some old trees

27th Feb 2020, Hauxley, 10:30am

This tree is around 10,000 years old and it grew just after the ice age on a land surface which is now Hauxley beach. The preservation is remarkable.

There are quite a few trunks from the old forest on Druridge Bay and around Hauxley but these ones have been recently uncovered by very high tides. It's easy to imagine the forest stretching down into a valley with Coquet Island rising as a hill sticking above the trees.

too early too soon

26th Feb 2020, Alnmouth, 7am

Sunrise is getting close to 7am now and soon it'll be a lot more effort to get up in time!

bbc

25th Feb 2020, Bamburgh, 9am

Here for a quick walk with Daisy before a guided walk with HPB guests.

Gorgeous, bright but chilly winter day.

first snows of winter

24th Feb 2020, Longhorsley, 7:30am

The first properly snowy morning of the winter

different view

23rd Feb 2020, Embleton Bay, 2pm

I spotted this different view worth a photograph from up on top of the dunes while the sea rolled in high up the beach at a spring tide.

I could have photographed every few seconds and captured a different pattern in the water every time.

As it was I took these 3 shots and couldn't choose between them so I decided they work quite well as a triptych.

 Meanwhile Daisy watched over the golf course with the chilly wind in her fur...

exploring

21st Feb 2020, nr Alnwick, 8am

Away from the beach and down to the woods to get out of the incessant wind.

It was good to explore and I managed to find my way to the old railway viaduct.

long shadows, longdog

20th Feb 2020, Alnmouth, 4pm

Long shadows of the late afternoon sun

the advantage of distance

18th Feb 2020, Shilbottle, 7:30am

We saw sunrise from the filed over a distant sea and through a (fortunately) distant shower.

sunset walkies

17th Feb 2020, Alnmouth, 5pm

Beautiful sunset light for a walk with the gang on a very chilly beach

too fast

14th Feb 2020, Embleton Bay, 8am

The sunrise colours I saw from my bedroom window had faded by the time we got to the beach.

The light was still beautiful and the patterns in the sky were intricately woven.

Twelve Whooper swans on Newton Pool.  On their way to Iceland to breed.

Daisy was full of energy but was running too fast for the ball to keep up with her!

moss and snow

12th Feb 2020, Shilbottle, 7:30am

The car was too frozen to bother with and I knew the beach road would be icy so we went local and saw sunrise over the frosty fields.  The sun still rose out of the sea - right behind Coquet Island.

Sometimes you see a photograph as you pass by and you are lucky enough to have the time to consider how to make a photograph from the scene you've observed.

This morning I came home from the dog walk and happened to notice these tiny mosses in amongst last night's snow on my garden wall. They had their spore capsules held aloft with water drops here and there among them.

I popped into the house for a camera with suitable macro lens (which was just my trusty old Canon G15 compact camera if you're asking!) and headed back into the garden to see what I could photograph.

I was out there for quite a while. You can get lost in photography sometimes. It can be a very mindful process when there are no distractions or time limits.

12th Feb 2020, Rothbury, 4pm

Fun in the snow...

snowy castle

11th Feb 2020, Bamburgh, 8am

A quick walk with Daisy braving the whipping sand

There was blue sky and a freezing wind and the odd snowy shower that obliterated the castle...

waiting...

10th Feb 2020, Alnmouth, 7am

Pre-dawn colours looked very promising so me and Daisy played about on the windblown sand until the sun broke the horizon and it was time to go...

hanging moon

6th Feb 2020, Howick, 4pm

A beautiful, calm afternoon.

The late sun lit up the sandstone quarry face with warm light

...and the moon hung above the sea.

what's new?

5th Feb 2020, Alnmouth, 7:45am

Sunrise is now just before 8am and I nearly missed it today...


When I used to walk on Embleton Bay most days my eye was endlessly drawn to Dunstanburgh Castle. Now that Alnmouth is my local beach, I have to look harder for a subject for my photographs.

Sometimes the sun itself is sufficient to make an interesting photograph...

Often Daisy is in a convenient place...

But sometimes you need to seek out another ingredient.

 If I can, I like to find something that I've not photographed before, or something that makes today unique.