340/365 Sunset

This evening's sunset was pretty dramatic. This is shot from our loft room.

331/365 Mr Blue Sky

The sky wasn't actually blue at all, but I had left cam on tungsten and thought, wow, I like that effect, and so enhanced it. It was dusk and I liked the clouds. (Mr Blue Sky by ELO is a favourite song of mine and was the soundtrack to a video of my tandem sky-dive back in '92!)

327/365 Sunset panorama

The clouds were amazing, it was wet, the wind had turned icy. This is the view across fields towards Kedleston Hall from the end of my road, and my first (decent) panorama.

283/365 Fairweather bikers

The A6 runs through Belper up to Matlock Bath, where many bikers gather. After visiting an exhibition at The Little Gallery in Belper this afternoon, I caught these guys heading for Matlock. It was a beautiful autumn day with a fabulous blue sky, big fluffy clouds and whispy plane trails.

137/365 Cloud

After heavy showers most of the day, we had blinding sunshine and colossal cotton wool clouds this evening. This image doesn't do justice to either the cloud, or indeed to the tamarisk tree with the clematis montana growing through it. I had expected today's blog image to be equestrian, but the event was cancelled due to ... heavy rain! Jodie was very disappointed. We stayed home doing rainy day activities, all horse-related.

115/365 Near Vicarwood Farm 2

The fields are turning yellow again near where we live. Oliver and I took a walk this evening up that curving track again (60/365; 34/365) and I got a few good shots. I had been a bit torn really and I compromised - I wanted to get to this point but didn't really want to walk all the way there, so we parked at the start of the track. After a week where we walked 7 of the 10 school runs, I felt I'd walked far enough thank you!

Rapeseed (Brassica napus)

63/365 Swarkestone Lock

Further up the canal from Willington, (or should that be down the canal?) is Swarkestone Lock. A friend of mine lives in the former Lock-Keeper's Cottage there. I didn't have the chance of properly exploring today, but I'll go back another day with camera. (If I had more time today I'd make that telephone wire disappear from across the top too!)

60/365 Near Vicarwood Farm

I did something rare today. I went for a long walk! (Long for me that is!) I had an unexpected window of opportunity in some glorious weather (apart from a chill wind) to walk over the hill featured in a previous blog photo, 34/365 Snow on the landscape. I walked along the curved track and beyond the trees listening to Beautiful South and then Elton John on my ipod and trying out my new filter holder, polariser and nd grad filter. Bliss, apart from that chill wind. (Did I just type 'bliss' in the same paragraph as 'long walk'?? Blimey... I'm in danger of getting fit 'ere!)

I encountered lots of dog walkers and a couple of students who were on bikes, one of whom is also a photographer. Maybe I'll go again another day, next year perhaps! ;0)