Deep Water

Here's a shot from Highfields. With all the rain that we have had lately, it's no wonder that the lake has overflowed and flooded this area that is usually used as a seating area, or somewhere to stand and feed the ducks and swans.

But no one will be doing that for a week or so while there is a constant black cloud hanging over the country.

A Flash Of Red

Nothing new to show you today, as not really very much happened. I managed not to get wet cycling to and from work. But the rain is certainly making up for it now. As it is pelting down now. The noise on the roof is almost deafening.

So here is a shot from Woodhall Spa. it is of a Porsche from the 1960s. Whilst we were looking around the grounds of the Petwood Hotel, we saw all these Porsche's lined up in the car park. Apparently they had been a road race of some kind, and they were using the car park as the finishing line.

I was lucky to snap this car when I did, as moments later, another, more modern porsche pulled up alongside and it would have ruined my shot.

No Parking Allowed

For the last week or so, Beeston's multi-storey car park is in the process of being demolished. It has proudly stood on it's concrete legs for around 40 years. But no more. The bulldozers and wrecking ball have moved in and are knocking it down. Piece by piece. Floor by floor.

It's sad in a way, as it is almost like a landmark in the area. It's also useful for getting aerial views of the surrounding area. But it is having to go, as the whole area is being re-developed. The next to go is the old fire station. It was abandoned a few years ago, when they built the new one near the Boots factory. But fortunately is is of little architectural interest; being just a brick box.

The car park in the sky was built next to the bus station, and it too is having a makeover. At the moment they have cordoned off some of the bays and moved the stops to another adjacent road.

It's going to be chaos in the town for the next couple of years, whilst the changes are taking place. I just hope it is going to be worth all the effort and great expense.

The Horse Whisperer

Alas, I haven't found anything worth photographing today, although the sun has shined for a while. I even managed to cut the rather soggy hedge without electrocuting myself!

So here's a rather colourful portrait of a member of the Sealed Knot, who were demonstrating their battle skills at Wollaton Park last Sunday.

He looks very smart in his yellow and black jacket, with little red and yellow hat. I am amazed at how much effort that these groups put into creating their uniforms, as I doubt that they are originals. So they must do a great deal of research into the material used, colours etc. Maybe they have looked at and had access to similar garments in museums.

However they got the information; well done to creating such an authentic looking costume.

Smile And The Whole World Smiles With You

This rather extraordinary piece of art was on show last week at the castle whilst the Olympic torch visited the city.

It had been designed by architectural students from the university and appeared to be made from brand new pallets.

I took various shots of it from different angles, but this happy looking man with his smiling T shirt, just adds to the fun of the piece.

Cheers!

I paid my first visit today to the food and drink festival that's presently on in the Old Market Square until Sunday.

It was sunny and warm for a change, and you could see the difference in people. They looked happier, especially with not having to wear anoraks and carrying umbrellas.

There are quite a number of stalls selling different foods. Some of which I might try tomorrow.

My eye was drawn to this guy and his comic T shirt. Especially as I managed to show the beer tent in the background!

It's A Small World

Headbanger Wednesday again and Kathy's choice this week. Boy does it come round quickly.

Kathy's has chosen "It's a Small World", which is another of those themes that can go off in any direction.

For my choice, I've gone for these cygnets, snoozing with their mum. Dad was standing guard. Their world is really very small. Just that small stretch of river and the love and protection of their parents.

It was taken at Horncastle in Lincolnshire the other week, when were were holidaying with Stewart and Julie. In fact Stewart wanted to post his version of the same scene as his header, but alas for him, I got there first!

Do pop over to the rest of the gang's pages and enjoy this size related song.

Wedding Day

I snapped another wedding the other day. Not as the official photographer, but as a bystander.

Walking through the Old Market Square I noticed a open topped vintage styled car with the bride and groom in the back being arranged and posed by the official photographer. So I just had to join in with the action.

Here is a close up of the newly married couple, enjoying a rare bit of summer sunshine.

What A Grey Day

There has recently been a big hoo-har about a novel that's been out for a short while now. The tale is called "Fifty Shades of Grey" by E.L James.

It appears to be a romance, with a liberal sprinkling of eroticism, and from all accounts is very popular with the ladies.

Gail has heard some of the nurses she works with talk about it. Apparently once you pick it up, you can't put it down until it's finished. It appears to have sold more copies than even the Harry Potter novels.

My local Waterstone's obviously feel they are on to a good thing by advertising the fact that they have had a new delivery of some more copies. One at a time please. No need to rush!

We'll Meet Again

I paid a visit to Wollaton Park today as it was hosting the Veteran's Weekend. A yearly event to remember all those fallen souls who fought for peace and freedom.

