Snapshot

Conifer

2009-11-08T11:06:00.002Z

Jesus help me, i think i am starting to be all sentimental. The things i am enjoying more and more are the little things that happen in my life. I get a big chunk of work done and i look back and feel proud, laying in bed with my girlfriend, i smell her hair and i am very thankful that i have someone who loves me, unquestioning of my flaws, even loving me for them, a home cooked meal from a loving mother and a crisp autumn/winter day is something to savour not curse.

The little things that turn out to matter more...

Brrrr

2009-11-03T11:23:00.001Z

So it's really autumn now. Up to the last couple of days the weather has been really mild, but the weather has turned autumnal. Days are shorter and darker. Leaves are falling off the tree.

AY, thou art welcome, heaven's delicious breath! When woods begin to wear the crimson leaf,
And suns grow meek, and the meek suns grow brief
And the year smiles as it draws near its death. Wind of the sunny south! oh, still delay
In the gay woods and in the golden air,
Like to a good old age released from care,
Journeying, in long serenity, away.
In such a bright, late quiet, would that I
Might wear out life like thee, 'mid bowers and brooks
And dearer yet, the sunshine of kind looks,
And music of kind voices ever nigh;
And when my last sand twinkled in the glass,
Pass silently from men, as thou dost pass.

By William Cullen Bryant - http://www.poetseers.org/early_american_poets/william_cullen_bryant/library/october/

Funguy

2009-11-01T12:07:00.000Z

Sorry for the absence, been amazingly busy lately. The weather is starting to close in and is one of the factors for this blogging recession. The other is my internet is so bad at the moment sometimes i haven't even got any connections. Every Saturday we have a little tree identification group going and it's really good to go out and put into practice things that i am learning.

I'm not sure where i am going with this blog at the moment. I still love taking photographs and i am still into blogging, but putting them both together seems to be difficult. Let's just plug on and try and create good content.

A Shabby Approach to Symbolism

2009-10-26T02:57:00.000Z

Ok i am saying a pre-sorry for the symbolism of this post. I think lately i am growing bored of the kind of photography i am doing. It seems to be all the same. Or at least very similar. But like everything in this world things move in cycles and patterns, (please look above and see the mark disregard for the un-imaginative symbolism i am trying to put across to you) where trying to buck the trend is sometimes the wrong thing to do. Sometimes it is better to ride the wave and see where it takes you.

On the other hand isn't it better to buck there trend and find new and exciting things to photograph? I dunno, maybe i am just confusing things now. But whatever happens i will always put pictures forward waiting for praise or criticism (by the way either is gratefully welcomed on my humbled blog).

Ships, A Wall and Someone

2009-10-22T12:35:00.000+01:00

I've been taking photos for quite a while now and i am still really nervous about approaching people and asking if i can take pictures of them. Not sure why? I am normally really confident about approaching people in whatever situation, but this seems to be a stumbling block for me. I am thinking about just jumping in head first, and jsut go around asking people and taking pictures. I will let you know how i get on and post up the results.

More pictures can be seen HERE!

Menai 2

2009-10-19T12:00:00.001+01:00

I think it's pretty weird what pictures you like and others you are indifferent too. For some reason i really like this picture. But a different picture, one that took ages to get the shot. After the editing stage of this haphazard process, it didn't turn out how i wanted. I almost shun it.

I think i really like this picture because of the mirror effect it has on the water. It doesn't produce a crisp and sharp mirror effect and when i look at it, it makes my eyes go a little funny. But it has that kind of ugly duck syndrome or something. I am just babbling now....

More Botanical Garden Shots

2009-10-16T19:04:00.003+01:00

I am actually addicted to the botanical gardens. I got to say that there are worse things to be addicted to. It's got such an array of flowers and trees, i have only just scratched the surface of the gardens. I think it's going to be great to witness the change from desolate winter to flourishing spring. Roll on spring.

Have To See Pictures

2009-10-16T19:02:00.000+01:00

Was just checking my emails and had a link off of a friend that took me to a bike shop home page. Clicked on the gallery tab and it took me to a page with pictures of all the bikes they have built. They are great photos of really great bikes. I love it, two of my passions pushed together in a splattering of colour and bike porn (bike porn are magazines or websites with beautiful bikes on, not naked bikes in weird positions with other naked bikes, i am not that weird).

Here is the link for the gallery. Have a look and let me know what you think!

A Quick Note

2009-10-15T11:46:00.000+01:00

Hello there lovely bloggers,

A while ago i had a wonderful guest post from Lady Wanderlust. It was really awesome and i want it to happen more often. So don't hold back. They don't have to be superb photography. Just pictures that YOU, the blogger, have taken and a has a really special, funny, heart warming, sad, horrible...anything, back story. So come on, send me some pictures and a few words. Don't hold back.

My email is cay.brown@gmail.com

A Very Apple Day

2009-10-13T19:59:00.001+01:00

A couple of weekends ago, as a social event for one of the societies i have joined in university, we made some cider. And drank a lot of it after. The cider we drank was the cider that was made last year. It was bloody strong and we had to spike it with some apple juice to make it drink-able. But it was a really interesting day and something i have never done before. After all, life is about doing new things...

A Trip to Anglesey

2009-10-12T22:44:00.004+01:00

Bangor is situated really near the Island of Anglesey. It's about a 10 minute walk away from halls. So it was really great to get over there and have a walk around. I walked through the town on a sleepy and chilly Sunday afternoon. On the straights there are a few little inlets where boats are left decaying in the muddy wash. I put something to practise that i learnt in one of my lectures. I took some [rubbish] pictures of Algae or as they more commonly known, SEAWEED. Yes i did not know this, but i suppose this is why i am at university. To learn a lot of useless knowledge.

P.s. Seaweed is MACRO algae not a plant.

a Very Big Sorry

2009-10-10T16:24:00.001+01:00

Here is a flower to all who have been following my blog over the last couple of months and i have to say i feel bad that i have not been paying the attention to you, the readers, that you deserve We have had no internet for a while now. Well i have had internet but sometimes it works and other times it doesn't. So a big sorry.

Looking Back at Sunday

2009-10-05T12:33:00.001+01:00

This building holds the arts and humanity subjects of the university. It's a really great, old style building that keeps the look throughout the inside of the building. I think that it looks like Hogwarts from the Harry Potter books. So now it is named as Hogwarts when we talk about this building.

More photos of last Sunday's photos can be seen HERE

Botanical Gardens 2

2009-10-02T18:38:00.001+01:00

There are some more pictures of the botanical garden HERE

Botanical Gardens 1

2009-09-30T21:24:00.002+01:00

I checked out the botanical gardens today that are attached to the university. It's a cool little place and this weekend i get to do some work there. Getting my hands dirty for the first time in a few months. Great fun. As long as it's not raining. Anyway, more pictures can be seen HERE

Peer Times

2009-09-27T12:27:00.000+01:00

My new found friends and i had to get some supplies for a beach party. While walking down we stopped at the pier to take some shots. When posting on this blog normally i can pick one out that i like. But this times i had a really hard time picking one out. So i just chose a picture of all of them and slapped that one up. But then i looked at the second one and just thought it was the best one of them all.

More can be seen HERE

Guest Pictures - Lady Wanderlust

2009-09-25T10:28:00.002+01:00

Welcome to my first ever guest picture post. The lucky first person to get their picture up on my blog was Lisa aka Lady Wanderlust.

