Photographic Wanderings
December 2025
Yet again the camera hasn’t been out much during December – the choice being between – the moon, Christmas Decorations in Church, “Glow” at RHS Hyde Hall and the Essex Veterans Cross Country.
The undoubted top choice must be “Glow” at RHS Hyde Hall
We have attended the “Glow” for several years now and this was most definitely the best we have sen so far.
Why is difficult to explain – was it the route that the trail took? Was it the fact that you couldn look back at what you had just seen and see something different?
November 2025
October and September were a little devoid of variety. Looking at the November folders it seems as though the camera was out for a little more time.
The rain makes for some good photos (as long as it stops!!)
I had the privilege of assisting my daughter, Emma. an accomplished photographer at a “Christmas Tree” shoot. She even used some omy shots.
One of the highlights of the month was to go and see the Poppy Display on Southend Pier.
110,000 knitted poppies! My wife belongs to a “Knit and Natter” group at our local church and they knitted betwen them over 350.
We actually think we found one that she knitted.
Of course no month would be complete without a visit to RHS Hyde Hall and see its every changing colours
October 2025
Very similar to September – Looking through my folders of photographs for October it is clear that there were only two subjects – Cross Country and a trip into Westwood.
I bought a new (used) lens in the summer a 300mm f2.8 – a wonderful lens BUT extremely heavy.
Setting the aperture at f2.8 allows the background to be nicely blurred whilst the subject is crisp and sharp.
Forgot this one – this must have been a sunny day. Quite comfortable lying in the sun
We are so fortunate to have Westwood nearby as a peaceful place
September 2025
Looking through my folders of photographs for September it is clear that there were only two subjects – our Edinburgh Holiday – Edinburgh Blog
The other was my Godson Matthew’s wedding
The blog above is another story of 4 days away exploring the delights of Scotland’s beautiful capital.
The trip was a little longer in distance than previous but easily accessible by a one hour flight.
We managed to walk over 61,000 steps over the four days and most of them were not on the flat!
Matt’s wedding was another fine occasion in a series of wonderful times we have enjoyed with the Choppen family over the last 40 years +.
I must not overlook another important milestone in my life (and more importantly my grandson’s life) – his first day at school
August 2025
Looking through my folders of photographs for August it appears that the camera (s) have been out much.
However my favourite subjects are on show – aircraft, flowers (specifically RHS Hyde Hall).
This month I part exchanged a telephoto zoom lens for an extremely heavy 300mm telephoto prime lens.
No many photos from it as yet but I was impressed by the picture of the airliner as it was hand-held.
Another element of the nerd in me surfaced and I discovered that it was on its way from Frankfurt to London City Airport. Later it returned to Frankfurt and then flew towards Turin.
August has in recent years become “Airshow” season. Post Covid Southend Airport has not recovered in the same way as other larger airports have.
To gain more revenue the airport has opened itself to the Airshow participants as an overnight staging post the Lightning, Lancaster, Hurricane and Spitfire
July 2025
From the 4th to the 8th of July my photographic wanderings were in Suffolk – Suffolk Coast Experience July 2025
Due to being busy officiating the pattern of photos almost matches June 2025.
One of the highlights of the month was the Diamond League at the Olympic Stadium at Stratford.
Amongst all the many stellar stars there were people who I had actually met at club level – Kieran O’Hara, Didi Okoh and Charlie Dobson.
Another part of the month was Waddle on Sea – a colourful celebration of decorated penguins in Southend.
This biennial event raises around about £750,000 for care at Havens Hospice.
Previously we have seen decorated hares and elephants.
June 2025
Much of my May collection was limited by the fact I had been busy officiating with little time for photography.
I have put that right by actually including pictures of an athletics meeting!!
I have been experimenting with manual settings – fast shutter speed, wide aperture and manual ISO.
The second photo is not of the best quality but tells a story.
From left to right – Age 17, 18 and 38!!
But Nature again plays its part whether it is at home or away
May 2025
Looking at my files for May there does not appear to much variety in my photographic subjects – garden, Hyde Hall and foxes.
That said – there is beauty in nature wherever it is.
And Nature is just as much at home in RHS Hyde Hall
April 2025
At the point of posting we are just half way through the month. So much seems to have happened already that has demanded be dusting my camera off.
For most of the month it has been wall to wall sunshine albeit a little cold at times. Firstly we made the short trip to Two Tree Island – there was a large variety of wading birds – Avocets, Godwits, Plovers and others.
My wife had a long optician’s appointment which gave me opportunity to walk the streets near to Southend City Centre. As I was on foot it was easy to slow my pace and look around. Beyond the Street Art there is a beautiful conservation area – hence a contrast
For the second year in a row we have played host to a new crop of fox cubs who have enjoyed the suntrap that is our back garden. There are 5 of them. I am concerned for the mum who who clearly badly injured probably in a fight (eye almost closed).
