BRIAN REID PHOTOGRAPHER
France 2024 Day 16 Go North Young Man (Part 2)
I have just been watching hardy kite surfers from the hotel window, see headline picture, which confirms I have reached the channel ready for tomorrow...
France 2024 Day 15 Go North Young Man (Part 1)
As noted, my trip came of the rails, yesterday, when the tummy bug did not settle down after a day resting in the hotel in Toulouse. It was clear that...
France 2024 Day 13 Stormy Weather
Yesterday was not a great day. My plan had been a jaunt up to 7000ft in the Pyrrenees to look at the solar furnace at Font Romeu but a look out of the...
France 2024 Day 12 From the Moutains to the Sea
A few of the upcoming days, including this one, are driving days with a few interesting places along the way, Today I kicked off in Millau with a look...
France 2024 Day 11 Catching up with one I missed in the past, the Gorge du Tarn
The early part of the day could have been any place as I rolled along main roads, bypassing all of the interesting places with a stop for electricity...
France 2024 Day 10 "Lots" to See
Time for a nice gentle day exploring the Lot and Célé valleys just east of Cahors. Both rivers meander through valleys with steep cliffs and the Lot...
France 2024 Day 9 Ups and Downs and Rocamadour
After intensive sightseeing over the past three days, today was planned as an easy day with just two locations en route between Brive and Cahors, the...
France 2024 Day 8 Vinyards, Chateaux and Big Rivers
Today could have been hard work and a little stressful based on the distance travelled. I chose to base myself at Brive-Le-Galliard for two reasons....
France 2024 Day 7 Down A Big Hole
I had a selection of places of interest today from view points along the Dordogne to Medieval Towns, closed chateaux, a massive waterfall and a very...
France 2024 Day 6 Haute Dordogne
I have three days here in Brive and the first was spent in the Haute Dordogne including along the Corretz and Ceré rivers. It was a chilly start again...
France 2024 Day 5 Heading South
Today was a traveling and visiting day heading south from Amboise to Brive-Le-Galliard with a stop with Susan and Charlie in Chalais in Parc Naturel...
France 2024 Day 4 Another Fine Day in the Loire Valley
“If I see one more incredible chateau…..”. This is just the mousse bouche so to speak with the main event of this trip further south. It has not let...
France 2024 Day 3 "Four Chateaux and a Fortress"
I was all set for cool and damp and then the sun came out quickly followed by my fedora and sunglasses. No complaints here and a good test of the car...
France 2024 Day 2 Ouistreham to Chinon
Time for a bit of proper France. Today I left the channel at Ouistreham and headed for the Loire Valley via Le Mans for a quick run around the bits of...
France 2024 Day 1 St Neots to Ouistreham
It is great to be on a trip again and so far so good, almost! The driving was fine with the usual delays on the M25, a quick charge at Portsmouth and...
Moggerhanger Music Session April 2024
Wow the monthly Wednesday music session at Moggerhanger Village Hall was a sell out, except nobody had to pay. The challenge was fitting all of the excellent...
Sunshine at Old Warden
A look out of the window when I woke up and a quick check of the day’s weather forecast, yesterday, told me it was a good morning for a visit to the...
Standing Tall in Cambridge
Over the years it has been common for charities to work with artists to create interesting sculptures which are distributed around local towns and cities....
Spring in Bedford
A sunny Sunday morning along the Embankment in Bedford makes for a lovely spring walk. The town always puts on a display of flowers through the year...
Some Aeroplanes
A Thursday morning at Old Warden and time to look at a few aeroplanes in the Shuttleworth Collection and others. The Tiger Moths arrived a while back...
A weekend at the Seaside
I spent the weekend in Scotland, mainly at Southerness on the Solway Firth, with family. Our digs were my sister and brother-in-law’s “van” close to...
Godmanchester in the Sunshine
It was a lovely, mild sunny morning yesterday and I thought “I haven’t been to Godmanchester for a while”. A quick check of the flood notes confirmed...
Moggerhanger Music Session March 2024
Our monthly Wednesday music sessions at Moggerhanger Village Hall continues to provide opportunties for musicians and entertainment for all who come...
