This is Not Madeline

No, this is not Madeline, her name is Lucy and she is the singer and bass guitarist with local rock band The Madeline Rust.

Although they are based in Beeston, Gail & I went to see them at a gig last night in Litchfield, which is in the West Midlands.

Of course they were as good as when I saw them in the city centre in August, although the venue wasn't as well lit, so I had to increase the ISO a bit to make the images useable.

Scaring The Storm Away

I took this shot whilst having a walk around some local allotments.

I like to think that the scarecrow is doing its job right and is chasing away the stormclouds.

Peek-a-Boo

A sunny lunchtime today, so I took a stroll around the Lace Market. Whilst I was walking along, I began to notice that there seemed to be a lot of photography students about in small groups and all carrying cameras.

Passing through St Mary's churchyard, I saw a couple of girls trying to take a photo of another girl who was hiding herself in-between the branches of a tree. They were obviously trying to learn about light and shade.

One said that it was too dark to take a photo, and I thought that they should either increase the ISO, reduce the shutter speed or change the lens's f stop.

If anyone is interested, I took this with my 45mm lens, 100 ISO, f1.8 at 1/60th. Also slightly tweaked in Lightroom.

Not An iPod In Sight

If you are a record collector, then to get that authentic vinyl sound you'll need one of these, an original record player.

Nothing digital here. Analogue audio all the way.

Swan Song

A swan mistakenly thinking that I'd bought him some food. Sadly not, I only wanted to take his photo.

Bookworm

A collection of old books that I came across on a stall recently at a vintage market.

Certainly a wide range of colours, designs and titles. And I must admit that I have never read any of the stories. Although The Master of Ballantrae is the only one that I have ever heard of.

Gadgets

This is Manchester based electro band Shield Patterns, who played at the Contemporary on Saturday night.

I really went to see the support band who I like called One Girl One Boy, but stayed to listen to this duo, and thought they were very good.

They played in almost darkness, except for a couple of red lights, so I thought it would look better as a black & white.

Alright Young Man

Someone had carefully wrapped a scarf around the neck of the Brian Clough statue in town, to mark the 10th anniversary of his death.

For those that don't know, Brian Clough was the manager of Nottingham Forest football team during the 70s and was quite successful on the field.  I'm not a football fan, so I couldn't tell you what and when, but if you're interested, then I'm sure that you can find out through Google.

Love Cake, Love Beeston

All these delicious cream cakes were handed out to people who visited the Picnic in the Park today at Broadgate Park.

It was quite well attended with a face painting stall, story telling and a juggler on offer to entertain people. But of course it was the cakes that drew the most interest, created by a local bakery opposite the park.

Hissing Sid

It's not everyday that you meet a snake at a food fair. But I did today, and fortunately he wasn't on the menu!

The food fair took place in the revamped Trinity Square, but sadly wasn't that busy, due to the rainy weather. I saw a chef I know that owns our favourite Indian restaurant called the Curry Lounge with his wife and brother, who were promoting their new range of chutneys.

Anyway back to the snake. According to the Gordon Ramsey lookalike, it is an Albino Burmese python. These girls didn't appear to be scared of it, so I decided to give it a stroke, and was surprised that it's body was warm and dry, as I was expecting it to be the opposite.

Smile

I was just testing my camera and I shot this still life scene by accident.

Thought it looked quite amusing, and so I thought I would share it with you all.

Home Thoughts From Abroad

There is a lot of activity in the Old Market Square at the moment, with workmen erecting all sorts of stages, tunnels and booths for an exhibition that takes place later this week.

Hopefully there should be plenty to photograph and things to learn about the 'Great War' that began a century ago.

Lines And Shadows

Abstract of a staircase and wall of the Nottingham Contemporary.

Erosion

A very old Land Rover that's seen better days. Now on display at Barton's in Chilwell.

I Want To Ride My Bike

A Blue Plaque unveiling this morning of Beeston cycling legend Sid Standard.

Sadly Sid died 11 years ago in ironically a cycling accident on a ride in Derbyshire. Sid owned a shop in Chilwell that everybody went to for new bikes, repairs and spares. It's still there and is now run by a great guy called Kevin. And being a cyclist myself, I'm a regular visitor.

Once the ceremony was over, a load of cyclists set off on a ride to Derbyshire, to the same spot that Sid had his accident.

Clog Dancing Can Help You Fly

Beeston's heritage has been on display today in many forms; vehicles, talks, photographs and clog & morris dancing.

The sun has shined for most of the day and so it helped to make it a nice time for everyone who visited the events.

