Remembering

For some, Christmas is a time of sadness. It's not all parties, crackers and tinsel if you're feeling, lonely, sad or generally down. People are also grieving for loved ones that they have lost recently.

One such, is the person that taped this bunch of flowers to the railings along the canal, as last week, the police sadly fished someone out of the water, who had gone missing.

A upsetting thing for both the police, and for the family of the man they retrieved.

I hope the person that did this, has taken some comfort from marking the area where it happened.

I pass this way to and from work, and it's not nice to know that someone decided that this was going to be the place where they wanted to end it all. Fortunately there are a number of voluntary organisations that are there to help people that are feeling the same way. I just hope that they decide to call them first.

Canalside Charm

Like most people, I'm always in a rush to get away from the office and get myself home. But tonight I thought I would stop and see if I could take a long exposure photo, of the lights along the canal.

Some parts of it are brighter than others, with the luxury flats reflected off the very still water.

Fortunately where I stopped was a big wooden post, so I could prop my camera on it, as I didn't have a tripod with me, and would be using a slow shutter speed. Well who carries a tripod with them to work!

The floating white light trail along the path, is actually a cycle light caught in the one minute exposure.

The Night Closes In

I was out and about today, but didn't come across anything worth taking a photo of.

But on the way home, I cycle over a small bridge which spans the canal, and I just happen to notice that some sunset coloured clouds were being reflected in the water. So that's my photo of the day.

There won't be much more early evening photography, with the clocks going back at the end of the month by an hour, so it's dark at 4pm.  I'm dreading those long dark nights which last until next March.

Wish I could hibernate!

Feeling Fruity

At the Beeston Carnival yesterday there was something called the Human Fruit Machine.

Three ladies dressed as clowns picked up a piece of fruit, and if they picked up the same type, then you won a small prize.

It was all to help raise funds for the Canalside Heritage Trust, which is converting an derelict building by the canal into an exhibition, education and community centre.

It was quite amusing to see them pulling fruit out of the bowl, and then doing a little dance when they pulled three out the same.

Tag Me In

This is a friend of mine's pet dog Tag. He's a wire hair fox terrier and is great fun to be with.

Even though he is quite old in doggy years, he is quite spritely and likes running around and sniffing things.

His owner lives near the canal in Beeston, so they often go for a walk along there, and they often have to stop, so that Tag can be petted and fussed over.

He is also quite a celebrity on LinkedIn, where people often ask how he is, and like to see photos of him.

Papering Over The Cracks

A day off work today, as a photographer I know called Theresa was flying over for the day from Dublin to visit Beeston for the first time and a see a friend called Marysia that we both know.

We all met up at L'Oliva's cafe on the High Road, and had a good chat over a drink and some food. A little later we went for a walk down at the marina in the afternoon sunshine. Chatting and taking photos. Marysia had her dog Tag with her, who is a bit of a star on LinkedIn.

At the side of the lock keeper's cottage, there is an old building that has been derelict for a number of years now, but recently some funding has been received so it can be renovated and eventually will be turned into a educational centre, with a cafe and allotment.

Marysia is involved in the project and so she started taking to one of the men that was working on the site. He asked us if we wanted to have a look around, and as it is usually off limits to the general public, we all of course said yes.

And so we spent some time walking around the grounds and taking photos. We also went inside the building, which was a in varying states of rebuild. Upstairs were the bedrooms. One was obviously for a child, as the walls were still covered in Care Bears wallpaper. So obviously it hadn't been touched since the 1980s. Another room had had a lot of wallpaper removed. But a couple of walls still had paper on them. Some stripping had taken place to reveal this Chinese or Japanese design from I would say the 1950s.

Please Dad, Can I Have Some More?

The baby moorhens are doing well and have all taken to the water now, and getting used to moving about.

Their parents a re busy looking for food for them, and I caught one of the chicks being passed some bread by his dad, even though I read somewhere that you are not supposed to feed bread to birds, as it expands in their stomach and they can't eat anything else for a while, which means that they may get very hungry.

New Life

I pass along the canal each day to work, and for the last couple of weeks I have been watching a moorhen sitting on a nest, that has been made by her hubby.

Then yesterday I noticed that they had become parents, which three little chicks hopping around the nest, or dipping their feet in the water.

So nice to see. And I hope to take some more shots when they are swimming along as a family.

