Good to see that its coming along Greg

We decided to have a trip out to Cullen for an ice cream and a walk on the superb beach since we couldn't go away in the caravan this weekend (see last comment).
The dogs avoided the camera's gaze but the the beach made up for it.

Old building at Portsoy


White horses


Oh poor old Percy the Passat was mauled by a woman driving a Qashqai on my way home from work on Friday.
I'm fine but Percy has a few broken ribs. Thank goodness for good old German engineering, built like a tank.


Mike

Ouch! Glad you're ok Mike. Hope the transport situation is sorted out soon. I especially like the picture of the white horses

The beach takes you round to the headland where you could get an interesting view along the wave crests but needed a bigger lens to do it justice so didn't try - next time maybe I'll lug the 70-400 with me.

Mike

Good idea Mike - I think that there is much fun to be had wave chasing with the camera

My timing is a bit out here - this is the weather from yesterday . It was a beautiful day with a clear blue sky and bright sunshine. It was warm for the time of year as well, around 12 or 13 degrees centigrade. We sat outside in shirt sleeves in the sunshine to drink our coffee. We visited Goodrich Castle which although ruined gives a great impression of a medieval castle. The sun was almost too bright and contrasty for photos. Here are a couple of snaps.


2012 Goodrich - Castle by Birm, on Flickr

Surrounding the castle there were several large fields of what looked very much like turnips, probably destined for animal feed.


2012 Goodrich - Turnip Fields 2 by Birm, on Flickr

Both with Nex 5 and SEL 16.

I like the old ruin Mike, those are always mysterious too me, why is it ruined/demolished and abandoned and where have the people gone who built it etc. I do like the wave action/headland scene too, looks like a stiff offshore breeze happening at that time.

And so saying Birma comes good with a great ruined castle photo, and that one makes me wonder also as to why is it so, it would take some serious punishment to damage those thick walls. I can see some people up high near a railing so one must be able to visit, or they might be living in it perhaps. The turnips look very healthy, there seems to be quite a few houses dotted around in the woods, almost like a little township.
Greg

Greg,

Always best with an offshore wind otherwise the gear gets covered in salt spray (been there done that and spent ages cleaning!).

Mike

Keep those good shots coming guys. Nice work all.

Thanks Greg and Doc

Greg, like many English castles, it will have fallen in disuse after the medieval period as the inhabitants wanted more comfortable surroundings and there was reduced risk of some sort of armed incursion (e.g. by the Welsh). They may have been reused during the Wars of the Roses, but they mostly met their downfall during the English Civil Wars when one side or the other holed up in one and held out until the enemy brought up sufficient siege artillery. In Goodrich's case it was the local Parliament force's efforts with "Roaring Meg" (a giant siege mortar) that started the serious damage and downfall. After capture the remains would have been further slighted to prevent future use. The castles will then have crumbled slowly over the years as anything useful was carted off, until someone spent the cash to rescue it. In this case it was the charity English Heritage who have effected some excellent repairs so the ruins are now easily accessible, complete with battlements, spiral stairs, dungeons and chapels.

Funny sort of day today. Started off cloudy but mild then glimpses of sun and blue sky.
Decided to go to the airport to see the Azal flight arrive from Baku at 10:20.
Following this we had a lovely walk with the dogs after lunch in the sunshine.
Rumour has it we could see the February temperature record broken on Tuesday if the forecast is correct.
Can't believe this weather, it has been so mild.





Mike

Nice planes Mike

You're right - it has gone very mild. All sorts of interesting stuff going on with the flora here. Crocuses bursting forth, early blossom on the trees, and daffodils on their way. Sadly no pictures today, and work tomorrow .

Nice aircraft shots Mike, the only way we can shoot planes like that is to shoot through glass, bleh, so I don't bother, I remember in the old days you could stand near the fence and the plane taxied up to the other side of the fence, sometimes the gate was closed or sometimes it was open, but there was a sign on the fence about not going on to the tarmac when a plane was moving so that was something.
Greg
Ps Birma that reminds me about the Parliamentary wars, I'm pretty hazy on the details, there was something on TV about it quite a while ago and the damage to various things but I don't recall the details at the moment of exactly why it all happened.

Tsawwassen Snow & 0ºc.

Thanks for the update on the bridge Greg. I wonder if they will be complete it this year?

Very nice shots at Cullien Mike. Especially like White horses, looks like a stiff wind blowing into the breakers. Sorry to see the VW (Percy) in such a state, mostly superficial damage by the looks.

Fine shots of the old Castle & the surrounding area Birma. Colours look spot on.

Out yesterday at Richborough:-

A900 & Sigma 12-24mm.

These towers have been a landmark on the east Kent coast and surrounding area for some time and are due to be demolished in a few months. For a sense of scale see the security guard to the left of the lampost.