Happy New Year everyone. I hope your Yuletide and New Year celebrations have been plentiful and that the year ahead offers you good health, prosperity, happiness and endless photo opportunities.

To kickstart the new edition of the fabulous "Show us your great photos" thread, I offer not a pic but a video. We took this last night and it shows, in all its glory, the incredible firework display we offered our neighbours from the comfort of our balcony. If you watch the video you'll see our neighbours' fantastic fireworks going off in the background - and then there's ours. 

This is what you get when you buy a box of mini fireworks from your local cheapskate supermarket (Albert Heijn) for the princely sum of 10 euros!  Still, it was so crap it was a laugh, which means it actually offered great value for money. I hope the vid of our box of damp balcony squibs also raises a smile with you.

Happy New Year!

 

3 hours ago, Peter99 said:

Clematis Ruben Montana? Nice garden Steve.

Sounds about right Peter.  Honeysuckle in the foreground, and somewhere between the two is jasmine.  They all flower at different times.  The birds love it amongst that lot.  There's four different acers in the other photo.  The two in front of my shed have really taken over and will need to be pruned at the end of the year.  Here's a photo taken less than 5 years ago....

Timmy the pug & his pal 

Had an hour or so scouring a new area yesterday, primarily to see if it would be worth a winter visit to dig up a pine or two for growing as bonsai, but then I stumbled on some plants that got me grabbing my camera...

Also in the same location, the stunning Digitalis obscura

Not exactly nature but............

 

Another Orange Tip male on common sorrel.  

These are strawberry plants.  They look very similar, but are two completely different wildflowers not even the same genus.  Top photo is a Barren Strawberry, bottom is a Wild Strawberry 

Found this yellow star thistle when walking my dog last night, not exactly friendly in flower or in seed.

An absolutely wonderful wildflower Yellow Hay Rattle.  It is hemi-parasitic it feeds on the roots of grasses and it is very important for wildflower meadows.  Growing in the fields at Wham where I live.  Loads of wildflowers 😀

Here is a couple of pictures of a wedding car job I did over the weekend at Bournemouth Town Hall with the 1977 Lincoln Continental   

One for the boys, HMS Belfast with a Tower Bridge on the side!

Here's one from 1983 in the Indian Ocean.  I'm kneeling at the bottom right of the line up....

A few from yesterday, check out the fella on the left in one if them.

Edited May 14, 20178 yr by middleman

22 minutes ago, middleman said:

A few from yesterday, check out the fella on the left in one if them.

The last photo....bottom left....surrealism!

1 hour ago, flamingemeralds said:

The last photo....bottom left....surrealism!

Yeah, I see what you mean.

Out last week with the wife, the eldest daughter and the dogs along Heswall Fields. The Dee estuary looking more like mud flats these days

Edited May 15, 20177 yr by stateside

Wall of Pink

Steve

Little Grebe

Steve

Butterfly heaven walk through my favourite woods then to Cockfield Fell.  Wonderful 14.5.17.  Orange Tip male, Green Veined White, Small Tortoiseshell, Small Copper and the best prize of the lot a tiny male Green Hairstreak on Gorse.  I knew it was male as it was chasing another male.  Also seen and not photographed were two Speckled Woods, Large White, Peacocks and my first Dark Green Fritillary of the year .

Edited May 16, 20177 yr by suzannek

Edited May 16, 20177 yr by suzannek

Conservatory plants lookin good this evening  someone gave us the cactus about four years ago a foot tall but now near six foot but dont know the species anyone here any ideas steve  ???ta baz

Edited May 18, 20177 yr by baz1

More flutterbys from Wham 

9 hours ago, baz1 said:

Conservatory plants lookin good this evening  someone gave us the cactus about four years ago a foot tall but now near six foot but dont know the species anyone here any ideas steve  ???ta baz

It's a Euphorbia Baz, most likely Euphorbia ingens. 

Dave

1 hour ago, TattooDave said:

It's a Euphorbia Baz, most likely Euphorbia ingens. 

Dave

Yes dave we found out yesterday it was a euphorbia but on looking we found  that there is a list as long my arm  and some ,thanks for the ingens m8

9 hours ago, suzannek said:

More flutterbys from Wham 

Where do you live suz ? Heaven  looks stunning x

12 hours ago, baz1 said:

Conservatory plants lookin good this evening  someone gave us the cactus about four years ago a foot tall but now near six foot but dont know the species anyone here any ideas steve  ???ta baz

Nice picture on wall as well.

26 minutes ago, middleman said:

Nice picture on wall as well.

Came from u.s m8 !!!!my wife friend gave it her when we finnished building the sun room 

5 hours ago, baz1 said:

Yes dave we found out yesterday it was a euphorbia but on looking we found  that there is a list as long my arm  and some ,thanks for the ingens m8

It's commonly grown in gardens here, there are several forms, I think yours is probably a dwarf, so will be Euphorbia ingens nana if such a thing exists, as they get to about 20 feet tall here.

