Members of a huge flock of Dark-eyed Juncos were Partying-Like-It's 1999 until this gatecrasher arrived.

FOY

ɪ ʜᴏᴘᴇ ᴡʜᴀᴛᴇᴠᴇʀ ɢᴏᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ᴘʀᴀʏ ᴛᴏ ᴄᴀɴ ʜᴇᴀʀ ʏᴏᴜ ɴᴏᴡ

๖ۣۜღ Body๖ۣۜღ

メ [LEGACY] Meshbody (f) Perky Edition [+] Petite (1.4) // by Legacy in Mainstore

メ Head // LeLUTKA Ceylon Head 3.0 // by Lelutka in Mainstore

メ Hair // DOUX - Yuka hairstyle // by DOUX in Mainstore

メ Skin // Not Found - Jo Skin // by Not Found in Access

๖ۣۜღ Apparel๖ۣۜღ

メ Outfit // ERSCH - Gatecrasher // by ERSCH in Tokyo Zero Event

メ Gloves // Vincue / Pattie Gloves - Noir // by Mug in The Warehouse Sale Event

๖ۣۜღ Accesories๖ۣۜღ

メ Collar // [CX] Sila Collar - Silver // by Cerberus Xing in Mainstore

メ Scythe // ::GB:: Death scythe // by Gabriel in AZARAN in Mainstore

If you go down to the woods today, You're sure of a big surprise! Just as the party was getting underway, we had a visitor. Can I join in please?

Photography taken by Inveniet Mia and is sponsored by:

❀ Goddess Karma Backdrop by The Bearded Guy

✿ Gatecrasher -megapack- by ERSCH

For more details of the credits of the sponsors visit my blog findinveniet.blogspot at Post #773 you can find the URL- LINK to my Blog in my flickr page info "ABOUT ME"

maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Templemore%20City/139/22/31

Black-tailed Godwits and the odd gatecrasher tailing an Avocet.

zoehpiaggio.blogspot.com/2022/09/883-piaggio.html

BODY:

Skin: [a.b] - Christina @Dollholic

Left Hair: [no.match] - NO DISORDER @Salem

Right Hair: [FAGA] - Pucca Hairstyle @Tres Chic

Nails: [LIVIA] - Shattered Onyx

ACESSORIES:

Earrings: [RAWR!] - Musiq Earrings

Pose: [OMY] - Jessa

APPAREL:

Left Outfit: [ERSCH] - Gatecrasher

Left Boots: [Pure Poison] - Simina Sandals @ACCESS

Right Outfit: [ADD] - Melissa Bodysuit @Kinky

Right Boots: [Essenz] - Minnesota @Salem

At Anthem

- NU EARTH - Butter Board. Prune. Decor

..::THOR::.. Porch Bench

..::THOR::.. Folk Pillow Floral - Bonus

..::THOR::.. Lime Bowl

..::THOR::.. Limeade Board

..::THOR::.. Porch Hanging Plant - bonus

..::THOR::.. Porch Folding Table

dust bunny . potted wisteria . blue

At FaMESHed

[Rezz Room] Highland Calf Animesh (Companion)

At Equal10

BROKEN ARROWS - Buzios Hook Rack V.2

At Kustom9 ~

..::THOR::.. Rolled Blanket

..::THOR::.. Wicker Pouf - bonus

At Access ~

..::THOR::.. Weekend Cooler Bag

..::THOR::.. Food Containers

..::THOR::.. Food Plate

Other items used ~

HISA - Potter's Cottage

HISA - Floral Bouquet Vines - F - Blue

HISA - Floral Bouquet Grass - Blue

BROKEN ARROWS - Tatham - Vase - Light

[Rezz Room] British Shorthair Adult Animesh

Atelier Burgundy . Burgundy Farm Crate Worn I

.spruce. meir portable lantern {cream}

.spruce. aloe vera plant {seafoam}

Elm. Emily Console Decor ~ Book Stack

..::THOR::.. Glazed Jar - sage

..::THOR::.. Glazed Jar - cream

..::THOR::.. Spring Decorative Window

+Half-Deer+ Hydrangea - Blue - Big Tall

+Half-Deer+ Wisteria - Blue - Medium Vine

+Half-Deer+ Wisteria - Blue - Branch (R)

FINCA - Aloe Vera tall spotted

FINCA - Aloe Vera spotted

Mithral * Hoya Lacunosa Laos Speaker (Light Wood)

{vespertine} - market mesh bag w/oranges.