"Taken In San Francisco while wandering Chinatown: awesome wall "art""

"This photo was taken In San Francisco while wandering Chinatown; just a random souvenir shop."

These are two great photos and i hope that this kind of post can be a regular item. Remember if you would like to submit some photos for my blog just email me at cay.brown@gmail.com with a few words to go with the picture. The first one is up (and it was a good one) now everyone else has to try and beat them.

Freshers Week!

2009-09-23T14:18:00.002+01:00

Sorry about the lack of posts lately. Been partying my freshers week away. I been drinking to much and sleeping too little.

Normal service will continue soon. If you have any pictures you want to post up. Just send me an email on cay.brown@gmail.com with the picture and a few words about it. I can also add any information you want me to put up along with the picture.

Would love it if there were any takers. It would be good to get a regular thing going.

Bangor

2009-09-20T17:03:00.000+01:00

Sorry i haven't posted in a while but i have just finished un-packing. I decided to go on a walk earlier just to see the new area i am living in. It's really great. I have always wanted to live by the sea. Though it's not the kind of sea you want to go for a dip in. Way too cold!

Anyway i am off to sample university life. More pictures can be seen HERE

It's a Mum Issue

2009-09-17T18:25:00.000+01:00

I realised that i literally have no photographs of my mam anywhere. None with my new camera and none with my old one. So today, while out, i took a few snaps. Personally i think they turned out really nice. But my mam didn't like them at all. Well this is my blog and what i like goes.

Oh by the way, M-A-M is a Welsh-ism for mum.

Like always, more photos can be seen HERE.

Still Silver

2009-09-16T17:30:00.000+01:00

All the Silver Birch trees around where i live have started to lose their leaves. Seems like they are the trees to lose their leave before all others. It's started pretty early this year and there is a hint of yellow all around. I really like it. Everyone, sooner or later will talk about the Autumn, so i will keep this short and sweet.

As always, you can see more photographs HERE.

Whirlwind

2009-09-15T12:40:00.002+01:00

It's been a mad couple of weeks. I've already taken lots of photos. Some that i love. And some that i don't. But how ever they have turned out i have learned lots about taking them. My favourite set of photographs has to be the ones i took of Matt Griffiths. I just had a really fun time taking them and they turned out really well. Also the very first set of photographs of ruins of a farm house mainly because it was the first time i actually went out especially for taking photographs.

I would love to know everyone's favourite pictures? They can be from this site or from HERE.

Grandparents Garden

2009-09-14T11:40:00.000+01:00

A couple of weekends ago me and my girl friend visited her grandparents. Her family had built them up to be super strict and a bit loony. But when i met them they were great. They had a nice house in the middle of the country and it had a really great garden. They had some onions in the garden that they had just dug up. They showed us around their garden when we were leaving and they had loads off different vegetables and roses growing. I loved it.

Matt Griffiths

2009-09-13T17:42:00.000+01:00

I love music but i am not musically talented in any way shape or form. But my cousin is just amazing. He writes and sings all his own songs. They tend to be quite mellow, chilled and laid back. The lyrics are always quite simple but clever.

While i took these photos we had a little chat about why he plays and i just loved his honesty. He played the violin and then when he entered high school he started to play the guitar because it was cooler . He did mention the regret of not carrying on with the violin. I hate when people make up a story about why they do something. Honesty beats a story every time.

I have got the link for Matt Griffiths' music HERE. Have a look, listen to all three songs. It's worth it.

My Walk

2009-09-13T16:22:00.000+01:00

I wasn't going to waste the great weather for the second day in a row so i decided to go and explore. I found this great walk that snaked along the mountain and then back to my house. Along the way, i thought i was going to be mugged, eaten by a dog and get really lost. But it was a good walk. Along the way i saw some really huge Beech trees which must be really really old.

As always i took some pictures and they can be seen HERE.

Rubbish Graffiti

2009-09-12T13:10:00.001+01:00

While walking into town i found this little note scribbled on the wall. It's not Bansky wall art and it's more vandalism than anything but it made me laugh how ludicrous it was.

It was also a photo that i wasn't going to post but i thought what the hell. There are also some more photos HERE of pictures i wasn't going to post but i have.

Surfer

2009-09-11T13:21:00.002+01:00

The other day we went to the beach and it turned out to be a really lovely day. Rest Bay is a pretty decent surf spot. So i walked down the beach, leaving my mates playing Frisbee and took some pictures of the surfers walking up the beach. I was very envious and jealous because i do love surfing. But taking these pictures were a delight to snap.

For more pictures have a look HERE !

Cool Couple of Days

2009-09-10T11:05:00.000+01:00

Well i am sitting here at a friends computer, a little hungeover but feeling worse off becuase of the kebab and chips i had while out last night. Not many people would like to know but i keep on burping and it keeps on reeking of garlic. I hate kebabs and now i am on a fast food fast. Not only because of this but because i will be a university student soon so i won't have very much money.

Well i have taken some pictures and i am off out now for a while to take some more. Just thought it would be cool to give you a snapshot of my what i am doing. A very garlicy snapshot. Sorry for that.

The Grave Yard

2009-09-09T10:03:00.000+01:00

I'm not normally a church grave yard kind of person. I am not a goth and i am not religious so they don't represent all that much for me. But i wandered into this one the other day because many of the graves were in state of disrepair or they had quite nice carvings on them.

But being in this grave yard got me thinking. The western way of dealing with death and bereavement can't really be all that healthy? We mourn loss of life rather than celebrate a life that has lived. The deeper issue for me is why take the space to bury someone in plot with a coffin. Why not go for a eco-burial and plant a tree rather than a headstone.

My feelings on the subject are still rather up in the air about this one. Many people will all have different ideas about it. And some people try not to think about it at all. I would love to know how everyone else feels about this subject? Have your say and comment.

More pictures can be found HERE!

Helicopter

2009-09-08T15:38:00.000+01:00

Ok, something really random just happened. A police helicopter just landed and took off in the field next to my house. As you can see it was really lucky where it landed because i can see the whole of the helicopter from my bedroom window...random

Rubbish

2009-09-08T12:33:00.000+01:00

For a while now i have been driving past this abandoned caravan. And every time, i have wanted to pull up and take some photos of it. Today i did and on further examination i found it was floor to ceiling stuffed with rubbish. South Wales is a beautiful part of the United Kingdom but the people do not care about the environment and just dump rubbish all over the place.

This really annoys me. I have mentioned this in the past HERE and i see it all over the place.Nearly everywhere i go in South Wales, there is rubbish on the side of the road. Nether less i took the photos (mumbling like muttly under my breath) and a couple turned out really well. Have a look HERE for better pictures.

New lens

2009-09-07T19:16:00.001+01:00

I had a hard decision to make today. What lens to get for my camera. I decided to go for a 70mm-300mm lens for taking portraits and closer shots with the aim of getting a wide angle lens when i have the money. After i have bought something i always have that feeling of whether i have made the right decision? When i got back i took a few pictures and they turned out pretty well. Got to get used to the fact that i won't be able to take landscapes with this lens. But i can just use the lens that came with the camera.

Some more photographs will be put up tomorrow. And sorry about the lack and quaility of my posts lately.

Balloons?!

2009-09-05T17:08:00.000+01:00

I couldn't resist taking a piccy of my balloons.