Another subject I return to each year which epitomises the continued advance of Spring – is the arrival of bluebells. All the signs were there particularly the wood anenomes.
A trip to Belfairs Woods reminded me of the regeneration of the wood over time. The wood (Hadleigh Great Wood) was coppiced in 2021 to encourage wildlife – particularly butterflies. Look at thchange over 4 years. 2021 above and 2025 below
March 2025
It is said that March 1 is the start of meteorological Spring.
I am not sure that the weather conformed to that on the day.
My photos taken slightly later in the month confirm that is true.
It is great to see evidence of that in your own garden!
And there is even beauty in the plants that have died back and you can see the green shoots poking through.
A good lunch followed by a walk along Thorpe Bay seafront. We had eaten too much at lunch – after a good walk it would have been rude not to have an ice cream – the first one of the season no less – at Uncle Tom’s Cabin!!
What is more quintessential than beach huts in the UK.
February 2025
Much of February mirrored January – windy/rainy/cold.
However there are glimmers during the month of fine weather. This time a favourite winter’s place to visit – Warley Place. This is close to the M25 and situated on a hill so you can see Central London.
And the wildlife
We enjoy a break in the weather to enjoy sunshine. So does one of or local foxes!!
And he was there for over half an hour!!
January 2025
My “January” photos have a recurring theme in the naming convention – Frosty……..
However frosty is not negative – I would rather have cold/frosty/sunny/misty than windy/rain.
These were taken either in my garden or close to home
On the other hand there were other days in January that turned qickly from windy to thundery and hailsones in a matter of minutes
All of these pictures were taken at Hyde Hall. It is always pleasant to see the iconic winter bird with its beautiful song
December 2024
One of my go to places – Westwood – it is easy – only 200 yards away.
This is not the woods as you like to see them but for the health of the woods and wildlife coppicing is very necessary.
Hyde Hall in a different guise. Hosting the annual Christmas “Glow” event.
Post Christmas was very gloomy – normally you can see a long way across John Burrows.
My favourite place in Westwood
November 2024
After nearly six and a half days of gloom the thought of a day’s sunshine on the seventh day inspired me to get up and go to KEW GARDENS. The Autumn colours were beautiful.
And this guy was super tame
Nothing more satisfying than opening the bedroom curtains and seeing the beautiful early morning sky.
For all intents and purposes this looks like a long distance shot of a fox in a bush.
Actually it is a fox in a tree – 15 feet up in the air!!
October 2024
At the time of writing (we are only at the 8th of the month) I have had 3 opportunities to use my camera, 2 of which revolved around running. I will focus on the running as there will be plenty of opportunity later to explore other opportunities.
I have enjoyed the experimenting with manual settings and a shallow depth of field. It is not for me to decide what works and what does and doesn’t work. I published the photos below on Facebook and they appear only because of the positive feedback.
At the begining of the month I had no idea what would I witness from the “comfort” of my own back garden – something that I travelled to well within the Artic Circle and the freezing cold – the Aurora Borealis
One item that is however much more predictable in this month of the year – Autumn. However the vibrant colours don’t last long.
A four day trip to North West Norfolk refreshed the soul. A beautiful county with a stuuning coastline and plenty of birdlife.
There are many stories from this break – you can read them in my blog on Hustanton.
September 2024
This was not a nice cheap way to start the month – Denmark is eye wateringly expensive at times. However you can’t take it with you – so just suck it up!
Nyhaven was a gorgeous place to spend the day in glorious sunshine. Eating Al fresco in the Evening wasn’t bad either
The intention of the photowalk on this day was to get a breath of fresh air and go onwards to Hadleigh Castle but the weather had other ideas.
Hans Christian Anderson is probably the most famous Dane.
One of his greatest admirers and contemporaries was Charles Dickens
Hadleigh Castle was the walk for the next day. It is not visible here but that is not the point. You walk along a tree lined path and see part of the Castle.
The track bends near the Castle and it drops steeply over the brow of the hill. This is the view you are greeted with this scene – the hill, the trees, the railway line and the estruary beyond
August 2024
A nice cheap way to start the month – a £5 entrance fee to the Cameraworld exhibition at Brands Hatch. This picture was not so easy as it looks. My first experiment at panning – it sort of worked
Needed to collect Season Ticket ready for the first game of the season. Had a few minutes to spare and visited the nearby Priory Park.
Beautiful walled garden – a seat just visible in the background. I doubt whether it is the original but it is where I proposed to my wife in August 1976.
