We visited Old Moor for the first time in a couple years and it seems to have more people and more birds since the RSPB took it over. We didn't stop long as we weren't dressed for the job and it was freezing cold, we just called in to change my single subscription to a joint one.
We'll be back again in the coming weeks, wrapped up warm, carrying two cameras, two pairs of binoculars, a tripod, a telescope and a widget to fix the camera or scope to the hide windows.
Back on the weather front, it still looks like being colder from the weekend through next week, I've just got everything crossed now hoping that we do actually see some snow this time.
Monday, January 31, 2005
Friday, January 28, 2005
Knock Me Down With A Feather!
I've just read the UK MET Office Monthly Outlook and for the first time that I can remember, they are actually talking about a cold snap! It looks like it could be quite interesting during the first half of February :-)
It's only in the last year or so that they started issuing weather warnings for snow before it had actually started snowing so to publish this so far in advance, they must be pretty confident.
I might even nip out on Sunday and get the Sunday Telegraph to read all about it ;-)
It's only in the last year or so that they started issuing weather warnings for snow before it had actually started snowing so to publish this so far in advance, they must be pretty confident.
I might even nip out on Sunday and get the Sunday Telegraph to read all about it ;-)
Boring Weather
It's getting gradually warmer here day by day, the harsh frost on Saturday is but a distant memory. However, Paul Hudson did say last night on the local weather that there is a chance that the cold weather will be back at the end of next week.
The charts seem to have looked much the same all through this week, boring with outbreaks of very boring and not a lot of snow . . . . . unless you live in Ibiza! I'm sure this is how the film "The Day After Tomorrow" starts, with it snowing in places it shouldn't be. I'm not expecting the next ice age in ten days time, but a foot or two of snow would be nice.
Thursday, January 27, 2005
On Patrol
The geese patrolling the allotments near the park at the weekend and giving me the 'don't mess with us' look.
Wednesday, January 26, 2005
Tuesday, January 25, 2005
Step Too Far
I've been thinking about what I'm going to write about here when we're out of the snowy season, not that we've had much of a winter so far. I think it's going to be case of less words and more photographs.
I've read my new photography book, looked through countless magazines for hints and tips on taking the perfect picture, the only thing I'm lacking now is inspiration. I've got all the gear ready to go at a seconds notice, camera, spare batteries, rock steady tripod but nothing is jumping out at me and saying "hey, take a photo".
Maybe I need to be looking at the world in an arty sort of way, which is not something that would come easily, I'm one of those people that looks at masterpieces in art galleries and says to everyone, "a three year old could have done better".
What if I got togged out like Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, would that make a difference, probably, but looking like a tit in a overly long jacket stood on the top of a hill might be going a step too far.
I've read my new photography book, looked through countless magazines for hints and tips on taking the perfect picture, the only thing I'm lacking now is inspiration. I've got all the gear ready to go at a seconds notice, camera, spare batteries, rock steady tripod but nothing is jumping out at me and saying "hey, take a photo".
Maybe I need to be looking at the world in an arty sort of way, which is not something that would come easily, I'm one of those people that looks at masterpieces in art galleries and says to everyone, "a three year old could have done better".
What if I got togged out like Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, would that make a difference, probably, but looking like a tit in a overly long jacket stood on the top of a hill might be going a step too far.
Monday, January 24, 2005
No Show For The Snow
I was hoping to get out and about with the camera this weekend, however due to the intake of wine on Saturday night, Sunday's plans for a trip to the coast or elsewhere were scrapped in favour of going out for a quick walk in the park and lazing on the sofa all afternoon.
I spent most of the evening checking the latest radar images and popping outside to see if I could spot any snow falling but it was all to no avail, not a single flake all night. This morning we've had the odd shower of snow grains or soft hail but that was about it. It's still possible that we could see some snow here between now and tomorrow but I'm not holding out much hope.
I spent most of the evening checking the latest radar images and popping outside to see if I could spot any snow falling but it was all to no avail, not a single flake all night. This morning we've had the odd shower of snow grains or soft hail but that was about it. It's still possible that we could see some snow here between now and tomorrow but I'm not holding out much hope.
Saturday, January 22, 2005
Friday, January 21, 2005
Lots of snow about on Cairngorm mountain this morning, could be a caption competition this one - "I can see the pub from 'ere"...
Picture source: cairngormmountain.com
Cold Weekend Ahead
The charts have been chopping and changing all week, this weekend looks like it's going to be a nightmare to forecast accurately.
Our best bet for snow here in Yorkshire seems to be along the east coast but there is a possibility it might just come further inland early next week. One thing is for sure though, it's going to be very cold, yesterday the temperature first thing in the morning was 9c and this morning it was only 3c, what a difference a day makes!
