To the woods to see the Bluebells - and more.

This is a beautiful time of year for all sorts of vegetation. One of my favourites being bluebells. There are several places I know off where they are seen in abundance, but the one I like to visit and closest to home, is in Layham Grove. All these images were taken there in a 90-minute visit recently. 

This is the scene that greets you as you approach the footpath through the wood.

Whichever way you turn, you are greeted by this majestic carpet of blue.

A couple of closeups of single flowers

I loved the gnarled tree trunk

In amongst all those flowers are lurking insects of course. This one being a Shield Bug

 

Then we had a Meadow Brown butterfly

---- and onto a Honeybee

Then a lovely display of Greater Stitchwort – also known as the ‘Star-of-Bethlehem’

Then the perennial favorite - the Primrose

And finally, the Wood Anemone

Overall, a beautiful morning of utter peace, with the beauty of nature in all its splendor surrounding us.

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Agriculture - April Gill Moon Challenge

This Challenge gave me a rather tough time as there is not a lot happening on the fields around here in April. Fields have mostly started to grow, so maybe some spraying but not a lot else. However, a few drives around the area gave us some ideas, as we could include animals, machinery, and the like. Anything, in fact, that said `agriculture`.

The first port of call was a field with five, (yes five!) tractors in it, mounding up potatoes. The patterns created were interesting, so to start, a few images of them in action.

I just love symmetry!

This time I capture four tractors in one frame

This field is possible of onions given the patterns - groups of four mounds

Plastic is omnipresent on farms. It is used to wrap silage, to cover crops, in tubing for irrigation and to transport feed and fertiliser. According to a 2010 report from Defra, 45,000 tonnes of agricultural plastics are produced every year in the UK. The biggest contributor to this problem, making up over 40% of the total agri-plastic market, are plastic sheets that are spread over the soil to serve as a sort of plastic mulch such as my image above. They suppress the growth of weeds, increase fertiliser uptake, regulate temperature and humidity, and protect plants and soil from bad weather. Researchers estimate that plastic mulch increases crop yields by a third. Somewhat worrying though when we are trying to reduce the overall use of plastics.

Next port of call was a local farmyard, but I personally couldn't find much of inspiration here. However, some images to contemplate.

A general view of the yard

This last one of the tractor tyres stacked up, might have some mileage perhaps? But nothing very ininspiational

Another avenue to explore was the world of animals. So, near to where we live is a farm which has diversified into a Farm Shop, Cafe, and a large children's animal trail. Worth a look perhaps? On this particular trail are some of the `newer` farm animals we see about these days.

This fellow, with his mates was wanting to be fed and they were not to be disappointed looking at the groups of children behind us!

Then we had traditional farm animals for this time of year - lambs

Some reasonable regular animals seen around and about these days - Llamas. What are they used for? In the UK, llamas are primarily recreational animals. Many are just well loved field pets being gentle, quiet, hardy and undemanding, but they are also bred and raised for trekking, cart pulling, animal facilitated therapy, companion animals and exhibition in shows.

Then some old farm machinery.

So, as for the challenge, I have some ideas, even if I do not actually use these images. However, I have not found a lot of inspiration in the subject at this time of year. Summer, with crops abounding and fields being cut and all the activity surrounding that, would certainly give more scope I believe. Plus, there would be a lot more animals in the fields. Never mind, it has been fun!

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Pin Mill 50mm Challenge - with Gill Moon

On a very cold and drizzly morning in March I found myself on Pin Mill beach, camera in hand and with a challenge from Gill. This was to take all images at 50 mm (no zooming) and obviously no cropping when we processed them. It's harder than you initially think as you must be very careful in watching the edges of the image you are about to take as you mustn't crop!  When composing an image in the viewfinder, it was necessary to alter your position rather than alter the camera. This resulted in muddy feet several times as the tide was on the turn from high tide. Anyway, here are a few of my images of the ship graveyard.

A very brief interlude of sunshine was very welcome at this point.

Side view of one of the above boats

Ropes thrown on the ground making a pattern

One rusty hull of a houseboat

One lone rowing boat

Another view of the old houseboat

The remains of an old anchor

A view further along the river Orwell away from the boats.

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Snowdrops at Hedingham Castle

Hedingham Castle grounds have been known for some time for having a beautiful display of snowdrops in the springtime, and although I had been there before, we decided to take Izobelle in her half term holidays. Luckily, it was a lovely day, weather wise. The snowdrops are planted mostly on the banks, which were part of the moated area in the past. Firstly, an image of the remains of the castle itself.

