Holiday snaps

I’m sure there’s probably a photo challenge that would encompass these pictures …

But I am posting them just because …

I went on a “Sun holiday”  last week.

For those who aren’t British, a Sun holiday involves collecting tokens from one of our major newspapers, and receiving a very cheap holiday in return. I took my son and his friend to a caravan site next to the beach in Rhyl, Wales. The weather wasn’t being kind, and frankly, it pissed down for the first day and night. Add to that, my son’s little friend was quite ill for the first couple of days and it didn’t give us a promising start …

But things picked up. The boys made some friends, and I was able to wander a little bit on my own with my camera. On day two, the sun came out from behind the clouds long enough to dry the camp a bit and give us an opportunity to go to the beach.

The tide at Rhyl is waaay out during the day – but it gave me a chance to take some pictures of interesting things that would otherwise be consumed by the sea. I expect I’ll share a few pictures as the days go on.

But in the evening, the tide came in … and the previously rubbish weather allowed for a rather excellent sunset through a cloud-speckled sky. The beach is bordered by piles of hundreds of colossal rocks that, I assume, have been placed there by man to protect the neighbouring land from the sea. On this particular evening, I sat on one of these boulders for ages and watched the sun go down directly behind a large offshore wind farm.

You’ll need to click on the pictures to get a clearer view.

Probably the only peaceful time I experienced during the entire trip ….

Watched the birds in flight ….

 

…. and generally watched the sun go down.

 

© Alice through the Macro Lens [2012]

Weekly photo challenge: Inside

I was fascinated by an old tree stump during an ever rarer walk lately.

In isolation, the ancient cracking tree stump was a gorgeous combination of textures.

But on closer inspection, tiny, colourful, succulent plants were emerging inside the troughs of the cracks and rings of the aged wood.

 

 

© Alice through the Macro Lens [2012]

Weekly challenge

Jakesprinter’s photo challenge: Silence

Only when they’re sleeping …..

© Alice through the Macro Lens [2012]

Weekly challenge

Wee beastie #58 – Wasp

OK, I’m cheating a little bit, because I said I would not repeat a bug during this challenge. However, the other time I pictured a wasp, it was in silhouette and didn’t reveal much detail.

See here for the previous post.

This one, on the other hand, was not buzzing around my bedroom window (thank goodness). It was outside, waging war on the spiders that had set up shop in a rather scruffy looking conifer in my neighbour’s garden. No, those aren’t fangs protruding from its face – I believe they are antennae. But, in my opinion, they just add to its fearsome look.

© Alice through the Macro Lens [2012]

What a difference a day makes ….

Yesterday morning, I took the dog to the woods as usual and it was a relatively peaceful, uneventful experience. The stream was a sparkling trickle and the pond was a sheet of glass.

And then, yesterday evening, it rained.

And it thundered and lightninged, and the storm knocked out the satellite signals and frightened the animals.

It rained so hard and so fast that the gulleys couldn’t hold the sudden mass of water and some of the streets began to flood.

And my pond and my stream in the woods weren’t so peaceful anymore.

© Alice through the Macro Lens [2012]