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!

 

Clyde & friend...Cami de Cavalls

x

 

Edited September 10, 20177 yr by crazylegs

The BBC News website has a line-up of winning entries from the Bird Photographer of the Year Award. All great pics, but some are especially stunning and most certainly worth a look...

http://www.bbc.com/news/in-pictures-41161968

4 hours ago, Russell Gilbert said:

The BBC News website has a line-up of winning entries from the Bird Photographer of the Year Award. All great pics, but some are especially stunning and most certainly worth a look...

http://www.bbc.com/news/in-pictures-41161968

Hard to choose a favourite from this selection. Some good photographs. Thanks for sharing Russell.

13 minutes ago, Widnes63 said:

Hard to choose a favourite from this selection. Some good photographs. Thanks for sharing Russell.

Yep thanks Russ - some great photographs. I'm no expert - but I know what I like, and I would put some of my SS friends photographs up with them. We get plenty of "wow" pictures on here. 

Pete

Whilst driving along the coast in menorca i caught a glimpse of turquoise through a hole in the hedge as we were going to Binibeca and stopped immediatley the first photo is what we saw, need less to say we went for a swim as there was no one around at all.

The rest are from visits to the Lizard in cornwall where we saw loads of Choughs ,the last one is kynance cove where there were hundreds of people just waiting for the tide to go out so they could get onto the beach you can see emerging from the sea.

18 hours ago, Widnes63 said:

Hard to choose a favourite from this selection. Some good photographs. Thanks for sharing Russell.

 

18 hours ago, Peter99 said:

Yep thanks Russ - some great photographs. I'm no expert - but I know what I like, and I would put some of my SS friends photographs up with them. We get plenty of "wow" pictures on here. 

Pete

You're welcome. It was definitely worth sharing. Absolutely true, there are many stunning photos on here. Maybe we should have a little competition...

Musk beatle (so I've been told). Amazing colours and a stunning metallic sheen. Almost looks as if it could be artificial!

Autumn is most definitely here!

Meet my new lodger 

 

6 minutes ago, Venus said:

Meet my new lodger 

 

I don't envy you, I'm not a big fan of most things with more than 4 legs.

@TattooDave Dave I used to be scared of spiders but I lived with my sister a few year back for nearly 2 years in West Sussex...seeing someone more frightened of them than me actually made me a little braver in catching them and putting outside...However this one? well it's huge and so have closed the door till I pluck up courage to go back in there LOL.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

36 minutes ago, Venus said:

@TattooDave Dave I used to be scared of spiders but I lived with my sister a few year back for nearly 2 years in West Sussex...seeing someone more frightened of them than me actually made me a little braver in catching them and putting outside...However this one? well it's huge and so have closed the door till I pluck up courage to go back in there LOL.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My sister sucks them up with the vacuum cleaner ..... I just live with them, keeps the fly population down.

2 hours ago, Venus said:

@TattooDave Dave I used to be scared of spiders but I lived with my sister a few year back for nearly 2 years in West Sussex...seeing someone more frightened of them than me actually made me a little braver in catching them and putting outside...However this one? well it's huge and so have closed the door till I pluck up courage to go back in there LOL

I have a spider's web on the balcony that I feed with flies or mosquitoes, inserted with tweezers, I rely on the geckos to keep the population of them down to a manageable level, but I still get bitten regularly by mosquitoes, and the flies are a pain when eating outside.  The moths here get into everything, including porridge oats, so they aren't encouraged either, but I do try not to kill anything, even the ants, which I strongly believe will eventually take over the world.

2 hours ago, Venus said:

@TattooDave Dave I used to be scared of spiders but I lived with my sister a few year back for nearly 2 years in West Sussex...seeing someone more frightened of them than me actually made me a little braver in catching them and putting outside...However this one? well it's huge and so have closed the door till I pluck up courage to go back in there LOL.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Venus.  Hope you're well. If I lived closer to you I would call round and evict the spider for you. 

Steve.  X

2 hours ago, Widnes63 said:

My sister sucks them up with the vacuum cleaner ..... I just live with them, keeps the fly population down.

Ste  your Denise has always been a tough un mate. . Hope you're well bud. You going Dawson's reunion week Saturday?  

Steve 

 

Never step on a spider it may be your grandmother 

Couple of snaps from the south of France over the last week, Larouque and Sumene in the Sevennes region

1 minute ago, Mal C said:

Couple of snaps from the south of France over the last week, Larouque and Sumene in the Sevennes region

Looks lovely Mal.

Pete

My two in Laroque near Ganges, Herault river...

6 minutes ago, Peter99 said:

Looks lovely Mal.

Pete

That Donkey gave us the runaround Pete, we let him eat on our hike over the mountains, buggar stopped every two mins, even our kids were faster than that bloody donkey! Still he carried my youngest and all the bags... 

 

Edited September 19, 20177 yr by Mal C

1 minute ago, Mal C said:

That Donkey gave us the runaround Pete, we let him eat on our hike over the mountains, buggar stopped every two mins, even our kids were faster than that bloody donkey! Still he carried my youngest and all the bags... 