Birthday Break

2009-09-05T16:47:00.000+01:00

Hello. It's my Birthday. So i am haven't done all that much. Just because i am SOOO tired. I didn't get all that much sleep last night. And i didn't lose sleep over all the fun reasons. Just because i was really uncomfortable, too hot..too cold..lay on my side...lay on my front.

In a way, this morning really reminded me of birthdays when i was younger. I got up early and opened up some presents. For the last couple of years this hasn't happened. Normally because i have had a hangover the morning of my birthday or because i slept in really late. So it was good to go back to how things used to work. Just reminds me how un-exciting birthdays and Christmas' get when you older. Oh well. Back to normality tomorrow.

Meatballs!!!!

2009-09-04T18:20:00.002+01:00

Ok, i am taking about meatballs again.

But bare with me.

Last night i made meatballs.

I eat a lot of meatballs.

Got to love them!

I always make way more than i will eat so i can wack them in the fridge for the next day.

So me and my girl friend were in the middle of our sitting in front of the tv day.

When we decided to go for a random walk down the canal.

While rooting through the cupboard and then the fridge for a sandwich filler i came across the left over meatballs.

Ahh heaven.

After we walked up and down the canal, we ran back to the car to grab them.

They were good.

Very good.

After that we grabbed some coffee and then some Victoria Sponge cake.

Which was even better than the meatball sandwiches.

So it means that it was good.

If you want to see more of my photos have a look at Caley Brown Photography

Fun Times

2009-09-03T18:15:00.001+01:00

I had a great time today just listening to music and setting up a photo blog. Don't worry. I won't spend all my time and effort on that blog. This is my first love. I will always come back.

If you haven't caught the link to my new blog here it is:

Caley Brown Photography

Usk Castle Take Two

2009-09-03T10:49:00.004+01:00

Here are some more photos i took at Usk Castle. In these ones there are actually pictures of the castle. Ok ok i get distracted really easily...But it's the same for everyone!

Usk Castle

2009-09-03T10:45:00.002+01:00

2 days, 2 ruins. This time not a farm building but a castle. Usk castle is situated off a rutted track from the main street in Usk. If you drive by to fast or walk with your head in the clouds, your going to miss it. It lays right behind the town and provides a great view of Usk. But, at the moment the weather is against us and my landscape photography skills isn't up to standard.

Ruins

2009-09-02T18:27:00.000+01:00

I went for a walk today and came across ruins of an old farm buildings. Around the area i live there's not a lot around. You can walk in both directions from my house and come across some old buildings that have turned to ruins. Taking these photos made me fustrated. But when i got home and edited them, i was so proud.

Cat

2009-09-01T12:07:00.003+01:00

This is my first shot using a technique called HDR. Basically i took three pictures. One with normal exposure, one under exposed and one over exposed. I put it into my photo editing softwear, merged the three photos together and tweaked the colour, clarity and saturation.

Now this picture doesn't work mainly because it's a small picture, taken indoors. So i don't think it has created the atmosphere that HDR can bring to a picture. But that doesn't matter because i am just playing at the moment.

A Little Update

2009-09-01T10:57:00.003+01:00

With the excitement of my new camera and the fact that i haven't stopped all weekend, i never told you about what i got up to over the weekend.

It started off with the purchase of my camera. It was a lot of money but well worth it. We got home sharpish from the shops and got ready to go back out. A car ride, another car ride, a train ride and then a walk later we got to Bristol where i finally got a pint. A couple of hours later we were in the que, warming up by jumping up and down on the spot, for Bill Bailey. Anyone who doesn't know who he is, you have my permission to go off my blog and google him. He's a really funny, intelligent and witty comedian who plays musics, talks about relevant topic and just generally seems nice and naturally funny.

On the Sunday, we clambered out of bed and rushed into the car. There was not even time for a coffee. We drove down to Cardiff and put up my girl friend's art up into an exhibition about Sex, Anarchy and Wales. It was a really good exhibition. It was very off the cuff as there were bands playing, short movies being played and poetry being read out.

So a very busy weekend of culture. Throughout the weekend i experienced two activities that i have done before and i am really glad that i got the chance to do them.

Purple Flowers

2009-08-31T21:59:00.003+01:00

This was the second picture that i edited and, again, i was pleasantly surprised with the outcome.

I was talking to my girl friend about the dilemma that everyone, who creates art or take photos, need to think about. "How do you stand out from the crowd?" Now i don't think that i have the answer to this, but the whole fun of art and photography is creating your whole style. I am really looking forward to creating a style.

Pad Lock

2009-08-31T21:26:00.002+01:00

So this is my first attempt at any kind of photo editing. Using a trial of Corel Paint Shop Pro and finding it quite intimidating to say the least. But i suppose it's all about getting used to it.

I am really happy with how this has turned out. The only thing that i don't like is the watermark. But i have apprehensions about people using my photos without me knowing about it. I would willingly let anyone use my photos as long as they ask me in the first place. Though i doubt anyone would bother.

New Camera!

2009-08-31T14:14:00.003+01:00

I have finally got a new camera. These are the first photographs i taken with it. It's all a kind of a jumble at the moment. I have only been using a point and shoot digital camera up until now and all the settings on the SLR is a real mystery but i will plow on and learn the ropes.

Cup of Coffee

2009-08-28T16:05:00.000+01:00

I am kind of half happy and half disappointed with this photo. I think because it didn't turn out the way that i wanted to. I made it black and white as the colours were washed out. And cropped it because everything in the shot was blurred. You can see a half of the shadow has a shadow on it which i don't know if it adds something to it or takes away?

White Bluebell

2009-08-28T11:37:00.000+01:00

I posted about bluebells a few days ago. While taking some pictures of them earlier in the year i came across this flower. It took me ages to identify it but it turned out to be a white version of what i have been looking at all day.

It's actually a hybridisation of two different bluebells. I'm not sure if it a hybridisation of two native Bluebells or of the Spanish Bluebell and the native one. Maybe it could be either and it is just a genetic mutation that could occur what ever the combination of Bluebells. If i ever find out i will let you guys know.

Girl

2009-08-27T10:50:00.000+01:00

A couple of weeks ago my girl friend and myself went to falmouth to move some of her stuff into her new house. While we were there we went to walk around the castle and i took this photograph. I left it un-edited for a while but i decided to make it black and white and sharpen the image up. I think it works pretty well as black and white.

I've learned something about black and white over the last couple of days. Not only from trying to use it in my own photos but i have been looking at lots of different photoblogs, that are far superior to my blog, and come to the conclusion that it doesn't always work well. The skill is to pick out the ones that do work.

Unlike on the last couple of posts, there wasn't much of a process in figuring out what worked well for this photo. Mainly becuase i was actually happy with what the end result of my fiddling was.

Take Two

2009-08-26T10:50:00.009+01:00

So i really was not happy with that picture i put on my Alton Towers post. So played around with it. I tweaked the shadows, the tint, the highlights and the contrast and came up with these lot. I think number two is my favourite out of all of these. But number three isn't without it's charms!

What's your favourite verision? The picture in the oringial post is included...i suppose!

Theme Park Time

2009-08-26T10:16:00.004+01:00

It's my birthday soon. So me and a friend went to Alton Towers for the day. We had a great time. We got wet 4 times. One of the times it was because it was hammering down with rain. While it was hammering down we went on the fastest ride in the park. It shot you from standing still to 100mph in a couple of seconds and the rain on your face stung quite a bit.