Up In Smoke

I was out shooting a band tonight and when I had done, I rang Gail to say that I was on my way home. Gail said that she had read on Facebook that there was a big fire at the university's Jubilee Campus. So I sped off in search of some photos.

Obviously with such a big fire, all the roads surrounding the campus had been taped off by the police.  But Derby Road was still open. So I pulled up on a side street and rushed over to where I thought I could take some decent shots.

As I had been shooting in a pub, I didn't have any zoom lenses with me, except for my 12-40 f2.8, which wasn't long enough, but I did have a 75mm f1.8, and a digital teleconverter, so I managed to take some reasonable shots like this one.

The building that was burning, wasn't even finished yet. A laboratory, funded by a big pharmaceutical company. It has cost £20 million and was meant to be carbon neutral.  Not anymore going on the amount of smoke and flames in the night air.

Sunshade

I took my fisheye lens out for some action today and came home with this shot from Highfields.

A Global Image

I watched a video the other week about using things to take photos with, and one of them was a globe. I just happen to come across one yesterday in a sale for a couple of quid, so I snapped it up.

As it was a sunny evening, I cycled through Highfields and decided to try out my globe. I don't think think that I had the right lens on my camera, but took a few test shots anyway, which this one I think is the best one.

Supermoon

Everyone seems to be posting photos of the 'supermoon', so I thought I would do the same.

I Should Be So Lucky

There's a competition that's just begun in Nottingham, featuring the little Aussie diva Kylie Minogue.

Apparently there are a number of these cardboard cut-outs of her dotted in buildings across the city centre, and if you have your photo taken with her, you get the opportunity of winning two tickets to see her in concert at the Arena next month.

I tend not to be a lucky person, so I resisted the opportunity of taking a pic of myself with her and Tweeting it across the world. Instead here is the cardboard cut out all by herself.

Barefoot In The Park

Sunday morning saw a few hundred people walk around Wollaton Park without any shoes on. It was all done in the name of charity.

The Nottingham Barefoot Walk was thought of by Lee Todd, and which aims to publicise the fact that there are people in the world that have to walk barefoot every day and so old shoes are collected, to be sent to countries life Africa through the Shoe-Aid scheme.

Fortunately it was a lovely sunny & dry day, otherwise people might end up with very muddy and very dirty feet.

There was a choice of either a 3km or 5km walk and afterwards a few local bands entertained everyone  in the sunshine.

Sunset Silhouette

For various reasons I didn't take any photos today, so here's one from last Sunday, a sunset at Gunthorpe.

Guilty

Another day of random shooting. Nothing really interesting except this one.

The way the three guys faces work together to make the scene. And I bet you are all thinking the same thing. The guy in the middle has just dropped a very big fart and the guy on the right has smelt it, while the man passing by heard it.

Packing Up

Well the summer school holidays are over for another year and I bet all parents are relieved, as it means that they won't have to spend time and money on finding things to do.

One thing that has been popular has been the Nottingham Riviera, situated in the Old Market Square. But now the kids are back at school, the workmen have started dismantling and packing up all the rides, kiosks and fake palm trees.

I don't know what happens to all the sand they laid back in July. Maybe they sell it on to a builder, but it would need sifting, to remove all the bottle tops, empty crisp packets and whatever else finds its way into sand.

Restive

One of those photographs that you often see with some motivational message on it, like:

"You don't spell love, you feel it".

A gentle landscape taken on a warm summers day somewhere in Nottinghamshire.

Banned

Well if you own a car, a caravan or a tent, you'll not be welcome at Hoveringham Pastures. Mind you, with it being a lovely open space with trees and a river running close by, then you wouldn't want the area spoilt either.

Nice Ice

Over the weekend I was nominated twice to do the now infamous Ice Bucket Challenge.

Being a believer of not wasting water, I had no wish to throw away a perfectly good bucket of H2O, so  I thought about how I could be involved, but by not getting wet.

I had seen some variations on the theme, but they all seem to involve wasting water in one way or another. So I went with this concept, of an ice bucket chilling a small bottle of water. Like it was like champagne,;which in some African countries it is.

I also wondered about which charity to give my donation to. After some consideration, I decided to go with the local animal rescue that I wrote about a few weeks ago, especially as they put out a message asking for some pouches of wet cat food.  They are only a little charity, so every penny counts. Unlike some of the more well known charities, that pay large salaries to the bosses and can afford TV ad campaigns.

