I take a camera with me everywhere: it is my phone. Admittedly, I have a bit of kit that is permanently attached to it to add the photographic options it provides, but it's still just an iPhone, and not the latest. This was taken in the depths of Birmingham New Street station yesterday. The train is a rail cleaning unit. I liked the play of the light:
I needed a lazy morning today, but got to Welney soon after an early lunch. This was the view looking west from the bridge over the various ditches and channels that divide the visitor's centre from the hides.
Looking south from the same point, the light allowed other tricks to be played. This was not on my phone, but on a Sony A6700:
There's some current on there with water flooding towards the sea.
This was not a day for spectacular birding, and that never worries me. The ordinary is good, and Welney's ordinary is not average. This is a cygnet Whooper swan, born in Iceland this summer and here for the winter:
And at Welney, pochards are commonplace. They aren't in many locations. These are all males. Ninety-seven per cent of the females go to Spain for the winter:
The light was fun here, too. This is such an East Anglian sky:
This was my favourite shot of the day, looking south as the sun was already heading down:
Times like these recharge my batteries, probably quite literally. We all need the light.
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My bit of “light” today was my local Mill Rd winter fair in Cambridge.
A huge length of the road is closed to all traffic for the day and and the street is lined with stalls, many of them food from local traders and of so many different origins, Korean, Indian, Chinese, Turkish, Greek, Spanish, Algerian, Italian, Afghan, European, Mexican…possibly some I’ve missed.
Churches, community cetres and mosques opened their doors providing refreshment, activities for children, and quiet spaces.
All along the road there were muscians, many local bands and singers, and spaces for dance, swing dancers, Molly and Morris dancers and Greek dancing.
There were crafts and stalls raising money for local charities.
There were so many different languages being spoken around me.
There was much more besides but it was such a celebration of diversity and it is much loved by locals and visitors alike.
Living in the middle of this I sometimes retreat for a while as it becomes so crowded but I went back out at the end of the day just to be able to walk down the middle of this usually busy road and witnessed so many good natured interactions between stall holders clearing up and visitors lingering and keen to bag a last bargain….so, not an island of strangers!! and all organised by volunteers.
I found it strangely moving.
That sounds like what Christmas should be about, community.
I have to get outside in nature every day to preserve my sanity in these crazy times.
Agreed