We got scared. A lot. And we got lucky. One of the rides wasn't open for part of the day but we just happened to walk past the big screen when it did. Looking at it we saw that there was only a 5 minute wait for this ride. My mate shouted to me "We don't have to run like 6year olds" i answered "Yes we do!" and he replyed "I agree".

That kind of childish humor was continued in stylish fashion throughout the day. On the flume ride, a water ride that you sit in a bath tub and get pretty drenched in, goes through a pitch black tunnel and a duck pops out and quacks at you. We had to quack back. And then quacked for the rest of the day. We pretty much ran to all the rides. We did superman hands in the air for AIR. Lastly we rid one of the kiddies rides 8 times in a row at the end of the day, screaming like girls all the way.

All the while, i took no photographs because i was just having to much fun being a big kid. I did get this photograph but it isn't very good.

Hands

2009-08-24T16:31:00.004+01:00

I was getting out of the shower the other day and i took a photo of my hand print against the wall. It was really faint and you could hardly see anything. So i did a little bit of editting and came up with these. I quite like the way they came out. I couldn't use normal colours because the hand print didn't come out. But changing the shades worked really well.

What is it?

2009-08-22T18:23:00.005+01:00

I went for a walk a couple days ago and found this awesome looking broken tree! I didn't see it at first! But after looking at it from a few different angles i finally saw it. Anyone else see it?

Sitchwort

2009-08-21T17:28:00.003+01:00

Stitchwort (Stellaria holostea) are not only found in woodlands but also found in hedgerows and other undisturbed verges.

While searching on the Internet about more information on Stitchwort, i have found lots of different medical uses that Stitchwort has been used for in the past. They included a cure to alleviate a stitch in the side and be a cure for broken bones.

Bluebell

2009-08-20T16:44:00.002+01:00

Around 70% of bluebells are found in Bluebell woodlands. In these woodlands the floor of the woodland between April and May cover the floor allowing no other woodland flower to interrupt the carpet. Around 25% - 50% of the bluebells in the world are found in the United Kingdom.

Bluebells (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) are probably the most well known woodland flower in the United Kingdom. It's found in most woodlands in temperate biomes around the world.

Bluebells are actually a protected species in the United Kingdom. It is illegal to uproot or sell bluebells. There are a number of reasons why bluebells are protected in the United kingdom;

Loss of Habitat
Climate change
Removal of bulbs from gardens
Trampling by tourist or walkers to woodlands
Competition and hybridisation by Spanish Bluebells

Archangel

2009-08-19T11:30:00.004+01:00

Archangel (Lamiastrum galeobdolon) is actually a weed and it is very invasive, out competing many other woodland flowers. I have been reading here that this plant seems to be a major problem in North America. But from what i know, it doesn't seem to be much of a problem in British woodlands. We don't seem to have this problem with this particular weed, though we do have problems with Giant Hogweed and Japanese Knotweed.

It is a perenial flower, either being spread via seeds but it can also spread by root noduals and stem fragments. With so many different ways it can reproduce, it's no wonder plants like these take a hold in forest ecosystem.

There are many ways in which you could try and control these plants;

You could do it all manually by taking out the root systems by hand. But this would be fruitless because the root systems on these types of plants can be huge.
You could keep cutting them back. But if this is done at the wrong time of the year you could actually make things much worse. It is also it was very labour intensive.
Or you could Spray the plants with chemicals which can be done easily and will take out the plant and the root. But you are introducing chemicals into a ecosystem which is never really a viable alternative can never be very good. Even if it says so on the label.

The best approach in my mind is using all these methods. Well not all, i think in every situation, chemicals can never be the answer.

Ground Elder

2009-08-19T10:59:00.003+01:00

Ground Elder (Aegopodium podagraria) is another invasive weed. But this one i have seen enveloping the floor of a forest.

Ground Elder can be used as a substitute to spinach as it is a leaf vegetable. But be warned. If you pick and eat it after the flowers have come out, then it can cause a laxative effect and it tastes nasty. The Romans are thought to have brought it over to this country and not only used it to eat but it was also thought to be a cure for gout and arthritis.

You Know When...

2009-08-18T13:14:00.011+01:00

...Your just having one of those days. I have just had one of those mornings. Everything went wrong. It all started the night before. I decided to go mountain biking. So i had to clean my bike and pump up my tires. I got out my track pump, i use when i am at home, but it broke into a million pieces. So i thought "I have a pump in my car, i will do it when i get to the car park tomorrow". Big mistake.

This morning i was really good. I got up early, had porridge and golden syrup before making my way out of the house, into my car and made the 5 minute journey to the trail car park. I started to inflate the tire up with my little hand pump and then that pump broke. The only people in the car park did not have a pump so i had to walk all the way up to the visitor centre. I eventually found someone with a pump and i started to inflate my tire once again and i snapped the valve off of the inner tube. Great, so i ran off back to my car to get a spare tube. I took the old one out and then while putting the tire back on i snapped the tire lever. So i stupidly used my keys and bent my house key. I finally got the tube in, tire on and it pumped up.

I started on the trail and all the way up i kept on having to push up a section or i was always getting my tire stuck in a rut which nearly always meant me falling off the bike. I did this a couple of times and lost my water bottle out of the holder. I only noticed this half way up the climb. So i had to get off, walk back down the trail and scramble through the shrubs to find it. I found it and carried on up to the first rest point.

It was really weird because i have done this trail tons of times and i have never noticed or gone up to it and had a proper look at this sculpture. From another of my posts The Fwrrwm, you might know that i quite like carvings and sculptures out off wood. So i was immediately drawn to this.

I probably never really take any notice of this sculpture. Normally i keep on going and stop right at the top of the climb rather than at this rest stop. But i was so wizzed off with myself, on this occasion, i had to stop. I found another one a couple of miles further on. I have noticed this one before. I just have never gone up to it and had a proper look before.

So after all of the festivities of the morning, the rest of the ride went ok. Even though the ride wasn't exactly the best, i did find come cool fungi.

I have no clue what type of mushroom this is of but i thought i was really cool. If you do know what it is called?! Please let me all know. Oh by the way, the mushroom isn't as big as my bike, my bike is just a little further down the trail.

I suppose the moral of this story is to be more prepared. Next time i might be. But first i have to buy another hand pump and track pump.

No Pictures Today Sorry

2009-08-17T19:59:00.002+01:00

I've just got to the point now that life is going back to normal after a couple of mad mad weeks.

Firstly it started off with the spur of the moment mountain bike trip to North Wales. Then it continued with finishing my part time job. I been working there for just over a year but there were no tears. We're guys, of course there were no tears. There were a few beers though. Always a few beers with the guys at work. Then it finished off with a quick trip to Falmouth. Which ended with a day of chilling which included hours and hours of how clean is your house? and come dine with me! If your not into your day time telly, they are rubbishy telly programs that are highly addictive.

All in all it was a great couple of weeks. Met some cool people, took some very nice pictures but most importantly i have started on the road to my next life. Which is really weird because for the last couple of years i have felt that i have been on a hamster wheel. 3 years of college, i had to start the year over again because i had to move to another college and a lot of doing nothing important is actually ending.

I am moving out and moving onwards. And i totally can't wait. Change is very important. It allows you to grow as a person. But most importantly, if you're in a rut (personally i am not) then it lets you get out of it.

