Out Fairly Early Again,

I was getting dangerously low on spliced rum,

just one 1 liter bottle for the weekend, that will not make it to Sunday night, so out past the snail mail box, and on to a number 354 bus to Bromley, 

arriving there past The Partridge, 

and HSBC on the corner, wedged between the 2 Primark store fronts,

as it was Thursday a few stalls in Market Square today,

one of the many jewelers on the corner,

next to the haberdashery stall,

a few stall holders yet to arrive,

 

the seafood stall here as usual,

into LIDL, I particularly like their James Cook Gold spiced rum and at 35% it is not to strong to drink neat, 3 bottles and a couple of sherry, plus some other nonimportant stuff like food, and I was on my way home,

as I passed Foxgrove Lodge I stopped to take a quick photograph of the pink/mauve rhododendron, 

and nice it looked too, as I neared home I meet Diana coming the other way, she had been called in a couple of hours early, I was going to give her a lift in, but she said the bus would be here in a few minutes and it would be quicker as we were near the stop to take that, arriving home I decided to pop out to Norwood Lakes, taking the new tripod with me, 

luckily there was plenty of space nearby, 

there is not a car park here, so curb parking it is, past the very impressive house at the entrance, 

and here I was in the park, so I started snapping away, 

as soon as I put the camera on the tripod, there was a grebe on her nest, I should say I took all of these with the 500mm lens and a 1.4 converter, wow! that really sounds like I know what I am talking about!

there were so many, 

baby coots, 

they were everywhere, it must be a bumper year for them this year,

and here they are, 

this is what I was hoping for, female grebe and her chicks have taken to the water

at the far end of the lake a few sea birds, 

the male grebe put in an appearance, 

a Egyptian goose preens itself on one of the floating manmade islands, 

some of its feathers looking so metallic in the afternoon sun,

in the far distance a water fountain, I guess not so much for show but to aid aeration of the water, 

one of the male grebes stretches its wings, 

one came quite close, 

meanwhile the female looked after her chicks, 

and stretched her wings as well, 

OK I give up, ducks have ducklings, swans have cygnets, geese have goslings, so what do coots and grebes have?

I guess I should ask her! I have not played with any of these, they are straight out of the camera, I will play with them in Affinity over the next week or so, whilst the weather is nice I will go to a few lakes and nature reserves, and play with the photographs when dull days come back, as an aside the new tripod was just so good, no tired arms after hours of holding the camera, I then made a move for home just in time for the last half of The Chase before my evening meal, after which it was a couple of films, firstly, 

 Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, absolutely superb special effects, and thoroughly enjoyable if you like fantasy movies, and I do! after which I followed that with 2 other fantastic beasts as I watched, 

AVPR: Aliens vs Predator - Requiem, it has to be said so much of the film was dark, as in nighttime, for myself a great story line as it took up after the last Predator film, Earth becomes a battlefield for two extraterrestrial species fighting for supremacy. With humans caught up in the middle, after which Diana arrived home, as our cruise is coming up in a couple of weeks we spent some time reserving places on trips when the boat docks, we are travelling down Spain, into the Mediterranean and out going down to Morocco, then back home to good 'ole Blighty for tea and medals, we both love cruising, although I can understand that many people do not, but for us especially Diana, it is a complete and utter beak, no household chores or work to do or think about, by the end of that it was well past midnight so we were of to bed.

Bright And Early,

I was off out past the snail mail box, 

I was going to London, I had managed to upset my camera by pressing a few buttons in error, and had somehow locked up my camera, 

so off to Beckenham Junction station, arriving in London a couple of tubes and I was here, 

at Covent Garden tube station, thankfully no strikes today,

I made my way along Long Acre,

passing lots of fashion shops on the way, 

making my way here, to the Fujifilm House of Photography, 

where I meet James, a really knowledgeable and helpful chap, he was so patient with me as I took notes on what to do if it happens again, many, many thanks indeed to James, who is by the way a Board Game Master, out of Fujifilm and back to the tube station, on the way a bit of street theater, 

a group in pink it appears were selling water, with flavorings, their website is here, looking at it this is where I have a decision to make, which would at £22.00 I buy, a 330ml tin of flavored water, or two bottles of my favorite spiced rum? if you have to ask you have not read our blog very often! as it happens I have now found out that the £22.00 was for 12 cans, but even that can not persuade me to buy flavored water, 

back to the station, 2 tubes later, 

and I was hurtling past what was Battersea Power Station,

and Battersea Dogs Home, arriving in Beckenham I picked up a parcel for Diana, 

then a walk past the green, 

and just before the church, 

a visit to Marks & Spencer's to pick up my evening meal,

back past the green, 

and into the park, 

the peonies opening any day now, 

the side garden looking so nice, 

this bush, I am not sure what it is looking full of colour, 

blue skies with fluffy white clouds, 

as I made my way back past the snail mail box and home,

looking out of the window, one of the foxes was just waking up in the early evening sun, and the camera with its replaced settings worked perfectly, 

feed me!

then time for my evening read and sherry, 

for tonight a chicken, bacon and leek pie, 'Cheers!', there was not Midsomer Murder on this evening, so a couple of films it was, firstly, 

Hercules, it was a great all action, fun movie as several one man armies combine to beat the evil king, then a fun romp through the world of dinosaurs,

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, if you are into the Jurassic franchise this will be right up your street, great fun as the battle to save the dinosaurs continues, after which Diana arrived home, her cold a lot better, but she is still not 100% her usual self, we watched one from Poirot before after midnight we were off to bed.