A few snaps from yesterday’s walk in the woods with Stephen. It was a last minute decision to walk as I usually head to the cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday.
Just myself and the Bonsai Baker taking in the views from Scrabo Hill on my local walk. Beech well into Autumn and a few Fungi knocking about as well. Even spotted a field with nearly 200 Swans at rest at the side of the lough. Too far for a photo but good through the binos 🙂
Some photos from my walk this morning up Cavehill over looking Belfast and Belfast Lough. A bit misty at the top and some mist floating around the docks giving it a spooky look just in time for Halloween approaching.
Three photos in one using photomerge. Click it for a bigger image on FlickR.
Belfast docks
Holywood, County Down peeking out of the morning mist
Had to laugh at this 🙂 Bonsai Baker down on his knees to get a decent shot, then …
Enter Smudge stage left who whipped him round the face with a wet tail on the way past 🙂 …
and the look of, ‘WTF’ on Stephen’s face 😀
Inspiration in an old Scottie
Why they call it cavehill
These two cavemen heading home! Spoke to them briefly on the way up. Both obviously high as kites from last night and have gone for a wander up the hill. They tried to pet my dogs who managed to give them a wide berth! [Yes Stephen, I’m taking credit for the cavemen joke 🙂 ]
Haws catching the sun.
Hooded Crows catching the thermals
McArts Fort with a misty top.
Spooky!!
About the only splash of colour
Maggie splashing in the puddles at the top
Looking over the flat top, I’m a shadow of my former self 😉
I said to Stephen, ‘Look a Chestnut Horse’. He said, ‘You mean a Horse Chestnut?’ Nope 🙂
Finishing on the down slope.
Funny how being busy at work you miss the little changes in the colour. I spotted a flash of red on the bench this morning and when I returned from work I grabbed the camera.
Brian’s Fuji
My Spirea
Some photos taken on my Sunday walk in Redburn Country Park overlooking Belfast Lough. Yes, it’s Wednesday. How could I be so slack in taking 3 days to post? Easy 🙂 I’m up to my neck in work, don’t be surprised if I even miss a daily post ❗ Like you’d even notice 😀
Here’s a panoramic from the top of the park overlooking the docks.
Only two walking partners on Sunday, Stephen, the Bonsai Baker, on the left and my much older brother Philip on the right 🙂 Don’t know if he looks at this much, but I guess I’ll find out !
I love spotting trees that inspire for bonsai and this park is full of them. Old beech trees can found everywhere and there’s also Pine, Larch, Rowan, Linden, Birch etc. This first one reminds me of the bank that the hobbits hid below in Lord of The Rings when being chased by Ring Wraiths!
This is like a Dr Who Baddie or some sort of giant octopus
This one is.. just darn pretty
The view overlooking Harland and Wolff Shipyard were the Titanic was built and launched.
Rowan berries in the process of getting stripped by the birds.
Interesting tree, hollow shari on this side but looks pretty whole until…
….you see the other side.
And here we return to the Lord of The Rings theme with Bilbo the Hobbit finding a new home.
My usual hunt for fungi
This is the usual sticker on dog waste bins…
But then some local vandals with a sense of humour decided to make a few alterations making it more of a Bullshit Bin 🙂
But this was the best of their efforts.
You’d think a dodgy shoulder wouldn’t stop you walking, but it did! I have been back at it for a few weeks but didn’t take the camera. Yesterday normal service resumed.
Our usual path on this walk has seen a few changes. Plenty of big beeches have taken a tumble. This one took a smaller one with it.
I love fungi at this time of year. Never miss a chance for a photo.
The green grass of home
Onwards to the beach at Helen’s Bay
Stephen had an extra dog for the walk
and just to repay the favour, here he is contorting himself for a photo.
A few days ago, I mentioned that I was trying to recover photos from Stephen’s memory card after an accidental delete has wiped out every photo he’d taken since March. [Remember to back up 🙂 ] I was successful.
While I was looking through the recovered photos I noticed that he has been sneaking around on our Sunday walks, taking photos of me taking photos! Here are some of them and a few others besides.
Me getting a shot of the Mourne Mountains from Scrabo Hill, Newtownards
I appear to be getting a shot of some Hawthorn Berries up Cavehill, overlooking Belfast Lough. My Springer Spaniel, Maggie is never far from my side on a walk. My other dog deserts me and ranges ahead.
Taking close up shots of bluebells in Killyneither Woods, Comber.
I think I caught him on in this one 🙂
A colder day walking the beach at Gray’s Point, Helen’s Bay. My squint is probably me trying to spot Smudge running ahead causing havoc, stealing tennis balls from other dogs!
Maggie and I in the Bluebells again.
The best way to discuss bonsai, with a tin of beer in the hand 🙂 Taken at a visit to Josh’s garden.
Taken on our Spring Pine collecting trip.
Cavehill again. Stephen and I walk with my two brothers. That’s them on the path ahead of us. We usually split up as Stephen’s dog and my brother’s dog hate each other!
Capturing Forsythia flowers this time I think.
More plant snapping.
A rare photo of me with my two brothers. As you can see I got all the good looks in the family. Hair is in short supply 😀
I’ll end with this one. It shows the end of one of our walks at Bangor Marina. My dog Smudge’s favourite spot. He’ll race ahead to get in the water waiting for someone, anyone, to throw a stone for him to chase.
It has come to my notice that I have the best wife a man could have. I do not praise her enough. She slaves away tirelessly when we have club events at my home and puts up with hairy men staying over and talking endlessly about bonsai. I just wanted to express my gratitude here on the blog for all to see.
NB: This post has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that see found my WordPress App on her IPad and is now following and reading my posts on it and Twitter. It’s just a coincidence honest! You will also notice a future lack of references to:
Changes to the Garden
Recently purchased trees
Planned trips abroad for bonsai events
This is also a total coincidence 😆
I found these little beggers on a Korean Hornbeam at the weekend. It wasn’t my one but I’ve seen leaf damage on it as well. I noticed leaf damage a few weeks back and sprayed with insecticide at the time. I was only checking today to confirm that they were all gone. I guess not! I have never had a year like this one for beasties eating my trees. I have sprayed more than normal, but to no avail. Time to bring out the special stuff that I’m not supposed to have any more 😆
This is the damage caused.
They target the new extension growth and that’s were I found this one. The new leaves failed to open out due to the cocoon created.
When I opened the leaves out this boyo popped out and he was quick as lightning!!
This is my Hornbeam exhibiting a lot of late growth and a few chewed leaves too.
A few trunks and nebari, just playing about with the camera.
This little Rowan has found a spot to grow. It has self seeded into the top of this rotting fence post.
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