I'm not expecting much attention as it looks utterly boring when viewed in thumbnail. But take a closer look and you'll see a pair of eyes looking out from the cover. They are the eyes of a Long-eared Owl, and they seem to follow you around the room like certain gallery portraits.

The title comes from a 1984 single "Somebody's Watching Me" by Rockwell, though the chorus was sung (uncredited) by his childhood friend Michael Jackson. Rockwell's real name was Kennedy William Gordy, but he wanted any success to be on his own merits, and not because his father was Berry Gordy, the founder of Motown Records. Here's the video on Youtube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YvAYIJSSZY&list=RD7YvAYIJSSZ...

Do you like butter…?

(SOOC shot except for square crop)

Utterly unmistakable orange bird with a zebra-striped wings, a Chinese fan of a crest (usually held closed, but often raised just after landing), and a rapier of a bill. Favors semiopen habitats such as heathland, farmland, orchards, grassy lawns, where it feeds on the ground, probing with its long bill for insects. Flight fast and fairly direct, with rather deep wingbeats. Unlikely to be confused, but flight pattern and round wings may loosely resemble that of woodpeckers; note far longer and thinner bill.

Parque national Souss-Massa, Morocco. March 2019.

The utterly strange Eben-Ezer tower is the project of artist, architect, writer, esothericus and philosopher Robert Garcet (1912-2001). He built this all by himself (and some friends) with flint stone. Dimensions and symbols are taken from the bible and ancient civilisations.

The tower is guarded by large stone sculptures of the four cherubim of the Apocalypse: a bull, a sphinx, a lion and an eagle.

There is a Musée du Silex (flint) on the first levels.

Location : Eben-Emael, Belgium

She hadn't thought about this moment yet, had no expectations. But the look of panic on Rena's face leaves her utterly at a loss. "Conor?" she whispers instead, gaze dropping down to the boy from over Forge's arm.

Rena was moving as he was, sweeping Conor up in her arm and fairly tossing him over the counter. Strength born of adrenaline and fear. "Run," screamed into his ear as she let him go. She was following as Forge burst through the door, a leap and a scramble over that damn sneeze guard, the gun yanked from the waist band of her pants and pointed at the hairy dude. "Get us out the back NOW," screamed at him as the few patrons in the pizza place began to scramble. A slight woman in pink even screamed and fainted.

Conor leaned forward further, nose all but smooshed against the sneeze-guard as he watched. His ears were covered, mashed down beneath a grubby cap, swimming in a sea of greasy hair. He was distracted too, stomach rumbling as he waited. He didn't catch Rena's panicked whisper. Head jerked slightly at Forge's voice. Somewhat familiar, he could almost place it. His name on Guin's lips was unmistakable though, he was already wheeling around with a grin when Rena lifted him. Feet landed awkwardly on the floor behind the counter, face paling with fear at her command. He froze for a moment, unsure of what was happening, or why she was pointng a gun. Legs began to stumble backwards slowly, panic etched in his face.

Forge watched her lifting Conor up and over the counter. Forge's hand went into his jacket and he pulled his weapon out aiming it suddenly at Guin's head. He would stare at her then. "I don't think you're going anywhere Rena..." His voice was calm and even-- his eyes locked on her. The weapon pointed directly at Guinny's skull-- unless she moved on him. "Over the counter. Grab the fucking pizza...and we're all going to sit down and talk...or I kill your sister."

Guin spots the grin and returns it instantly, already lifting a hand toward Conor to take. But in a blink he's snatched away, swept up by Rena and tossed over the counter. The pizzeria erupts in panic but she cares about none of it, eyes fixed on Conor even as Rena draws her gun. She steps forward anyway, determined, but then comes to full stop when Forge draws his own. And points it at her head. Her mouth goes dry, and she pulls her eyes away from Conor long enough to shoot Forge a glare. But if it works... didn't stop the pounding of her heart in her throat. "Please, Rena," she whispers, just loud enough to be heard. "Please talk to us."

Conor wasn't the bravest of kids, not by a long shot. Sure he'd get the occasional burst of bravado now and then, and so far he'd refrained from wetting his pants...for a few years at least. But Forge's gun at Guin's head sent him into a sheer panic, stomach plummeting and the acid taste of fear rising up in his throat. He did, pretty much, the only useful thing a nine year old could really do at this point. Mouth opened wide, eys full of panic. He began to scream.

I find it utterly amazing that a wedding ring casts the shadow of a heart when placed between the pages of a book...