There were a lot of things going off, battle re-enactments, military vehicle displays, a parachute drop and music. Among the musical offerings were a couple dressed up as wartime entertainers, singing songs of the period.

Johnny Victory and Frances Belle were quite entertaining with their renditions of songs from the 1940s. Their RAF uniforms look quite authentic with their ENSA (Entertainments National Service Association) badges. Some well known people were members of ENSA. They included Joyce Grenfell, Wilfrid Brambell and George Formby.

Here's a shot of Frances singing along to another well known wartime hit. Should you want to learn more about the group that she is in, here's their website link.

Ear Is the News

I saw something today that I've never seen before. A dancing ear!

Not just any ear mind you. But the left one. Which must be the artistic one. I didn't see the right one. Maybe it was sitting in a corner sulking, as it didn't know how to dance.

The ear was 'performing' outside my local branch of Specsavers; who are a national chain of opticians. I'm not sure why it was there, as they do eye tests and sell glasses. Unless they have just started doing hearing aids too now.

Anyway it was getting a fair bit of attention from the passing pedestrians. No idea if any of them went inside for a hearing test or not. But it was fun to watch, and certainly something unusual for a sunny Saturday morning.

Didn't Your Mother Ever Tell You Not To Go Near A Naked Flame?

This is the moment that a flicker of the Olympic flame was collected for its onward journey, before the flame is extinguished in the golden cauldron.

I didn't realise that the two people who were undertaking the task were the police. I was so far away from the stage, that I had my lens at its full 270mm. Looking at the shirts they are wearing, you can clearly see 'Metropolitan Police' emblazoned on their T shirts. I zoomed in on iPhoto and the name of the male officer is Rhys Peters, and he is a sergeant.

I'm not entirely sure why this bit of the celebration had to be done by cops. It's not as though anyone is going to steal the flame! Unless they were worried that a pyromaniac might get the job and start setting fire to the stage.

Anyway the flame started on it's way to Derby this morning. It left around 8am from the statue of Robin Hood, which is near the castle. This is far too early for me. So I let the rest of the population of Nottingham wave it goodbye.

Some Ice, Some Stars And A Flame

The Olympic Torch reached Nottingham today, after travelling from Athens 41 days ago.

It had come from Lincoln, and after staying the night tonight, the convoy will be heading to Derby, before reaching London next month.

It arrived in the county during the late afternoon and made it's way to the Ice Arena, where famous local skaters Jayne Torvill & Christopher Dean did a turn on the ice with it. They made history in 1984, when they got straight sixes for their interpretation of Ravel's Bolero.

I was lucky enough to get a couple of tickets for the show from a friend. Gail unfortunately couldn't make it, as she had a prior engagement, and it was also difficult to get into town, as the local authority had closed many roads across the city centre.

It didn't go to waste though, as I bumped into a pal, and fellow photographer of mine. So I invited him along. The arena was packed as you can imagine. But we managed to get some decent seats to take some shots. We both had good telephoto lenses on our Nikons, which also helped.

After the show was over, we went outside and followed the torch to the Old Market Square. It was also rammed full of people, and so we missed some of the action. But we did see them put out the flame. We also met up with another Flickrmate and wandered off to the castle, to see what was happening there.

A couple of bands were playing. and low and behold, another two photo buddies appeared. It was almost like a Nottingham Flickr group convention!

Here's one of the many shots that I took of Chris and Jayne skating with the torch.

Snapped!

This week marks Gail's first ever choice for the Headbanger Challenge, and she's gone for the really girly theme of 'BLING'.

So I've gone for the equally girly thing of shoes and handbags. Something that Gail has a lot of, and in about equal measures. Still she complains about my large book and video collection. So all's fair in love and storage space.

I got this photo whilst walking around the beauty show at the NEC in April. I was looking for interesting and unusual shots. Quirky ones that may come in handy for future headbanger challenges. Which this clearly has.

That is certainly a traffic stopping shoe. More crystals per square centimetre than the Swarovski factory. Any woman wearing them would be bound to get a lot of attention. Matched by the bag. A paparazzi's delight.

Do pop over to the rest of the teams' pages, including my DW's and enjoy this bit of music. Be warned, you may need sunglasses!

I've noticed that Stewart has posted a few photos of Gail and I whilst we were holidaying together in Woodhall Spa over the last couple of days. So today for a change, I thought I would get my own back and show you a shot of him.

When we returned to the town after visiting Tattershall Castle and seeing the Spitfire, we were astounded to see giant kangaroos leaping about in the middle of the road. Not real ones of course, but guys dressed in costumes and on stilts. As I was driving, I couldn't take any photos, but Stewart was snapping away. There was also a jazz band dressed as chefs and two comic policemen, also on stilts. They were also being very silly in the road and accosting pedestrians. Of which Stewart was one.

