Five-legged cricket in my Garden

 

  

Insects at Audley End

Lynne had kindly lent me he adapter ring for the ring-flash and I was keen to return it. After breakfast at Angela Reed cafe in Saffron Walden we decided it was too nicer day not to visit Audley End with the intention of some macro shots. I only had my ring-flash and 24-105 lens so Lynne lent me her prime 300 mm and off we went to see what was in the walled garden. The Dragon flies and Damsels were very active on the small lake. We met an Australian couple with their children, a boy and girl  who were spending time the UK as part of a sabbatical and they were feeling cold so wearing sweaters as the temperature was apparently similar to the winter months in Australia.  In our opinion, it was really warm and a bit humid, we were boiling!  We shared what we were trying to do and met them later and shared the sighting of the Peacock butterfly in the walled garden. The boy rushed back to tell us he had seen three more at the other end of the walled garden.  A well built lady strolled up the path and seeing us focusing on the plants, asked if we would like to take her photograph.  I answered "I am only taking shots of small things" and then realised what I had said. Lynne came to the rescue and masterly explained we were using macro lenses and therefore our focus was on insects measuring just  millimetres.
It was an unplanned fun and impulsive day.

35 degrees in Chalidiki - Hanoi and tomorrow it will be 37 degrees

Chalidiki, Greece

A view from the balcony on the first hot day and an evening beach.

Gamlingay and Sugley Wood - the Wild Life Trust

I have had two trips over the last few days to  the nature reserve.  It is just outside Gamlingay on the B1040 from Gamlingay to Waresley and can be found OS sheet 153 reference TL 242 535.  Gamlingay wood which is mentioned in the Domesday book,  is estimated to be 450 years old and Sugley Wood is much younger and was purchased by the Trust in 2002.  A few from the camera club met with the intention of capturing a shot of the Fritillary butterfly.  We saw them round the brambles but they never landed long enough to catch a good shot.  There were long-horned beetles, crickets, speckled wood, and Skipper butterflies. Lynne lent me her 67 mm ring so I can use my ring flash so the last shot was a Hoverfly in my hanging basket! There are no adaptor rings to be found in all the main stockists until 29th July.