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Another shot from my visit to Birmingham. Hope you don't mind!
Really appreciate your comments and favourites.
Explored on 3rd December 2025, highest position 114.
These V Fold photographs show the sign at RSPB Scotland Loch Leven nature reserve reflected upon itself forming a sharp fantastic figure V fashioned from the weathered steel and full of a wonderful coloured sky. It was a great moment of evening rich sky and artificial lights from the car park making for deep colours ad strong silhouettes. I do not normally crop a picture that I reflect upon itself, here I did in part to rest my arms fearing that I might not be steady enough to take this picture, so the crop brings about a sharper image than I could in camera.
The sign with birds in silhouette both open and closed catches the eye and makes for a great positive message as you walk from the Car Park to the Visitor’s Centre. I was very pleased with the single image and also with the joining of images which immediately offered two variants. The two variants were either the original full frame joining forming a Tree V Fold, or a sharper incised cut to make a more precise V Fold at the centre of the pictures.
The Sun and Winter go very well together. Bright and strong the shadow making light built everything, well photographically at least. This is a great place with excellent cafe and visitor’s centre making a superb human reaction to help wildlife. This place is a reserved world of natural wonders nestled in amongst our modern pressures of life and living that often overlook wildlife and the chance to be calmer and closer to the land, water and sky and also to those that never left the cycle of seasonal lifestyle.
© PHH Sykes 2024
phhsykes@gmail.com
RSPB Scotland Loch Leven nature reserve
Been a bit busy this week with all 3 teens at home and some University Open Days so thought I'd post 2 shots today. This is a shot from one of the Open Days.
Really appreciate all your comments and favourites.
Explored on 13th April 2025, highest position 275. My 100th photo in Explore! (including those dropped)
Le Nid
Cet été, Sculptures dans la Ville s’impose au cœur de Namur avec les créations monumentales de Francis Guerrier.
C’est la première fois que cet artiste français, installé à Eygalières dans les Alpilles, expose ses sculptures grand format en Belgique. Après avoir travaillé à Paris dans la conception de décors pour le théâtre, la danse, la musique et l’événementiel, ce scénographe de formation se consacre à la sculpture depuis 2000.
L’exposition qu’il a conçue, après avoir exploré Namur l’automne dernier, se déploie à travers 5 sculptures et 2 installations soit 7 espaces habités, auxquels s’ajoute une exposition au Pôle muséal Les Bateliers.
Avec ses 17 mètres de haut, « Envol », la sculpture en aluminium qui surplombe la Citadelle, est la plus grande jamais réalisée par l’artiste.
Sur la Meuse, à proximité de la Confluence, « Plumes » réunit 5 mats de 16 mètres de haut ornés d’une toile blanche. Tel un voilier, l’installation bouge au gré du vent et du courant.
built everything, well photographically at least. Great place with excellent cafe and visitors centre. This place is another reserved world of natural wonders nestled in amongst our modern pressures of life and living that often overlooks wildlife and the chance to be calmer and closer to land and water and to those that never left the cycle of seasonal lifestyle.
© PHH Sykes 2024
phhsykes@gmail.com
RSPB Scotland Loch Leven nature reserve
There is The Golden Hour and The Blue Hour twice each day. Once each in the morning Blue then Gold and then again in the evening this time Gold then Blue and they are never the same and they always have something else within their embrace to give to the image maker. To dance with light is a romance for life and a continual search into illumination for all of the wonders of our creation. Some will define the Blue Hour as that time before sunrise and then again that time after sunset. Modern apps and old fashioned tables delineate the Gold and Blue times for each day, but localised conditions such as cloud cover and other atmospherics can give them bold intensity and also seemingly cancel them and yet without notice the weather and altitude can reignite as well as restrict these colour changes around us as we move through them. With Loch Ness just beyond your terrace, The Falls of Foyers to the South and the gateway of Inverness to the North along the old military road of General Wade then poised here at Boleskine House the Highlands are surely calling and the atmosphere is answering Blue and Gold and then Gold and Blue.
If you are still wondering about the Blue Hour then have in mind that is sometimes mentioned as either Civil, or Nautical Twilight and being evident to the observer when the Sun is between 4° and 6° below the horizon. Please do not worry about the horizon and accurate measurements. The cooling and warming of the light around us is not always precise and definitely not a constant, rather it is another wonderful variable available on some days more and less than others.
There are several pictures of this now mossy cairn created to commemorate and celebrate The Clan MacGillivray Gathering held here in 2002. Further monuments exist in Boleskine Cemetery and in Dunlichity Graveyard as well as at the battle site of Culloden. Strathnairn Heritage Association has just recently bought Dunlichity Church and has plans to highlight the history in a visitors centre exploring the link to blade sharpening marks claimed to be made in part before Culloden in 1746. I list details of plans for 2027 in the description below. If visiting Culloden do look out for the much photographed inscribed stone that informs you when you have reached, “WELL, OF THE DEAD, HERE THE CHIEF OF, THE MACGILLIVRAYS, FELL.”