Nutmeg. Country Rug

Playtime at the bottom of the garden, and well..the teddies just had to come too!

Mid way through the tea party we were joined by a gatecrasher, I'll post that photo later!

What was going to be a picture of flowers until Freyja jumped in!

I wish I could say that including the bee in the frame was planned, but it just gatecrashed the shot.

Ducks have a habit of gatecrashing my river reflection photographs. This one was being pursued by two fervently amorous drakes. It seems, Spring has arrived, at last.

,

.

Blog post

Ersch~ Gatecrasher Megapack

Available for shapes Legacy, peaky,Freya,Lara, Petite,kupra & Kups

HUD with various colours and combinations

Available at Mainstore

📍

maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Lyrics/22/74/33

F.L.Y. = First Love Yourself

“This is love: to fly toward a secret sky, to cause a hundred veils to fall each moment. First to let go of life. Finally, to take a step without feet.”

- Rumi

Soundtrack : www.youtube.com/watch?v=dI30hRorelY

ONLY TO FLY – CHRIS REA

Zebra fly, zebra fly

what are you doing here

where are you going on this fine day

in your striped pyjamas

watching the panorama

can you hear the sea come in

to our little bay

have you been up to London

in your pin-striped suit

tell me was it busy

did you have a hoot

did you take your car

or did you just commute

Zebra fly, zebra fly

with your new Doc Marten boots

how I love the retro vibe

it's trending now in hot pursuit

with your big and stylish sunglasses

tinted red do you imbibe

a Pimm's and High Tea on the lawn

will you take a bribe

or can I gatecrash anyway

and join you on the bench

a Summer's day is here to stay

to leave is such a wrench

Zebra fly, zebra fly

please do mind the gap

at the station there are signs

next to the Underground map

you're looking good against the wood

you seem so cool; relaxed

your wings transparent, clear and bright

shining like they've just been waxed

Zebra fly, zebra fly

one more thing before I go

can a zebra really fly

an urban myth or no ...

- AP - Copyright © remains with and is the intellectual property of the author

Copyright © protected image please do not reproduce without permission

Happy Flyday and a Beautiful Weekend dear friends <3

It would be easy to get stuck on this first morning adventure in Sweden. To get stuck on the first day in fact. Our sunrise shoot at Havstensklippan was only the start of the first of several very productive days in Scandinavia, firstly here along the west coast of Sweden, then later in the mountains of Norway. Usually I’ll only have one story to tell from a single outing, but there was so much happening in just a couple of hours up here that morning that it’s impossible to keep a lid on the smorgasbord of weather that was boiling over the sides of the pot.

What was immediately clear was that this well chosen location had a lot of possibilities. Below us lay salty Havstensfjorden, spreading across the landscape in a north-south direction, chock full of forested islands, and beyond this, the Uddevalla Bridge, which perhaps had been the main draw in coming here for sunrise. At our feet was an expanse of textured rock, dotted with tufts of orange grass and small drifts of colourful heather. Then there was that distinctive group of pines on the right hand side. Surely I had to find a way of including them? Any views to the west and the open sea were blockaded by the thickly forested slope we’d stomped through to get here. Still, and unusually for me, this was a sunrise shoot. We could worry about west facing views this evening. Meanwhile, in the half light I began to try and make a decision as to where I’d plant the tripod before waiting for things to get started.

This was the second composition I found on the lofty platform of rock where from where we watched the soft orange band of light on the eastern horizon gradually bloom and burst in spectacular fashion across the landscape. The first had also included the group of tall and wispy pines, but it also featured a lot of dead space on the left hand side. It was only as I stood there drinking my coffee, contemplating lofty thoughts and wondering what had captured Steve’s attention over there on the other side of the pines that I noticed the far more generous clump of purple heather lurking in a small hollow to my right. I’d just clamber down and size it up and, oh yes that looks a lot better. I don’t really know why, but I hadn’t even been expecting heather. A month earlier it had taken centre stage at home for a while, and perhaps I thought I was done with it. But no, here was a brief reprise on a Swedish rock. All I needed was for the sun to rise high enough to light the pines and the heather, and then we’d be in business. With that in mind, I returned to the sunrise itself, which was drawing ever closer. I’d come back to this one a bit later. Meanwhile, things were kicking off in style, starting with the sun coming up behind the southern strut of the handsome Uddevalla Bridge.

