New Year 2019

January 2, 2019

I think it is only appropriate to start this post by saying “Happy New Year” to my readers/followers. I have spent most of the festive period in digital isolation, which is a cute way of saying i have spent most of it in front of the television watching marathon sessions of Netflix. The only interaction I have in these periods is Netflix asking me if I am still watching? How do you disable that annoying feature anyway, if I wanted it paused I’d train the cat to pause it on command. My apple watch also tells me to get up once an hour, but I just put it round the cats neck to make sure that it thinks I am moving and alive.

I did venture out on New Years Day with absolutely no idea where I was going to drive to but I did have the foresight to pack my camera. As I pulled out of the driveway I had two thoughts, Fife or the Trossachs. The latter dominating my thoughts primarily as I was in the wrong lane on the motorway for Fife as I sailed past the junction.

The Trossachs generally refers to an area of wooded glens and braes with quiet lochs, lying to the east of Ben Lomond in the Stirling council area of Scotland. The name is taken from that of a small woodland glen that lies at the centre of the area, but is now generally applied to the wider region. It is part of the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park which opened in 2002.

I have posted below two shots, Loch Ard and the Lake of Mentieth. I was a little late for sunset, but I did manage to get a few locations that I can go back to.

The Falkirk Wheel

November 15, 2017

The Falkirk Wheel is a rotating boat lift in Scotland, connecting the Forth and Clyde Canal with the Union Canal. The lift is named after the town it resides in of Falkirk in central Scotland. It opened in 2002, reconnecting the two canals for the first time since the 1933. Before the Forth & Clyde and Union canals were connected by a staircase of 11 locks which took nearly a day to transit. The design is claimed to have been inspired by a Celtic double headed spear. Work started on the project in 1998 at a cost of £84.5 million.

The plan to regenerate central Scotland's canals and reconnect Glasgow with Edinburgh was led by British Waterways with support and funding from seven local authorities, the Scottish Enterprise Network, the European Regional Development Fund, and the Millennium Commission. Planners decided early on to create a dramatic 21st-century landmark structure to reconnect the canals, instead of simply recreating the historic lock flight.

The wheel raises boats by 24 metres (79 ft), but the Union Canal is still 11 metres (36 ft) higher than the aqueduct which meets the wheel. Boats must also pass through a pair of locks between the top of the wheel and the Union Canal. The Falkirk Wheel is the only rotating boat lift of its kind in the world.

I have been trying to get some night shots of the wheel when it is lit up, but unfortunately I haven't managed to pass when it is. But I did manger to get these shots on Sunday,

Re-visiting the Mirror Man

September 11, 2017

Satrurday night saw myself and @alycoste taking an impromptu visit to Saint Fillans to take some shots of Rob Mulholland's artpience "Still", commonly known as the mirror man. I have more details about it in my original post from May. The weather turned out better than expected and it appeared that many people had the same idea as we met @espixie @_liam_jardine and @katie_smith80 all there taking photographs as well!

It was really nice to meet some new people that are also keen photographers and instagrammers, one of my favourite aspects of this social media platform. As I have posted about this sculpture and the area before I am just going to post some of my images here, click to enlarge on tablet/desktop.