So after work, I called in to one of our local supermarkets and bought some boxes of cat food, which I then took up to the rescue, so the dear little cats that are looking for a loving forever home will have a nice meal or two tomorrow.

In Formation

Following on from yesterdays head shot of a Canadian goose, here's a picture that I took of some flying off to warmer climbs.

As it has been a lovely afternoon, we decided to have a drive out to some villages to the east of Nottingham; namely Lambley, Hoveringham, Claythorpe and Gunthorpe.

We stopped at Gunthorpe for some food, and parked up at a pub near the river called The Unicorn.  when we had finished eating, we went of a little walk just as the sun was starting to set.

I got some nice shots of the golden shy, and then I saw this flock of birds in the sky. A shame that they weren't flying past the yellow part of sky, rather then the darkening blue. But I think it makes for a calming image.

Quackers

Well Autumn is just around the corner, and the Canadian geese are getting ready to fly away for the winter.

There must have been about twenty of them in Highfields today, all with heads down eating the grass, and like this fellow, getting it all over his beak. No wonder he doesn't look too happy.

£3.50

This multi-storey car park close to the Broadmarsh shopping centre, used to be known as the Arndale car park, but it has recently been rebranded as the Maid Marian Car Park, with some new singe & a lick of paint at the entrance.

£3.50 is actually quite cheap for all day parking in the city centre, and actually 10p cheeper than getting the bus. Although of course you have to take into account petrol and running costs, and of course the amount of time wasted in traffic jams.

Ran Out Of Steam

Went to check on the Victorian railway arches that are sadly being knocked down after standing there for all these years.

It's been said that they have to come down as the area is being developed. Personally, if I was the architect, I would incorporate them into the new building as a feature, as I hate to see old buildings knocked down, as they have much more character then modern soulless buildings.

There's a prime example In my photo here, the green and gold building on the left is the Contemporary art gallery, which you must admit looks awful and stands out like a sore thumb, compared to the former church, now the Pitcher & Piano bar, and the other old buildings that make up part of the Lace Market.

Contemplation

A very simple shot from Highfields.

I bet the person sitting on the bench is enjoying the peace and quiet of the open green space.

Pick Up Truck

Oh dear, one unlucky motorist is going to be in for an expensive shock when they come back and see that their car has disappeared, as they will have to pay a release fee of £105, plus any penalty charges incurred.

Quite a few people had stopped to watch the event, and a small group of youths were sharing a joke between themselves; probable at the misfortune of the driver.

The car had been removed from the disabled parking bay, but I couldn't see if there was a Blue Badge on the dashboard. If there was, then I think it was a bit mean of the traffic wardens, but if there wasn't, then it's a fair cop, as non disabled drivers shouldn't park in such places.

Cat Day Afternoon

Well it's fortunate that we had our barbecue yesterday, as all its done today is rain. Rain, rain, rain. I'm not sure that it's even stopped.

Marmalade has been sleeping in one of the chairs that we have in our study room, whilst as you can see, Oscar has made himself very comfortable on our bed and surrounded by laundry.

It sure is a cat's life. If there is such a thing as reincarnation, I'm coming back as a cat. Eating & sleeping. The two best things in life.

Party Time

We invited come close friends and neighbours over today for our first ever barbecue.

I've never really been a fan of barbecues, as I've often found that sometimes the food hasn't been properly cooked, but since Gail cooked everything in the oven first and then I finished it off on the BBQ, it all worked out fine, and everyone that came seemed to have a good time.

It was nice to catch up with people and share a glass or two with them. A shame that some we'd invited couldn't come. But isn't that always the way?

I'm glad that we held it today, as tomorrow's weather forecast isn't very good. But then that's typical for a British Bank Holiday.

A Cat's Tail

I recently read the story of Bob, the cat that helped a former drug user, busker and Big Issue seller called James to find a better life. So I was intrigued by a similar sounding book that I came across at my local library.

Although Bob's story was based on truth, Solomon's Tale is a work of fiction. And very good it was too.  I read it in just under a week, and enjoyed every page of it.

I have to admit that I shed a tear or two in a couple of places, as they were very sad. It's probably now being a cat owner, I can connect with the life of a cat. Although as everyone knows, cat's don't have owners, only servants.

It's a moving tale and well worth reading, so do see if your library has a copy, or if you can, buy yourself one.

Sinister

As a fan of noir movies, I saw this staircase in one of our public buildings and I think it fits in very well with the theme. You can just imagine Humphrey Bogart or Robert Mitchum standing there in trench coat and holding a gun. Or Barbara Stanwyck climbing the stairs slowly, as she heads for a rendezvous in an hotel room.