Forty-five fun filled minutes and sixty frantically taken shots later I was standing in this spot again. The pines were positively glowing, a gently diffused morning sun reaching through the showers to pick out the trunks and breathe life into them. By now Steve had joined me, keen to see what had drawn my attention before I raced over to gatecrash his rainbow party just after sunrise. But while the trees were quite beautifully illuminated in the pale wash of sunshine, the heather lay stubbornly in the shadows. It seemed quite clear that the sun wasn’t going to rise high enough to spread its magic here for quite some time either. So I accepted the compromise and took the shots anyway. Besides which, another heavy squall was charging up the fjord towards us, and while the first one had scudded by harmlessly to the east, this one clearly had other intentions. We zipped up our coats, popped the shower caps on the cameras, and braced ourselves for impact.

A lot of images were taken in this crazy couple of hours when the late summer sun rose through the rain and filled the landscape with a filmy haze of greens, yellows and purples. With so much going on it was hard to stay focussed on any one scene for long, and we chased around the headland in pursuit of the bouncing light, reacting to rainbows and rainclouds, with brief pauses for the odd shot that had been spotted before sunrise, such as this one. Joyous carnage indeed. I might have struggled with the very early start, but I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. What a fantastic introduction to a country I’d never visited until now. With its first blows, Sweden had delivered a knockout punch. The morning madness at Havstensklippan was going to be a tough act to follow.

You may from time to time have seen reference to the “Three Happy Snappers” in my stories. That’s me, Dave and Lee. You don't need to know anything about me that I haven't already mentioned, so let me give you a brief introduction to the other two happy snappers. Dave is a web guru (whatever that is) and a fine art graduate. He, his wife and the youngest of their three adult sons are rarely seen in public, preferring to hide in their homely forest cottage that would have the Brothers Grimm reaching for their quills in imagination fuelled fury. Outside his day job, Dave looks after the website of a famous person, but I can’t tell you who it is of course. Client privileges and all that. He’s also my younger brother, which means I’ve known him for approximately five and a half decades. I was confined to my bed with German Measles the day he was being born at home in the next room, and when consulted by village elders on what I thought about my new baby brother, I apparently replied that he was ok, but on balance I’d rather have a new Thomas the Tank Engine train set. Choo choo!

Lee joined our world twelve or thirteen years ago, when he was invited to come and play football one Friday evening and was immediately accepted into the group on a long term basis. He used to sell glasses from a shop in Falmouth, made by the family business in his native West Midlands. Nowadays he works for a local electrician in the village where he lives, running the shop, keeping the appointments book up to date, and advising me on camera gear. His daily commute takes approximately one minute in either direction - on foot. Just occasionally, we lure him away from the village, but he does seem to be growing roots in the few years since he and his wife moved there from Falmouth. Before he came to Cornwall, he also had a famous client. He's not taking on new customers these days, but for us chosen few, he can still rustle up a new pair of varifocals at a price that tells me I shouldn't have gone to a certain optician on the High Street. I’ve never had a famous client by the way - or even any clients at all for that matter. I once bumped into Little Mo from Eastenders at Gatwick Airport. Does that count?

From time to time, the Three Happy Snappers convene at one location or another to take photographs at sunset, have a bit of a catch up with each others’ lives, discuss the football and enjoy a slow pint of hop based infusion before heading for home. And to my amazement we were going out for the second occasion in under a month. This time we’d agreed upon Land’s End in early August. The heather should be looking good around then. It was great at the same time last year. We'd grab some food on the way down, and then spend the second half of the afternoon among the heather. With any luck we’d get some nice light towards the end of day.

