The Red Planet

Have you seen Google's Mars site? - seems as if the images are even clearer than some of those on Google Earth! But of course Mars has little atmospheric interference!

My Photo of the Day

One of the colourful horses of Buenos Aires

My Photo of the Day

Fly-fisherman in the River Severn at Atcham Bridge near Shrewsbury

My Photo of the Day

Sunken and unused lane in South Wales, I expect the trees were originally planted as a hedge on each side.

My Photo of the Day

Late evening view from the hills above Oban

My Photo of the Day

A very special place - as my friends and family will know.

My Photo of the Day

Crabeater Seals
Said to be the most numerous seal in the world, possibly the most numerous mammal after man and his domesticated animals, but they live so far south on the antarctic ice that they are seldom seen. Taken from a zodiac December 2005.

My Photo of the Day

Table Mountain from Bloubergstrand - Taken December 2002

My Photo of the Day

Lee Village
- on the North Devon coast
near Ilfracombe

Maundy Thursday

I'm not a great monarchist these days, but I admit to being proud that Britain still has many quaint and quirky traditions. Today is no exception. The Queen, every Maundy Thursday goes to a different cathedral to distribute specially minted Maundy coin to as many pensioners as she is old. This year she is visiting Guildford Cathedral for the event, so she can stay in bed a little longer this morning as that is quite near Windsor Castle. This morning I looked to my usual web information source for this kind of information but the BBC site failed me, telling me where the Queen had been in previous years, but I couldn't find where it was to be today. In the end Google "of course" came to the rescue and gave me the link above.

My Photo of the Day - 12 April

Stretton Grandison vicarage and church - near Bromyard

11th April 2006
My most favourite web site has got to be GOOGLE EARTH and if you have never visited it before - go there NOW!
Maps, satellite images, terrain, zoom and tilt the images, roads, hotels, Google Community members' notes, searches by place name - post code - zip code - grid reference and Latitude, Longitude. Links to just about the rest of the world and the web.
The basic version is free. Snags: Some areas that you might like to explore have no high resolution images: see the Scilly Islands for instance. Also there may be a slight mismatch between mapping and satellite images. However it's improving all the time.

Geology

Having studied some geology with the Open university some years ago, I joined the local geology group - WEGA - the West of England Geologists Association. An active and informed group which organises monthly lectures in the winter months and field trips during the summer.
Do have a look at our programme at WEGA

Paraguay

One of my many interests is supporting a child in Paraguay through the charity - Plan - formerly Plan International. I was impressed from first contact with the organisation which is non-religious. No money goes direct to the sponsored child, but is fed to programmes within the communities. I receive regular updates from the area and personal letters are exchanged with my own sponsored child. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he continues with his education and will gain from the experience. I think that my £18 per month subscription going some way to helping the third world.

In the Wake of Shackleton

1. 
   
   
   
   
   
   Falkland Island - Flightless Steamer Duck family
2. We are looking at a ferocious Leopard Seal
3. Chinstrap Pengiuns - Aitcho Islands
4. March of the Gentoo Penguins
5. King Penguins - which one is Harold? - South Georgia
6. Black Browed Albatrosses - West Falkland

My partner Viki and I came back from a most wonderful holiday cruise four months ago and we are still buzzing from the experience. We flew to Buenos Aires, then further south in Argentina for a cruise, taking in the Falklands. South Georgia and the Antarctic Peninsula. The wildlife was all we expected and more.
Thanks to Noble Caledonia who organised the trip.
Just six of over 1000 Photos taken

Geograph - Photographing the whole of UK

Geograph
I'm proud to have done a little bit towards this marvellous and addictive project over the last 9 months or so. Here my picture of Easdale on the West Coast of Scotland.
Go straight there