For Mothers Day this year, Sí and I took my parents to see the Band parade in Limerick. After parking by the peoples park, I couldn’t help but notice how striking the colours were on that gorgeous Spring morning. We had a great day out – the bands were fantastic and we had a nice lunch in the Strand hotel afterwards – what more could you ask for!
Yep, it’s that time of year again. Limerick is covered in Cherry Blossom & Daffodils – nice to see a bit of colour after another hard Winter. Also taken on the recent Limerick Photowalk.
I’ve never seen such a perfectly formed Lily before – nevermind a blue/purple one. Taken just below “Big Budha” on Ko Samui, Thailand.
Taken on Ko Samui, Thailand
Taken on Ko Samui, Thailand.
This shot is totally out of season, I know. I took it last August (2010), but I only got around to processing it recently. Sí loves Sunflowers, so she grows a few every year – I thought this one looked particularly fresh faced after a shower of rain.
One 540EZ to camera left.
Taken very early on Christmas Day while walking around in Adare, Co. Limerick. The low, early morning Winter Sun burst through the frost covered trees casting long shadows.
Sí and I went for a walk around Ballyvaughan yesterday. Normally when we are here, we are racing, so it was nice to take it easy and take a bit of time to look around. Here are a few shots from the day.
The now famous signs beside the aptly named “Tea Junction” cafe in Ballyvaughan.
I don’t normally take very many photos of flowers, but Summer has officialy kicked off here in Ireland and the place is just bursting with colour – they’re hard to avoid!
A group of Daisies – all slightly different. Some perfect, some trampled, some mutated…
I keep noticing this flower (below) – I’ve no idea what it is can anyone tell me? Or does anyone know any good sites for identifying flowers?
For Chris (the Aussie) – a rock field – with flowers in it!
More unidentified flowers in the shelter of rocks in the Burren.
A great view from the Bird Hide just outside Ballyvaughan
Travelling back towards Limerick, we passed the ruins of Carron Church. Below: a window behind the Alter (I think the Alter was at this end).
The wall of the church rolls away down the hill.
A rather boring shot of Poulnabron Dolmen.
Thanks to Sí for putting up with my constant stopping to take photos.
Welcome to my new site! I bought this domain name last Christmas and decided I was going to move my blog here. One thing I never liked about my old blog was that I had nearly four hundred photos of completely disjointed subjects. It really was great for learning a bit about photography, but I don’t have anything that resembles a body of work that has my own stamp on it. For that matter, I don’t even have a style of my own. So after a lot of thought, I decided to go with more of a story telling approach. The idea being that I will shoot along a general theme or subject over an extended period of time (anything longer than an hour really) – this will give me a chance to make my own of it. Well, that’s the idea anyway!
I decided to get up early Saturday morning to go for a walk in the beautiful Clare Glens on the Limerick/Tipperary border. I had been here before, but usually got distracted with the camera and never made it very far along the walk. This time I was determined to get right up to the top of the loop. Here are a few shots I took along the way.
The river winds it’s way through the rocks – waiting for nobody.
A branch hangs over one of the smaller drops in the river.
A big old tree has come to rest at the top of one of the more spectacular falls in the Clare Glens.
It may sound like a silly thing to make a study out of, but as rocks go, this one was relatively pleasing to the eye. This involved getting into the river with camera tripod and the gear. I think it was worth it though.
It has taken thousands and thousands of years for the river to take it’s current shape.
Who says you can’t have Sun and Sand in Ireland? The sun manages to break through the canopy above. The light conditions change every few seconds – it’s hard to keep up with it.
All of the Pebbles on the side of the river have been polished smooth by years of movement along the river bed.
A Pine cone lies on a tiny sandy bank at the side of the river. I’ve no idea how it got there – the river, a dog or a child are the most likely suspects.
The water runs over and through the rocks. Not a great place for a Kayak – although I may be wrong, some people just love pain. 😉
I sat here, in the middle of the river, for about half an hour. I decided to have an Apple and cleaning my gear because of a Phantom scratch in one of my filters (it was a thread from the cloth I was cleaning it with). Not a soul around – all you could hear is the water crashing over the falls above and the birds singing. Hard to believe you are only fifteen minutes outside Limerick city, but that’s Ireland for you. It doesn’t get any more peaceful than this.
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Two abstracts – I like them, not everybody’s cup of tea though.
The near perfect angles of these rocks caught my eye.
Wildflowers soaking up the Sun on part of the upper bank.
Pebbels of all sizes and colours in the bed of the river.
Another one from last may – I liked how this light streamed the branches of the tree. Nothing special, just found it while looking for another picture!
This is very similar to the previous shot – I couldn’t make up my mind which I preferred, so I posted both. This was also taken yesterday in Curraghchase.
Ok, the poem is actually called “The road not taken” by Robert Frost, 1916.
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
two roads diverged in a wood, and I —
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Another shot from the trip to Curraghchase yesterday. It was so cold, so still, so peaceful… well, not that peaceful, Sí was giving out about her backside after that trip down the hill on the fertilizer bag!