Castle Colours

Cardiff is of course famous for it's castle.

Sadly I didn't get to go inside, as it was closed by the time that I had got there. So I had a walk around some of the perimeter wall. Not all of it, as the castle takes up a lot of space and I didn't want to get lost. Besides which it was cold and raining.

Here's a shot of the Norman Keep, which has twelve sides and is the best example of a Keep in Wales.

Where's George?

St George's Day and there was a big parade in the Old Market Square. As usual, the procession started at the Forest Recreation Ground and made it's way down to the city centre, led of course by St George and our very own Robin Hood.

I noticed that there seemed to be an awful lot of men in the parade, and while they were marching and singing, I thought I was at a football match.

It was lovely and warm today, and I think that everyone had a good time.

Who Is Number One

Besides the boating lake, croquet pitch and child's play area, there is also a putting green at Highfields Park.

I saw that the park keepers hadn't removed the little signs to show where the holes were, so I thought I would take a shot of one of them.

So I laid down on my belly, as I wanted to take a good worm's eye view shot that was in line with the grass, f1.8, so I would get some nice bokeh in the background.

Glad To Be Gay

It's Pride weekend in Nottingham this weekend. There's an event on tomorrow in the city centre which I will be going to, as there's bound to be some good photographs to be taken, as it's generally a very colourful time.

Although I'm not gay myself, I do have some friends that are, and I have absolutely no problem with this at all, as they are the nicest people you could meet. Probably better than some straight people I know!

I do find it sad that loving someone from the same sex is seen as wrong, immoral, or even sinful. Surely it is better to love someone whoever they are than to hate them, as there's enough hate in this world as it is.

This is actually the first time that I have seen a flag flying on the university's Trent Building. Hopefully there will be lots of other flags flying throughout the coming year.

The House On The Hill

Here's a shot of the castle. I took it from the top of the multi-storey car park near the railway station.

I took it with our new Olympus 75-300mm lens, which we got from the Photography Show at the NEC in Birmingham earlier in the month.

I wanted to give it a go, to see what range it has. I think it is about half a mile away, so I don't think it's done a bad job.

I'm not quite sure how much we will use it, but it's a great addition to our camera kit bag.

Dydd Gŵyl Dewi

Today is St David's Day, the patron saint of Wales. And to celebrate that fact, here is a shot of Portmeirion and flying the Welsh national flag; the Baner Cymru or Y Ddraig Goch, which translated becomes 'The Red Dragon'. Incidentally the name given to many an English pub!

I hope everyone who is Welsh has had a good day, even though, like in England, it is not classed as a public holiday.  Personally I think all saint's days should be given a bank holiday status, as we don't get enough public holidays compared to other European countries.

Flying The Flag

For once I have been standing in front of the camera. It doesn't happen very often, as I think I take a rotten picture. Some people have mentioned that about my activities behind the camera too!

This was taken by the in-house photographer at Adee Phelan's salon in Birmingham's The Cube building. I think it works well in black and white. You can still tell that it's the Union Jack behind me.

I quite like the pose. Maybe a touch of the Richard Branson. But without the wooly jumper.

Damsels In Distress

As it was another lovely sunny day, Gail and I went to visit Rockingham Castle in Leicestershire.

The castle was built over 900 years ago & decendants of the original family still live there.

The insides were full of wonderful things to look at; furniture; paintings; works of art. The kitchen was amazing and full of cooking utensils and realistic looking foods. The staff were very knowledgeable and happy to answer questions.

The castle grounds are exceptional and are well laid out and full of interest. I especially like this hedge of different shaped and sized hedges that run the length of one of the gardens.

Some of you may have heard of, or seen a BBC drama series from the early 1980s called 'By the Sword Divided'. It was about a family caught up in the middle of the English Civil War. Well the castle was used extensively in the show as a backdrop to the action. So if you do fancy a day trip out somewhere, and want to pretend to be a Cavalier or Roundhead, I can personally recommend a visit, as I don't think you'd be disappointed.

King For The Day

After her majesty had left the city centre, I walked around the area a bit looking for interesting characters to photograph, or people that had made an effort in dressing up for the occasion.

There were of course hundreds of people to choose from, but I noticed this little boy dressed like a prince and wearing a very regal crown whilst sitting on the knee of his gran, or aunty.

He looked very happy at being there, and I bet he had waved his little flag that much, his poor arm was aching.

Saint's Preserve Us

Yesterday was St George's Day, and it was celebrated in the usual low key style, that we've come to expect. No public holiday like in Ireland, no parties or celebrations. Looking around the city; besides a couple of card shops promoting the day, this was about the best I could come up with.