Face To Face

Gail and I met up with some fellow photographers and three models this evening for a photoshoot around the city centre.

We split up into two groups and wandered around looking for suitable locations. We started off at the entrance to the Council House, and attracted the attention of a passing community policeman. He was very good natured, and a bit of a photographer himself apparently.

We then made our way along to Bridalsmithgate. There is a long, well lit passageway there, where we stopped for a while. Here's a shot of Gemma, one of the models that we were using posing by a blown up poster of another model.

All the while that we were out we were being watched by onlookers. Some wondered if we were shooting for a magazine. Others just walked by looking. We were also accosted by a small group of Polish men, that may have had a drop or two more ale than they should. One wanted his photo taking. Then tried charging us 50p for the privilege!

Left Right, Left Right

A large contingent of soldiers from the Mercian Regiment were in the city today. They had just finished a tour of duty in Afghanistan and were returning for some welcome R & R and to see their families and loved ones.

They marched from St Mary's Church in the Lace Market, down to the Old Market Square and then up to the castle. I followed them along nearly the whole of the route, and felt like one of the reporters that were also following the action. One of the photographers that I stood near was holding a Leica M8. I had a touch of camera envy I can tell you.

This shot shows the tail end of the march reaching the gates of the castle. There were several hundred soldiers in all, with just as many waving and cheering them along the route.

All Fire, No Spit!

For our last day in Woodhall Spa, we decided to visit Tattershall Castle, a National Trust property, about six miles from the small town.

The castle is quite amazing to look at and was restored during the early part of the 20th century. It originally dates from the 15th century.

It has six floors, and you get to see some great views of the Lincolnshire countryside from the battlements.

But what made it extra special today was that a Spitfire flew over the castle whilst we were there. The RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight is stationed at an airfield very close to the castle, and they all took off this afternoon to fly for an event in Lowestoft.

Besides the Spitfire, the Memorial Flight includes, a Lancaster bomber, a Hurricane and a Dakota. Unfortunately neither the Lancaster or Hurricane came out well, and it was an extra surprise to see the Dakota about fifteen minutes later.

Dambuster's March

In the centre of Woodhall Spa is a fitting monument to the airmen of the 617 squadron, who flew in Lancaster bombers over Germany to destroy the dams there.

They used a very unusual sort of bomb, in that it bounced on the water before hitting it's target. It didn't look like a bomb either; more of a giant beer barrel.

The monument is distinctive, with the names of all the RAF personnel involved in Operation Chastise, but didn't live to see its success, together with the emblem of the RAF and list of targets.

The most famous of all the airmen involved is that of Guy Gibson. He was played by Richard Todd in the 1955 film called The Dambusters.

During the war there were quite a number of airfields in Lincolnshire. Many have disappeared, but some remain, or have been turned into tourist attractions.

We're Off, We're Off, We're Off In A Motor Car

Gail and I are off on our jollies today. We're going to spend a long weekend in Woodhall Spa, a small town in deepest Lincolnshire.

We are going to be spending it with Stewart (iMac) and his DW Julie. It's Stewart's birthday tomorrow and it will be nice to share it with them both.

The journey down went OK. There is a new road that the Sat Nav didn't know about. So it was strange to see the little cartoon car driving on 'grass', with the road next to it.

Woodhall Spa is an old fashioned town, that hasn't seemed to have changed that much through the years. It has lots of small independent shops; your classic butcher, baker. Alas, no candlestick maker, but there is an amazing wedding and birthday cake creator there, called Dawn.

Her small shop called Sophisticake, had lots of unusual and clever designs on show, including this one of two rag dolls. They do not look like they are made from cake and icing at all. She and her assistant make everything themselves.

We watched her make a rose out of some small pieces of icing, which she moulded into petals. They were a deep red colour, which I believe is the same shade as someone's wedding dress.

Dawn of course has a website, where you can view some of her impressive and wonderful creations, and order one for your special occasion. Prince Charles did, when he married Camilla, a couple of years ago!

Per Aspera Ad Astra

Edward Joseph Lowe was a Victorian botanist, astronomer and founder member of the Royal Metorological Society.

The eminent scientist was born in Nottingham and had this house called Broadgate House built in the 1850s in Beeston. He also used it as an observatory.

The house presently belongs to the University of Nottingham. It's just a shame that they have let such an important local building going into such a bad state of repair. Now that there is a blue plaque mounted on the wall highlighting the site, perhaps some funding will be found to get it back into it's former glory.

The latin inscription: through hardship to the stars.