I had seen this effect done previously - and magnificently - by Flickr member "frozeout"....and I thought I would do my own version of the concept. The pattern on the blank book pages is from the sun streaming through a screened window.

By the way - I've had several unauthorized usages of my images and I've now had to resort to the following script on the bottom of each of my images:

© All Rights Reserved - No usage allowed in any form without the written consent of

Jeff R. Clow

Utterly exhausted, he's been on double sleep duty for the last few days. Sleeping is tiring work.

I often wonder if many people actually take a step back and LOOK at life...all of it....not just their own....and realize all the wonderment there really is in the world at large....How a tiny beetle can give me so much joy....I am constantly intrigued at it all and the detail even the smallest creature can have...creation is utterly beautiful...The next time you see a bug buzz by..try and remember all the details...or better yet, follow it and take a picture..=)

"'Think simple' as my old master used to say. Reduce the whole of its parts into the simplest terms, getting back to first principle."

-- Frank Lloyd Wright, architect

Norwich had a visit from the Coca Cola Christmas truck today, like it's an actual, traditional part of Christmas and not the cynical billion-dollar marketing campaign it is and it never fails to utterly baffle me just how many people lose their shit over a roped-off red lorry with LEDs glued to it and happily queue for ages for a tiny can of a drink they can buy 365 days of the year.

Still. Holidays are coming.

Completely, utterly, irrevocably SOOC. For like the first time ever. No time :)

Literally just on my way out, so took a quick portrait of me ready hahaa :) It's hannah's birthday *HAPPY BIRTHDAY HANNAH* so I'm off over to hers :)

I DROVE FOR THE FIRST TIME TODAY! Mum took me to an abandoned airfield and I learnt that I am terrible behind the wheel, but it was brilliant fun. I only stalled like eight times, but I did reach fifth gear.. by, uh.. accident..

“It's utterly impossible for me to build my life on a foundation of chaos, suffering and death. I see the world being slowly transformed into a wilderness; I hear the approaching thunder that, one day, will destroy us too. I feel the suffering of millions. And yet, when I look up at the sky, I somehow feel that everything will change for the better, that this cruelty too shall end, that peace and tranquillity will return once more.”

Anne Frank

I'm struggling to comprehend the seeming speed with which life has transitioned from manageable to the unimaginable. The preoccupation is rightly with the coronavirus itself. But ultimately the psychological aspect of longterm stress and anxiety might prove equally disabling. Each day brings an increased awareness that this is going to be a long term situation with effects that will surely outlast the virus itself. I'm clinging to daily routines in an effort to maintain mental health. But it's deeper than that. I need to feel a sense of self worth; a need to exist. There has to be more to a day than watching endless news coverage. It's important to be dialed into events, but I fear the hypnotic effect of ongoing news feeds. Balance is key right now. It will be a process of discovery for many of us as routines change, perhaps radically, as we find out how exactly we will fit into the new model. It will be a process.

We're on the verge of the vernal equinox; the first day of Spring in the northern hemisphere is Thursday. Normally a time of year filled with hope and optimism. Likely to go all but unnoticed this year. I was scrolling through an old email queue yesterday looking for a past communication. There I stumbled upon threads from exactly one year ago. They were filled with discussion of problems and issues with jobs that seemed paramount at the time, but utterly trivial now. How I wished those sorts of problems were the worst thing in life now.

The other day I noticed a very challenging astrological makeup for this week starting tomorrow, March 18. An astounding six planets will cluster in the sign of Capricorn. The indication is one of a tipping point being crossed. Perhaps a big disclosure is in the offing. The tension will remain strong through early next week. Stay safe.

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Today, we found ourselves utterly captivated by the remarkable Hila Klein. You might recognize her as the creative genius behind the fashion brand, Teddy Fresh, or identify her as one half of the dynamic duo anchoring the popular H3 Youtube Channel.

This year, Hila truly blossomed, stepping out of her comfort zone and into the limelight with unprecedented confidence and grace. Her newfound assertiveness served not only as an inspiration to us, but also as the driving force behind our latest project. Feeling profoundly motivated by her transformation, we've decided to replicate one of her recent, dazzling hair styles.

As a celebration of her distinctive charisma and fearless individuality, we hope to channel a touch of Hila's vibrant spirit into our creative endeavor.

🎁 Share, like and comment your username on Facebook OR on this Flickr post for a chance to win 1 of 5 fatpacks! (Doing both doubles your chances) There will be 5 winners chosen on 7/13 at 11:59 AM SLT.