A Weekend Around Home
Yup a bit of stormy weather around this weekend. The headline shot from the RSPB Lodge Reserve shows the Langford wind farm over Biggleswade with a bank...
Down in the South West
Despite a bit of precipitation it was lovely to spend a few days down in Dorset with Helen, Paul and Alistair. Tuesday was chilly but dry and we headed...
St Ives Interprint
Above is nice genuine waterfront property in St Ives! I was there yesterday to enjoy the annual St Ives Interprint photo exhibition. This event showcases...
The Americans Call it a "Threepeat"
Flooded again, yesterday. Three times so far this year although again the levels are slightly lower than the previous inundation. I believe it is worth...
My Locale
Today’s post features a selection of photos from my regular local walks, this week, showing some of the signs of spring but also the continuing high...
Time for a Walk Around Ely
It has been a while since I took the drive over to the Isle of Ely and its famous cathedral “The Ship of The Fens” last seen last week on the horizon...
Around and About
I have been out and about in Cambridge and at Old Warden where there remains plenty of water. No punts on the Cam, I guess because the river is running...
I Get A Strange Feeling Of Deja Vu
Yes we had a day of rain and now our second flood in a month. We are lucky that there is a flood management system in place for the town and I am personally...
Moggerhanger Music Session February 2024
Our monthly Wednesday music sessions at Moggerhanger Village Hall go from strength to strength. With so many musicians on deck we ran a bit later than...
A Couple Of Local Favourites
There are a couple of places that are a short drive from home which are always worth a visit. In this case the locations are Wicken Fen and its historic...
Old Warden a Place of Variety
I popped down to Old Warden yesterday for a wander around the Swiss Garden and to look through the Shuttleworth Collection. Both are worth frequent visits...
Snowdrops arriving at Anglesey Abbey
As January came to an end I took a run over to Anglesey Abbey to see if the snowdrops were out and some were. This is the busiest time of the year at...
After The Floods
The flood waters have receded but the river remains high which suggests that there is still a bit of drainage to be done and this is certainly true in...
Naked Trees in Huntingdon
It was time for a service on my hearing aid at the Audiology Department at Hinchinbrooke Hospital in Huntingdon, yesterday. Rather than pay the outrageous...
The Ice is Melting Slowly
The temperature is rising but it will take a while for all of the ice to melt. The ducks in the marina seem happy to stand rather than swim. The black-headed...
Winter in St Neots
I enjoy my regular walks around the town. We are blessed with paths which take you away from traffic so little noise and pollution. These photos are...
A Chilly Walk At The Lodge
Brrrrr! It is certainly winter at the moment. That can create some wonderful light as was the case at the Lodge earlier this week. The robins were still...
Winter in the Swiss Garden
I took a stroll around the Swiss Garden at Old Warden yesterday and it is in its winter clothes, including a little thin ice on the ponds and lake. I...
A Little Sunshine always helps
And so the water recedes. Some paths that were flooded are now partially open and the land is still the domain of the waterfowl and herons. The flooding...
A River Runs Through It
It was inevitable, with the recent rain, that the river Great Ouse would overtop its banks in St Neots so I took a walk up to town to see how serious...
Moggerhanger Music Session January 2024
What a way to get the New Year off to a musical start with a bumper turnout on Wednesday at Moggerhanger Village Hall.
Here is a link to our Flickr...
Water, Water, Everywhere.....
Boy has it been wet for a couple of weeks and that creates an inevitable result, flooding. A common flooding area is around the south side of the River...
A Little Glimpse of Edinburgh at Christmas
It was a nice clear winter day yesterday and Anne and I met up with cousin Alison and Alan for a stroll around the city centre to check out the lights...
Unbelievably Still Wet!
It was a nice way to spend this Christmas eve morning with a wander around Holyrood Palace. The public area has some cracking rooms and a lot of portraits...
It Sometime Rains in Scotland
I know it is hard to believe but it does occasionally rain in Scotland as it has done today. I spent the night at my brother Jim’s house in Dumfries...
Very Delayed Catch Up
It is almost two weeks since I last got around to posting on my blog. A mixture of a heavy cold and leaving Christmas planning till the last minute is...
Moggerhanger Music Session December 2023
It gets a bit repetetive but it really was another fine evening in Moggerhanger Village Hall on Wednesday 6 December with some great performances. I...
