Croquet in the Afternoon

A relaxing, pleasant and informative afternoon watching and photographing a Croquet Tournament at Ramsgate Croquet Club on the West Cliff.

I play Croquet and it was interesting to study some of the better players of the game and understand their tactics and playing styles.

Now, if you don’t know Croquet, here is a quick explanation.

The object of the game is to get both your two balls through the hoops in order and ‘peg out’ both balls by hitting the centre peg. A player strikes one of his balls and, if he hits another ball or runs a hoop he gets another shot. By hitting another ball with his ball (a roquet) he takes ‘croquet’ from that ball and then with a ‘continuation stroke’ he either runs a hoop or strikes another ball. Should he fail to do either his turn ends. The winner is the first player to run the hoops and ‘peg out’ both his balls. It is a game of strategy, tactics and skill.

Here are some of the ‘action shot’ from this afternoon.

Taking ‘croquet’ using a roll shot to approach the hoop:

Running the hoop with a ball waiting:

If you are the ‘out’ player you can only watch as your opponent goes round the lawn  in one go:

The lawns attract Gulls – we don’t know why!

If you are interested in playing this fascinating game then come along to Ramsgate Croquet Club on Royal Esplanade on the West Cliff, Ramsgate or visit our website.

There will be a warm welcome waiting.

Visiting Blackcap

I had not intended to do another ‘bird’ post this weekend but I must show you a rare visitor to our garden.

Mae is away for the weekend to a Quilting show so I am able to indugle myself.

It was a pleasant morning so I jumped – no, thats not the word. So I eased (yes, that’s better!) myself out of bed this morning and with cup of tea in hand sat in the Hide for a while.  I got a couple of decent shots but the light was poor.  Even at 1600ISO I am still down to a shutter speed of 1/30 second at F2.1.

Robin on Feeder Tray

After half an hour I decided the bedroom window would be more productive as the sun was shining and that is where the birds were gathering to have their breakfast of elderflower berries.

I was not disappointed.

They are, in order:

Starling; House Sparrow; Great Tit;

Blue Tit; Blackbird

And the ‘rare’ visitor:

Female Blackcap

Female Blackcap

I have seen these birds before at Stodmarsh Nature Reserve but not in our garden so I was pleased to spot this bird and add it to my collection.

It was then time for a later than normal breakfast (home made Cobber loaf – delicious) and a read of the paper.

This afternoon I am off to watch and take photographs of a Croquet Tournament at Ramsgate Croquet Club on the West Cliff.

While the Cats away . . . . . !

Birds in the Trees

Having heard the commotion in the trees yesterday I decided today to spend a little while this morning (about 8am -9am) observing out of our bedroom window. Mae had gone swimming so I was able to open the window wide and see what birds were around.

Not too bad a time to be watching either.

Lots of noise but most of the birds were in amongst the foliage. I was able to get these images.

The House Sparrows who have a nest in the corner of our house appear to have a brood of 3-4 youngsters.  The little Great Tit was hopping around while being very wary.   I think I saw one of it’s parents yesterday.  The blackbirds were not shy at showing themselves and had a great time eating the Elderflower berries.  I was surprised to see a Greenfinch as I haven’t seen one for a long time. The Blue Tits were active but none showed themselves for long, not long enough to photograph them anyway.

As always, click on an image to see it full size.

Another pleasant hour passed.  I could get used to this!

Early Riser

I was up at 6am this morning and out in the hide by 6.10am. with a couple of biscuits and a cup of tea.  It was calm and peaceful.

It wasn’t long before I got my first visitor, a Dunnock, on the feeder tray.

Here are the images from one and half hours watching.

I have tried a different way of displaying my photographs – as a slide show. Click on the arrow to play. If you wish to see the full size image click on the required image when it displayed and this takes you to the online photograph album.

Some of the images are not of the best quality. My excuse – poor lighting!

An active early morning in the garden. I think there were offspring for: Blackbird; Dunnock; Thrush; Robin.
The birds have been absent from the garden for the rest of the day although the intermitent chirping coming from the trees tends to show that they are there and the parents are looking for food for their offspring and the rise in noise level is when they return.

What a pleasant way to spend an hour or so.  Mae missed out on her early morning cup of tea (6am was too early!) but I got to see the bird activity in our garden that I have been missing by being a ‘stay-in-bed’.  I must do it again – but not too soon.

I trust you like this ‘new’ way of displaying my photographs.
Please let me know what you think.

Star Berries

A sunny but windy morning and I saw a female blackbird in our Elderflower Tree.

I didn’t get a photo of this bird but this is what she was after:

Elderflower Berries

I set myself up in our bedroom and waited.  The female blackbird didn’t return but this male blackbird helped himself to some berries.

Male Blackbird in Elderflower Tree

As did this Starling:

Starling in Elderflower Tree

This was all I saw in half-an-hour of watching.

This afternoon I was at Monkton Nature Reserve with SEKAS (South East Kent Astronomy Society) where we were observing our nearest Star,  the Sun – of course (but you knew that!).

Above are members of SEKAS with their Solar Scopes showing visitors to the Reserve the Sun and an ordinary telescope used to reflect an image of the sun onto a piece of photographic paper and the third image is the Sun. You will have to click on the image to see it full size and to see the Sun Spot. Yes, the little black spot that is at 6-o-clock in the lower half of the image. This Sun Spot is 8,000 miles in wide!