Updated version now available at our main store & Marketplace.

Heads: LeLUTKA

I watched a television documentary recently that was dealing with Meta-physics and the nature of conscious. (Well it was A LOT more in-depth than that), but it went into the history and highlighted how fluid our knowledge in this area is, by documenting the key paradigm shifts. This program was challenging in many ways, (as it was way over my head and some of the in-depth mathematical equations didn’t interest me) but what did, was the way that our knowledge of we think is “real” is totally and utterly not what it seems.

The thing that totally amazed me, was the way that our known laws of physics seem to change the smaller you went. It was as though the ever-decreeing circles distorted the ‘reality’ of the previous.

It kind of solidified my beliefs that what we think of as real and solid is in fact not the case. In fact it is probably more accurate to say that there is an infinite amount that we ‘do not know’. I see it rather logical to say we know such a small minuscule amount about ‘anything’, that its impossible to even perceives our lack of solid ground.

This statement leaves me with mixed feelings. massive insecurities (fear of the unknown) but wonderful optimism, (massive excitement at the mind blowing possibilities) a paradox. It’s almost true to say that everything your imagination can perceive is in fact possible. WOW just imagine that for a second……parallel universes (were mentioned), sprits, aliens, (I know I'm sounding weird and a tad science fiction, but all possible in an infinite world).

I seem to remember the presenter saying that they only knew that quarks existed because of what they ‘couldn’t’ see. He said that the very act of looking for them, (and my spine is tingling at the thought) changed the very physical reality. WOW…. Now I'm probably not making much sense, and I'm struggling to remember precisely what he was saying, but my mind resonated at the unimaginable possibilities that what he was saying offers us.

I personally find this type of conversation vastly inspirational. a world without the confines of so-called laws of psychics, would be truly creative. No boxes to think outside, no rules! But how does it relate to this photograph?

Now it seems to me that when you look at a scene (especially a moment in time like this), that you aren’t really seeing what is there. yes it ‘looks’ like the place I took the image of, and for the purists amongst us, its not to dissimilar from documenting the colour, lighting conditions, sharpness blar de blarr de blarr. But the very act of capturing this image with a camera, that in a couple of years will be considered redundant, begs the question at the importance of those questions. (I have to get the dig in don’t i). It isn’t ‘real’, it isn’t even close to ‘real’, what the hell is real? Our own perception of reality is distorted by our unique experiences. We all see this differently because we do not only see it, we engage emotionally with it. We feel something which changes our perceptions of it.

So to sum this up before I ramble on too long, what does this mean to you? Is it a collection of pixels? A massive chain of zeros and ones, or is it a dull wet cold winters day? Maybe a beach on a parallel universe. May I leave you with a final thought. Imagine if every grain of sand on this beach was a sun and around each and every one there were 20 or so planets……are we alone?

how the utterly extraordinary can lay beneath our feet and how utterly extraordinary it is that we haven't taken better care of our precious home, how pursuits and vanities and loss of collective consciousness has blinded and numbed us

2020 has woken the world up to our vulnerabilities, our imperatives and the folly of egotistical arrogance and selfish superficiality

here's to an unearthing of what we have always known in our heart of hearts - that our time here is brief, miraculous and capable of incredible richness

here's to an archaeology of thought, and to each of us striving to save what is precious beyond words

“Distance changes utterly when you take the world on foot. A mile becomes a long way, two miles literally considerable, ten miles whopping, fifty miles at the very limits of conception. The world, you realize, is enormous in a way that only you and a small community of fellow hikers know. Planetary scale is your little secret.

Life takes on a neat simplicity, too. Time ceases to have any meaning. When it is dark, you go to bed, and when it is light again you get up, and everything in between is just in between. It’s quite wonderful, really.

You have no engagements, commitments, obligations, or duties; no special ambitions and only the smallest, least complicated of wants; you exist in a tranquil tedium, serenely beyond the reach of exasperation, “far removed from the seats of strife,” as the early explorer and botanist William Bartram put it. All that is required of you is a willingness to trudge.

There is no point in hurrying because you are not actually going anywhere. However far or long you plod, you are always in the same place: in the woods. It’s where you were yesterday, where you will be tomorrow. The woods is one boundless singularity. Every bend in the path presents a prospect indistinguishable from every other, every glimpse into the trees the same tangled mass. For all you know, your route could describe a very large, pointless circle. In a way, it would hardly matter.

