Falconry Display

Probably the highlight of our trip to Leeds Castle was a falconry display in the afternoon.  Three birds were flown by two handlers, with another providing a running commentary.  Challenging to photograph, though: partly because of the speed the birds flew at; but also because, wherever they landed, it seemed that there was always a member of the audience wearing a bright pink T-shirt directly behind!

First up was a Snowy Owl.

I love the bird's expression in the next one, as though she'd just spotted the idiot with the camera...

Next up was a Kestrel, which was a real contrast to the owl given its relatively small size and increased agility.

The final bird was a Harris Hawk, whose party piece was to fly straight into one of the cat basket which was used to transport the birds.

What amazing animals, and a really well produced show.  A good test for the 5DmkIII as well, since the mkII would definitely have struggled under the same conditions.

Leeds Castle

September 15th was our 30th wedding anniversary, and, to celebrate, Harriet and I spent a long weekend staying in Rye, exploring Kent and Sussex.  We decided to break the outward journey at Leeds Castle, near Maidstone, on what turned out to be a very hot and sunny day.  The castle is just as beautiful as I expected it to be, but the grounds were equally spectacular.  I really wish I lived a bit closer, as our tickets would allow us unlimited access for a whole year.

There was no objection to me taking pictures inside the castle, which was a little surprising given that it is privately owned.  The building is actively used for weddings and conferences, as can be seen from the two long tables which were being set for the evening meal.

As with my previous National Trust interiors, these are all three-shot HDRs taken hand-held at ISO 2500 or thereabouts.

Back to Southampton

Having exhausted the Isle of Wight zoo, we decided to go and sample the delights of Ryde as a way of killing time before our ferry was due.  Talk about tacky.  I'm sure the place was very elegant once, but any grandeur has long since disappeared to be replaced by fast food outlets and "Pound" shops.  Time for a quick getaway...

I'll start with a couple of panoramas taken on the ferry.

A couple of my fellow passengers, including another in my set of old sea dogs.

Once out in the Solent we started to meet other ships, including a Red Funnel ferry going in the opposite direction and the two enormous cruise liners we'd seen berthed in Southampton that morning.  They were pretty impressive (in a slightly obscene, consumerist way), with the gleaming white paintwork standing out starkly against the brooding sky.

  You could definitely tell it was August in England!

Isle of Wight Zoo

It may have been warm and sunny when we left Southampton, but it was cloudy and cool by the time we docked in East Cowes.  Undeterred, we decided to drive anti-clockwise around the island, heading initially to The Needles.  Well, we got within a couple of miles, but then saw the horrendous queue of traffic waiting to visit the "attraction" so decided to give it a miss.  By this time it was blowing a gale and raining heavily, so "Plan B" involved heading to the Isle of Wight Zoo.  We ought to have been warned by the sign outside, inviting people to visit the Zootique Shop & Cafe, but we still coughed up the entrance fee and went in.

There wasn't much else to do on the island given the conditions, so the place was pretty busy with families and screaming children.  This was particularly true of the cafe which was overcrowded and had a long wait for both tables and food.  It was the only place in the entire zoo which was warm and dry, though, so we suffered the third-rate lunch in the hope that the rain would stop soon.

Eventually the rain petered out, but it was still cold and windy by the time we ventured outside again.  Sadly, many of the animals had disappeared under mysterious circumstances (see one of the many signs below) or were simply hiding out of sight - presumably waiting for Summer to arrive.

One of the few exceptions to the rule were the meerkats, which were as obliging as ever.  What a pity the backgrounds were so obviously artificial - especially the perch, which looked like it had been made out of Plasticine by someone from Blue Peter (think Tracy Island).

Those animals which did venture outside looked bedraggled and miserable, and the paying public weren't faring much better either.

The whole zoo felt like it was part of a WWII military camp, so it was unsurprising to discover that the site had, in fact, been a Top Secret installation during the war.  Far more interesting than the animals was an exhibit about Operation PLUTO (standing for for Pipeline Under The Ocean).  Supplying fuel for the D-Day landings was a logistical nightmare for the Allies, with tankers being obvious targets for enemy attack.  Instead, a pipeline was laid from the Isle of Wight all the way across to Normandy, and the zoo is built on the site of the original pumping station.

Needless to say, we didn't stay very long...

Steaming to the Isle of Wight

It's faintly ridiculous that, for the previous month, I haven't had two minutes to rub together in order to post anything.  Even more ridiculous is that the pictures I'm showing here were taken at the end of August, and I've only just got round to processing them!  Still, better late than never...

While visiting my daughter, Izzi, in Southampton, we decided to have a Grand Day Out to the Isle of Wight.  The weather forecast was reasonable, as were the Red Funnel ferry prices, so we decided to take the car across and explore the island.  Here are a few pictures taken as we steamed gracefully down the Solent in glorious sunshine.  Make a mental note of the humongous white liners from this set as we got up close and personal to both of them on the return journey.  Scary.

A few of our fellow passengers from the journey.

It's difficult to convey the scale of this cruise ship (the smaller of the two which were docked in Southampton) but the full-sized containers on the quayside might help to do this.  Talk about a Gin Palace.

The next vessel wins my the prize for the ugliest ship afloat, looking as it does like something that's been under a very low bridge without stopping...

The final picture is of a sailing boat on the Solent, with the "dreaming spires" of Portsmouth in the background.  It's just about possible to make out the Spinnaker Tower through the smog!