Entering December
I have not been to Paxton Pits for a while as it can get pretty muddy when it is wet. I hoped that the mud would be frozen yesterday and in places it...
A Proper Frosty Day
We had the first proper frost this autumn yesterday and it encouraged me to take a walk at the Lodge. I have enjoyed frosty photos from there before....
No Trees Yesterday
Time for a break from the lovely autumn colours, for now, with some snaps from the Shuttleworth Collection yesterday. After a coffee with friends in...
Cambridge in the Fall
The American Military Cemetery at Maddingley has some lovely autumn colour from a few beech and maple trees through the site on the western edge of Cambridge....
Too Late!
An Autumn walk on the Embankment in Bedford is one I anticipate and is usually colourful. This year the strong winds from a few days ago have done their...
Closer to Home
Autumn colour is going fast as the autumn storms blow in and strip the colourful leaves. There are a few acers at the Lodge and at the Swiss Garden which...
A Mint of a Few Days
Catching up again! I had a lovely few days with Tim and Debs last week including a very interesting visit to the Royal Mint near Cardiff. As an aside,...
Stormy Weather
It has not been weather for going too far this weekend so I took a couple of my local walks and dodged (almost) the showers. The upside of this weather...
Moggerhanger Music Session November 2023
It was another fine evening in Moggerhanger Village Hall on Wednesday 1 November with a variety of music by our singers and players. I am sure the listeners...
Over West
I had a lovely couple of days with friends Mike and Louise around the Malvern Hills. We had a fine day out at Brookhampton with its Elizabethan house...
The Lodge
It was a pleasant walk at the Lodge yesterday and lovely to see a few little fly ageric fungi, grey squirrels stocking up for winter and bumblebees sipping...
A Little Local Colour
Time for a catch up with some snaps from St Neots, Paxton Pits and the Lodge, enjoying a little October sunshine. Location is not the essential aspect...
Back to Old Warden
It has been a hectic week since getting back from Ireland, lots of laundry, shopping and a music evening but I managed to get back to something normal...
Moggerhanger Music Session October 2023
Wow what a turnout at Moggerhanger Village Hall on Wednesday 4 October with a variety of music by a full house of singers and players and listeners....
Ironbridge
Back from Ireland I spent the night in Shrewsbury after the ferry crossing allowing me to enjoy a pleasant visit to Ironbridge yesterday morning, which...
Ireland Day 21 - Heading Home
I had a few hours before the departure of my ferry to Holyhead on a nice morning. I took a short trip to the harbour and summit in Howth before heading...
Ireland Day 20 - Dublin
Time for my final full day on this excellent trip to Ireland and I suppose fitting that I spent it in the capital, Dublin. I chose my hotel on the edge...
Ireland Day 19 - Newgrange
This trip has been graced with most weather except snow, so far. Today we had torrential rain interspersed with biblical showers driven by Agnes’s gale...
Ireland Day 18 - County Cavan Lake Country
I awoke in Cavan this morning with the rain hammering down. A quick check of the weather radar suggested it might last another hour or so and therefore...
Ireland Day 17 - Where the Mountains of Mourne Come Down to the Sea
The title tells a little of the story as I have found where the fabled Mountains of Mourne come down to the sea from the classic folksong. That is not...
Ireland Day 16 - The Causeway Coast
I started the day with an opening time visit back to the Giant’s Causeway, which was in my plan either as a second visit with a different approach or...
Ireland Day 15 - From the Wild Atlantic Way to the Causeway Coast
I started the day 600 m from crossing the border into Northern Ireland and initially dipped in and out as I headed up the west shore of Lough Foyle to...
Ireland Day 14 - Wild Atlantic Way in Donegal
After a very pleasant stay in Annagry at the best hotel so far, the Caisleain Oir, I continued on along the descriptively named “Around the Mountains...
Ireland Day 13 - Sligo and Donegal
It was a bit of a late start this morning as the hotel had a bizarre breakfast service that did not start till 9:00 am! Not a problem but I am usually...
Ireland Day 12 - Impressive County Mayo
I had not heard the name County Mayo mentioned by those who had visited Ireland but it has been a revelation. So much less busy than Kerry and Clare...
