BRIAN REID PHOTOGRAPHER
Christmas Comes to Cambridge
I am fairly sure that the North Pole is not in Lion Yard, Cambridge, but what do I know. Christmas can bend reality which is OK by me. I was in Cambridge on Thursday for a little shopping and there were a few Christmas shoppers but not as many as I have seen in some years. The decorations in Lion Yard/Grand Arcade are pretty much the same as last year, just a little enhanced with more lights and...
That Seals it. Winter is here by the North Sea.
What a lovely day it was, yesterday, at Winterton Beach in Norfolk viewing its grey seal colony. Beautiful weather was a bonus. There were 3035 pups by 4 December and more since then. A bumper year. A number of the seals were in the dunes keeping the volunteer wardens busy managing the modest midweek crowd. Mr Langshaw and I had a closish encounter with a mother and pup which took exception too us...
The Moon Looks Super!
I did not see the actual full moon thanks to cloud cover but the moon was in full view the night before and it was looking splendid. Last night it was dodging in and out of clouds but clear enough to see it with Jupiter twinkling to the right. The little dot in the picture below is Jupiter. A giant planet so far away but so bright that it appears as a tiny dot in a photograph. Closer to home I watched...
Moggerhanger Music Session December 2025
Another fine evening of music in the Moggerhanger Village Hall and nice to see Mike Mullen up and about giving a nice touch of harmonica. Dorothy, Mel and Liz S did a fine job of cooking up some delicious mince pies for a little festive sustinance in the interval.
The session was recorded on video and I have published it in two parts as it was on the night. The two videos can be found by following...
Down Dorset Way
It was lovely to be in Dorset over the weekend with Helen, Paul and Alistair and they had booked some sunshine for Sunday, ideal for a visit to Lyme Regis and West Bay towards the end of the afternoon. On the Cobb at Lyme Regis there was a little flock of turnstones who seemed quite comfortable with people. Usually I only catch glimpses of them on rocky foreshores. Here is a selection from the coast...
The Frost Came and Went
It was a crisp frosty morning on Wednesday, ideal for a walk at the Lodge. A surprise encounter was with the two bunny rabbits above. They seemed unconcerned about my presence or that of a RSPB volunteer who stopped for a chat. As you can see the sun was just starting to hit the frost there on the main meadow, across from the house. Frosty leaves are always a subject for me and I was not disappointed....
Aeroplanes in Close Up
It always amazes me how close visitors can get to some of the most historic and often unique aeroplanes in the world which we can at the Shuttleworth Collection at Old Warden. For instance, above is not just any Bleriot Type XI but the oldest original flying aircraft in the world, built in 1909. As you can see below, Paul could have reached out to touch it and for visitors who are not photographers,...
After the storm
The rain has passed and the chill has arrived. The grey squirrel above was enjoying an acorn and the coots were very bold at Old Warden on Sunday. The leaves were pretty much gone on the lovely old acer in the garden exposing some seed pods. The overnight rain on Saturday added some nice water droplets on plants I do not know the name of. By yesterday the sun was shining as it was on Monday at the...
Christmas is Coming
I went to St Ives to check the potential flooding after storm Claudia but I was probably a little to early as the Great Ouse catchment takes a while to drain. It was not a wasted journey as their Christmas market was in full swing as they prepared for the lights switch on for Saturday night. It was encouraging to see lots of people around the town centre and some were even buying stuff! Here are...
It must be close to winter
Wild in Art produce some interesting “sculptures” which find their way around the country helping organisations to raise money and after a while they are auctioned off, I guess, to fund the next subject. The snowmen have arrived at Anglesey Abbey and will be there until the new year. They were in Hitchin a few years ago in an urban environment, which was great, and they have now settled into the...