Falmouth Times

2009-08-16T15:40:00.003+01:00

So after the lovely day we had in the car the day before, the weather was pretty miserable the next day. But it didn't spoil the day.

Even though the weather wasn't great, it did give me this great photo, so it's all good! Throughout the day we got soaked in that miserable type of drizzle that you get only in the UK. After venturing out of the harbour we walked along the scenic drive and hit the castle.

The castle was held as a base for combating smuggling. Then in more recent history, as a coastal defence in World War 1 and 2. From the top of the castle, you could see all of Falmouth and the surrounding countryside. I reckon the view from top would have been great if there wasn't so much mist enshrouding the view.

After walking around the castle and experiencing the daily sounding of the gun at midday, we headed back to the harbour. After a hard days walking around, we had a really hearty dinner of pie and chips. Just what we needed.

After a Long Drive...

2009-08-13T17:40:00.005+01:00

...it's always great to jump on the beach and soak up the sun. It's always surprising that after a long-ish (3 and 1/2 hours or so) car drive, how cramped up you get. Ok my car is a little rust box and you can't swing a cat in it, but she does do the job excellently. I am going to sorely miss her when i have to sell her.

Anyways, we arrived at our destination safely and decided, while waiting for the key to arrive, to get on the beach and soak up some sun. Well i can't stay still for any extended period of time so we made and my girl friend named...

...Geoff. Isn't he smashing. When we left, we couldn't take him with us but we did keep his nose. It was the least we could do to keep Geoff alive. R.I.P Geoff. Before we left, we had time to make my girl friend some new feet, toesies included!

Lords and Ladies

2009-08-11T11:29:00.002+01:00

Lords and Ladies (Arum maculatum) are supposed to have a flower coming off the stem but i have never actually seen one. Every one i have seen have looked like the pictures here. I am sure they do actually exist and i have just never seen it. Other than that, i can't really find anything else interesting about this plant other than its physiology. Lords and Ladies can cause allergic reactions and small rodents tend to find it's spadix (this is the flower, wow i have learnt something today) very attractive.

It's a common woodland plant and are found in abundant numbers. Without the flower they just look like weeds. So if you are not so hot on your plant ident and you are walking through a woodland you are excused from walking right past it. There is another specie of Lords and Ladies, which is of the Italian Lords and Ladies. The difference being, on the Italian variety there are gray splashed on the leaves.

Lords and Ladies seem to have many different local/wild names. Wild arum, Lords and Ladies, Jack in the Pulpit, Devils and Angels, Cows and Bulls, Cuckoo-Pint, Adam and Eve, Bobbins, Naked Boys, Starch-Root and Wake Robin.

Discussion Topic : Favourite Flu Food

2009-08-10T20:15:00.002+01:00

So i am going to try a new thing on my blog. Many of my posts have nearly no room for discussion or reader interaction and to me it's a really important aspect of a blog. I want to get to know my (if any exist) my readers and i think this might be a really good way of doing this. So this is the first in the line of discussion topics i will be posting. They will go something like this;

I have the flu. I worked through the weekend and felt terrible. Now it is the start of the week and i took the day off. So i decided to eat some of my favourite flu food! My favourite flu food is tomatoe or chicken soup with lots of crusty bread. It's the best, it warms you up and fills you up.

So what's your favourite flu food?

North Wales Mountain Bike Trip, Part 4

2009-08-10T11:56:00.005+01:00

After a weekend of work and flu, I have finally had time to write on my blog. We had a really great time. We always do. Just a couple of days of laughing and riding. It was great.

Oh yea, instead of posting part 4 on this post, i have done seperate posts for all the different features of my trip. Hope you enjoy.

The Bunk House

2009-08-10T10:00:00.007+01:00

The bunk house that we used is in Machnylleth and is a great base from which to explore North and Mid Wales. It's clean, got all the facilities that you need and the owner is really friendly.

We didn't use the bunk house but stayed in a tent. But we could still use all the facilities in the bunk house.

New Friends

2009-08-10T10:00:00.006+01:00

The best part of going away or travelling around is meeting new people. It’s just great to meet people that you might not associate with in normal life and if you don’t get on, you don’t have to stay in touch. I find that normally I don’t really keep in contact with many of the people I meet. But the ones that I do keep in contact with I do become friends with them.

We met two Austrian girls, Anne and NONO, who were staying in the bunkhouse. They were really great, we all went to the pub and just laughed all night long.

I also met a little caterpillar. But I doubt we will be keeping in contact.

The Wrong Turn

2009-08-10T10:00:00.004+01:00

The last time we got the chance to go up to North Wales mountain biking, we took a wrong turn and the sat nav took us through the most spectacular place ever. You start driving through country lanes then climb on top of a mooreland surrounded by mountains. You then come over the mooreland and descend back into country lanes. It was a really awesome moment just finding this place and has a special place in my heart.

The Riding

2009-08-10T10:00:00.003+01:00

Well we didn’t get to do my favourite trail, the Mach 3 which was a big shame. We were all feeling a bit rough from the night before. But the other trails were a lot of fun.

The Marin trail on the second day was really hard. It really wiped us out. But the pay back on the decents really made up for the climbing. Plus the views were really great.

Edders got two punchtures in the first half hour on the first ride. Thankfully there were no others throughout the rest of the rides.

The guys

2009-08-10T10:00:00.000+01:00

To be honest, it’s the company you keep that really makes a trip great. Like with anything in life, if you are spending time with people you do not get on with then you are not going to have such a great time. I get on with these guys great and we have a few things in common, the love of mountain biking is the big shared interest.

North Wales Mountain Bike Trip, Part 3

2009-08-04T23:08:00.000+01:00

For a quick and easy meal tomorrow, i have made meatballs for our trip. Unfortunately i haven't got any batteries in my camera to show you my AMAZING meatballs but i can ensure you that i have had a taste of it and they are very good.

Not tooting my own horn or anything...Toot toot.

Every thing is now ready. All i have to do is get my bike out of the shed and i am ready to go. Thankfully brake pads for my bike came in the post today. It was waying heavy on my mind all day. If they didn't come today then i would be waiting on them tomorrow and it would be a tight call. I was expecting them not to come and then i would have really been up a certain kind of creek.

North Wales Mountain Bike Trip, Part 2

2009-08-04T12:00:00.000+01:00

Hehehehehe *nervous laugh* i'm nearly done packing for our trip mountain biking but i have way too much stuff.

I really have tired to pack light.

Honest.

Mountain bike cloths, food, stove, normal cloths, wellies, sleeping bag, pillow, spare shoes and one bike.

If i try and leave something out i either won't have anything to eat, wear or ride on. The problem is i can't be left out of all the fun and i get really cranky if i don't eat. So it looks like i will be living in boxer shorts for the three days.

Because we have to pack so much, who ever gets stuck in the back is going to be uncomfortable. Shizz, it's probably going to be me. I am the youngest, i am the smallest and i am the only Welshman, the other guys are English.

Bugger.

By the end of it. The car is going to stink. And i mean reek. I won't have a pair of dry undies left. I'm not moaning honest.

Actually i really can't wait for it. Good mountain biking, even better company and a few brewskis.

Heaven.

Even if it does pour down all of the time. At least we are all going to be in the same boat. I mean god dammit. We're British. We are used to rainy holidays.