Our best bet for snow here in Yorkshire seems to be along the east coast but there is a possibility it might just come further inland early next week. One thing is for sure though, it's going to be very cold, yesterday the temperature first thing in the morning was 9c and this morning it was only 3c, what a difference a day makes!
Thursday, January 20, 2005
Digital Photography Step By Step
This is one of the books that Debbie bought me for my birthday, Digital Photography Step By Step, having read through a couple of other similar books before, I can honestly say that this is the best one by far and does exactly what it says on the cover.
It starts with a brief history of photography from right back to the Box Brownie through the early days of digital photography to the present day. Everything from file formats to aperture settings and shutter speeds are explained in a refreshingly easy to understand way allowing even me to get my head round some of the more technical stuff for the first time. There are sections on taking photos of almost everything you can think of from sunsets to household pets. Best of all, there are loads of step by step exercises on using Photoshop to sort out those pictures that don't quite look as good as they could.
All in all, a wonderful book and the best present I could have wished for!
Vanishing Fences
Thank you to everyone for you birthday wishes yesterday :-)
I had a great day and have a lovely curry at Meadowhall before going browsing for a new mobile phone.
I had a go on Photoshop Elements last night and having got my book with step by step guides on common editing tricks I was removing mesh fences from a photograph of a tiger in no time. However, I think it would take me about two hours to remove a whole fence but if we get a magic shot that we want to blow up and frame then it will be well worth the effort.
It's been very windy here since yesterday evening and on the ride into work this morning I had to negotiate a few obstacles in the road like, branches, trees, water carriers and a garden fence. Looking at the weather forecasts this morning, it looks like we might have another taste of winter this weekend, although the likelihood of snow might be confined to the East coast if we get any at all.
I had a great day and have a lovely curry at Meadowhall before going browsing for a new mobile phone.
I had a go on Photoshop Elements last night and having got my book with step by step guides on common editing tricks I was removing mesh fences from a photograph of a tiger in no time. However, I think it would take me about two hours to remove a whole fence but if we get a magic shot that we want to blow up and frame then it will be well worth the effort.
It's been very windy here since yesterday evening and on the ride into work this morning I had to negotiate a few obstacles in the road like, branches, trees, water carriers and a garden fence. Looking at the weather forecasts this morning, it looks like we might have another taste of winter this weekend, although the likelihood of snow might be confined to the East coast if we get any at all.
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
Another Year Older
The good news is that it's my birthday today!
The bad news is that I'm 35!
The worse news is that I'm working today and have to buy buns for everyone!
I've loads of great gifts, enough to stand Barnsley Market tomorrow flogging aftershave, or to give it's posh name, odour toilet.
Debbie came to the rescue though, with a cute six pack bear and a couple of photography books which look really cool and idiot proof, so watch out for some award wining photos appearing here soon...... err... maybe not, but there should at least be an improvement and I might even be tempted to take a picture of something other than snow!
The bad news is that I'm 35!
The worse news is that I'm working today and have to buy buns for everyone!
I've loads of great gifts, enough to stand Barnsley Market tomorrow flogging aftershave, or to give it's posh name, odour toilet.
Debbie came to the rescue though, with a cute six pack bear and a couple of photography books which look really cool and idiot proof, so watch out for some award wining photos appearing here soon...... err... maybe not, but there should at least be an improvement and I might even be tempted to take a picture of something other than snow!
Tuesday, January 18, 2005
There's Snow On Them There Hills
Well we didn't see any snow last night but we did have a dusting overnight and a few moderate snow showers through this morning. This cold snap is over already though, it's mostly sunny now and anything that does fall out of the sky is likely to be sleet or rain now.
With the snow melting away, I decided to have a drive up to Woodhead in the Pennines at lunch time and see how much snow there was up there and I wasn't disappointed. The roads were clear but there must have been about 3 inches of lying snow up there. It was snowing heavy when I got there but it soon fizzled out when I got the camera out of the bag ..lol..
With this cold spell out of the way, it's eyes down looking for the next one, not sure where it's coming from though, the charts show cold plunges all the way, but will they be cold enough for some more snow down here....
With the snow melting away, I decided to have a drive up to Woodhead in the Pennines at lunch time and see how much snow there was up there and I wasn't disappointed. The roads were clear but there must have been about 3 inches of lying snow up there. It was snowing heavy when I got there but it soon fizzled out when I got the camera out of the bag ..lol..
With this cold spell out of the way, it's eyes down looking for the next one, not sure where it's coming from though, the charts show cold plunges all the way, but will they be cold enough for some more snow down here....
