparently it will fire from pocket Wizards. Harrison cameras are going to test it next week. I'll let you know.

      Delete
    2. Thanks, I'll look it up. I don't know what happened with the contact form in my website. It didn't work?? So much for buying the domain...

      Delete