North Wales Mountain Bike Trip, Part 1

2009-08-03T11:07:00.001+01:00

This wednesday, me and a couple of guys are going to North Wales to go mountain biking for 3 (wednesday, thursday and friday) days. I am really excited about going now because we are going to do 3 spectacular trails. (just zoom out to see where they are located).

View North Wales 2009 in a larger map

We are doing the Climax which is short and sweet, the Mach 3 which is epic with landscapes to match and the Marin trail which is just full of hard climbs and fun decents. These are three great trails. We have done them all before and IF the weather stays ok (i am not holding my breath) we should have a great great time. Even if it does rain it's not too much of a problem, there is nothing a few beers can't cure.

Cuckoo Flower

2009-07-31T11:34:00.002+01:00

Cuckoo flowers (Cardamine pratensis) are found in wet grassland areas or anywhere it is waterlogged. I found this one flowering just outside of a barn on the farm on the where i studied countryside management. There were also lots flowering along side of the river that runs through the college.

Cuckoo flower has a number of different names. Lady's Smock or Milkmaid are the common names given to Cuckoo flower. Cuckoo flowers are quite common and to my knowledge only have a few uses. It makes up a mix of wild flowers which are great for wildlife in meadows and gradens. They are particulary attractive to butterflies like the Orange Tip butterfly. Once it was also used as a substitue to watercress.

Feel free to add anything to my post by adding a comments or if i have got anything wrong, tell me so.

Banksy, You Made Me Wet! But Was it Worth It?

2009-07-30T18:51:00.000+01:00

I won't make you wait for the answer. Was it worth it...Yes. Let me explain more about it. I've been waiting for ages to go and see Banksy's exhibition at the Bristol Museum and Arts Center.

Before i go into it more you might not know who Banksy is. Well Banksy is a guy who goes around and does wall art and other kind of art related stunts. Many many people love his work but others are not so hot on his work and class it as vandalism. Personally i think he is great. He says things that other people might not have the guts to say. Look here for more on him.

We (me and my girlfriend again) left from Newport early in the morning and arrived at Bristol train station to a monsoon welcome. It was hammering down. But undeterred we ventured out into the monsoon rain to find Banksy's exhibition.

It was actually pretty straight forward. Except from the rain and getting stupidly wet. We got to the Museum in an uneventful fashion. Along the way we filled up on bacon sarnies and coffee at a hip cafe. I also found my first Banksy wall art.

To say i was excited was a pretty bit understatement. I was grinning from ear to ear and couldn't wait to get in. With a jump in my step (which made a weird kind of squelching noise) we made our way to the entrance only to be stopped just before the door. A big burly guy notified us that the que was around the next corner. Doh! Plus it started to rain very hard again.

Well my jump was starting to vanish but i have waited too long to turn back and go home. So we waited. Got even wetter. Got even colder. Got more hungry and this was in the first five minutes. To be fair the que moved pretty fast. And the weather got better. Then Worse again. Then better. Then Worse again. You get the picture, it was showery. While waiting we did find a great little peice of Banksy's work

Spotting this really gave us another Bansky kick. Not long after, we got into the museum and spent around 45 minutes looking around. I took some pictures of my favourites and put them into a little fim to show all those who will not get a chance to see it.

If anyone has had the good fortune of seeing this exhibit why not share your veiws and expereinces and leave a comment? If you haven't been and have anything to say about Banksy's work (and there is a lot to say) then why don't you share it with everyone?

The Fwrrwm

2009-07-29T15:04:00.000+01:00

Well it was yet another wet day. But we (me and my girlfriend) decided to venture out and get some lunch. We decided to get lunch at a little place called the Fwrrwm in Caerleon. It's about 5 minutes from where my girlfriend lives.
So we parked up and instantly i knew i chose the wrong foot wear for this occasion. I found a massive hole in the sole of my shoe and was squelching around for the rest of the afternoon.

Not only is it a cafe but it boasts some really great art. Ranging from the sculptures you can see here. To some very delicate watercolour canvas paintings. By know you should know from the rest of my blog (and if you don't you should read my blog and catch up) i am really into trees and plants. So sculptures of this kind are right up my street.

As you can see all these pieces are really great. Not only are there over sized heads standing tall, there are also heads floating in trees and heads hidden in alcoves in the wall. It's a really great place, the mix of art and celtic mythology creates a really great atmosphere.

So it was a pretty good afternoon. I got to spend some time with my girl friend. I got to take some good pictures. But most importantly i got to eat some really good food. Even though i didn't get all the pictures that i wanted, i feel like i still got some great photos plus because i still got some more photos to take it gives me another excuse to go to the Fwrrwm and eat some more great food.

Dog Violet

2009-07-29T14:14:00.000+01:00

This is a Dog Violet (Viola conspersa) and one of those finds that you nearly miss altogether. Actually i nearly stepped on it. I found it among a patch of Ash regeneration and it was in a solitary clump.

Dog violet are a type of plant which fertilizes it self which can explain why i found this one on its own. Also Violet species are a good source of early nectar of butterflies and a host for their larve. For more information about this plant or any other woodland plant here is a good site to look at.

The Epic Clean, Part 2

2009-07-28T21:14:00.000+01:00

As i am trying to save some money i am only replacing gear cables and tires. The rest of the bike i am just cleaning making sure it is at least in working order.

After part one the next step was too take off the brake capillar and the mech so it is easier to clean the frame. I sponged the frame, the mech and the brake capillar using the de-greaser i used in part one. I took the smaller brush taking any oily grime off all the parts and then sponge down any left over muck.

I wiped down the bike with a old towl which then removes anything that you may have missed. I then took some disc cleaner and cleaned down the discs. Getting rid of any oily substances on the disc will mean improved braking in all conditions. Without cleaning the discs it can seem that they work pretty well in drier conditions but as soon as they get wet, you can really feel how much the performance is impaired with any substances on the disc.

Woodruff

2009-07-25T23:23:00.000+01:00

Plant identification and tree identification are quite different from each other. There are only around 33 different native species of tree in Britain which is vastly less than the amount of plants there are. This already makes it much easier to identify trees rather than plants. Tree identification (here you can find a good guide to tree identification) is easier because you have 6 main different means of identifying a tree. Leaf, bud, bark, fruit, leaf arrangement and flower. To identify plants you need to have a lot more expert knowledge compared with tree identification.

Take this plant for instance. This is Woodruff (Galium odoratum) gave me a lot of trouble when i was trying to identify this flower. I came across the leaves and they looked like the above. There were a few of these leaves scattered around on the floor and i could not find them in my plant book. So i had to wait a couple of months for it to flower so i could actually identify it properly.
But when it did flower in mid to late spring it was well worth it. From the few scattering leaf formations a couple of months before, it transformed into dozens upon dozens of circular leaf arrangements with white flowers coming off a stems in the centre. It felt really really good to nail that ident.

Just a bit of Fun

2009-07-25T21:06:00.000+01:00

Trying not too post many bits of news as i know it is a saturated market but when you come across pieces of news like this....

...things like this really amaze me how creative and inventive some people can be. Be it a little random and pointless...and this...

...personally i can't figure out if this one is funny or not? Or if it's just plain stupid? I might even be pushed to say counter evolutionary? I don't know but it did make me chuckle.

Just a Thought!

