Ferry to Guernsey

The last three weeks have been manic, preparing for an RPS Distinctions Advisory Day and then running a week of photographic workshops with Ann Miles in Guernsey.  Ann has been much more organised than me, having already posted lots of Guernsey pictures on her blog.  I'm only just starting to catch up, so here are a few images from our journey across from Poole to St Peter Port on the Condor Ferry, taken on Wednesday 22nd May.

Looking at Herm - a small island off the East coast of Guernsey which we would be visiting the following week.

As always, a large cruise ship was anchored between Herm and St Peter Port, presumably awaiting the hundreds of tourists which it had disgorged earlier in the day.

Coming into the harbour at St Peter Port.

It was such a shock to see the sun after weeks of dull grey weather in the UK, but it was still pretty cold and windy.

After unpacking and eating a wonderful dinner of bouillabaisse (the seafood on Guernsey is to die for) we braced ourselves for the first workshop the following day.

Fowlmere

I spent most of the Bank Holiday weekend at home doing paperwork, but Harriet and I managed to get out to Fowlmere for a couple of hours on Sunday afternoon.  It was dull and cloudy, and - apart from the highlight of seeing a Crane flying high overhead - there wasn't a great deal to report.

The only birds within capture distance were Greylag Geese.

This pair had just been cleared for take-off.

They might be common as muck, but they're still magnificent birds.

Bristol Miscellany

A few pictures taken in and around Bristol during my last visit.  First, an instantly forgettable service station on the M5 with the worst so-called Wi-Fi hotspot I've ever come across.

Two wheels good; four wheels bad?

Finally, two pictures taken on Clifton Down, looking towards the Bristol Channel and the Clifton Gorge.

Dyrham (interior)

I still have to pinch myself when entering a National Trust property as a reminder that photography is not only allowed but actively encouraged nowadays.  Not that it's easy, of course, with bans on tripods and flash still in place, and lots of "do not touch" notices everywhere.  These pictures were taken using the same technique as Blickling Hall and Tyntesfield: hand-held 3-shot HDR sequences at ISO3200.  Some of the rooms in Dyrham were very dark, and these posed quite a challenge (as did the dozens of visitors who were taking advantage of the NT's Free Weekend policy).

The dog - plus the archway and corridor behind it - in the library picture are actually examples of trompe l'oeil in that they are painted onto the wall but made to look three-dimensional.

Dyrham (outside)

On a grey, overcast (and, frankly, rather chilly) day, I went with Frances and Christopher to Dyrham Park, a National Trust property in Gloucestershire not far from Bath.  It happened to be Free Entry weekend, so there were lots of people there.  Some hardy souls were even having picnics on the lawn, but rather them than me given the conditions.

It was also Frances & Christopher's first anniversary, so many congratulations to them.  Is it really a year since the wedding?