kimbofo

Wild London

Place: Kew Gardens, London.
Date: Saturday May 7, 2006.
Camera: Sony Cybershot DSC-W1.

A spot of gardening

As much as I love living in London, I miss not having a garden of my own to potter around in. This photograph shows my "garden" such as it is -- a collection of potted plants in various stages of decay by my front door -- including a half-dead woody "shrub", a very much dead lavender bush, some sickly looking creepers and a refuse-to-die-no-matter-how-much-I-neglect-it pink-flowering alpine plant commonly known as "Bishops form".

I've been looking at these half-dead specimens for a few weeks now, thinking I need to do something about them. Then my neighbours across the way went all out and bought about a trillion bright new plants to decorate their entrance way -- lush hanging baskets filled with flowers, windowboxes stuffed with red geraniums, ceramic planters with herbs and other leafy specimens -- and it made my "garden" look even worse. I hate to admit it, but the shame finally got to me, and today I tottered off to the local garden centre to buy some replacement plants.

A dip in the Irish Sea

Place: Curracloe, Co. Wexford, Ireland.
Date: Saturday April 21, 2007.
Camera: Sony Cybershot DSC-W1.

Take five Irish brothers and one Canadian, dare them to go swimming in the Irish Sea one April afternoon and what do you get?

Hypothermia.

Mist and majestic trees

Place: Richmond Park, London.
Date: April 7, 2007.
Camera: Sony Cybershot DSC-W1.

Richmond Park is one of London's jewels -- 2,500 acres of open ground set up by long-ago royals who wanted somewhere they could hunt deer in peace. Nowadays the deer are still there -- and so they are the most amazing trees you've ever seen. Their skeletal shapes shrouded in early morning mist are simply majestic.

I took the above photograph on an early morning bike ride to the park on Easter Saturday. There was barely a soul around -- a few horse riders, people walking their dogs, joggers and fellow cyclists -- but as it got closer to 9am the traffic started to increase, which I took as my signal to hurry back home. The park is gorgeous, but best appreciated when it's too early for the crowds.

You can see more of my photographs and read about my bike ride here.

Little devils

   

All pictures taken: Brompton Cemetery, London.
Date: April 9, 2007.
Camera: Sony Cybershot DSC-W1.

Whether you think they're simply rats with bushy tails or cute little critters, there's no denying that the squirrel population in Brompton Cemetery largely comprises cheeky little scamps too friendly for their own good.

I found them slightly terrifying. They're not the type of animals that run away at the sound of human footsteps. Instead they actually follow you. On several occasions I thought one or two of them were going to scamper right up my trouser legs, they were that friendly.

It seemed like every time I zipped open my bag to extract my camera their curiosity was piqued. It wasn't until I spied an old lady feeding them nuts that I understood why they weren't frightened by the presence of humans: they were hoping to score some free goodies!

Little buggers. But cute though.

Wishing you all a very berry Christmas!

Place: Terrace Gardens, Richmond, West London, UK.
Date: November 6, 2005.
Camera: Sony Cybershot DSC-W1.

One wet, wild Saturday last year, T and I wandered through the Terrace Gardens in Richmond, as we made our way towards a cosy pub for a delicious roast dinner. Along the way we stopped to admire the stunning views over the Thames, but I was more intent on the plants and shrubs a little closer to hand, which is how I came to take this photograph. Looking at it now, it just feels very Christmassy, so I thought I'd post it in the hope it might inspire some seasonal cheer!

Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, here's hoping you have a safe and merry one.

Looking up

Place: Strahan, Tasmania.
Date: December 13, 2004.
Camera: Sony Cybershot DSC-W1.

Too many people walk around with their eyes to the ground. Me? I like to look upwards.  You never know what truly amazing sights you might see. 

A stroll through Strahan's People's Park

Place: Strahan, Tasmania.
Date: December 13, 2004.
Camera: Sony Cybershot DSC-W1.

Two years ago today we were mid-way through a self-drive tour of Tasmania. We spent two nights at Strahan, a remote town on the rugged -- and very beautiful -- west coast.

Here, on the shores of Macquarie Harbour -- a vast body of navy blue water that shimmered under the cloud-obscured sun -- it felt like we were perched on the edge of the earth: everything seemed so very isolated from the rest of the modern world.

Nēnē

Place: The Duckery, Leeds Castle, England.
Date: Tuesday, September 13, 2006.
Camera: Sony Cybershot DSC-W1.

These gorgeous birds with their jet-black faces, distinctive neck markings and attractively barred and striped bodies are called nēnē. The species is also known as the Hawaiian goose, because it is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands.

Unfortunately, due to hunting and introduced predators, nēnē have become the world's rarest geese and at one stage there were less than 30 birds left in the wild. The good news is that they breed well in captivity and the population is on the rise.

This pair was photographed at The Duckery at Leeds Castle, which has a large collection of nēnē and other species of waterfowl, including Australian black swans.