2009-07-25T10:23:00.000+01:00

I think i may have had my first adult profound thought. Let me explain a bit more about it. I have done a lot of things in the past few years. Traveling around South Africa. Mountain biking all over the UK. Lots of work experience. And many many other things. This made me think about how much i can remember about each of them. It turned out that i could hardly remember anything. Except key events like bad moments and moments that gave me a shock.

Thinking about this, something just hit me. Even though i can't remember the details of each place. I can remember really vividly lessions i learnt along the way. Even though it doesn't make all the details rush back. It did leave me with a feeling that i have learn from the experiences and make them all the more worth while. At the end of the day isn't that part of life, learning from experiences? Also isn't this why cameras were invented?

For me this is like milestone in my life. I no longer think "i don't want this to end". I can now look upon things that are coming up with the outlook of "it's great while it's happening but also look forward to taking something away with me afterwards".

I suddenly feel all grown up.

Wood Anemone

2009-07-24T21:54:00.000+01:00

Wood Anemone (Anemone nemorosa) is a pretty amazing flower. This plant like many other creeping woodland flowers, it can store energy underground which means that it can grow leaves, roots and flowers all at the same time. Wood anemone flower in early spring, they take advantage of the lack of canopy cover from the trees and really just dominate the woodland floor. Then later in spring the bluebells take over from the wood Anemone and dominate.

It's weird how some pictures that you take are not the best, take the below picture of instance. It's a little blurred. The composition isn't great. But i still really like it. It just reminds me that at this time of the year (Late winter through Spring) it's such a special time and the whole reason i got into what i do.
Click here for more information on wood anemone and any other woodland plant you may be interested.

The Epic Clean, Part 1

2009-07-24T13:48:00.000+01:00

So it is still raining and it doesn't look like it is going to stop. So i decided to have an epic clean up of my mountain bike. Now i am not really one for just cleaning my bike, normally i hose it down, lube it up and then leave it. But it's getting old. Parts on it are starting to fail. So one more clean before things are replaced is on the cards.

Right i am not going to bore you or insult your intelligence by doing a step by step list of instructions on what i have done. But i will say what i have done. So firstly I started on the wheels. I took the tires off with a tire lever. The one i am using in the picture is just a cheap plastic one. They work as well as metal ones but do not leave scratches on the rim. The only problem with them is that they do bend and snap quite easily.

Finally, after getting the tire off i took a warm bucket of water, some de-greaser (if you don't want to fork out £3.99 for muck off de-greaser, you can use some washing up liquid and some lemon juice) and some bike cleaning solution. I just gave both wheels a good clean taking some time to get inbetween the cogs on the cassette. You can see me doing this in the picture below.

The brush that i am using is part of a brush cleaning kit that you can pick up for around £9.99. As you apply some chain lube (mainly the wet lubes) they pick up any grime the chain comes in contact with and then sticks to the cogs. So i have made sure that i get as much of this off as possible. This is where the de-greaser comes in handy because it does actually breaks down all the grime and makes it easier to brush away.

Because i have no money in the bank, i have decided on changing the tires on my bike and just clean and maintain the rest of the bike. This saves a lot of money and sometimes parts only need to be cleaned and re-greased and they will work like new.

Ogmore

2009-07-21T15:05:00.000+01:00

So the weather is totally pants. There is no opportunity for (mis)adventure. And the most exciting thing i have left in my life is buying new tyres for my mountain bike and sorting through some photos from the summer so far.

These are a selection of photos that i took when Becky (my girlfriend) and i went to the beach one sunny sunny day. The beach we chose for this particular outing was Ogmore along the South Coast of Wales.

View Larger Map

It's a beautiful stretch of coastline that is just off the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path, but none the less beautiful. That's only if you can get over the litter in the car park. South Wales is notoriously bad for litter. It's something to do with the attitude of the people and it really gets up my nose because now i am rambling on about how bad the litter is when i should be talking about our beach adventure.

The geology of the area is just spectacular. The geology ranges from warm tropical seas that laid a foundation of Carboniferous Limestone to flash floods creating conglomerate rock deposited by wadis during dry and arid periods of time. In the picture above the Carboniferous Limestone has been uplifted and manipulated into the shelf like structures you can see. This was created by mountain building tectonic activity. For more on the geology of Ogmore and the surrounding areas have a look here.

I found these plants growing in the cracks of a rock overlooking the sea. It is amazing to find plants growing in this harsh environment. It is just shows how diverse the range of habitats plants can survive in is. It provided a great picture. Though i have to admit that it was a bit dangerous getting to it. But i was careful and lived to take photos another day.

Won't it stop raining?

2009-07-21T11:05:00.000+01:00

For anyone in the UK at the moment. Be it on holiday, on summer vacation from school/university or taking a couple of days off from work, the weather isn't very summery. Britons should be used to our non-summer weather by now. As it is too wet to go out you might be sitting, looking out of a window and thinking "Why raindrops come in so many sizes?"

Well the answer is at hand. Here, on the BBC website, it is explained that raindrops over a certain size are too heavy/large to stay in one droplet. They flatten as they race to Earth from the clouds. Air then creates a pocket in the rain drop and bursts into many smaller droplets.

Fascinating, but it doesn't really give us any hope of a nice summer does it?! The worse thing about the British weather is we get a week of really nice weather then a month of really bad weather. It's like the weather gods are playing game with us mere mortals. It makes planning an outing a game of Russian roulette.

But these rainy days arn't all bad. It's good laying in bed (till 11am) weather. Also its a good time for going out for a walk, with your favourite person in the whole world on one arm and a large brolly in the other.

How did the ducks get down from the ledge?

2009-07-20T23:17:00.000+01:00

I'm not really one for posting about the news. My thing is pictures rather than social commentry on current affairs. But i do read the news pretty much everday and somethings are just worth posting.

I found this article on the BBC website a couple of months ago.

This article/video not only underlines how diverse humans actions are but should be taken as a kind of lession by the media. The media covers so much news containing hate, murder, pain and dysfunction, but they don't really cover enough stories that highlights good things we humans do.

More acts of kindness like this and coverage of them by the media might actually make the world a nicer place to live. Reader, it might just be me trying to be an optimist rather than a pessamist. But i do beleive it. Otherwise i wouldn't have posted it.

The Struggle

2009-07-19T01:39:00.000+01:00

Reader, i have a confession. I am not all that great at writing posts. I dread them. I lose sleep over them. I take about five different drafts before a post goes up. But for me, it's the most rewarding part of keeping a blog.

It's 1am, i have work in the morning and all i can think about is my next post. I have to admit that i do have a plan for all my posts. It's a great idea. On every blogging tip site i have looked at (the best one i have found so far is Blogging Tips) they go on about keeping an eye on what the audience wants, what content you put in and so on... But i have that blogging itch. I haven't posted in a couple of days. I'm getting twitchy. All i have been doing is cleaning things up, writing up my weekly review of my blog and editing older posts. Boring. All the while telling my self "wait till Monday, you can make it" but i simply can't.

So i was thinking, should i carry on with my posting plan or should i write about rubbish. I chose rubbish. Well random more than rubbish. Random acts of warmth are what really makes the world turn. They also keep people sane and prove that there is some humanity left. On a rainy day in Cape Town in Kirstenbosch i found something that puts a smile on my face whenever i look at it.

I walked around a corner and found a couple of wooden gorillas staring at me. I don't know why i like picture so much. I like monkeys but not really a fan of wood carving. I think it was the fact that these gorillas took me by surprise and put a huge smile on my face. So now whenever i see this picture i just smile.