Hedingham Castle is arguably the best-preserved Norman keep in England. The castle fortifications and outbuildings were built around 1100, and the keep around 1140. However, the keep is the only major medieval structure that has survived, albeit less two turrets. It is a Grade I listed building and a scheduled monument.

The manor of Hedingham was awarded to Aubrey de Vere I by William the Conqueror around 1086. The castle was constructed by the de Veres in the late 11th and early 12th centuries, and the keep in the 1130s and 1140s. To accommodate the existing castle, a large ditch was cut through a natural spur westward into the Colne Valley in order to form a ringwork and inner bailey; an outer bailey extended south further into the valley and what is now the modern village of Castle Hedingham. The stone keep is the only mediaeval structure to survive and is in an excellent state of preservation.

The keep is nearly square, a common shape for Norman keeps. The east and west sides are 53 ft (16 m) long and the north-south sides about 58 ft (18 m). The main part of the keep stands more than 70 ft (21 m) tall, and the turrets rise an additional 15 to 25 ft (4.6 to 7.6 m) above the parapets, commanding the countryside around it from its elevated position atop the ringwork. The walls are about 11 ft (3.4 m) thick at the base and average 10 ft (3.0 m) thick at the top. They are constructed from flint rubble bound with lime mortar, but, very unusually for an Essex castle, are faced with ashlar stone transported from a quarry in Barnack, Northamptonshire.

The keep has five floors including the Great or Banqueting Hall with a great fireplace and a central arch extending two stories. The top floor may have been added around the 15th century, replacing an impressive pyramid-shaped roof. This is a recent theory, however, and many older sources have noted the similar plans of Hedingham Castle and Rochester Castle, which was begun about 1126 and has four floors and four turrets.

Floating on one of the lakes, a wooden replica of the keep! It does have four turrets though.

Then onto a walk around the castle with some lovely areas of snowdrops. 

In one area were snowdrops mingled with yellow aconites.

And so, to this tree which appears to have grown from the stump but put its roots over the edge.

Let's hug a tree

Izobelle with a camera, recording her day. She finished with some good images.

Around 1700, a Queen Anne style red-brick mansion was built in the outer bailey by Sir William Ashhurst, an MP and a former Lord Mayor of London. This was built sometime between his purchase of the property in 1693 and his death in 1719.

Hedingham Castle may occupy the site of an earlier castle believed to have been built in the late 11th or early 12th century by Aubrey de Vere I, a Norman baron. Hedingham was one of the largest manors among those acquired by Aubrey I. The Domesday Book records that he held the manor of Hedingham by 1086, and he ordered that vineyards be planted. It became the head of the Vere barony.

Aubrey II and Aubrey III are candidates for initiating the construction of a major stone tower at Hedingham, possibly to reflect the enhanced status of the family. In 1133 Aubrey II, son and heir of the first Aubrey, was created master chamberlain of England by Henry I. In 1141, his son and heir Aubrey was granted an earldom by Empress Matilda. By that time, he had been Count of Guines for several years by right of his wife's inheritance of that continental territory.

Matilda, wife of King Stephen, died at Castle Hedingham on 3 May 1152. The castle was besieged twice, in 1216 and 1217, during the dispute between King John, rebel barons, and the French prince. (In both cases the sieges were short and successful for those besieging the castle).

The castle was held by the de Vere family until 1625. Among the more famous earls are Robert de Vere, 3rd Earl of Oxford; Robert de Vere, 9th Earl of Oxford; John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford; and Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, whom Oxfordians believe to be the writer of the works of William Shakespeare.

In 1713 the castle was purchased by Sir William Ashhurst; after his death in 1720, the estate passed to his great-granddaughter, Margaret Elizabeth Lindsay, the wife of Lewis Majendie. The Majendie family owned Hedingham Castle for 250 years until Miss Musette Majendie left it to her cousin, The Honourable Thomas Lindsay, descended from the de Veres through both maternal and paternal lines. His son Jason Lindsay and wife Demetra now live at Hedingham Castle with their children.

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Detail - Southwold with Gill Moon

This morning was spent wandering the river side in Southwold with a brief of `DETAIL` as our objective. It's interesting what you actually see when looking closely at things you normally just give a casual glance! 

So here is my offering of things that I focused on and recorded.

It is surprising the little things, patterns or objects, which come into focus when you are concentrating like this. Well worth the effort.

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