But what’s this - a fourth happy snapper gatecrashing the party? Well I remembered a message I’d had from one of you. Step forward artisan cheese maker Lloyd, who was making an extra visit to Cornwall this year. You know Lloyd - king of the super long exposure. I don't know if he has any famous clients, so you'll have to ask him I'm afraid. He usually arrives in quiet November, armed with a camera bag and good intentions, so being told that he was coming here in the middle of summer was a bit of a surprise. It so happened that his brief holiday coincided with our outing to Land’s End, and he was staying at nearby Cape Cornwall too. And yes he’d be delighted to meet us at Land’s End and update the locals on exactly how much it costs to park there if you don’t have a postcode that begins with “TR” or “PL.” It was the fourth time I'd met him here over the last three years. A spleen venting nine pounds and fifty pence this time. Ouch! I get to park here for free.

Half an hour later, after wrestling our way through the hordes, we were sitting in the hotel grounds, supping four frighteningly expensive pints and planning our sunset shoot. Ever the tech tart, Lee was demonstrating the remote shutter contraption he'd recently acquired to operate his phone camera from six paces away as the four of us gurned inanely at the birdie, waiting for the Google Pixel that he'd perched perilously close to the edge of the bench to topple onto the concrete below. Somehow it survived the drop. It might have been the best picture of the day.

What didn't appear to have survived this far into August was the heather. This time last year it was here in abundance, but today much of the growth was already distinctly brown and patchy. Plan A was looking a little bit shaky, so it's a good job that there are plenty of other things to take pictures of at Land's End. Although somehow, the small patch of heather that I did find in the right place made it into the image. It was easier than this last year. Strange when it’s been so colourful elsewhere around here recently.

It's always great fun when the three happy snappers get together. Even more so when an honorary fourth joins the party. Although we did ask him to bring some cheese next time. Who doesn't love cheese?

This one joined us on a picnic bench! Arachtober 21st Have a great weekend ;0) (Maybe best viewed large)

The view from McMahons Point Wharf, Sydney.

One of my "go to" places on the harbour to sit down and chill, taking in the changing sights & sounds of Sydney harbour.

However, sometimes the scene at McMahons Point Wharf can be "gatecrashed" by random party boats with their disco music, etc.

So I drove into the city from the Hills District and managed to get parking along Blues Point Road right outside the 'Delicado' Spanish Restaurant. I then wandered down to the harbour at twilight, as the lights from the city buildings (across the harbour) were starting to reflect on the water near McMahons Point Wharf.

Now to the music!! Well probably disco music is the most apt for this 'Party Boat', but I am thinking 'Green River' by CCR.

BUT here is a very cool cover version of 'Green River' by the amazing American singer, Eileen Jewel. Check it out - it is awesome!!!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1oM5bDAlXk

Perfect for listening to on Spotify, via Bluetooth headphones, whilst sitting on McMahons Point Wharf at twilight.

My Canon EOS 5D Mk IV with the Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM lens.

Processed in Adobe Lightroom and PhotoPad Pro by NCH software.

UK & International Landscape Photography Workshops & Tours

www.melvinnicholsonphotography.co.uk/photography-workshops

Aurora Hunting (and failed), Derwentwater, Lake District

On Saturday evening (11th Nov 2023), my good buddy Chris Astley and I ventured up north to the Lake District in the hope of having me finally witness the aurora in the UK for the first time and also to capture it on camera. Sadly, no aurora was visible but we still enjoyed our time out in nature in the dark.

So, we firstly rocked up at Castlerigg Stone Circle near Keswick but it was almost as busy as Piccadilly Circus on a Saturday afternoon so after thirty minutes, we drove down to the road to one of my favourite places in the world, Ashness Landing Pier.

I would like to say that it was blissful and peaceful there (as you perhaps would imagine) but alas, there was a family enjoying a picnic in the dark and sat beside the pier (they were lovely and did not mind us gatecrashing their private party).

Once set up on the pier, a few shots were bagged before a group of young ladies arrived from the local hostel completed with glasses of wine in hand. Thanks to their understanding, they patiently waited a few minutes until we were finished before making their way onto the pier to enjoy the 'peace and solitude', lol.

Our final destination for the evening was the landing stages and the boats down at Derwentwater. This shoot took us up to 23:30 after which we made our way back home so I was in my chair enjoying a cup of Tetley's finest and a small fruit dessert in a bowl that I purchased in Takayama, Japan in April.

So here is just one image from my time in the Lakes. I hope you enjoy.