At times, you become almost certain that you slabbed this hillside three days ago, crossed this stream yesterday, clambered over this fallen tree at least twice today already. But most of the time you don’t think. No point. Instead, you exist in a kind of mobile Zen mode, your brain like a balloon tethered with string, accompanying but not actually part of the body below. Walking for hours and miles becomes as automatic, as unremarkable, as breathing. At the end of the day you don’t think, “Hey, I did sixteen miles today,” any more than you think, “Hey, I took eight-thousand breaths today.” It’s just what you do.”

- Bill Bryson, A Walk in the Woods

I am utterly loving how the area around the Zany Zen Railway has developed in this last month, Millionaire's Row has got to be one of my favourite editions to the area, it feels so much like home.

Bus Service: maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Kumho/4/1/40

Richard A. Muttkowski (1887-1943), well-known American entomologist, was also a stickler for philological precision. He considered the name 'Aeshna' to be utterly 'barbaric'. That name had been given our pretty Migrant Hawker by Johan Christian Fabricius (1745-1808) in his Systema Entomologiae of 1775. Something was fishy about it and already in 1801 an Anonymous proposed the 'correct' Latinised Greek: Aeschna. But Fabricius' name stuck.

Muttkowski would have nothing of it, and he submitted a proposal to the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (founded in 1895) to revise the name 'Aeshna'. He gave a number of reasons based on philology and on speculation about the mind set of Fabricius.

His proposal makes for fascinating reading. But names once given have a way of holding. After lengthy deliberation the Commission decided anyway to retain Fabricius' name. Their tongue-in-cheek general remark is humorous enough to quote here. Agreeing with Muttkowski that a corruption of the Greek is perfecty possible, they say:

'So far as the evidence goes, however, it is equally possible that this word is an intentional barbarism or that it is the name of a ship, or of a goddess unknown to the Commission, or that it is an arbitrary combination of letters, or that it is the name of some friend of Fabricius.'

The name was not changed.

Here's our beautiful Migrant Hawker on Marijuana, Cannabis sativa (www.flickr.com/photos/87453322@N00/36295279372/in/photoli...). The inset shows a young Cannabis flower and especially those tiny, white globulous trichomes, the oil of which might have relaxed Muttkowski. On the other hand, we'd then not have been able to enjoy this little episode of nomenclatural humor.

PS The inset photo is of a plant in the shade of the glade; the Dragonfly Plant of the main shot stands proudly in the Autumn Sun.

No I've not gone utterly baa baa but I have to say the sheep of western Northamptonshire are a very chilled out bunch. If I did my best sheep talk they really paid attention and the lambs came towards me, instead of screaming in panic and running to their mums like those in Oxfordshire.

Looking back towards Badby, almost directly into the sun so I'm surprised anything came out.

Just me, the sheep and birdsong.

This morning I felt utterly sad. I've lost someone whom I thought I could count as my friend of many years. But when I needed him, on a personal level, he proved me wrong. And it hurts.

I looked outside my window and I saw a Roe Deer buck approaching. Despite everything I grabbed the camera and went outside. The Buck came closer and closer while looking straight at me. When he reached our driveway he stopped and posed, perfectly framed by the old oak trees that line the path. Maybe a silly thing to say but it was as if Nature was trying to comfort me with its beauty. And it worked. It always works...

I'm going to say goodbye now for a short time. For 2 weeks, the beautiful Mala Mala Game Reserve in South Africa will be our home. Here you can find an impression of last year's visit. I know from experience that Mala Mala is the best place to be to recover from a hurt soul..

The utterly stylish Aiguille Noire admired as the storm was coming.

The Aiguille Noire de Peuterey (3.773 m) is a mountain of the Mont Blanc massif, Italian face, forming part of the Peuterey ridge.

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©Roberto Bertero, All Rights Reserved. This image is not available for use on websites, blogs or other media without the explicit written permission of the photographer.

Thank you so very much Moonsoul gorgeous for the huge trill and honor of having my picture as the group's cover.

Happy Hollidays to you and all yours!

♥ Hugs ♥

Original picture: flic.kr/p/2qBmipK

Check the group here: www.flickr.com/groups/4444205@N25/

and now, for something utterly non-Yacht-Club-like! from the archives, a favorite taken early last year in the King Range, manzanita skeletons in an area that had burned the previous fall.

and THANK YOU to everyone who's given me feedback on the BYC show! I'll be hemming and hawing all week, so feel free to continue to chime in, I'm sure I'll make some final decisions friday as I start putting the photos up on the walls...

link to the Cream Me discussion

Utterly love this outfit, been wearing it for a few weeks now and still love it, finally got around to taking a outfit focused picture of it.