Ireland Day 11 - The Real Wild Atlantic Way
I feel fortunate to have made the choppy trip to Inis More yesterday as the predicted gales arrived overnight so no crossings today. Today it really...
Ireland Day 10 - The Aran Islands
I was not optimistic about the weather for a trip to the Aran Island of Inis More, “the big island”, with moderate wind and showers forecast. In fact...
Ireland Day 9 - Cliffs of Moher and More
“T’was a misty moist morning,,,,,,” Today was planned as one of the highlights of this stretch of the trip, the Cliffs of Moher, and it was enjoyable...
Ireland Day 8 - From Limerick to Clare
It has been a gentle day in terms of distance with a walk around central Limerick, a run along the Shannon estuary, a look at the cliffs at Kilkee, the...
Ireland Day 7 - Dingle
Time for a final day in the Kerry peninsulas, this time Dingle. Weather report. It rained all day. Enough said. From Killarney I made a stop at Inch...
Ireland Day 6 - The Ring of Kerry
There is a pattern developing, mornings not to bad and then rain from mid afternoon but not a problem for the most impressive bit of today’s trip around...
Ireland Day 5 - The Ring of Beara
Another day another weather pattern. The day started at the Eccles Hotel in Glengarriff with little wind, chilly and dry. As the morning progressed the...
Ireland Day 4 - A Tale of Two Headlands
The old saying “If you don’t like the weather just hang on for a little while…….” It is certainly true at the moment. When I went to bed last night the...
Ireland Day 3 - Co Wexford and into Co Tipperary
It has been a day of variety, places and weather. The morning was generally grey with spits and spots of rain and by mid afternoon those spits and spots...
Arriving in Ireland Day 2
It has been a grey day with torrential rain at times but not at all cold. I charged the car at an open Tesla Supercharger in Carmarthen and took a very...
Off to Ireland Day 1
Carmarthen, my jumping off point to Ireland, has been fine after one of the worst journeys I have ever endured. Delays added the best part of 2 hours...
Shuttleworth Vintage Day In The Sky
Here is a post showing some of the wonderful machines gracing the skies over Old Warden, like the SE-5 above. It is sneaking up behind the Bristol Fighter...
Shuttleworth Vintage Day On The Ground
My pal Paul Langshaw and I had an excellent day at Old Warden on Sunday for the Shuttleworth Vintage Day which combines historic vehicles and equipment...
Paxton Pits
I realised it had been a while since I visited Paxton Pits and expected it to be a bit muddy. Not at all. Although grey here for, what seems like, weeks...
Out and About
It was a story of dodging the showers over the weekend, successfully I might add. I visited a couple of my go-to local spots, the Lodge Nature Reserve...
Exotic Flowers and More
It has been a lovely week with nice summer weather and interesting places shared with close friends. We hit the Cambridge University Botanic Garden on...
A Swordfish on Land
I have been a bit busy at home planning my trip to Ireland so not too much time for photography. I have managed a few local walks including a visit to...
A little more colour and textures
Summer has returned and it was nice to have a coffee and walk with Paul and Ange yesterday at the Lodge. It was good to feel the sun again after quite...
Moggerhanger Music Session August 2023
It was another enjoyable evening of music at Moggerhanger Village Hall on Wednesday 2 August with the usual variety of music by our loyal cadre of singers...
Colours and Textures
While last night’s video content is transcoding it is a good time to post a few snaps from the Lodge and the Swiss Garden. Despite the slightly un-summer...
Butterfly Central
On my weekly trip to the Lodge for a short walk I was thrilled to find butterfly central in the garden. There were red admirals, peacocks, small whites,...
Mammals great and small
It appears I now have a resident hedgehog in the garden. Petite is an understatement but it is an explorer, wandering in and out of the garden and the...
A non-weekend weekend
It has been a lovely few days with Tim and Debs visiting few local spots including Gooderstone and its water gardens where there were flocks of red admirals...
Cambridge with an iPhone
I had an enforced day in Cambridge yesterday to get the car serviced, MOT tested and to complete a recall related to the battery coolant. Phew! The long...
The insects are out at the Lodge
I seem to have been ‘trapped’ in the house for most of the past week so just jumped in the car this morning and popped down to the RSPB Lodge reserve...