Fancy joining me next autumn in the Lake District? CLICK THE LINK below for details and/or to book.

melvinnicholsonphotography.co.uk/photography-workshops/la...

Nikon Z8

Nikon Z 20mm f/1.8

f/1.8

30"

ISO500

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“That looks like him.” Lee summoned up a piercing whistle in the direction of the figure by the shore that reduced my left ear to a bout of whining tinnitus, scattering a nearby group of oystercatchers into the air as he did so. It was helpful that Lloyd was in photographer mode, because it instantly gave him away when all we could really remember from our previous meeting was that he was quite tall, and he didn’t have the trademark beard that we had been expecting to identify him with. We all do photographer mode, and it’s what separates us from everyone else; edging back and forward, from side to side and peering intently at something that nobody else can see as we weigh up our compositions. “Should I stand here, or three inches to the left? Should I go forward a bit, or back ten feet? Should I have the tripod fully extended or belly down on the sand?” You don’t often see the selfie stick brigade taking quite so much care over where they’ve put that rock or whether they’ve lined up their repeating diagonals before they hit the shutter button.

I wasn’t sure I was going to be around for Lloyd’s visit, but the big plans to go far north to the Highlands and Islands had been parked for the time being, meaning a get together at Godrevy was now on the agenda. I’m always ready for a reason to go to Godrevy after all. Lloyd had already been here for some time, and you’ve probably seen the image he took before we arrived. We saw it first on the back of his camera so there. Just saying. It’s definitely his in case you were wondering.

Initially we headed for a spot that not many people make it to, on the rocks below a small cliff near the lighthouse, where it seemed we’d gatecrashed a party of one solitary seal, basking in the sunshine and watching us interestedly. I messaged my friend Katie, who in her spare time is a member of a sea life rescue group. Somehow in her busy life she manages to squeeze rescuing stranded dolphins, whales and seals among other aquatic mammals in distress, as well as photographing the underwater world and finding all sorts of fascinating things I never even knew existed. Who knew there was so much to see below the dark waters off the coast of Penzance? “Yes we’re monitoring it,” came the reply. “We think it’s just enjoying living there at the moment.” I looked again at the seal, which gazed back at me in return, almost smiling. I decided she was probably right. What wasn’t right was the light; we were here too early and retreated back up to the cliff path, watched as we went by a pair of black eyes that still seemed to smile. I never tire of watching the seals here – they usually come and watch me with interest as I pitch my tripod on the rocks just above the water here, no doubt wondering what on earth I’m up to. It always feels like a shared moment.

Back at the clifftop near the bench, Lloyd had a plan for sunset and made himself ready for the killer shot, while Lee eventually wandered away to the west, presumably in search of distant lone figures on the beach to stalk at two hundred millimetres. Meanwhile, I headed back down to the water’s edge where our new friend regarded me once more with those smiling black eyes, and giving it as wide a berth as it could I found my spot on the rocks, just in time for the sun to drop below the bank of cloud and illuminate the receding tide. Sometimes you just know you’ve got a shot that’s going to make you happy. After a while I decided I’d had the best of it, and returned to the top of the cliff, exchanging one last grin with those ever watching eyes as I went.

Lloyd was already at work behind the camera, and I joined him on a wide rocky shelf where we discussed the joys of photography and his plans for the rest of his visit. He was on a family holiday, and we all know that you can only get away with so much roaming around on lonely clifftops with your camera bag when your loved ones are with you. We stayed until dusk, neither of us sure when to give up and put the cameras away. It’s always like that when I’m alone here, and when you’re with someone who works in a similar way, that certainty in when to finish is often further fogged. But it had been a successful visit and we both left that clifftop feeling we’d got a shot or two worth sharing. We said our farewells and looked forward to Lloyd’s next visit when photography would be the central focus for him here. He’s rather good at it too.

I headed back down to those rocks a week later. The seal was gone. Maybe a pair of black smiling eyes were watching me from the water, but I didn’t see them.

... no apples this year :-(

Barnacle Goose (Branta leucopsis)

I've been visiting a local loch after work for a while (with many failures) to capture a nice sunset. As it happens nearly two nights running we had some great sunsets. The light was short lived but the clouds were almost navy blue and the light was extremely vivid and golden lighting up the grasses beautifully. Spot the gatecrashing duck!

