Blipfoto: After the Rain

Sunday 25 July 2010: A gift of flowers: Last night there was a knock on the door, it was a friend with a beautiful bouquet of flowers, as a thankyou for something I'd helped them out with. It was such a small thing that I did, and I can't tell you how much their gift meant to me. It was hard to chose just one of the flowers to photograph but the Lisianthus won. It always amazes me that those tight corkscrew buds unfurl into a beautiful flower. Thankyou for the flowers Photograph: After the Rain/Blipfoto

Monday 26 July 2010: Gilsland Garden: Gastropod: Rain yet again today, that fine mizzle stuff that gets everywhere and soaks you. So, when it became obvious that it wasn't going to clear, it was a walk around the garden with the camera again Found a snail to pose for me, my book identifies it as a Grove Snail (Cepaea nemoralis) and it's posing on a hosta leaf. I have loads of hosta's but, thankfully, the snails hardly touch them for some reason, this one was given permission to tuck in as a reward for posing Photograph: After the Rain/Blipfoto

Tuesday 27 July 2010: Hadrian's Wall: Cawfield Crags: A break in the rain clouds just after lunch, so I headed out to Cawfield Crags. Masses of visitors about, some just enjoying the remains of 42 Milecastle, which is easily accessed from the car park at Cawfields Quarry, others were walking the Hadrian's Wall Path. This lady and Skye the dog climbing up towards Caw Gap were working. She's one of the Hadrian's Wall Path Volunteer wardens. They patrol sections of the trail, picking up litter and reporting problems that might affect walkers, they also carry first aid kit and emergency rations. She had collected a bag of cigarette ends and dog poop, certainly not something I'd want to be doing on a bright afternoon. Without people who are prepared to do this horrible job the Path wouldn't be nearly as pleasant to walk, so please tidy up after yourself and your dog Photograph: After the Rain/Blipfoto

Wednesday 28 July 2010: Gilsland Garden: Do you mind? More rain today - where has summer gone? I dragged my one man seat hide out of storage and set it up in the garden. The cat loves this hide and he scrambles up onto my knee and watches the birds through the window. I have a variety of old branches that I can set up near to the food source, and the birds are quite happy to sit on them. They don't seem at all bothered by the hide but the noise of the shutter does get their attention. (Note to Nikon: does it have to be so loud?) This Blue Tit dropped a sunflower heart mid peck, caught on camera but I thought people would assume I'd added the seed afterwards. On a good day I can just about manage the levels adjustment so adding things is way beyond my meagre skills. So, I chose this shot, it's a look that says "do you mind, I'm trying to eat here" Photograph: After the Rain/Blipfoto

Thursday 29 July 2010: Hadrian's Wall: King's Hill to Winshields Crag: Each morning I set my alarm for an hour before sunrise (currently 4am) and each morning I've looked out to see 100% cloud. At sunrise I normally have Hadrian's Wall all to myself, but most people see it during the hours of daylight, so, just before 11am I went off to Housesteads planning to get some photographs of the Fort. It was packed with people, which is great for the area but not so good for photographs, so I headed off east to Kennel Crag then up onto Sewingshields Crag. You get tremendous views west from this stretch of the Wall, one of my favourite viewpoints is King's Hill, named after King Arthur. You can follow the line of Hadrian's Wall as it snakes along past Housesteads Fort and over the tops of the various crags right to the highest point on Hadrian's Wall at Winshields Crag Photograph: After the Rain/Blipfoto

Friday 30 July 2010: Eryngium alpinum From my rain-soaked garden Photograph: After the Rain/Blipfoto

Saturday 31 July 2010: North Pennines: Nenthead Mining Museum Today I headed off into the North Pennines a one of the designated Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). I was going to Alston but at the last moment decided to continue on to Nenthead. It's a thriving community and I discovered they have a Mining Museum, it's a wee bit run down but that shouldn't put you off visiting. This area was forged by mining, mainly for lead and the scars, now grassed over, can still be seen in the undulating landscape Photograph: After the Rain/Blipfoto