River Trent Overflowing

February 17th

Several weeks ago now, I cycled down to the River Trent to see how high the water levels were after the recent heavy rains.

Things have been quiet on my explorations blog recently due to computer problems and then my disconnection from home broadband.  My Packard Bell laptop is still malfunctioning and causing my stress and anger levels to sky rocket.  Thankfully I get free Wifi at my local library and I at least want to get some stuff saved on here before I forget about it or lose interest.

The photos I keep on this blog are a good reminder as to what I’m doing in my life now, and I feel they are safer on this blog than on a memory stick.

I didn’t fancy trying to follow the path underwater here, so I chose a different route a little way from the river.

These photos are taken by a park-and-ride site on the edge of town.  It was just deep enough to cover my feet as I cycled through.  It was quite a pleasant day, but very cold, and my feet were soon like blocks of ice.  I eventually let this reason dictate the length of time I remained out for!

This is the West Bridgeford/cricket ground side of Trent Bridge.  I didn’t cycle through here either.  Just wanted to get home and get warm!

Travel Theme: Festive

Ailsa’s Travel Theme  this week is Festive.

I think it’s great that someone’s gone to the trouble of painting one of their shop shutters for Christmas  :-)

From dawn ’til dusk, via Stirling

I went on a train trip to Scotland with my Dad in Autumn, and I’d been debating whether to include this trip in my blog – partly because it would mean creating a new category…. such a hard life!  It’s now winter and I made a decision.

Early October 2012

We started off on an electric train at just after6:00am from Crewe Station up to Carlisle.  A steam train, The Caledonian, then took over for the haul up to Stirling.

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I spent a good chunk of the journey with my head out the window!

My Dad on the platform at Stirling Station

Dad taking a photo!

This is the Wallace Monument, commemorating Sir William Wallace – a 13th century Scottish Hero.  I wasn’t too interested in him, as he generally lead the Scots to victory over the English – and I am English!

Sadly however, the trip didn’t allow enough time in Stirling for us to reach the monument, if we were to also find somewhere to eat hot food, and me and Dad were starving!

I didn’t get any photos of Stirling Castle.  My mind was probably more focused on filling my empty belly, but these were some ruins close by.

It was soon time for the return journey.

It was gone midnight by the time I was home.  What a long day  :-)

Travel Theme: Transportation

Here is my first contribution to Ailsa’s Travel Theme.  This weeks theme is transportation and my two favourite modes of transportation are by bike and by train.

This is Conwy Castle in North Wales, on a steam train trip to Anglesey.

I took this photo whilst on holiday in the south of England

And this is my bike, (the left one), on a train

Cycling to Beauvale Priory

2/Dec/2012

After observing a sunrise two weeks ago,  I was keen to escape from the city into the relative silence of the countryside, and experience the beauty of the rising sun once again.

I also wanted to visit Beauvale Priory –  A place I’ve seen marked on the libraries OS map as ‘ruins’.  It’s north-east of my home city and I was curious to see what is (or isn’t) there.

It is -2°C outside, as I set off on my bike into the near dark, still sleepy Sunday morning, of Nottingham City.

I’d arose later than planned, so I was still in the suburbs as the deep orange disk of the sun first surfaced, but, pedaling like mad, I soon found the fields and stopped for some snaps.

Unusually for me, I altered the settings for these photos to make them a little ‘darker’ and a little ‘warmer’.  However, I don’t think any amount of photo manipulation can conjure up the actual feelings I got, whilst being there.

I trundled along slowly now, admiring the beauty and randomness of nature

Following the country lane along, I soon came to Beauvale Priory.

A turkey and a ghost!

Well, this is the remains of the monastery viewed from a little distance.

I wasn’t overly impressed!  And I didn’t fancy waiting around for 90 odd minutes for the site to open to the public, as I was freezing cold.  Maybe another day though.  I’d enjoyed the sunrise and my cycle ride so now I was off home to get warm  :-)

Weekly Photo Challenge: Reflections

It’s been a couple of months since I took part in the weekly photo challenge:  http://dailypost.wordpress.com/category/photo-challenges/,  but here is my contribution.

The above photo I pinched from another post, but I really like this photo.  Below is a shot I took specifically for this challenge whilst out cycling this morning.  I’m not sure the reflection works that well on the frozen ice, but I got very cold while I was out, so it’s in the post!

Sunrise at Saint Mary’s

17th and 18th November

I planned to go camping one more time before the year was out, and test out my tent and sleeping bag in cold conditions.  The weather forecast for the weekend was dry and the temperature for Nottingham was set to drop to 2 degrees celcius.  Perfect.  I fixed myself some sandwiches, stuffed my camping paraphernalia in my rucksack, checked my bike, then set off.  I decided to head for Belvoir Castle, about 20 miles from Nottingham City Centre.

I haven’t cycled in the country in the dark before, so, once the cycle tracks ended, I turned onto country lanes, away from the late evening rush of traffic. It took just over 2 hours to reach the grounds of Belvoir Castle.  Once there, I found an adequate spot, just beyond the visitor car park, to pitch my tent.

I’d bought a head torch from Poundland a few days earlier, specifically for camping out in the dark.  It proved invaluable!

Dew had already settled on the grass and by the time I’d finished tent pegging, my hands and feet were wet and cold.  But I had overwhelming feelings of great happiness as I wriggled into my cosy sleeping bag for the night.  I just love this.  So much more fun than an ordinary night in at my flat 

After a reasonable sleep, I had breakfast at around half four Sunday morning, then got up just after six ‘o’ clock.  Once out of that sleeping bag I was cold!  I quickly rolled up my sleeping bag and sleep mat, dismantled my tent and set off.

After a couple of minutes of cycling I started to feel quite energetic so I opted for a slightly less direct route back.  Daylight was on it’s way but after a cloudless night, it was much colder now than it was yesterday evening, and my hands were going numb.

Below, is the best photo I got of The Castle, and it’s a little blurred.  I was still in long exposure mode for the night photos.

There wasn’t a soul around as I made my way along the country lanes and there were some beautiful autumn-into-winter scenes to observe.  Yellows and browns of leaves still on trees, red berries in the hedgerows, and the delicate crystals of frost clutching to every leaf and stem of vegetation.

This, however, is what I really wanted to witness.  The birth of a new day:

I continued along the country lane, stopping to take several more photos – my numb finger just about managing to press the shutter!

I found it so rewarding to be out here in the country, witnessing this natural phenomenon, that I so often never give a second thought about.

I came across the ruins of this church by chance in summer, although I only saw it at a distance.  Knowing I was not far from it, I decided to pay a closer visit this time around.   And still, no-one else was about.

Not long after leaving the church grounds, I began to feel really drained and the last ten miles back was a drag.  It was such a relief to get back to my lovely warm flat

Weekly Photo Challenge: Mine

My happy fingerprint!