This arcade off of Piccadilly Circus, Quadrant Arcade, has been boarded off more often than not. But it's open now for the first time in a long time. Stopping to take some photos in passing I didn't notice the people outside it taking photos of this young woman walking around it. So for a few moment I gatecrashed their photoshoot... but she seemed quite happy about it!

This Web was trashed when this Hornet flew into it to steal this lunch! The Artist of the web came down to see off the intruder, took one look at the Hornet and quickly retreated up and out of the way! Once the Hornet had worked it's lunch free it flew off with it. Fascinating to watch. HWW

Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Freddie Notes launched his career on the famous Vera Johns Jamaican talent show and promptly went onto cut his first record for Studio One Records. Immigrating to London in 1964 success soon followed when his band The Rudies recorded for Trojan Records. Hits came thick and fast: “Return from South Vietnam”, “Down on the Farm”, “The Bull” and the global smash hit “Montego Bay” making The Rudies the most in demand reggae band of the day.

In a golden age for the London music scene Freddie started a weekly residency at Soho hotspot The Cue Club run by fellow Jamaican musical pioneer and entrepreneur Count Suckle. Everyone came through there; Otis Redding, Ike & Tina, Small Faces, The Stones, The Beatles and Freddie was at the heart of it. He soon became lauded as Jamaica’s No.1 Entertainer, famed for not only his songs and voice but his electrifying dancing. So much so that he was once asked to leave the stage at Brixton Odeon whilst opening for James Brown, for fear he’d upstage the Godfather of Soul! “Mr. Brown doesn’t like that” a heavy handed security guard remarked at the time.

Little Richard offered Freddie a job as his dancer. Much to soul legend, and new found friend, Ben E King’s disgust Freddie turned the offer down. National tours ensued with The Kinks, The Nice and Arthur Brown. One famed night the founder of be-bop Dizzy Gillespee gatecrashed the stage to play mouth-harp with them. Mick Jagger befriended the band and invited them to perform at his wedding to Bianca. Then, just when it seemed they could do no wrong, The Rudies split. Freddie continued a solo career and went onto have an international success with his hit “Walk A Mile In My Shoes”. Under advice from his Wardour Street booking agent he turned down a role in Jesus Christ Superstar and set sail for the far-east, where he’d repeatedly perform ‘Montego Bay’ for the next few years.

In 1982 Freddie returned to the UK. Disheartened by the state of the country and lack of opportunity for kids to progress in life he set up the Ethelred Estate Community Youth Club in Kennington. Now into it’s 30th year he has seen off attempts by Lambeth City Council to forcibly cease the site to build flats at the High Court. His work has been endorsed by the Metropolitan Police and HRH Prince Phillip, and proudly, unfunded, Freddie still runs the club to this day.

This Chameleon spent the whole night at my friend's party and before that went to a bar in town with her son. Had a drink (water) and returned to the party. There it ate a few stick insects and other night flying insects. In the morning it was still there so my friend and her son decided it should go back to its own habitat and managed to persuade the Chameleon to climb a tree. Eventually it went off to find another party to Gatecrash.

Costa Tropical, España.

This has actually happened a couple of times in the last year and on both occasions by a sweet little kid who gatecrashed the shot at the last second.A great little runner she is too!

Well it seems Oink and Moo have got their way into the sheep field here , but I am not sure of what their plans are now they have got into the field !! I have to say , Oink & Moo are not their real names - they are in fact Napoleon and Ermintrude .

Shot taken for Saturday Self Challenge 15/06/2024 - Subject & Context !!

I think I have met the challenge with this shot , there is often a hay bale figure or two here and with these two as a subject it made a scene to meet the Saturday Selff Challenge . Now the theme for the challenge is Subject and Context and with Oink & Moo being the subject and the general scene of the sheep in the field making the context . This is the first sight any visitors see when coming to visit Bocketts Farm Park near Leatherhead .

So for a musical note I have gone with Pink Floyd and my choice being Sheep , could have done pigs or something from Atom Heart Mother or even as chosen by ssomeone who will remain nameless " One Of These Days " !! Totally inappropiate in this case and there is only one line of lyrics in that tracck !!

