More pics from Botanic Garden

Today I took a trip to the botanical gardens again, the weather has not been the most enjoyable recent times. So Therefore I have not been out and photographed so much.
But today the sun was shining so I just got to get out and I chose to go to the botanical. Once in place i took a trip around the garden and then I was also inside the glass pavilion where they have exotic plants, but it blooms not that much now only some individual plants.

 

Camera equipment i used: Nikon 3Ds nikon 200-400mm f4 lens and a tamron 90mm Di macro lens.

Click on a picture to enlarge them!

 

Pics from Botanical Garden

Strong winds and rain, it has been all week, and today it is blowing gale.
But today I had to go out with the camera, a trip to the botanical garden and I took the opportunity to leave early this morning. For the weather forecast promises rain for the afternoon so I did not have rain but it is very windy  12-15m / s
But as the Botanical Garden is located in a valley, so I did not have the worst of the wind.
Today it felt great to shoot, because it's been a bit tough to find something interesting to shoot in the forests. but here I always find plenty to shoot, and if nothing else, there are lots of cute squirrels :))

Camera Equipment: Nikon 3Ds and Nikon 200-400mm f4 lens, Handheld.
Click on a picture to enlarge it!

Rivelin Valley-damflask reservoir-Loxley Valley

Since the weather was nice on Sunday,  my wife and I decided to go for a long walk around our neighborhood. We checked the map and found a water reservoar that was 10km away and we have never been that way so it suited us fine. First we went through a frosty and chilly Rivelin Valley, the sun did not quite get down here yet, but then we went up to the pastures where the sun was shining and it was warming up the body quickly. Once up on the highest point we could now see Damflask reservoir which was the goal for the day. Read on some signs along the water, it seems to be popular with fishermen and I understand why, they have caught really big pike there.  Pictures on the sign showed  pike's weighing up to 15 kg.
From here we continued walking down the Loxley Valley against Hillsborough, where we took the bus home. The whole walk was about 18km and took 4.5 hours.

Camera i used: nikon 3Ds and nikon 50mm f1,8D lens

Big frosty fungus

Cold morning

On the top, Redmires hills in the background

from the top, Damflask reservoir down in the valley and High peak in the distance

Damflask Reservoir



Loxley Valley and in the Parts of Hillsborough



Mute swan and his friend

Liverpool

Me and my wife took the train to Liverpool early Saturday morning, the idea was just to explore the city's tourist spots. The train journey from Sheffield takes about 2 hours, so it is easily done.

We stepped off the train 6km ahead of the center because we wanted to walk the sea side promenade to town which would take us to the Albert dock (harbor with boats, museums, restaurants, etc)
But having walked few km, sick of the chilly wind, we discovered that the city was much further away than Map actually said. We simply took the bus to the Albert dock, but first we went past the Anglical cathedral. And it was huge and apparently the fifth largest Cathedral in the world!
In the port area we strolled among the great architect-designed house mixed with old buildings, museums, pubs,  etc. We found the port area resemble a lot Auckland in New Zealand, especially with the radio tower in the city. The walk continued into the town and also here it was plenty of museums and beautiful old houses.

Camera i used: Nikon 3Ds and nikon 50mm f1,8 lens.

Pictures from the week

All week I have been trying to get close to the kingfisher down in the Rivelin Valley.
It has been there every day but I have not managed to get some more picture of it, the first time worked out pretty well, I got close anyway.
Now I've given up on that project, so early this morning I cycled to one of my bird feeder places my idea was to try and shoot jays. How did it go, well the jay came two times but as usual they are incredibly observant.
It disappeared every time I tried to shoot it, because it saw me move inside the camouflage. So after 2.5 hours, I gave up because I started to freeze in the cold morning air.
I went down to the Rivelin instead to check for kingfisher but it was not there, so I continued to walk up the Rivelin Valley and looked after the dipper instead but it was there either. It was a long time since I last saw it, it might come later in the winter. So I found some mushrooms to shoot instead, also found spring flowers that have started to bloom again in some sunny places :) After 6 hours in the valley, it was time to go home.

Camera i used: Nikon 3Ds and nikon 200-400mm f4 lens, tripod.

Diwali "festival of lights"

Yesterday, Me and my wife went to Leicester with some Indian friends, to experience the Indian festival Diwali.
Diwali celebrations in Leicester is one of the biggest outside India.
Thanks for letting us join you and experience the great festival.
The evening ended on an Indian restaurant that had a huge buffet of really good Indian food.

Here is some fact about the festival from Wikipedia:

Diwali (Deepavali) is a major Hindu religious light festival, which is celebrated in memory of the god Rama's return from exile. It corresponds to our New Year.

Diwali is the festival of light and lasts for five days around the new moon day of the Hindu month Kartika. Festival falls in late October or early November and is one of India's most important festivals.

It celebrates the return of Rama after his exile for 14 years with his wife. Man Turns lights to show that they welcome Rama home to Ayodhya. It is a day when you should be nice to other people.

Another goddess, the four bar Lakshmi, representing happiness and wealth, is also celebrated during diwali. She is often depicted sitting on a lotus flower with gold coins strewn around him. It cleaned properly in the houses when Lakshmi comes to bless the home and the Indians paint signs on the doors, often with the holy word - Aum.

Altars are built up in her honor. There is incense, an oil lamp, water and flowers. The incense carried in one hand with pivoting movements, and the other carried a small clock. Afterwards, continue with the rest of the offerings.

In houses, farms and shops lit candles and putting candles in rivers. Relatives greet each other, it gives out gifts and various dishes served. Together, sing and dance, and to drive away the malevolent uses fireworks.
So Happy Diwali :)

Camera equipment i used: Nikon 3Ds and nikon 50mm 1,8 lens.
Click on a picture to enlarge them.