I think everyone, who is into taking photos, have at least one kind of photo like this. This one is mine. And now everyone on the blogging sphere can share this one.

Just A-Bit of Editing

2009-07-17T13:54:00.000+01:00

I was looking at my blog this morning and i decided to do a-bit of editing to the layout and sidebar. It's really important for me to make sure that the layout does not spoil the content of the posts in my blog. This is also an important of every blog that exists.

So if you have any comments on the layout of my blog. I encourage you to comment.

Thanks

Fox Glove

2009-07-15T12:08:00.000+01:00

Me and my girl friend went on a walk the other day and as usual i took my camera along with us. The above photo is of the inside of a tuba of a Fox Glove (Digitalis purpurea ). Normally i don't like these flowers all that much. To be honest i consider them to be a weed rather than a flower. I did a little research on them after i took this picture. I knew already that some species tend to be toxic but i didn't know how toxic it was. Not only can it cause wild hallucinations, delirium and headaches but it can kill you. But it's not all bad, some of the compounds in the plant can be used for heart disease. For more information on the Fox Glove have a look here.

Identifying the Fox Glove was easy. This plant was a little more difficult. I believe that this is Slender St Johns Wort. Though i could be mistaken, i have been in the past i will be in the future. I am going to walk back up too where i found it and take some more photos and find out for definite.

Mabie, Scotland

2009-07-13T11:37:00.000+01:00

I must warn you, the reader, that i have many many pictures of my bike from all the different rides that i have done through my short mountain bike life. This isn't one of the classics, normally the pictures feature windswept mountains or mountain bike centre car parks.

But on this occasion in Mabie, Scotland we stopped and found this little piece of tranquil heaven. It's one of the only photos i have taken that i feel does not do justice to the location.

We chose this spot to stop because of onemain feature. It was the location of a 7 Stane Stone. These stones can be found throughout the 7 Stanes mountain bike trails in Southern Scotland.

The Linnaeus System

2009-07-11T21:24:00.000+01:00

On some of my posts, I have used Latin to name the plants and trees found in the pictures I have shown you. There are a number of good reasons why trees and plants have been given these Latin names.

Some trees and plants are not found only in one location. They can be found all over the world. This means that the same plant or organism can be identified all over the world no matter what language you speak.

Each different plant and tree that is named in Latin is grouped together. This will make studying specific species easy.

Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778) came up with a two word, binomial nomenclature system to classify all plants and animals. This system groups all organisms in a hierarchal system that starts off with Kingdom then into division, Class, Order, Family, Genus and last of all Species. An example of this can be seen below;

Red Campion is broken down like this;

Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Magnoliopsida
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Caryophyllaceae
Genus:	Silene
Species:	dioica

The most important parts of this grouping system are the last two groupings, Genus and Species. (You don’t really have to bother with the other groupings) This is because it is these two groupings that form the Latin names for all the plants and trees which you can see all around you. It is not just plants and trees that use the Linnaeus system. Every organism is classed in this way, producing a Latin name for every organism in the world.

Red Campion

2009-07-11T20:22:00.001+01:00

Red Campion, Silene dioica, which is also known as Adders flower is quite common in woodlands and hedgerows, preferring damp rich soil. Unlike a lot of woodlands flowers, Red Campion lasts from March to November.

If you would like some more information on Red Campion, here is a good site.

Cartagena, Spain

2009-07-10T14:03:00.000+01:00

When i go to a new place, i always head for the oldest parts of a city/town/district. When I went to Spain this June I visited a place called Cartagena. It's a really old town that has been fought over for thousands of years. This amphitheater is pretty old, being built around 70AD.

Snapshot is the title of my blog. And i think this picture gave me the inspiration for the title of this blog. Not only because it's a snapshot of a really beautiful part of the city but also I only got a snapshot of the area only having a week in Spain

For more information aboout Cartagena here is a wikipedia link.

Brecon

2009-07-07T10:58:00.000+01:00

Along with taking pictures, mountain biking is another hobby that i love. The two hobbies, mountain biking and photography, go together quite well. The bike will take you to places that is hard to get to while walking and you can see a varied array of places in a short period of time.

The picture above is taken in the Brecon Beacons about 3/5ths the way around a mountain bike trail called the Gap. This trail is one of my absolute favourites as it takes in woodland tracks, an ancient Roman road, you decent down a boulder field onto a farm track, wind through sleepy lanes and you also ride over moorland.

This picture of my bike was taken on the Roman road that leads you past Pen-y-Fan (which you can see in the background of this picture.)

For more information on the Brecon Beacons visit The Brecon Beacon National Park website.

Buds and Catkins

2009-07-05T11:08:00.000+01:00

Buds and catkins are the sexual part of a tree and are very important for sexual reproduction .Buds are a collection of cells where flowers or leaves grow from. They are also important features on trees to help us identify the tree. The above picture is of a bud on a Ash tree (Fraxinus excelsior)

This is a catkin and they differ from buds because they are unisexual and are pollinated by wind or sometimes by insects. This catkin is from a Crack Willow (Salix fragilis).

Marsh Marigold

2009-07-04T17:39:00.000+01:00

Flowers are my main interest out of any other subject that i have taken to date. Not only are they challenging to photo but it is also presents a unique challenge to find out the name of the flower that you have shot. My main interest is in trees but anything connected with nature i find is interesting, especially woodland flowers.

This particular flower is a Marsh Marigold (Caltha palustris). They are particulary interesting because through late Summer, Autumn and Winter the ground is bare. Then suddenly, in what seems an over night surge of growth, these bright yellow flowers appear from nothing. Marsh Marigolds tend to grow in marshy areas and don't mind a bit of shade either. In woodlands they will only tend to grow wet woodland areas and marshy environments.

Table Mountain

2009-07-03T11:55:00.000+01:00

Here is a selection of photos of Table Mountain from a number of different views and angles. The above photo is of Table Mountain from Blouberg. Blouberg is just across the bay from where table mountain sits...

I have too many different pictures of Table Mountain from many different angles and views...

So in essence, i suppose, this is the best of.

Worcester

2009-07-03T11:41:00.001+01:00

Again this is a picture that i didn't want to touch up. I was driving through a town in Worcester North of Capetown. It was in a middle of a square, surrounded by grubby buildings. I just happen to see it with the mountains in the background.

J-Bay

2009-07-02T18:30:00.000+01:00

This was taken in J-bay in South Africa when i was taking to people back home. It's a bit huey but i still like it and it has lots of feeling behind it.

Coffee Bay

2009-06-30T14:14:00.000+01:00

I took it on a guided walk in Coffee bay, on which i met loads of people that i still speak to. This picture reminds me more of the beauty of the area and how diverse a small area can be in South Africa.

The First

2009-06-30T00:24:00.000+01:00

This picture was taken hedge-laying on a bitterly cold January day on the side of a slightly raised bank of grass in South Wales. I glimpsed this sight and just took the picture. This photo kind of kick started my love of just taking pictures.

Flowers

2008-08-22T18:09:00.014+01:00

My posts about flowers are spread throughout my blog. So i thought, to make things easier for you, that i would gather them all up and put them in one place.

Stitchwort - Red Campion - Fox Glove

Marsh Marigold

Woodruff - Dog Violet - Cuckoo Flower

Wood Anemone

Lords and Ladies - Ground Elder - Archangel

Bluebell

White Bluebell