Church on a Zip-wire

We used to call these Devils slides or Death slides when I was a kid. Zip-wire is the Americanism most commonly used these days.
Our local Church is under renovation at the moment and dressed in scaffold. Viewed from near our house there is an electricity pylon in line with it and in the right light they look like one structure.
In the foreground is a 3 stranded electricity line running over the fields. Again, with the right view point they look connected, with the pylon hung on these wires.
I was photographing this when a flock of seagulls flew past, just luck for added interest bonus points. "If I had a photograph of you", a line from the song 'wishing' leaps into my head.
Kirby Bellars Chuch at Sunset. On a zip-wire!

Up for nothing, again

Same place a week later. Forecast is misty start to the day so let's have a look. Nope! Foggy bit's on way here but no expected mist hanging over the water. Anyhow, the shutter was pressed a few times and these are the best two of about eighty. Take a third of those off for 'tripling' up on exposures for later HDR treatment. A further 20 removed for colour cast from a dodgy filter (That can't be a genuine Cokin Neutral Grad) which leaves about 25. Less some shots of horses because one had a dodgy blanket on leaves about a 20% hit rate. Pretty good for me :)

A gate on the way back to the car

 

 

 

 

 

 

Up for nothing

This morning I was up and out early. The forecast was for low cloud or sunny spells. I was hoping for the latter along with a bit of morning mist. The sun if it's clear will rise in a glowing red dawn I thought, or just the mist over the water perhaps. With some luck I'll get both. I got the sun. Not glowing red but a faint pink hue it laid across the clouds just before it stuck it's head out from under the duvet. A bright orange that lasted for seconds as it launched itself towards the high sky rather too quickly from a photographers point of view.
Nice to see it though even if I failed to capture it.

The pink before sunrise

Massive HDR on this sunrise

Stanage Edge

Saturday evening you could have seen us at the local Indian restaurant having a curry and a couple of bottles of wine. Later on we were to be found watching a band strumming some 80's music in a local watering hole that we 'almost' frequent. Sunday morning you may have seen our squinty eyes and dainty steps.
Never-the-less, we left our abode and headed for the Dark Peaks of Derbyshire. Hungover, also in no doubt that at some point during the day, we would have a sudden requirement for one of Mr Doultons finest pieces of porcelain. Undaunted by this horrible thought we left the car at the side of the road, then headed out into the open wilderness of the Dark Peak. We know how to live 'on the edge'!

Starting near The Fox House Inn, on the B6521 at Padley Gorge, Hathersage, Derbyshire.

We went off down the lovely gorge through the trees next to the tumbling stream of Burbage Brook and down through Burbage woods, where the Fungi grow.

Across the Sheffield to Manchester rail line into meadows of the Derwent valley.

Further along the River Derwent and into Hathersage village. Picnic at the local cricket ground in the late summer sunshine.

Then the climb up the hill begins. Passing through the Churchyard of St Michaels. They say that Little John, of Robin Hoods band of men fame, is buried here. This is one extremely long grave!

Past here and up a steep driveway to the Eyres house, made famous by Charlotte Bronte.

Up through some woods and then a steeper climb through the bracken below Stanage Edge itself.

The rocks were crawling with climbers. Loads of them, all along the length of the Edge.
Easier ways to the top can be found though.

 A Meadow Pipit, quite a common sight up here, not usually this close though. They must be getting used to human contact.

 It was rather breezy on the top.

 Climbers making the most of what will probably be the last nice Sunday this year, Still climbing as the sun descends low in the sky.
Sunset at 18:52 and this was taken at 17:10. It's 20 minutes from the nearest parked car though. You can see them along the road in the background. It took us an hour to get back to ours. A lovely afternoon in the late summer sunshine.