Our local wood – Westwood always appeals to me.
I am not sure what appeals to me about the photo – is it the texture or the haphazard way the logs are stored.
Love this – the unadulterated joy of my Great Nephew enjoying himself in what was a cold, rough sea
July 2024
I have just taken delivery of a new camera – a Canon R5.
New cameras are often difficult to get used to but I was pleased withe the result. It has 45 megapixels and opposed to 24 on my previous camera
This was one of hundreds of photos taken by me at the Olympic Stadium. These are two of the best female 800m ruunners both in the UK and actually the World. The girl in front is Keeley Hodgkinson – now the 2024 Olympic 800m Champion.
Still loving the new camera and this picture shows the sharpness and detail that can be achieved with the R5.
June 2024
The Little Havens Reserve is one of our favourite places to visit. One visit earlier in the month yielded ZERO Butterflies. This visit yielded 150+ but only ONE Photo – so skittish!
I have made the comment on Facebook that I was like a kid in a sweet store when the Red Arrows pay a visit. The afternoon did not disappoint me or the people around me. You can’t imagine it here BUT oh the smell of Kerosene!!
Before this Athletics Meeting I had been trawling You Tube to find the best settings for Sports Photography to achieve sharpness and good bokeh. 70-200m f2.8 lens set at 2.8, shutter speed 1/2000 and Auto ISO. I was rather pleased with the results.
May 2024
Colchester Zoo was the day out for our Grandson’s birthday. It is good for Photographic experiences.
A nice weekend away with friends near Cambridge. A cheeky visit on the way back at Wimpole Hall. Beautiful flora and fauna plus a folly.
April 2024
We often look out on our garden an marvel what beautiful things – some may grow in there and some might be welcome visitors!!.
Both April and May are months where suddenly the dormant and bare trees and plants spring to life
March 2024
Westwood in Hadleigh has to be one of my go to places for photography. It is not only beautiful but is literally only 400 yards from my front door.
The second photo is my favorite place in that wood. I have photographed it so many times.
Foxes are regular visitors to our garden.
This is not surprising in view of our proximity to the woods.
What the still photos don’t show is that this vixen had a pronounced limp and was struggling.
Imagine my surprise when the next morning she appeared on or lawn and I thought she ws eating something. 3 times she walked across the lawn and each time she picked something up in her mouth – it was her three new born cubs.
February 2024
It is beautiful to have nice places to visit in Essex. This one is especially famed for its late winter and early spring carpets of flowers. This is Warley Place near Brentwood. Not shown here because of the poor quality of the photos – you could see the M25 and parts of Central London. Yet we were in an oasis of peace and quiet
A message on Facebook that appealed to me – Chris Phillips – the Southend Echo Chief Sports Reporter (amongst his other talents) said “If you are a Southend United fan (I am!!) and are not going to Oxford this weekend to see them (I wasn’t) – go to Warner’s Park in Southend and see the Southend Saxons.
So I enjoyed a free afternoon out and was able to experiment a bit!!
January 2024
A rare day out in London to explore some of the sights. Having worked in the City for many years it is easy to ignore what is going on around you.
We had not visited St Pauls Cathedral for nigh on 40 years.
The visit was extremely enjoyable and educational.
The whole point of the day was to celebrate my wife’s birthday.
The second part of the day was Afternoon Tea in the Oblix Restaurant on the 32nd Floor of the Shard.
January 2024
We are here again – we can’t keep away. RHS Hyde Hall is always my favourite place and not only does it boast beautiful plants, shrubs, trees and flowers BUT also wonderful birdlife.
A bitterly cold day but the scene was sunny and serene.
December 2023
December was the month of the Light Shows and here we are at Hyde Hall for “GLOW”. This was our second visit to a Light Event. Really good and could be described as more “grown up” or for “Grown ups” than neighbouring Hylands.
Hylands House near Chelmsford hosted their light spectacular over a wide area and was on a brasher basis.
November 2023
Westwood, our local wood is an easy go to. No matter the season it serves up beautiful trees and vistas
Same wood – different viewpoint
October 2023
Two Tree Island – one of Essex’s numerous islands is situated in a creek just bordering the Thames Estuary.
This is now a wild life haven – teaming with vegetation, trees, shrubs, birds and mammals. Who would believe that 50 years ago that this was a landfill site.
One of the highlights of Two Tree Island is the lagoon at its western end. The lagoon is full of migratory birds
September 2023
Barnards Farm near Upminster in Essex is one of the more unusual participants in the National Gardens Scheme. Firstly the erm garden is a massive understatement. – it covers several acres – has a landing strip and an extensive miniature railway.
