After more travels over the last week I’ve had a rare day at home where I’ve not had to pick up the camera bag once, which has been rather nice as the weather feels a lot chillier here in the Pennines than it did in Scotland – odd when you think of the difference in latitudes. Admittedly, where I live we’re 450 feet more above sea level than Glasgow which could help explain some of the difference! Another thing I noticed was how many leaves have vanished off the trees since I was away. Apparently, there were high winds earlier in the week which made a huge difference. The little Acer bush in my front garden is looking positively naked!

Most of my day has been spent edited the thousands of pictures I took whilst I was away in order to clear the decks ready for the next trip and ensure that all the main pictures have been sent to the client (who seem extremely happy with what was shot). So, most of my day’s been spent staring at a computer screen or being distracted by the constant to-ing and fro-ing of the various Coal and Blue-Tits to the bird-feeder outside my office window. I topped it up with Sunflower seeds this morning so the birds have gone mad, even getting involved in ariel dog-fights as they jockey for position. It’s impossible for the local Squirrel population to reach the feeder, so they hang around in the cobbled entry underneath like a swarm of sharks, waiting to snatch whatever the birds manage to flick off onto the floor.

I did manage to escape for a lunchtime walk with Dawn as the pair of us wanted to ensure the day wasn’t entirely sedentary. A stroll through the local woods was just the ticket. They’re looking beautiful at the moment and I hope to have time to capture some of their colours on camera over the weekend.

Tomorrow I’m off on my travels again. This time it’s a trip to Grange-over-Sands to get pictures for an article I’m writing for a client. I’d hoped to have visited before I went to Scotland, but the weather around Morecambe Bay can be temperamental to say the least. However, tomorrow’s forecast is for sunshine for at least part of the day, so it would be a no-brainer not to go. No doubt there’ll be a rolling blog in the offing as tomorrow’s a solo trip that isn’t rushed, giving me time to watch the world go by and write.

The picture of the day comes from the archives and was taken in the area I’m heading to. This shot of a train crossing the Arnside Viaduct over the wide river Kent was taken on the 14th February 2008.

The River Kent is tidal and depending on the time of day you might see little more than sandbanks here, but when the tide’s in or on its way on a clam day, you can capture reflections like this. Sadly, this train livery is a thing of the past – as is the class of train on this route as Trans-Pennine Express no longer run service to Barrow-in-Furness. I always though this was one of the more attractive liveries to catch out in the countryside as it was so vibrant. Who knows, maybe I’ll have chance to update this shot tomorrow with new trains and new liveries – even if it won’t be as colourful…

Oh, some of you might recognise this shot and wonder where from. It’s on my business card!

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