Tuning Into The World

Day two of our break from work, but another day of not clicking my camera's shutter button. So here's a shot that I took last week during a walk along the canal near where I work.

The woman was completely oblivious of anything going on around her as she was so wrapped up with listening to music and texting on her mobile phone.

Sailor's Rest

Dusk was quickly falling when we finished our walk along the canal near Beeston Marina, down in the Rylands area of Beeston.

This pirate in a crows nest stands near the marina's bar area.  At the base of the column is an anchor and a partly buried treasure chest.

Eighteen Geese A Swimming

Whilst I was walking into town, I saw a few people leaning over the bridge looking at something.  Of course that stirred my interest. Has someone fallen in the water? Is there a yacht waiting to use the lock gates? Or was there some filming going on?

Sadly in a way it was none of those, but something just as interesting to see; a pair of Canada geese with their young were wanting to swim a bit further up the canal, but they were being prevented by the locked gates.

As I had some errands to run, I didn't stay to see how they managed to continue with their journey, or whether they went back the way they came.

The Blue Period

It was sunny today for the first time since last Sunday, so it made for a slightly lighter night as I cycled home from work.

As the sky was still blue, I stopped on the bridge that I cross the canal on and took a few photos of the canal, it's boats and the sun setting in the sky beyond.

Swan Song

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

Top O' The Morning

Well we are back to the usual British summer weather that we are more used to today, as it has rained on and off all day. So it was apt that I came across this name of a narrowboat whilst out at lunch, even though the sky was too grey for a real rainbow.

The boat's name also reminded me of one of Gail's favourite films when she was a child; Finian's Rainbow, which starred Fred Astaire and Petula Clark and directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who is more well known for the Godfather films.

Uncovering The Past

Some workmen over the past few days have sadly been cutting down a number of mature trees along part of the Castle Boulevard stretch of the canal.

I have no idea why they have done this, as the tress weren't dead, just maybe a little overgrown.

So down they came, and once all the wood had been cleared away, this small brick built building appeared.

It would be interesting to know what it was used for. Maybe something to do with the waterway. Who knows?

The Dinky Dozen

Today is apparently Earth Day, a celebration of the planet that we all live on.  The sad thing is that most people don't think much of it the other 364 days.

Seas are polluted; the rain forests are being cut down at a rate of knots; practically every day flora and fauna are in danger of becoming extinct.  Poaching, animal abuse, the list goes on. It makes me so sad. So I was really happy to see this proud mother duck and her 12 little babies learning to swim in the canal, as I cycled by.

I stopped to take some photos, but she must have known, as she got her brood together and swam off in the other direction. So I followed and tried to overtake her, but she stopped and then went the other way. I got this as she headed off to safety.

This entry also celebrates my 2800th post. Phew!

War Of The Worlds

They're coming to get you. Slowly at first, creeping along, so you don't notice them. Then all of a sudden, bam they've got you.

I bet you're scared now, at what these mysterious things are that I've managed to get a photo of.

Well you don't have to be, as they are only spores on some moss that I saw growing on a wall near the canal. I just happened to shoot it with my new 60mm macro lens that I got at the Photography Show.

Sadly the shot isn't super sharp. A mixture of the wind blowing the plant and my lack of knowledge of shooting with a specialist lens. Hopefully this will improve and I'll be able to take life size photos of insects, beetles etc.

Lights On The Water

Due to multiple punctures this morning, I had to take the bus to work. So coming back home, I decided to walk along the canal towpath for a while, before catching the bus back to Beeston.

I passed the marina and thought I'd have a go at taking a photo of this well decorated narrowboat. Love the lights reflected in the water, and howe the ripples have broken up the colours.

Mud, Mud, Glorious Mud

Here's a sight that you don't see everyday. A canal closed due to 'roadworks'.

It's interesting how that have managed to block the section, make it watertight and pump all the water out.

I wonder what sort of things they found when all the water was removed? Old tyres, cones, and it you look carefully there's even a bicycle propped up against the wall. I wonder if they came across any guns or weapons as they were dredging? It's certainly an opportunity to unearth something unusual.

Wishing I Had A Photograph

Does anyone remember a band from the early 1980s called a Flock of Seagulls? They were just about a one hit wonder with the song "Wishing I had a Photograph (of you)"

I bet you're wondering what they are doing now. Well here's a shot of them enjoying some sun by the canal.