PLUS this is my first time using the Black Dragon Viewer, really happy with the results.

Akrotiri, Cyprus - Utterly unmistakable orange bird with a zebra-striped wings, a Chinese fan of a crest (usually held closed, but often raised just after landing), and a rapier of a bill. Favors semi open habitats such as heathland, farmland, orchards, grassy lawns, where it feeds on the ground, probing with its long bill for insects. Flight fast and fairly direct, with rather deep wingbeats. Unlikely to be confused, but flight pattern and round wings may loosely resemble that of woodpeckers; note far longer and thinner bill.

An utterly forgotten mid-'70s Ford, the Elite was in the line for only 2 years, as sort of a downmarket Torino, or Mercury Cougar. In '77 this body-style became the Thunderbird. Yeah, nice face under the hood, didn't even notice it until I got home. Night, 3-minutes of full moon, with direct red, snooted blue and reflected purple and blue light from the Protomachines flashlight.

the utterly awesome Hooker Valley track, with Aoraki/Mt Cook - the highest in mountain NZ - at the head, arresting.

3x HDR sets of 5 images stitched

The beach was utterly deserted, save for a solitary tree that stood defiantly in the center. It stood alone, with only the crunching sound of crispy sand beneath its roots, the crashing waves, and the lush, green-covered hills in the distance. The tree's branches stretched out, reaching for the sky as if seeking companionship, but the emptiness around it remained unbroken. It was a scene of serene isolation, where nature's elements played their symphony, and the tree stood as a resilient symbol amidst the vast emptiness.

an utterly gorgeous print by Deborah Lattimore that hangs right by my front door...

so so in love with her view of water, she's found so many colors in it...

This is part of the utterly majestic Aiguilles de Chamonix, unanimously recognized among the most stunning and elegant walls of the Alps!

Picture taken at sunset. The passing helicopter can offer a sense of scale.

In detail, on the left you can see the mythic southwest pillar of the Aiguille du Dru, climbed from 17-22 August 1955 by the italian alpinist Walter Bonatti (recently passed away) in a very difficult solo route.

On the right we have the Aiguille de l'M, going up to les Petits Charmoz.

These are towers of granite, rich in history and ripe with hundreds of superb alpine routes. This is the domain of the alpinist, also a true "forbidden" gateway to the huge and high glaciers of the Mont Blanc massif.

Silent walls of a majestic kingdom.

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©Roberto Bertero, All Rights Reserved. This image is not available for use on websites, blogs or other media without the explicit written permission of the photographer.

berteroroberto.pixu.com/

This was actually a random snap I took but I quite like it. Its probably because of the sunbeams, so view it large to get the point

Today was utterly magic. Ollie and Alyssa came to meet me in Bondi, and scooped me up into their friendly arms. When they suggested doing the walk to Coogee, I thought it wouldn't be too different to last time. Wrong.

We didn't take the path, but we climbed, jumped and scraped our legs over the cliffs and rocks the entire way! It was SO much fun, we laughed SO much and did VERY dangerous things (don't worry, mum) and standing on the edge of this cliff and watching the waves crash and the surfers skim across the water, I finally felt at home here. You can't write a prescription for friendship and laughter.

The internet friends I've met up with along the way have really made this trip, really, truly. I've got a few more to meet before I fly home, so bring on tomorrow :D

Signing off, one very full-hearted, Restored Rosie <3 117/365

Howell Park Atlantic Beach, Florida.

Stoneybatter

An utterly bizarre sit-down in the middle of Deansgate, Manchester, UK by the squad of Southend United football club.

As evidenced at www.echo-news.co.uk/sport/blues/14962896.Blues_recalled_m...

To contact the photographer or for different contrasts, tones and sizes of this image please email contact@ianbetley.com or via FlickrMail or @ianbetley (Twitter).

Website: www.ianbetley.com

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Today, a coworker of mine told me about a woman who came into the store to see if she could wipe her computer - my coworker asked why, and the woman replied that she was giving it to a friend who had just lost her house in the fire. Amazed, my coworker started in on clearing things off, and while doing so, the woman tells him she also needs a new computer as well. Again, he asks why - the woman had lost her home as well. The person she was giving her computer to was her neighbor who lived a door down on Gold Hill, and the computer was one of the woman's five remaning worldly possessions.