Anyway " Sheep " -- youtu.be/3GE-sfEbJ7I?si=gQ8d9HH8WlSYmbyF

I used to think that people just went for a walk in the woods. Bill Bryson went for a walk in the woods – he walked large chunks of the Appalachian Trail with his dissolute friend Stephen Katz, in the suitably entitled “A Walk in the Woods.” Bears, hypothermia, shotgun wielding hillbillies, and most frighteningly of all, people who wanted to talk about hiking gear weren’t enough to put him off - although they frightened me a bit. I myself have twice walked pretty much the entire length of the east bank of Loch Lomond, twenty miles or more along a heavily wooded section of the West Highland Way. The most brutal section of the entire long distance trail in my opinion - but also possibly the most rewarding. Despite the occasional break through open ground where the mountains filled the backdrop to the opposite bank, I definitely felt that I was having a walk in the woods. Miles from anyone, with the exception of a few other long distance hikers gradually making their way north.

But it seems that I was wrong. Now I’ve learned that what we’ve all been doing is having a bath of sorts. We’ve been forest bathing in fact. Amble along peaceably, stop and cuddle the odd oak here and there, feel the love and then be interviewed by an outdoorsy type of celebrity for a spot on Countryfile. “Outdoorsy” didn’t cause the spellchecker to go into overdrive by the way. Who knew? I’ve always been suspicious of passing fads – terrified that I might stroll through a forest and bump into Gwyneth Paltrow hugging a Horse Chestnut or Will Young baring his soul to a Beech. But what I do find rather soothing is the sound of endless birdsong and the gentle rustle of life somewhere up in the canopy. There’s nothing quite like it. It seems I’ve been in the bath too – it’s just that I never realised that’s what I was doing. I’d better not accidentally bump into Paltrow as it seems that can turn out to be a rather expensive thing to do based on recent events.

Like many of you, each year I produce a calendar using images from the adventures of the last twelve months, and rather than simply compiling twelve shots from the September adventures in Iceland, I prefer each month to be represented by an image taken at the appropriate time. It’s not something I’ll ever be bothered to try and do commercially though, so sorry I can’t take orders – besides which yours is probably far better anyway. Just a dozen or so for family and a few close friends. A few days ago we turned over from Madeira in March to April’s feature and remembered that it’s almost a year since Ali and I took the van to the New Forest to do some forest bathing of our own. I’d forgotten how much I liked this picture. It was one that I’d intended to share at the time but somehow never did. On a still sunny afternoon, one of those when you knew that spring had truly arrived, we took a long circuit through the Ashurst Forest towards the heath, stopping here to enjoy the silence and snaffle a ration or two. Neither Paltrow nor Young appeared to be present, and nor did anyone else for that matter, famous or otherwise.

Of course I’d taken the camera with me, and the long lens did exactly what I hoped it would, eliminating the sky and blurring the background as I focused on the nearest subject. I tried a few compositions, but having the space filled with brown trunks against the yellow floor and the leading subject somewhere around the left hand third seemed the most pleasing version to me. Woodland photography is so often a struggle, but here it seemed simple enough with the regular forms before me disappearing softly into the distance, and the odd spring of fresh green growth to gatecrash the colour scheme.

And what better place to take a dip than in one of the most famous baths in the nation? Room for plenty of people to find their inner wotsit as they search around in the deep end for the soap and the loofah. A space in which to switch off and drop out for a while. Not that we were exactly over exerting ourselves in the first place of course. We’re retired and enjoying the golden years after all. But then again, there’s always another slow lane in which to ease down a gear, put up our feet and watch the rest of the world race by.

New post incoming for the amazing ERSCH!

This post features a older release in which can be found at the ERSCH Mainstore. I am wearing the full "ERSCH - Gatecrasher" outfit.

I adore this outfit soo much coming in the form of- Lingerie, Shirt/harness, Garters & Collar pins!

First off I love the garters & collar pins I believe they are alien bunbuns in UFOs! These accessories come with the godlike HUDs that ERSCH is known for. There are color options for the glowing buns & a good group of colorways for the leather of the garters!

The lingerie is fitted beautifully to the body and will be purrfect just on its own for making a tone of other looks. Coming in a great range of sizes including- Legacy, Perky, Lara, Petite, Kupra, Reborn.