 

Says it all, from the blurb we were given on donkeys

29 minutes ago, Mal C said:

That Donkey gave us the runaround Pete, we let him eat on our hike over the mountains, buggar stopped every two mins, even our kids were faster than that bloody donkey! Still he carried my youngest and all the bags... 

 

Ah, thats lovely mate. 

Thanks.

Pete

21 hours ago, Winsford Soul said:

Venus.  Hope you're well. If I lived closer to you I would call round and evict the spider for you. 

Steve.  X

Ste  your Denise has always been a tough un mate. . Hope you're well bud. You going Dawson's reunion week Saturday?  

Steve 

 

Hi Ste , didn't realise there was a reunion, i'll be at the 100 club that night mate.

This morning somewhere in Camargue.

1 hour ago, Widnes63 said:

Hi Ste , didn't realise there was a reunion, i'll be at the 100 club that night mate.

Don't forget to say hello, I'll be there in shorts.

Just sat in the house bored. Last day of some of my medications ( still taking 5 different ones ) so can start playing out again . going through some pictures and I realised that I hadn't posted this one

Willow  Tit. Taken at Pennington Flash a few weeks ago

Steve

Edited September 21, 20177 yr by Winsford Soul

23 hours ago, TattooDave said:

Don't forget to say hello, I'll be there in shorts.

Will look out for you Dave, hope there isn't too many men in shorts, I will get some funny looks bothering men in shorts .

 

It is amazing what you find growing near you.  I found these two beautiful plants  The first photo is of Bladder Campion, not rare in south of England but quite rare in the region where I live.  The flower is usually found on alkaline/calcareous/chalk soils.  Second pic is Great Burnet which waa once extremely common, but is sadly declining nationally.  It doesn't look much, as it isn't showy like Bluebells or Orchids, but there is something about these blood red headed plants that I love.  

Took our 'Bod' for a walk through Delamere Forrest this morning.

First pic looks like something out of Jurassic Park....

Not rare, but pretty as anything Heath Speedwell growing on Cockfield Fell 24.9.17 

4 hours ago, Zed1 said:

Took our 'Bod' for a walk through Delamere Forrest this morning.

First pic looks like something out of Jurassic Park....

 

 

Gaz. You never know what or who you might find in somewhere like that mate. Maybe even some old soulies dressed like they did in the seventies who think it's cool and clever to still dress like that now. 

Nice pictures by the way. Trust you and the lovely Debs are well. 

Steve

 

1 hour ago, Winsford Soul said:

Gaz. You never know what or who you might find in somewhere like that mate. Maybe even some old soulies dressed like they did in the seventies who think it's cool and clever to still dress like that now. 

Nice pictures by the way. Trust you and the lovely Debs are well. 

Steve

 

........... you know what I thought I could hear Ruby Andrews drifting through the tree's

 

We're good Ste. and yourself.

On ‎21‎/‎09‎/‎2017 at 20:44, Widnes63 said:

Will look out for you Dave, hope there isn't too many men in shorts, I will get some funny looks bothering men in shorts .

 

I'll be the one that's heavily tattooed, once seen - never forgotten

8 minutes ago, TattooDave said:

I'll be the one that's heavily tattooed, once seen - never forgotten

We did have a thread once where we posted up some pictures of ourselves - obviously very well handpicked! I'm stuck in a time warp - I think everyone still looks like they did back in the early 80's!

Pete

 

Seen on an afternoon cycle ride to one of our favourite spots in the Amsterdam woods - the Boerderij Meerzicht (English = Lake view farm, or better known to us as the pancake house. ).

12 hours ago, Peter99 said:

We did have a thread once where we posted up some pictures of ourselves - obviously very well handpicked! I'm stuck in a time warp - I think everyone still looks like they did back in the early 80's!

Pete

 

I generate that time warp.  I could also say I look like a cross between Popeye and Captain Haddock.  So, if you have an imagination you could just about find me in any crowd.

On 24/09/2017 at 21:17, Zed1 said:

........... you know what I thought I could hear Ruby Andrews drifting through the tree's

 

We're good Ste. and yourself.

Glad to hear that things are good mate. I'm good, you know me 

Ste

Marvellous fungi to be seen in the Amsterdam woods at the moment.

 

 

 

Just two today on a Hawkweed plant allowed to grow in the garden two lovely Hoverflies 26.9.17

Snipe. Having a paddle

Steve

 

4 hours ago, Winsford Soul said:

Snipe. Having a paddle

Steve

 

Superb !

1 minute ago, milliontearsoul said:

Superb !

Thank you 

Steve 

Bearded Tit Female

Steve

Bearded Tit Male 

Steve

Misty Autumn Morning

Steve

2 hours ago, Winsford Soul said:

Misty Autumn Morning

Steve

Thats just beautiful steve the early autumn colour is here atb baz 

11 hours ago, baz1 said:

Thats just beautiful steve the early autumn colour is here atb baz 

Thanks Baz   It was about a mile away across the lake and if you listen to the experts you would use a wide angle lens for landscape ie.16mm -32mm.  I used a 500mm telephoto lenses. 

Steve 

Little Grebe.  Decisions. Decisions. Weed or Fish

Steve

Something a bit different from me.

Lynx. Wildcat Helicopter

Steve