To give your friend who lost everything a computer is amazing... to give your friend YOUR computer when you just lost your home is utterly phenomenal.

fourmilefirehelp.com/ - A forum to rally resources and offer help to evacuees

www.dailycamera.com/fourmile-canyon-fire/ci_16038359 - Northwestern Boulder put on evacuation notice, high winds may bring the fire to our doorsteps

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Four MIle Canyon Fire, taken last night from Flagstaff. I did a second batch of edits (during my lunch break), should be posting more soon.

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Featured in both the Flickr Blog and Elephant Journal (links below).

www.elephantjournal.com/2010/09/boulder-fire-heartbreakin...

blog.flickr.net/en/2010/09/09/four-mile-canyon-wildfire-i...

Utterly unique bird that makes up its own family. The plumage is uniformly gray in adults and brownish in immatures. Structure is stork-like overall, but with a thick neck and massive hooked bill. In flight, which is sometimes quite high, the long legs trail. Found in deep marshes, especially papyrus swamp. Usually alone or in pairs. (eBird)

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The iconic bird of Uganda and on the wish list of many birders. We went out in a dug-out canoe with a local guide who brought to this magnificent bird. We watched it for quite some time. It never moved. Perhaps it was a decoy? No - just once it blinked. But what a privilege to see this amazing bird.

Mabamba Swamp, Uganda. January 2017.

Uganda Eco Tours.

Handy having George (my son) around when you can't think of a title. Or is it?!

Click and see

I am completely and utterly in love with this camera!!! Wow, what a step up from the 40D. Needless to say, this was my favorite shoot up to date. Not only because of my first experience with the 5D mark II, but also, because this little beauty cooperated so beautifully with all of our ideas. Definitely one of my faves!!! So watch out, there will be an overload from this session. ;)

LARGE ON BLACK

Piazza Navona, Rome, Italy.

Piazza Navona is Rome’s liveliest and perhaps best-loved square. The plaza’s ovular shape is the only reminder of its origins as a Roman chariot track but it remains a hub for both locals and visitors. Most if its defining architecture and monuments come from the 17th century when Pope Innocent X built his family palace on the piazza and commissioned the fountains that would beautify it. This Italian piazza’s main draw, apart from the vibrant crowds that fill it during most hours of the day, is the Fountain of the Four Rivers. The Baroque masterpiece was created by none other than Bernini and was actually a comeback of sorts after he had fallen out of favor with the Pope. It is so packed with movement, whimsy, wonder, and drama that it’s often hard to know where to look. Most impressively, though often overlooked, the Egyptian obelisk that crowns the fountain is actually suspended over thin air – a feet that should be utterly impossible given the weight of the solid-stone obelisk.

An utterly delighted seascape adventure welcome by moving bubbles and waves in sunset. As always, thank you for the comments and/or faves.

Happy Halloween Month all

i am utterly in love in with the color of these beautiful ranunculus. my guess they will be a regular appearance in my 365 photos for a bit. ;)

This utterly extraordinary suspended art installation measures seven metres in diameter and features detailed NASA imagery of the Earth’s surface. For a few weeks it was at Teddington’s Landmark Arts Centre in west London, and the venue could hardly have been more fitting: the Landmark was once a cathedral-sized Gothic church and its vast interior space is perfect for an installation like this.

In Greek mythology, Gaia is the personification of the Earth. The slowly revolving installation was created by Luke Jerram, a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, in partnership with the National Environment Research Council and the UK Association of Science and Discovery.

I spent a few hours patiently waiting for, hopefully, spectacular sunset light on the distant Glen Etive hills. I was utterly convinced something extraordinary was going to happen as the afternoon sun lowered into bands of clear sky close to the horizon. Time passed. . . & it slowly dawned on me that, as the sun had now been obscured to me by the hills on Loch Etive's western shore, some unseen cloud element must have intervened & scuppered any chances of a light show. My consolation prize was this occurrence earlier on. Some brilliantly lit autumnal birches contrasting nicely with the gloomy hills & loch.

The weather is utterly rotten in the UK at the moment, as many of you will know, so no new images I'm afraid. This was taken at Hauxley earlier in the year. Any feedback as regards the processing of this image is more than welcome as I'm still getting to grips with upgrading to Lightroom CC with all its knobs and whistles.

Another utterly beautiful scene from my latest adventure.

I hope you can enjoy and wishing you all a wonderful start in the new year ! Best wishes