Monday, January 17, 2005
Fake Snow
It looks like it's going to get colder here later today, with a chance of snow overnight and into tomorrow then milder on Wednesday and getting colder again at the weekend.
The first severe weather warning for heavy snow has just been posted by the Met Office for North West Scotland, we'll just have to wait and see if the snow makes it this far down later on tonight. If we have got lying snow tomorrow morning, I'll be itching to take some piccies with the new camera.
There is an article in a photo mag we got on Friday on how to add snow to your photos using photoshop, I could cheat having bought Photoshop Elements at the weekend, but it's not really cricket and in any case, it's going to take me until summer to work out how to do it.
The first severe weather warning for heavy snow has just been posted by the Met Office for North West Scotland, we'll just have to wait and see if the snow makes it this far down later on tonight. If we have got lying snow tomorrow morning, I'll be itching to take some piccies with the new camera.
There is an article in a photo mag we got on Friday on how to add snow to your photos using photoshop, I could cheat having bought Photoshop Elements at the weekend, but it's not really cricket and in any case, it's going to take me until summer to work out how to do it.
Saturday, January 15, 2005
Wedding Piccies
Just a quick note to say that we have just added our wedding album to our photos page which you can view here.
Time to go and chill out, read my photography mag and most of all, get stuck into all that lovely beer we bought today!
Time to go and chill out, read my photography mag and most of all, get stuck into all that lovely beer we bought today!
Thursday, January 13, 2005
Allergic Reaction
The man-flu is taking hold today, it's been doing the rounds at work since before Christmas and it's a minor miracle I didn't contract this in time for our wedding having sneezed my way through the Christmas holidays for the last few years. I think I'll be popping over to the chemist for some man-flu repellant (Lempsip), it did seem to do the trick last time.
Debbie thinks it's just an allergic reaction to the DIY schedule she's lined up for this weekend, finishing off the jobs we started last summer. I'll be there, armed with hammer, nails, screws, loads of wood and an array of choice words to fire at the tongue and groove going round the kitchen window.
As for the snow prospects round here, it's not looking very promising at the moment, The Weather Outlook home page early last week was sporting a snowy scene and speculating on a post mid month cold spell, since then it's been downgraded every couple of days and is now showing daffodils!
Debbie thinks it's just an allergic reaction to the DIY schedule she's lined up for this weekend, finishing off the jobs we started last summer. I'll be there, armed with hammer, nails, screws, loads of wood and an array of choice words to fire at the tongue and groove going round the kitchen window.
As for the snow prospects round here, it's not looking very promising at the moment, The Weather Outlook home page early last week was sporting a snowy scene and speculating on a post mid month cold spell, since then it's been downgraded every couple of days and is now showing daffodils!
Wednesday, January 12, 2005
Getting Lighter
It's starting to get a little bit lighter as we head off to work in the morning and after the ten minute drive to work the sky recently has been showing lovely shades of blue pink and red. Hopefully in about another weeks time, it'll be light enough to park up on the country lanes on the way in and take some photographs, especially of the sheep I say hello to every morning as I drive past.
A photo that I wished we had got at the weekend but didn't due to the weather and lack of time, was of some sheep that appear to have taken up residence on a cricket field near Holmfirth. They've been there for over a week so they must have written permission from the groundsman, maybe they prefer mowing the grass the natural way at this particular cricket club.
It seems any chance of snow for us here has been quite literally blown away for now, predictions of a cold period starting around mid month are fading away, never having shown up in the charts at all. The forecast today is for blizzards on the higher routes in Scotland and just plain old cold, wet and windy down here in Yorkshire. I've just had a sneaky look at the Cairngorm webcams and it's certainly snowing heavily up there.
A photo that I wished we had got at the weekend but didn't due to the weather and lack of time, was of some sheep that appear to have taken up residence on a cricket field near Holmfirth. They've been there for over a week so they must have written permission from the groundsman, maybe they prefer mowing the grass the natural way at this particular cricket club.
It seems any chance of snow for us here has been quite literally blown away for now, predictions of a cold period starting around mid month are fading away, never having shown up in the charts at all. The forecast today is for blizzards on the higher routes in Scotland and just plain old cold, wet and windy down here in Yorkshire. I've just had a sneaky look at the Cairngorm webcams and it's certainly snowing heavily up there.
Monday, January 10, 2005
New Camera
It's certainly been a bit of a windy weekend around here although we seem to have escaped most of the rain that has badly affected the west of the country. Driving back from a night out on Friday was a bit hairy on the motorway, it was really difficult to keep the car in one lane, luckily there wasn't much traffic about and we got home safe and sound.
