Roget's Thesaurus

Roget's Thesaurus is a dictionary of synonyms devised by the British physician, natural theologian and lexicographer, Peter Mark Roget (1779-1869). It was first published in 1852 (with 15,000 words) and has been in print and regularly updated and expanded since that time. It now features 443,000 words and is the most widely used thesaurus among English-speaking people. On a recent walk on the Malvern Hills we took a detour to the church in West Malvern to see Roget's very plain gravestone.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: iPhone

Kingfisher

The kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) is one of a relatively small number of birds that the layman can readily name. Its striking orange and electric blue plumage makes it noticeable even though its fast, direct flight gives only brief glimpses of the bird. It is easiest to photograph as it sits in waterside branches scanning the shallows for any small fish. Capturing the bird in flight requires patience and skill as well as an appropriate camera and lens. This obliging kingfisher sat in riverside willows for about thirty seconds or so before moving on. Time for me to fire off several shots of which this is the best.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon P950

Natural chintz?

Chintz is the name given to a completely, or mainly, floral fabric. The origins of the this type of decorative textile, and the word that describes it originates in Hyderabad, India. It was appropriated and modified by western designers and has drifted in and out of fashion over the years. As we walked by a small stream under trees and bushes I saw clusters of leaves against browns and blues that reminded me of chintz so I took this shot.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon P950

Late autumn colour

click photo to enlarge
On a recent walk in the Forest of Dean we noted how most deciduous trees had lost a lot of leaf in a relatively few days. This autumn, in my part of the world, has been relatively calm and mild, but change was in the offing as we walked through the oaks and pines near the Speech House. Here, once again it was the fiery oranges and golds of the beech trees that caught the eye.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10

Autumn reflections

Reflections in water offer the opportunity of doubling the impact of a shot. This example shows, mainly, the deep colour of autumn beech and oak trees next to Hartleton Lakes, near Ross on Wye. I took a couple of photographs from this point. The other example didn't include the near vegetation or the fishing platform. When I asked a few people which of the two shots they preferred only one, my eight year old grand-daughter, liked the wider view with the platform, the view that I also prefer.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon P950

Reflections and egret

click photo to enlarge
As I've said before, you often can't predict the way a watery background will appear when you come to look at your photograph. This is sometimes because the water surface is disturbed and the camera "freezes" it. Or, the reflections seem to be offering simplicity but delivers complexity. This photograph of a little egret at Hartleton Lakes near Ross on Wye is an example of the latter. In fact, the watery background almost reaches a psychedelic quality. Interestingly, none of my other photographs taken before and after this shot has quite this level of kaleidoscopic beauty.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon P950

Paving and legs

The shopping area of Gloucester Docks is known as Gloucester Quays, and like all such places it is tidy to a fault; there is a place for everything and everything is in its place (as the saying goes). This includes some of the exterior paving which is in shades of grey. That paving is the subject of my photograph. However, paving alone would have been boring so I included the manhole cover and the legs of a passer-by. This photograph, it should be noted, is a colour shot, not black and white.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Beech avenue, Hereford

The public open space on the south side of the River Wye at Hereford is graced by a beech avenue. In November it looks its best as each tree shows colours slightly different from its neighbour's. There is no doubt in my mind that autumn brings out the best in the beech and I have long thought it to be the finest tree at this time of year, better even than the acers.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100

Autumn at Cannop Ponds

Cannop Ponds in the Forest of Dean are man-made reservoirs that were designed to send a controlled flow of water to a water-powered wheel at Park End Iron works. They comprise two ponds and were built in 1825 (lower) and 1829 (upper). Today they are a popular tourist destination and a nature site.

 In recent years there was the possibility of the ponds being drained and the land returned to its former existence as a valley of the Cannop Brook. Fortunately this project was dropped and the habitats around the two ponds will be developed to benefit more wildlife. These two photographs were taken recently at the edges of the expanses of water.

photos © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Poppy soldier

In early November paper poppies are sold by the Royal British Legion to raise funds to help former service people and their families who are in need. The culmination of events associated with remembrance happens on the nearest Sunday to the 11th November (Armistice Day in 1914) in services at churches and cenotaphs. Enterprising people also highlight the events by making and displaying eye-catching poppy-based tableaux. The wire frame person in the photograph above is the sort often seen dressed up with potted plants in summer. In this example artificial poppies have been used and a beret added to make a serviceman. It was outside the town hall in Hereford, and was certainly eye-catching, if a little creepy!

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: iPhone

Fused art glass

This small example of fused art glass is a piece that took our fancy when we saw it on display in a gallery. It is designed to be displayed against a window so that its colours glow in the daylight. Here I used a light box to illuminate it for a photograph.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10

Ornamental oaks

Britain's two native species of oak are the English Oak (Quercus robur) and the Sessile Oak (Quercus petraea). Both are relatively widespread, are often long-lived and have suffered greatly at the forester's axe. Today they are particularly prized for the great conribution they make to the richness of nature in the areas where they are found. More oaks were introduced into Britain following the exploration of North America, and decorative species such as the Red Oak (Quercus borealis), Scarlet Oak (Quercus coccinea) and Pin Oak (Quercus palustris) can now be found in parkland, large gardens and some woodlands. The leaves in the photograph above are on one of these non-native oaks.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10

Cathedral lights

In the winter months the interior lights of cathedrals come into their own. The effectiveness of the lighting varies from building to building, with some using artificial light better than others. One of the best effects is lighting that emphasises the basic structure of the building. Today's photograph shows some wall lights in Hereford Cathedral. Here the effect is to emphasises the glass spheres of the lights and to throw a pool of light around them. My under-exposed shot has emphasised this effect.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Resting drake mallard

As we passed a distant, sleeping mallard I stopped and pointed my camera at it and saw its eye open. Even though the rear of the bird was pointing directly at us, with its head tucked under its wing, it could still bring an eye to bear on us to decide if we were a threat or not. The mallard was resting in shallow water at the pool's edge, on a single leg, with its feathers insulating it from the morning breeze. We must have been sufficiently distant for it to feel safe because when I looked again, using my camera as a telescope, its eye was closed once more.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon P950

Ginkgo biloba leaves

The tree, Ginkgo biloba (also known as maidenhair tree) has been called a living fossil. It is the last remaining living species of the order Ginkgoales which first appeared 290 million years ago. Fossils that are very similar to Ginkgo biloba appear in the middle Jurassic i.e. c.170 million years ago. The fan-shaped leaves of the tree are unique among trees today and are the easiest way of recognising it. If left unpruned the Ginkgo can grow to 50m tall and individuals are claimed to have live for 2,500 years. The tree's leaves turn to saffron yellow in autumn and it is this colour and the exclusive leaf shape that accounts for its popularity with gardeners.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5