Salon du Thé

Hmm. Why when I upload from a phone does it remove all the phone-based edits I am so ashamed of but nevertheless want to keep….?

Saint Malo.

Macro and Close Up - Print - 16-3-2023

Goodness me! While I was away I came first and second in the Royston Photographic Society Macro and Close Up Print competition.

Local Maximum | 20/20 | First place

World Peace | 20/20 | Second place

In-camera baby!

Heliocentric | 20/20 | Highly Commended

There were far fewer entries than usual but nevertheless I am feeling pleased with myself.

+++ UPDATE +++

Blimey! I scored 20/20 for both of these, and for Heliocentric - which was Highly Commended. a) I notice it was a very highly scored competition, b) I am on fire nevertheless.

Judge: Ken Payne

Skye - Day 4

Sorry to bang on, but this is just another of those miles of mountains I keep driving past.

Leathad na Steiseig. But could me any one of a million peaks…

Trying to allow a little serendipity into my life; because I suck the joy out of everything with my logistic anxieties.

Eilean Nan Each

BANG! Serendipity! Eilean Nan Each. An island spotted next to a church with a handy car park.

Eilean Nan Each

Drove round the loop road through Ord. It was indeed gorgeous, but I grew more interested in the animals than the overwhelming landscape wows.

Sheep at Òb Ghabhsgabhaig. A real place.

Cow in the woods near Tokavaig

I just liked this guy. After a lunch of a large salad in order to stave off the worse of the effects of Scottish* cuisine, I decided to brave the tourist trap of the Fairy Pools. Quite nice…

Fairy Pools least significant waterfall

… except ten minutes further up the road and after a significantly easier walk, you find the tallest waterfall on Skye - and you get it to yourself.

Eas Môr

I don’t know how to take photos of waterfalls and convey the scale. I think it is impossible. Without a banana.

Lastly, I indulged my creative bent and took this image of Sgurr nan Gobhar.

Sgurr nan Gobhar

Easily my favourite picture from the day. Royston Photographic Society will not be surprised.

*my

Skye - Day 3

Absolute white-out this morning. Braved the snow and wind for a walk.

Scotland

After breakfast the snow had mostly stopped and so I braved the icy peaks of the Storr to visit the Old Man.

The Old Man of Storr

Needle Rock | Old Man of Storr

Loch Leathan | Isle of Raasay | Wester Ross

And then… and THEN!…. Rubha Hunish. The northernmost tip of Skye - a small low promontory below enormous basalt cliffs. An absolute treat and worth the five-mile hike and precipitous climb down.

Precipitous climb down

Rubha Hunish

Rubha Hunish

Rubha Hunish Coastguard

Skye - Day 2

Really cold and wet. Bah.

Loch Fada

Bride’s Veil Falls

It was so wet and cold this morning that all I managed was to gather these three things from The Braes. If you mix them in Doodle God you get Skye.