The Daily Mail has an image of this Sun Spot.

Never, Never, Ever look at the sun with the naked eye or through anything but the correct equipment.

I saw these two resting during their walk round the Reserve:

The clouds started getting more intrusive, larger and blacker so it was time to pack-up. A good afternoons viewing session though.

When I got home Mae didn’t object to me sitting down to watch the Qualifying session of the Belgium Grand Prix.

Not a bad day all in all

More from the National Motor Museum

Continuing from yesterday.

Here are some photographs taken from the ‘James Bond Experience’ Exhibition at National Motor Museum.

Top Gear also had an exhibition of vehicles used in the making of that programme andphotographs of these are above.  The ‘Double-Decker’ car has the steering wheel in the top car with the accelerater etc in the bottom car.

Anne Hathaways Cottage:

‘Why do car interiors always have to be so, well, dull? Jeremy, an interior designer and a gaggle of Polish blokes set out to create a car with the interior ambience of a country cottage – flagstones and wood burner included. Take a look at the weighty result of their labours’

This description is from the exhibition board.

A very amusing exhibition as would be expected from ‘Top Gear’

An update from our garden.

I have had a distinct lack of birds during the day but looking out the patio doors at 7am on Tuesday this week I saw, all in the space of five minutes:

3 x Male Blackbirds squabbling

1 x Blue Tit

2 x Great Tits

1 x Robin

2 x Squirrels

The garden was quiet for the rest of the day though.  Where do they go?

It looks like I will have to get up earlier one morning to ‘capture’ these avian visitors but only when it is not windy – the bird hide tends to get blown around the garden otherwise and the light is pretty poor these cloudy mornings.

The weather forecast looks much better next week so maybe I will brave an early morning and see what is in the garden.

I’ll let you know what I see.

A Day Out at the National Motor Museum

On Sunday just gone I went with our Grandchildren Joseph and Henry and their Dad, Tony, to the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu in Hampshire.

It is a fantastic place to visit especially if, like me, you like looking at vintage cars and taking photographs of them – lots of photographs.

Here are some of them:

I was intending to put all these images and more into a slide show to make looking at them more interesting but I couldn’t get the file size down to be able to upload it into the post.  I got the Flash thingy inserted into the slide show to enable it to be shown within the post but I have an upload limit of 2MB and the file size was 12MB so I have a long way to go before I have cracked how to do it.  I am on a learning curve – or gentle slope!

As well as the Motor Museum there was also exhibitions of the vehicles seen on Top Gear and in James Bond Films. (I may show them in the next post). I was asked what cars I had owned. I steered the boys away from the 1930′s to the vehicles from the 1960′s!

We looked round the grounds and house and some of the interior photographs are also included.

We had a great day out and it is a shame we live so far away as the entrance fee to the museum gives free access for a whole year.

A good day out and thanks goes to Tony for taking us there.

Everything but the Mosquito!

I was out in the garden earlier than usual this morning. There was only a slight breeze and the sun was weak.  A good time to be out.

I am always surprised to find species of insects that I have not seen before.

Meligramma trianguliferum (I think).

This Drone Fly was pre-occupied:

Drone Fly going about it’s business.

As I watched it ‘relieved’ itself.  Now, you don’t see that very often!

Melangyna-cincta Hoverfly

I found this big Garden Spider:

Garden Spider on it’s web

This fly was also warming himself in the early morning sun:

Blow Fly

I returned to the garden later in the day and found this fellow:

Grasshopper

I didn’t get a photograph of the mosquito that bit me though!

As usual, click on an image to see it full size.

Sunday Flies

A lull in the wet weather this morning saw me out in the garden cleaning the fish pond pump out. A smelly business but the effluent from it is good for the garden as it is an excellent fertiliser.

I saw this Common Blue Butterfly lingering:

So I also lingered awhile to see what other visitors were in our garden.  This is what else I found:

Hoverflies are still numerous and very active and the garden spiders are everywhere.

As I write this I see that the sun is out although it is still windy so I am going out in the garden and see what early evening visitors we have.

Having just watched John Wayne in the afternoon film ‘Hondo‘  I need a bit a fresh air.

Mae will have to wait a few minutes longer for her cup of tea!

And wait she did!

I found these visitors:

Mae got her cup of tea and I got some pleasant images.

Sunday seems to have flown by.

A Perfect Morning – almost!

No grandchildren for a week.

Mae has gone swimming.

Still air in the garden.

Sunshine.

Peace and quiet.

Beds to make, grass to mow . . . . .  jobs, jobs, jobs.

Given the above what was I meant to do?

Go into the garden and see what is occurring of course.

So that is what I did.

There are still lots of Hoverflies visiting us:

The last two images of a flying insect is one I haven’t seen in our garden before. It is a brute of an insect compared to the usually smaller Hoverflies we have.  It landed on the underside of a leaf and these were the best I could do before it flew off.  I have searched my book and the www but I can only narrow it down to it being either a drone fly or soldier fly (but I doubt it) so if anyone can help etc. etc.

I managed to get the sheets off the bed and washed before Mae returned.  Beds are now made but the grass will have to wait.

Clouds are gathering and you cannot mow the grass if it loooks like it is going to rain (laws of gardening as according to me).

So I decided to sit in and wait and as I now have time on my hands I thought I would do this post.

It was almost a perfect morning but the day ended okay!