Forgot about posting the steam pic that I took Saturday 24th. Tangmere was replaced by 'Mallard' class Union of South Africa. Quite a crowd at Yatton and I moved up towards the east end of platform 2.

There was a chap there taking video so I moved behind him. A light rain scatter and I have taken better, this was satisfactory although not as good as I have done.

It seems that onion flowers don't have seed heads but the seeds develop lower down.

Because a lot of the stems had leaned over the path I stripped the little 'miniature' onions and scattered them across the borders. Now I must wait until next year to see what will happen. Will I have a show of flowers? I wonder.
It is surprising how attractive the flower heads are when viewed at full size by clicking with the mouse when looking at the blog.

Dog Rose  Rosa canina

Posted the last [I hope] letter to Heroes Return and then went out through Court Lane.

Nothing there to take pix of but I did see some Dog Roses and snipped off a couple of flowers.

They are a really deep pink/red when they are buds and first flowering. They don't change until they have been out for a few days.

 

Arado Ar 199

Found some more pix of seaplanes at Schleswig from my army days.

Peter de Jong who wished to use one of the flying boat pix, named them for me thank goodness.

I did’nt have a clue except that one was an Italian one, [Eddy Creek told me that]  and the Junkers that looked so primitive. Now I have the model as well as the maker’s names. 

Heinkel HE 115

Junkers W33 light transport

Surprising how the negatives kept so well from almost 70 years ago.

I still think back over the years sometimes, to those days, when I used to creep out of the camp via the fence by the railway and run along the rail track into town to visit Magda. 

Took my first expedition this year with the 350 Infra-red conversion in the Sony. Decided on a little visit to kingston Seymour. Not any traffic to worry about and nice peaceful morning. Ventured down through Yew Tree Lane but didn't go over the motorway bridge. Will try that later on perhaps.

The conversion makes Infra-red so easy. Take the pic, Edit with PSP8 to greyscale, enhance photo, clarify to 2 or 3 and there it is. If I need to use a colour variation add the least sepia choice in Artistic Effects and then you are rated as a colour pic for editing.

This was Sepia 10 the lowest. Artistic Effects Coloured Edges with Luminance 3: Blur 0: Intensity 12: And any colour you wish can be selected from the wheel or scale.

Gold intensity 7. Darker colours require less density.

But this one worked OK.

Went down to Yatton Thursday to get shots of Kinlet Hall on her way to Bishops Lydeard with a support coach.

Not too many people there and got several pix. Nice not to get someone push in front and spoiling the shots.

I missed out on Nunney Castle last week-end. Had not realised that she was running. I must keep a sharper eye on Loco Movements.

I don't normally take pix of diesel locos but could not resist this one of a work train that went through whilst I was waiting for Kinlet Hall. 

The best laid plans of mice and men !

I had it timed to perfection – I would catch the X6 to Bristol at 10.25 that would get me into the bus station at 11.11 An X39 would then take me to Bath bus station by about 12.15 to 12.30.

The steam train Clan Line was due in Bath at 12.40. – what could be more simple.

I got to Bristol too late to get the X39 instantly. There was also a snafu with the run of the busses. X39 came in late. 2 at the same time. Then to compound it the bus that was second went out first whilst I sat in the first bus and didn’t leave Bristol bus station until 11.50.

As I got through Saltford I realised that I would be too late at Bath station. I got off at the Globe Newton St. Loe and went down into the field opposite. A good place to get shots but of course no seats there. Then to compound my troubles the train ran late and did not pass until 13.20 - almost 40 minutes of standing and waiting. However I got 12 pix some of the best I have taken at that spot. Set the camera at 10 frames per second and took three bursts. 3 - 3 & 6.

Rabby Burns was right though wasn't he?

On the way back up the field to get to the bus stop I took a pic of the hill and clouds to act as a "Desk Top" picture for the PC.

Anyone that wants to copy it is welcome to use it. When you view the blog mouse click the pic and it will go to screen size where it can be copied easily.

 Also took a couple of shots in the bus station at Bristol whilst I was waiting for the missing X39.

. I have been tempted before but never got round to it. An X39 was also missing when I waited to get back to Bristol at the Globe roundabout.

A surprise intruder.

For several years I have had an onion plant growing each spring in a small side border where I have planted "Green Manure" and also love in the mist. This year to my surprise I have had around 10 or 12 of them show.

Once again when looked at in macro they show, like many small and normally unnoticed "weed" flowers, an amazing beauty and delicate colouring.  I have often thought that if these little flowers, that we consider to be intruders, fit only to be pulled out and thrown onto the compost heap, could be cultivated and grown with flower heads as large as dahlias gardeners would go crazy about them. You would find them exhibited at the Chelsea Flower Show, with gardener's clubs fantasizing about them. Striving to grow alternate colours  and increasing the size of the individual flowers.

Can  you imagine a flower like this little one - seen here in 3 times life size - as a cluster of blooms each one as large as a tea cup? Something perhaps like a larger "Swan River Lily" wouldn't people go wild about them?

Off Road Parking?

Went  out to Yatton to get shots of Mount Edgecombe with the support coach. On the way I saw this and stopped to take some pix.

I should have had plenty of time but when I got to the station I could see the smoke way down the line.

It was running at least 10 minutes early. 

However I have got shots of Mount Edgecombe running through Yatton station with an excursion train, but none of off street parking so I didn't really mind too much.

Found out this week that the photograph of The Arches, that I had thought was taken perhaps by Godwin was in fact done by Henry Goodfellowe.

He was Clevedon's first resident professional photographer. His studio was at Number 1 Hill Road built in the garden. Later he had the wooden studio built in Linden Road, later it was Edwin Hazell there. 

Found out because there was a carte de visite for sale on Ebay that was an identical picture to the one I bought on Ebay some years back. Mine though, was a large print, also included a pic of the Arches stables, Walton Road and one of the beach in 1869 with pier bits showing on the pebbles.