This lingerie set comes again with godlike HUD's for the colorways with many options for colors which is great for mix & matching (in the fatpack of course).

The shirt.. Oh my gosh the shirt! I love the combo of half shirt & half harness on the one side. In the fatpack/ megapack the items are copy/mod, therefore I decided to go in and make the shirt part a little more seethrough for this look. The shirt comes in body sizing for- Legacy, Perky, Lara, Petite, Kupra, Reborn!

I highly suggest getting the megapack for this set, not only is it discounted in price but it opens a world of variation options for many different looks!

Taxi to the ERSCH Mainstore:

maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Lyrics/15/71/33

Taxi to the ERSCH Marketplace:

marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/167799

To see more shots and close ups as well as a list of items used in this post see my main blog here:

monimonimoni-ester.blogspot.com/2022/03/a-half-moon-brigh...

An errant Galah gatecrashes a storm over Glencoe

One of the darker, quieter corners of Moraine Lake yields unexpected results.

I'll be posting a couple of videos of recent shoots that I completed at this lake but for now, here is todays video. I think you'll like it :)

youtu.be/VbvcN6t_V1I

Can lightning strike the same place twice? Yes, it bloody well can.

We almost become char grilled Fotoburgers while carrying 5 tripods through a storm of epic proportions. After being beaten by the storm, we resort to every lazy landscape photographers favourite pastime - roadside landscape photography.

The results aren't actually all that bad but will Brent steal my composition yet again? He has no shame.

When Brent tries to gatecrash the camper, Amanda enforces strict social distancing rules. Will Brents Fiju GFX and pano rig even fit inside our humble shelter?

Thanks for reading

Gavin

First time I've gatecrashed a rather personal moment between two Burnet Moths.

365/196 - Year 10 Photo 3483

A shot I got earlier this month, been wanting a decent one of a Magpie for a while, this one gatecrashed the Kingfisher perch at Clara Vale for a couple of minutes.

47712 passing Waitby with the 16.12 Skipton - Appleby on Tues 1st September 2020.

An unwelcome gatecrasher is seen scurrying off in the distance.

Sunset on Coco Cabana beach Dubrovnik

whilst on my recent waterfall shoot i was scoring around for other shoots. i clocked this rotting tree on the water meadow and thought it looked interesting and then on closer inspection notice the little mushroom community and then even closer, a gatecrasher in the form of this slug chomping away. all in all pretty happy with the find and the little story thats playing out in it

Here's How Photo Contest #28 - Honourable Mention

Photolife Magazine - April/May 2011 Issue

Gatecrasher Advertising - 2011

Canadian Geographic Pets Photography 2014 - Page 30-31

My photographs may not be reproduced, redistributed, copied or manipulated under any circumstances without my consent. Please contact me if you are interested in using my photos. © Megan Lorenz.

The slippery eel nearly gave a Cormorant the slip at the Sovereign Harbour Marina, Eastbourne, but after an impressive battle with a irritating Gull that also wanted the Cormorant's lunch, this determined cormorant finally managed to swallow his eel supper.

Ducky and Welly went to the Lee Valley Country Park today, and were a bit embarrassed to discover they had gatecrashed someone's stag do!

Comments and favs appreciated, thanks for looking.

www.facebook.com/brianwigglesworthphotography?ref=profile

500px.com/briwig

Scilly Isles Pelagic. A pod of 3 Minke's gatecrashing a tuna feeding frenzy (large mass of small bait fish being attacked by bluefin tuna), and occasionally breaching. Also seen on the trip - dophins (daily), Cuvier's Beaked Whale and the boat caught/tagged a large blue shark. Thanks for any likes/comments - appreciated.

Grey Squirrel / sciurus carolinensis. Staffordshire. 28/10/22.

'GATECRASHING.'

Attracted by the activity of small birds feeding on seed, this Grey Squirrel moved cautiously forward. They are never long in joining a party!

BEST VIEWED LARGE.

ϟ Hey Folkers!

Technofolk_Gatecrash Mask.

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✧ It includes

✧ Balaclava - With 04 different textures.

✧ Rigged For Lelutka (F) Include Alpha.

✧ Inworld Mainstore - maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Viktel%20Aria/164/77/2625

✧ Please test the demo before purchasing!

✧ все авторские права.

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