Crocus and Snowdrops - Spring is here!

After the cold of Winter it is always a heartwarming sight to see the first signs of spring. A visit to the Castle grounds in Colchester provided a perfect opportunity to see Crocus in their glory. Well worth a look.

Crocus in the Colchester Castle Park

Close up of some of these glorious little flowers. 

Then, to see a great display of Snowdrops, a visit to another castle, this time Hedingham. Open every year for this beautiful display 

Some closer images of the Snowdrops. 

Spring would not be complete without Catkins! This display was in Lackford Lakes, north of Bury St Edmunds. 

Beside numerous other buds appearing in the hedgerow, there were plenty of Horse Chestnut buds to be seen. It just lifts the spirits to see winter retreating and Spring and Summer just round the corner! 

Then, of course, there are Daffodils. Always a Spring favourite.

Forsythia in full bloom

Cherry Plum (Nigra)

Early visitor to the Blackthorn

A mass of Blackthorn 

Cherry Plum, an annual display we all love to see. So, a great start to 2011, here's to looking forward! 

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What we saw in Walton

One of our favourite seasides is Walton On The Naze, and it was to Walton, as is generally known, that we decided to spend the day. It's surprising what you can see when you are not in a hurry, and having a camera and photographs in mind. A good starting point is at the landmark point of the Naze Tower. 

The Hanoverian tower, more commonly known as the Naze Tower, is situated at the start of the open area of the Naze. It was a navigational tower, constructed to assist ships on this otherwise fairly feature-less coast. Visitors can climb the 111-step spiral staircase to the top of the 86-foot (26 m) tower for a 360 degree view of the beach and countryside. The Naze Tower features a museum with exhibits about the tower, the ecology and geology of the Naze, and the coastal erosion problem. The tower also features a private art gallery on six floors with changing exhibits several times a year, and a tea room. 

The present tower was built in 1720–21 by Trinity House, and was intended to work in conjunction with Walton Hall Tower to guide vessels through the Goldmer Gap. Towers at Naze and at Walton Hall are marked on a map of 1673 by Richard Blome, which in turn was based on a map drawn up in the late 1500s. The present Naze Tower therefore replaced an earlier construction at a similar location. It was of particular benefit to ships using the nearby port of Harwich. Both the current Naze Tower and its predecessor had beacons or lamps lit at the top, providing an early form of lighthouse. 

Over the years, the tower has had a variety of uses. In the eighteenth century it was a tea house, operated by the actress and aristocrats' mistress, Martha Reay. It was a lookout during the Napoleonic Wars and again during the Great War of 1914–18. In the Second World War it was used as a radar station, with its crenellations removed to accommodate a radar dish. 

Another view of the tower, this time from the beach below the cliffs. It's beginning to look rather precarious, however, looks are deceptive as it is someway back from the edge still.

As these later images show, the Walton cliffs are eroding at an alarming rate - as is a lot of the Suffolk and Norfolk coast line.

Walking back toward the town, I noticed this dog peering down at us. I did think he would scramble down at one point but it didn`t.

Not sure what the man was doing, if anything, but the gulls were very active overhead.

Green symmetry.

How a long focus lens alters the perspective. They are close, but not quite as the image would suggest.

More symmetry or repetition.

Gulls swooping around this couple enjoying their lunch

Five in a row - and all facing the same way!

Yet more symmetry under the pier - watch the tide!

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The Essex & Suffolk Hunt

The Essex & Suffolk Hunt is reputed to have been started by Sir William Rowley in 1791 with a pack of hounds purchased from the Duke of York.

The pack was kept in kennels at Tendring Park, Stoke by Nayland. In the mid 19th Century the kennels were moved to Stratford St Mary by Captain White. During the second World War the kennels moved to their present location at Layham but it was not until after the War that it was decided that the Essex and Suffolk sides should join up and the country has been hunted as a whole ever since.

Although I am not a fan of hunting, it is interesting to see what is an established part of country life for many people. I walk past the kennels several times a week, so see the hounds exercising regularly. It never ceases to amaze me how the Kennel Huntsman controls the hounds on the roads around here - very skillful indeed.

Heading for pre meeting drinks.

`One must have a sip of the hard stuff before one rides off`

`Thank you Madam, I will have another two`.

`These canapés are delicious!`

`Right, we better muster the others. Tally Ho`

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2010 Beauty in the Natural World

As in most years, 2010 had a great many wonderful things to offer in `the wild`. From birds and insects, to colours and shapes. Here are a few of them as I captured them digitally. We are surrounded by amazing things and it is so easy to pass them by. That is why the camera is a great tool for capturing these things and turning them into memories.

Long Tailed Tit in the garden

Jackdaw in Pembrokeshire..

Swan on the Brett, mirrored in the river.

Green Woodpecker feeding its young.

Drinker Moth caterpillar

Blister Beetle

Thrift growing in abundance on the cliff path near Little Haven.

Ransoms or Wild Garlic

Lords-and-Ladies or Cuckoo Pint.

Dandelion head

Dark Mullein

Orchid

Thistle 

Peacock Butterfly

Ruddy Darter

Common Blue

Swallowtail - Britain's largest butterfly

Small Skipper

Burnett

Four Spotted Chaser

Followed by shades of autumn and winter

A great year observing all the beauty around us. These are just a sample of things seen but are great to look back on in the deep winter months.

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