One of the great things about being on holiday is that you can indulge yourself a little. I am making the most of the opportunity to use my camera and have clogged up my camera card with well over 1,000 images since I left home on this trip. It’s hard to imagine doing that without a digital camera.
Although I become a bit of annoyance to people as I trail behind snapping away but the results are so worth it to be able to look back and enjoy the day trip all over again through the photographs you take. My photos have also become a visual notebook of things I see as good idea and can use them later to implement the ideas.
Here’s one of those ideas I would love to try. Topiary which when done well create a living garden sculpture. I’m not sure I have the patience for it though, waiting for the plants to grow let alone have the discipline to shape it correctly. But one can dream and hope and file the idea for a rainy day!
On a visit to Coombe Abbey for a special celebratory lunch we walked a while after in the gardens and parkland designed by Capability Brown. It was a beautiful sunny English late summer afternoon perfect for a spot of lingering and enjoying the views. I love the whimsy of these manicured gardens.
I also loved the fact that this magnificent house has landscaping to match complete with their own bird life to keep you amused.
That setting is of course a cue for me to get in some photography practice on the resident birds. In this case there were swans, geese and ducks all watching and waiting to see who would feed them next. These swans did at least let me get close up which is more than I managed with the swans and geese closer to home.
I really love to watch the birds and see how they behave. In this case it was obvious that they were hanging around to be fed.
But look something is happening. They all pay attention.
And they are rewarded.
After a feed there is nothing for it. Time for a clean up.
Or maybe a swim.
And there were plenty of other birds swimming – especially the swans.
But who wouldn’t want to hang around at a gaffe like this.
Sometimes wildlife win the life of a lotto winner without having to buy a ticket!
The downside of amassing thousands of images is the hard job of picking your favourites to share. I’m struggling with this right now as I’m seeing and doing so many wonderful things this trip. It’s certainly exceeded my tourist expectations so far and we’ve so many other fantastic visits planned over the next couple of weeks.
Keeping a blog makes you more disciplined about sorting and reviewing photos straight away, now all I need to think about is how I’m going to make a more permanent record of our trip that we’ll relive time and time again at home. But should it be an album, framed prints or slide shows. Oh the choices these days – too many!