-
Just a tree, but also a work of art!
A came across this amazing tree earlier this year in Galicia, Spain. It was partially prostrate, but still growing. The beautiful, plate-like bark was adorned with mosses and lichens, which gave it a strangely artistic effect, almost like an abstract painting! It is, I think, the stone pine (Pinus pinea L.). What struck me most…
-
Bread of heaven

We tend to take bread pretty much for granted these days. There seem to be abundant supplies – indeed much of it goes to waste – in every supermarket I go into (in the UK). But it was not always that way! There have been many times of bread shortages in the past. There was…
-
Tour de Yorkshire comes to Scarborough
It was a cold and windy day here in Scarborough today (4th May 19), for the finish for Stage 3 of the Tour de Yorkshire 2019, cycle race. The waves were sweeping into North Bay, driven by a strong wind. It must have been grueling to have cycled 135 km in this weather. The men’s…
-
Tournament: Joust and Melee at Scarborough Castle
A Medieval tournament is being held at Scarborough castle this weekend, 11-12th August 2018, the highlight being a display of horsemanship and mock fighting/jousting. Jousting was a Medieval contest of strength, skill and horsemanship. This reenactment was staged by a company called Historic Equitation and involved four mounted horses decked out in colours as they…
-
Cruising the fjords
I recently did a short cruise to Norway on the Boudicca, a nice 28,388 ton cruise ship of the old style, meaning that it looks like a ship and not a block of flats! Unlike the choppy seas shown in the painting (above) from the KODE Art Museum in Bergen, we had excellent weather and the…
-
Underwater shots from Indonesia
Last year (October 2016) I was lucky enough to do a wonderful wildlife cruise in Indonesia, from Bali to Flores, on a small ship called MV Mermaid I (1). These ships are usually used as dive boats, but this trip was devoted to looking out for dolphins, whales and birds – which I described in my…
-
‘Lines, Textures, and Patterns’ Story and Pictures — National Geographic Your Shot
Some incredible images in this National Geographic piece. There were more than 40,000 submissions from ‘My Shot’ contributors, including me! Only 39 images were chosen. Not one of mine – I’ll keep trying – but I think you will agree, the chosen photographs were all amazing! http://yourshot.nationalgeographic.com/profile/237466 Source: ‘Lines, Textures, and Patterns’ Story and Pictures…
-
Chasing leopards by the falls!
It was a very hot day when I visited Doi Inthanon, Thailand’s highest mountain (at 2565 metres or 8415 feet), in early May this year. Temperatures in Chiang Mai city had reached 40 deg C the day before, but it was much cooler up the mountain. There are large tracts of different types of forest…
-
Princesses of the steps – innocent!
Anyone who has visited the beautiful temple – Wat Phra That Doi Suthep – on the mountain above Chiang Mai, in northern Thailand, and has walked up the long flight of stairs rather than taken the funicular lift, will have seen the lovely little girls in Hill tribe costumes who sit on the bottom of the…