This House at Boleskine and the surrounding environs are now being highly regraded for links to The Clan Fraser of Lovat and they too have their markers at Culloden and in Boleskine Cemetery. The site popularly known as The Clava Cairns which is the type noted at Balnuaran of Clava next to the River Nairn feature a large stone now looked at which eyes full of Outlander longing, with many people queuing to take a chance at time travel and indulge in a photo opportunity all together and at once.
© PHH Sykes 2025
phhsykes@gmail.com
The Boleskine House Foundation
The Clan MacGillivray International Association 2002
Boleskine House was the location for the 2002 Gathering. The gathering was organised by Ronald MacGillivray and Annette MacGillivray the then owners of Boleskine House with some of their deceased clan members interred with memorials still in view of the house in Boleskine Cemetery. Dunlichity Graveyard close by also hosts prominent MacGillivray graves and memorials with an enclosure extension in 1968. Both Boleskine and Dunlichity Graveyard have marks claimed as being made by musket balls and they share links to Culloden with blade sharpening marks still visible in Dunlichity Graveyard. At the battle site of Culloden a marker still reads, “WELL, OF THE DEAD, HERE THE CHIEF OF, THE MACGILLIVRAYS, FELL.”
This Clan MacGillivray International Association Gathering in 2002 was the successor to two other such events recorded in modern history. The previous gatherings having been held in 1992 and 1997. The stone work memorial cairn still exist in the grounds of Boleskine House. A globe of composed of interlocking metal bands with a piercing dart, or an arrow feature no longer tops the cairn.
Ronald MacGillivray
18th February 2002 Herald and Times archive
www.heraldscotland.com/news/12139093.ronald-macgillivray/
Announcement of Clan MacGillivray International Gathering July Inverness 2027.
“Dear Clan MacGillivray Worldwide,
I’m writing to inform you that our much anticipated Clan MacGillivray International Gathering is officially to be held in Inverness, Scotland in July of 2027.
The dates are set to be Wed 7th July - Sat 10th July and I’ve been in various meetings with our events manager and others for the past few months to facilitate things through to make this happen.
Another very important announcement is that we’ve finally received notice from Office Court of the Lord Lyon, King of Arms in Scotland that the Derbhfine of Chiefship for the Clan MacGillivray is to be held in December of 2027. Our Clan Chairman and President will disclose more information on this as it comes through and will continue to be on correspondence with the Lyon Court Secretary representing our Clan MacGillivray matters.
Both these items of news I am most thrilled to share with you all and should come as great excitement to us all as a Clan!
Kindest Regards and with Blessings!
Slainte agus le moran durachdan ‘s Beannachdan!
Iain MacGillivray
Commander of Clan MacGillivray Worldwide”
On my way back from the river via New Tavern Fort...I've noticed these steps before and the patterns and shapes so today I took a pic...
The fort's main structure, an earth rampart facing the river, is fortified/built on the inner side, with three levels; these lead down from the mid level to the ground. There's be a term for the pattern on the steps; I imagine these are from WW2, no earlier.
The fort is looked after by a team of volunteers who keep it safe to visit and looking good; I think the local Council maintains the gardens.
This week's FlickrFriday theme is: #Freedom
Le thème de ce FlickrFriday est: #Liberté
O tema desta FlickrFriday é: #Liberdade
本次 FlickrFriday 主題: #自由
FlickrFriday-Thema der Woche: #Freiheit
El tema de FlickrFriday es: #Libertad
These Tree V Fold photographs show trees forming a fantastic figure fashioned from branches and leaves.
The sign with birds in silhouette both open and closed catches the eye and makes for a great positive message as you walk from the Car Park to the Visitor’s Centre. I was very pleased with the single image and also with the joining of images which immediately offered two variants. The two variants were either the original full frame joining forming a Tree V Fold, or a sharper incised cut to make a more precise V Fold at the centre of the pictures.
The Sun and Winter go very well together. Bright and strong the shadow making light built everything, well photographically at least. This is a great place with excellent cafe and visitor’s centre making a superb human reaction to help wildlife. This place is a reserved world of natural wonders nestled in amongst our modern pressures of life and living that often overlook wildlife and the chance to be calmer and closer to the land, water and sky and also to those that never left the cycle of seasonal lifestyle.
© PHH Sykes 2024
phhsykes@gmail.com
RSPB Scotland Loch Leven nature reserve