CAMERA CAPERS

 "Come over and photograph wild orchids" said Elizabeth. So one afternoon in early June Angie and I drove over to Elizabeth's.   We were amazed at the number of wild orchids she has growing in her garden.  She said that when she and her husband moved to the property some 25 years ago they saw a few growing in the lawn so avoided them when they cut the grass.  Over the years the orchids have seeded and grown to a very large area.   A wonderful sight. In the following two photo's Elizabeth placed a white and then a black sheet of card behind the orchids.  I think I prefer the white background best. Just look at the beautiful markings on the flowers.

 The weather turned sunny and warm and we took advantage of this and made a trip down to Bognor Regis for the day.   After the months of lockdown, it was so pleasant to have a walk along the front, sit and just look at the sea, and breathe in the fresh sea air.   We had lunch in the sunshine sitting outside a small cafe just off the front then had a quick walk around the town.   It wasn't very busy at all. My attempt at catching waves Looking east Looking west Looking out Entrance to the pier There is always a collection of fishing boats on the beach just by the pier View of the pier from the fishing boats

 I have recently been given permission to walk in some private woodlands just outside the village. Early in May I invited two of the cameral club ladies to join me in exploring the woodlands and photograph the bluebells.   Unfortunately, we were not able to go until mid-afternoon, but which time, by the time we found the bluebells the light was beginning to fade. We thought we had better leave as we could hear thunder coming from over the hill and looking up we could see some very dark and dramatic clouds. Fortunately, we got back to the car without getting wet, but when we arrived in the village we were amazed to see the green was completely white with hailstones.    This is my back garden. 

April and May's weather was pretty dire all in all.  It was a really mixed bag and the weather forecasts were not much help as the conditions were constantly changing.   You will remember that in my last Blog for April I mentioned the fourteen ducklings we had on the village pond.    They have all survived miraculously.  However, at the end of April, we noticed that one duckling had what appeared to be a rubber band around its neck.  It kept 'ducking' its head under the water as if trying to dislodge it.   The RSPCA, Swan Sanctuary, and Bird and Swan Rescue were all called in catch the duckling to remove the band.  They all came back several times. Fortunately on their fourth visit Bird and Swan Rescue managed to catch the duckling - just as Brian and I were walking past.  I asked if I could take a photo for the village Newsletter.     You can see the plastic band around the duck's neck. Removing the band The band turned out to be one of those plastic bands found around