Apart from an impressive collection of vintage motor vehicles there are a number of eclectic pieces of sculpture. The piece above is a Bull – made completely of car parts
August 2023
Southend Airport since Covid is a different animal to what it was before. Unlike many others it hasn’t reached the heights that it achieved before.
Howver this has opened up other opportunities such as the Vulcan Open Day and on this occasion playing a resting place to display aircraft attending Airshowa particularly along the South Coast.
My passion for aircraft stems from my father being an Aircraft Engineer. He would have so loved weekends like this.
Our local hospice has arranged over the last two years an exhibition of sculptures exhibited around the town. The theme for the first one was Hares and the second one Elephants. The exhibition this year was named “Herd in the City”
It was fascinating finding them – they were all highly decorated and all named with a pun.
The best part of the whole project was that £447,900 was raised for the work of the Hospice.
July 2023
Late July came round with a cruise to the Baltic which was extremely enjoyable.
I took an extreme amount of photos – you would be bored looking at them all.
I did however write a blog to give some context to the photos with some interesting observations.
Pictures are from Helsinki and Riga.
It is difficult sometimes to pick out just two photoshoots in the month. This month was no different.
I so enjoy going to the Olympic Park- means I can enjoy two hobbies at once.
In addition I also get to see people racing who I genuinely know. Oh and I enjoy watching with my daughter and son in law!!
June 2023
The tagline to this post states “It is nice to be able to get out and enjoy your surroundings”
This was so true of this 3 1/2 mile walk from home to a restaurant in the nearby town of Leigh.
It is possible to walk along the main roads and save time. However traversing across from Hadleigh Castle and Hadleigh Downs looking over Two Tree Island and the Thames Estuary was much more pleasurable.
It is difficult sometimes to pick out just two photoshoots in the month. This month was no different.
I so enjoy going to the Olympic Park- means I can enjoy two hobbies at once.
In addition I also get to see people racing who I genuinely know. Oh and I enjoy watching with my daughter and son in law!!
May 2023
One of the so called 7 woods around the Hadleigh – Tile Wood is probably hidden as a “Bluebell” haven. Pound Wood across St Michael’s Road is better known and more popular for Bluebells
This proves that you don’t have to move away from your home to enjoy nature.
April 2023
A new Essex location – Abberton Reservoir near to Colchester – objective to see the interesting birdlife – they had other ideas
An indulgence – my Grandson growing up fast and learning all the time
March 2023
A bracing walk along the seafront – always a lot to see
Return trip after almost exactly a year to Warley Place – now waiting for the bluebells to appear.
February 2023
A favourite place to visit whatever the season – RHS Hyde Hall
This shows the hope and certainty that Spring is just around the corner
January 2023
This picture shows a long distance shot of Southend. What is more difficult to see is the thousands of birds on the mudflats.
A cool crisp still afternoon at Two Tree Island – bird life aplenty despite this one being solitary
December 2022
Holiday time – a cruise to see the Northern Lights in Norway.
A fantastic experience seeing some beautiful sights and scenery.
The Northern Lights presented an interesting photo challenge!!
November 2022
Many sights to be seen in dreary November.
A foggy day in Westwood provided a great atmosphere for some wonderful shots
October 2022
A lovely birthday present from my wife – a photographic experience with Mark Draper – a superb Essex photographer in Sudbury Meadows
This kingfisher was not co-operative
September 2022
Southend Street Art Exhibition in the High Street and its surrounds. plus the eclectic and not loved by all local college accommodation building
Plus the eclectic and not loved by all local college accommodation building
August 2022
Southend Airport has suffered considerably because of COVID with the departure of Ryanair and most of Easyjet.
It was lovely to welcome overnight visitors who were performing at air shows along the South Coast
July 2022
A departure from my normal type of photography but it is right to go and see something that only comes round every four years and then not always in the UK
All sports including a wonderful morning of Athletics
June 2022
We are so fortunate to have both plant life and bird life near at hand – this at Shoebury East Beach
You would never believe that the sea was only yards away
May 2022
Another local woods – Beckney in Hockley – a hidden gem worth visiting
A beautiful carpet of bluebells stretching in every direction
April 2022
This time – not local but Rutland Water enjoying quality time with great friends that we have known for 40 years +
This is a beautiful location – full of large landscapes, beautiful gardens and wildlife – especially the Ospreys
March 2022
Warley Place is a 10.1-hectare (25-acre) nature reserve south of Brentwood in Essex. It is managed by the Essex Wildlife Trust. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries this site was the garden of the leading horticulturalist, Ellen Willmott, who planted many plants from all over the world, some of which still survive.
There is a line of mature sweet chestnuts, and flowers including daffodils, snowdrops and crocuses. A nice quiet place but in places you can see the very busy M25!!