I've been and got myself a new digital camera, Debbie got one a couple of weeks ago and we liked it that much, we've got another one! It's a Konica Minolta Dimage Z2 and with 10x optical zoom and 4x digital, it's just what we need for our trips to Knowsley Safari Park. I've not even read the manual yet, just took it out on Sunday, pointed and clicked and we're chuffed to bits with the results.
The outlook for this week looks like being wet and windy again, with a severe outbreak of DIY at the weekend as we get the kitchen and bathroom finished in order to get the house on the market as soon as possible. We can't wait to move to a bigger place with a decent garden where we'll be able to attract the local bird population to within shooting reach of our new cameras.
I've been and got myself a new digital camera, Debbie got one a couple of weeks ago and we liked it that much, we've got another one! It's a Konica Minolta Dimage Z2 and with 10x optical zoom and 4x digital, it's just what we need for our trips to Knowsley Safari Park. I've not even read the manual yet, just took it out on Sunday, pointed and clicked and we're chuffed to bits with the results.
The outlook for this week looks like being wet and windy again, with a severe outbreak of DIY at the weekend as we get the kitchen and bathroom finished in order to get the house on the market as soon as possible. We can't wait to move to a bigger place with a decent garden where we'll be able to attract the local bird population to within shooting reach of our new cameras.
Friday, January 07, 2005
Celebrity Misfits
I flicked over to channel four last night to watch the first instalment of Celebrity Big Brother, Debbie's not a fan of the show but watched it with me anyway and I think we were both quite amazed at the bunch of social misfits they've managed to get together.
First in was John McCririck who is apparently unashamedly obsessed with breasts and whose wife is called Booby, you just couldn't make this stuff up! Another nutter that caught our attention was Bez, formally of Happy Mondays and judging by his head wobbling all the time, must have been very happy, on every day of the week.
I almost wish I'd missed it now, because now I've seen the housemates, I'm intrigued and want find out if Bez gets followed by the police when he's evicted after saying the only thing he'll miss is the wacky baccy.
It's just twisting my mellon man.
First in was John McCririck who is apparently unashamedly obsessed with breasts and whose wife is called Booby, you just couldn't make this stuff up! Another nutter that caught our attention was Bez, formally of Happy Mondays and judging by his head wobbling all the time, must have been very happy, on every day of the week.
I almost wish I'd missed it now, because now I've seen the housemates, I'm intrigued and want find out if Bez gets followed by the police when he's evicted after saying the only thing he'll miss is the wacky baccy.
It's just twisting my mellon man.
Thursday, January 06, 2005
The snow seems to be melting on Cairngorm today, I think being in charge of the centre there must be one of the most frustrating jobs in the world, not knowing from one day to the next if skiing is going to be possible. It just goes to show how lucky we were on honeymoon the other week when our visit coincided with the first days skiing of the season.
Picture source: cairngormmountain.com
Wednesday, January 05, 2005
This is Finse, Norway and when I last looked last year, they had a couple of inches of snow, it now looks like they've got a couple of feet there! There's no wonder we don't see much snow here anymore, it's all in Finse!
Picture source: www.bt.no/kamera/article.jhtml?articleID=24451
Tuesday, January 04, 2005
Still plenty of snow in Lapland to keep me going through this mild spell :-)
Picture source: www.tiehallinto.fi/alk/english/kelikamerat/kamera-LZ.html
Back To Work
Back to work today, hey ho!
What is married life like? Flippin busy! We've been here, there and everywhere since we got back from Scotland so I've not had much time to notice the lack of snow at the moment. We did at least have a proper White Christmas, which was nice :-) The colder spell over the weekend wasn't as good as I was hoping, with only rain at Holme Moss on Saturday afternoon and sleet over Windy Hill on the M62 on Sunday.
Looking at the charts today, it doesn't look like there is going to be much in the way of snow this week, the theme being wet & windy ..lol.. Scotland may see more snow this week though and the feeling on the Weather Outlook Forum is that things may turn colder from the middle of this month, who knows, I might even have a White Birthday as well!
What is married life like? Flippin busy! We've been here, there and everywhere since we got back from Scotland so I've not had much time to notice the lack of snow at the moment. We did at least have a proper White Christmas, which was nice :-) The colder spell over the weekend wasn't as good as I was hoping, with only rain at Holme Moss on Saturday afternoon and sleet over Windy Hill on the M62 on Sunday.
Looking at the charts today, it doesn't look like there is going to be much in the way of snow this week, the theme being wet & windy ..lol.. Scotland may see more snow this week though and the feeling on the Weather Outlook Forum is that things may turn colder from the middle of this month, who knows, I might even have a White Birthday as well!
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