Where do you live suz ? Heaven  looks stunning x

 

Tiny little hamlet called Wham in Teesdale, County Durham.  I saw my first Wall butterfly since I was a child.  They have nationally declined so have reported it to Butterfly Conservation.  

Edited May 20, 20177 yr by suzannek

1 hour ago, suzannek said:

Where do you live suz ? Heaven  looks stunning x

 

Tiny little hamlet called Wham in Teesdale, County Durham.  I saw my first Wall butterfly since I was a child.  They have nationally declined so have reported it to Butterfly Conservation.  

I had to look it up Suz, and from it's description I've obviously seen it before and not known what it was.  Well spotted.

An as yet unidentified compositae, probably a Centaurea, but a week of pawing through reference books have left me none the wiser.

The wild gladiolus, Gladiolus italicus, probably the finest one I've seen.

Here's a few pictures from over the weekend at this years Poole Boat show, there was four Tall Ships berthed up as well as a Royal Navy Mine Sweeper, all and all a very good weekend for the town.    

Edited May 22, 20177 yr by Bruv

Taken today at Bodnant Gardens.

The first picture is taken looking from above the laburnum arch. You wouldn't believe the view in the 2nd and 3rd pictures is the same view from below. Looking left and right.

Steve

 

Oystercatcher

Steve

2 minutes ago, Winsford Soul said:

Oystercatcher

Steve

Fabulous pictures Steve, thanks for sharing. 

On 2017-5-22 at 09:03, Bruv said:

Here's a few pictures from over the weekend at this years Poole Boat show, there was four Tall Ships berthed up as well as a Royal Navy Mine Sweeper, all and all a very good weekend for the town.    

HMS Hurworth, Hunt Class Mine Countermeasures Vessel.  I served on her sister ships Cattistock and Bicester.

11 hours ago, Winsford Soul said:

Taken today at Bodnant Gardens.

The first picture is taken looking from above the laburnum arch. You wouldn't believe the view in the 2nd and 3rd pictures is the same view from below. Looking left and right.

Steve

 

It's probably the best of it's kind in the world Steve, and needs perfect timing to see it at it's best, I was last there maybe 15 years ago to see it and caught it just right.

Gibraltar from La Linea after a quick shop last Friday.

2 hours ago, TattooDave said:

It's probably the best of it's kind in the world Steve, and needs perfect timing to see it at it's best, I was last there maybe 15 years ago to see it and caught it just right.

Dave.  It is as you know stunning to see it at it's best. When you phone the NT bodnant garden phone number they give advice and updates how and when to see the laburnum arch at it's best.  

One of the perks of working 4 on 4 off is that I get chance and time to see these stunning displays. 

Dave If it's that long since you visited you wouldn't recognise the place they have opened up many more acres to the public 

Steve 

1 hour ago, Winsford Soul said:

Dave.  It is as you know stunning to see it at it's best. When you phone the NT bodnant garden phone number they give advice and updates how and when to see the laburnum arch at it's best.  

One of the perks of working 4 on 4 off is that I get chance and time to see these stunning displays. 

Dave If it's that long since you visited you wouldn't recognise the place they have opened up many more acres to the public 

Steve 

Steve,

It's a little off the beaten track for me, but I may have to organise a visit sometime.  It was more by luck that I saw it at it's best, I did the swallow falls the same day.

Dave

On 5/22/2017 at 09:03, Bruv said:

Here's a few pictures from over the weekend at this years Poole Boat show, there was four Tall Ships berthed up as well as a Royal Navy Mine Sweeper, all and all a very good weekend for the town.    

I could be mistaken but is that the RNLI national headquarters in the background. I've been there many times - I used to work for the RNLI in the early 90's.

Peter

4 hours ago, Peter99 said:

I could be mistaken but is that the RNLI national headquarters in the background. I've been there many times - I used to work for the RNLI in the early 90's.

Peter

It's close by Pete but not in any of the shots. The RNLI has expanded here now it's a massive set up, with people coming from all round the Country to get the training in purpose built buildings,  and out on the water in various size vessels, for what is such a fantastic cause. 

After a couple of nights of bad frosts three weeks ago the garden is making a real come back just ready for the summer alldayer nighter cant wait its gonna look amazing by then outside dancefloor looks cushti tonight,fingers crossed the new drinks shelves hold up been hot tday an not bent yet

3 hours ago, Bruv said:

It's close by Pete but not in any of the shots. The RNLI has expanded here now it's a massive set up, with people coming from all round the Country to get the training in purpose built buildings,  and out on the water in various size vessels, for what is such a fantastic cause. 

Cheers mate. I spent quite a lot of time there and on the Isle Of Wight where they build the fabulous boats. Had a few great times taking a B Class Atantic out and bombing round water between Portsmouth and the IOW. I was a fundraising manager for them - also went out of a few rescues on the East Coast in a Mersey Class - Skegness and a Trent Class at Spurn Point. 

Atlantic

Mersey Class

 

Trent Class

Ahoy me shipmates!

Manchester United