Monday 14 December 2015

At the World's End. December in Colour.

                                               ALL PHOTOS CLICK FULL SCREEN
Cards on the table time. I've never liked grey as a colour. It's ok for hanging mist shots, or certain cloud formations but in general I don't care for it much at all. Given a succession of dull grey days horizon to horizon over the past month I decided in advance to go out at night instead. Better for dusk and sunset shots. This is a gallery of bike rides, mostly setting off to coincide with sunset then riding back again in the dark. A crow above, flying past a Bellahouston Park sunset in Glasgow.
Cloud reflections. After a wet weekend I've noticed that the rain often stops as evening approaches, maybe because of cooler temperatures and less energy in the atmosphere. Rain storms all day then great sunsets as you need a sky still full of clouds for them. Bellahouston Park again.
My willing familiar and hi rise reflections. Same crow as first shot.
Hi Rise demolition, floor by floor. My crow beats a remote controlled drone as it can talk and think... after a fashion.
Sun Death. The Dragon's Egg.
As if by high weather magic my crow suddenly turns into a dragon.
Cycling through night town.
Great Western Road after a rainstorm. Main dual carriageway into Glasgow from the north west still passable with care.
Very close to being completely shut, which given the volume of traffic that normally travels along it, would grid lock the entire west side of the city if forced to use other roads.
A view in the other direction.
The Swan Pond. Glasgow Park.
Park puddles after rain storm.
Another flooded road. Street reflections.
Winter night cycling. Scary but fun if you watch out for sudden holes and ice.
Wet leaves on step.
Sunset Kingdom at the World's End.

 Here's one of the best short compilations I've seen on Scotland's Wildlife. Stunning footage of pine marten (seen here) owls, red deer, beaver, wood ants, water voles, etc etc... best watched full screen.
















13 comments:

Linda W. said...

Great sunset and night photos! The waterlogged streets remind me of conditions around here lately. We've been getting hammered with rain for the past week and all the low lying areas have been flooding.

blueskyscotland said...

Hi Linda,
You are probably the same there with unusual extreme weather events. We get severe floods in the UK nearly every year now with towns and districts submerged and even roads and railway lines washed away as the new normal. Carlisle in England had 5 feet of water flowing through parts of the town last week and many places in the English Lake District were badly affected with swollen rivers bursting their banks.

Kay G. said...

Wow, these photos are AMAZING! I really love them. And you are so right about clicking on to enlarge them, they are nice to see small but when you enlarge them, they blow you away!

Carol said...

We've had plenty of times where it's rained overnight each night and not in the day - in summer mind. Glasgow looks pretty wet and flooded - didn't realise you guys had been affected badly too - it hasn't really been mentioned on our news I don't think. I remember them saying Perthshire had been and the borders.

Crows are VERY intelligent (but I'm sure you know that anyway). I think all corvids are.

Great photos - wish I could do night photography but it would mean a long stint with the camera manual as I don't really understand how you work out the exposures.

blueskyscotland said...

Hello Kay, Thank you.
Only trouble is when you post photos that people like a few grab them without asking then pass them off as their own work on their own blogs. Happened a few times now but I don't like the idea of stamping them all as it spoils the photo for me too although I may have to consider it if this continues. Sometimes it is not the folk that you would think would be guilty. There is a way to find them and they have been found.

blueskyscotland said...

Hi Carol,
Scotland seems to be fairly lucky regards flooding compared to certain parts of England. I used to know someone who had a pet jackdaw that he rescued after it snapped its wing. Couldn't fly very well afterwards so wouldn't have lasted in the wild.
Night Photography and sunsets. It's not how a professional would do it as I just shoot them on auto without a tripod and time delay night setting involved but it seems to work in an amateur fashion. The other way takes patience, technical skill and better equipment.

Mike@Bit About Britain said...

Wonderful shots. Really beautiful. The weather has certainly been somewhat soggy of late - we've had several leaks and local difficulties - roads washed away etc - but my heart goes out to those whose homes have been flooded.

Carol said...

There's no 'auto' on my camera - that's why I like it so much :-) I must dig out the manual sometime though - there's so much more it can do than I get it to at present. And I'm out at night a lot...

Lux G. said...

Oh, it's lovely. What a lovely month, and generally a year it was.
Your photos are evidence of that. :)
Happy Christmas!

blueskyscotland said...

Cheers Mike,
yes, it's been a very wet month after a lovely autumn to make up for a poor summer.

blueskyscotland said...

Hi Carol,
It's worth a try but it can be frustrating at times as well.

blueskyscotland said...

Cheers Lux G,
Merry Christmas and best wishes for 2016

Anonymous said...

Does anyone have any old nits hill primary school class photos from around early 1960's to mid 70's