Obviously it's not as dark as I've made it. Slight tweaking in my digital darkroom. Although it is all concrete and looks quite depressing in a way. But it's not a staircase from one of the city centre's multi storey car parks, as you might expect, but one that was built for entertainment.

Playing By Numbers

The well known band The Magic Numbers visited Nottingham today and played in our local Fopp music store. It has recently moved from its original Queen Street shop to one in the Broad Marsh after being there for over thirteen years.

They were meant to start playing at 5pm, but were fashionably late by about twenty minutes. Nottingham's roads and traffic strike again!

Although there weren't that many people in the shop to listen, those that were there, were very appreciative of the songs that were being sung.

Stillness

Have been stuck for an idea, and didm't come across anything during today, so cycling through Highfields, I decided to take another photo of the rowing boats on the lake. This time I used one of the art filters that my camera has and made the boats and trees look like toys.

If Music Be Food, Then Play On

Another shot from the weekend's Food & Drink Festival, held at Wollaton Park.

I can't remember what the name of this band is, but they played some jazz styled music, with the girl singing and playing the clarinet. But not at the same time, as I don't think any musician can do that, unless that are using a piano or guitar etc.

A Charity Record

You may remember last October, the 19th to be precise, I wrote about Oxjam; the day long music festival that took place in Beeston to raise funds for Oxfam.

Well on Saturday Beeston saw the official launch of the Oxjam Beeston Takeover CD.  Nineteen of the artists that played during the day have donated one of their songs for the CD, which is on sale for a bargain £5.

Of course I was there to capture the event. Here's one of the photos that I took and includes some of the artists and people that are involved in the Oxjam project, who are also friends of mine.

At the moment, I think the CD is only available at local Oxfam shops, but I believe there are plans to sell it on line.

If anyone's interested in buying one, then do leave a comment and I'll let you know where else you can buy it from.

Caribbean Queen

Nottingham city centre came alive with the sounds and colours of the Caribbean yesterday afternoon, as the annual Caribbean Carnival took place. The parade started on Castle Gate and made it's long slow way up to the Forest Recreation Ground, where they site the Goose Fair in October.

There were certainly some varied and very colourful costumes being worn by the participants.

Native American anyone? Or what about some wings that can help you fly.

Not your average outfit to go shopping in. But he'll certainly help you wave you on your way.

Hundreds of people lined the route, and despite a quick rainstorm in the middle of the procession, I think everyone had an enjoyable time. I know me and my camera did.

Party In The Park

Today I popped over to Wollaton Park, as it was hosing a food & drink festival.

It was quite interesting to see all the different food and drink that was on offer. All grown or made locally.Yes, I know Pimms isn't a local drink, but I like the red of the marquee against the colour of the hall and stormy sky.

Besides food related tastings, there was also some cookery demonstrations hosted by well known chefs. I missed the one by Levi Roots, but sat in the ones by the Fabulous Baker Brothers and my friend Raz, who owns the Curry Lounge restaurant in the city centre, which was famously criticised by Gordon Ramsey a couple of years ago.

The show also featured varied arts and crafts, including glassblowing, a blacksmith an painter and some woodworkers who were using chainsaws to create sculptures from tree trunks.

Sleeping Like A Baby

Just messing about today and decided to have a go at creating a newborn baby photo, as Gail had bought a cute little babylike doll dressed in a bee costume some time ago and it looks quite cute in its yellow and black outfit. Plus of course it doesn't start crying or filling its nappy.

Using the poses and props that I've seen professional newborn photographers use, I came up with this, using bits and pieces from around the house.

Yes, I realise that I've overblown the ribbon and blanket at the back a bit. But it's a learning curve for me, as I have never shot any babies in studio like conditions. Would be interesting to have a go sometime though.

Singing For His Supper

As I've had a day off work today, and it was warm and sunny, I had a potter about in the garden. Catching up on some weeding, planting and a general tidying up. While I was working away, I heard a bird singing in the nearby Leylandi trees.

Not a song that I recognised, so looking up, I tried to see what bird was making the sound, but it took me a while to find him hiding within the greenery.  I wondered if he would move, so I could get a clearer view of him. Anyway I went inside to get my camera and zoom lens. When I returned, the bird had moved to a better spot and so I was able to get a clearer view and shot of him.

I didn't recognise the species. It certainly wasn't a sparrow, robin or tit. So looking on the RSPB website, I think it might be a twite. Are there any ornithologists reading this that can confer or disagree with this?