Golden Path

Carrying on with the theme of autumnal colours, this morning Malcolm and I took the golden road not to Samarkand, but to Mapperley reservoir and Shipley Hill.

The path which runs around the Wildlife Trust's fields, were quite glorious as the sun burnt through the early morning fog.

Reaching the reservoir, we had the added bonus of reflected colours too.

Onward and upward to Shipley Hill which looks wonderful in the sunshine.

Back home along the Nutbrook Trail and the chance to get some closer shots of the golden leaves.

Of course, the colours will not last much longer, but they are great while they last.

Golden

The view from Shipley Hill is always good, but at this time of year, it just gets better and better as the trees change their summer green for autumn gold. I have mentioned my love of one particular Beech tree, many times.

Walking up the road towards the site of the old hall, there are several cherry trees. Delightful while in flower in spring, they are no less spectacular in the Autumn.

Looking back, we take in the same trees, but with the light coming from a different direction. It also takes in parts of the old suffragette wall which used to run around the hall.

It's well worth returning to 'that' Beech tree again with its carpet of fallen leaves as well as the golden ones still clinging to the tree along side a few still green.

Looking beneath and beyond, there are plenty of colourful trees to see across the Shipley Woodside LNR.

Shipley Hill

Yesterday, I mentioned the wonderful autumn colours to be found around Shipley Park at the moment. Anyone walking around the woodland on Shipley Hill, can be in no doubt of it.

Under the canopy, the colours are a little muted, but still the view is worth the climb. The ground is littered with acorns, conkers, beech mast and chestnuts, which all keeps the squirrels busy.

On the edge of the hill, overlooking the parkland and the view to the south, one tree dominates the scene at all times of the year, but especially in autumn. It's that wonderful Beech again...

Dotted among the trees are a few Yews, particularly around the site of the Old Hall. Their modified cones, bright red and looking like juicy little berries, are always worth closer look.

Back down the hill and passing the lake, a lone Mute Swan caught our eye the other day. The low sunshine filtering through the trees, gave a monochrome appearance to these pictures.

Practically the only colour was the orange of the swan's bill. All very beautiful!

Autumn Colours

While Malcolm and I were enjoying the delights of Croatia, it seems that autumn took hold back home and we got back to see some spectacular colour around Shipley Park. This gorgeous specimen is a fine old Beech tree on Shipley Hill.

Looking at the hill from below, the trees are like a distant wall of colour.

The old car parks always provide some lovely sights at this time of year...

and close to old pit head workings, there is one maple in particular, which almost shouts its presence in shades of gold and red.

Worth taking a closer look at this one...

No doubt there will be a lot more pictures like these in the days to come.

End of the Holiday

I thought I would add just a few more, random photos from our week in Croatia just to end this series of posts. We had a wonderful time staying in the peaceful little village of Plat, enjoying its views across the sea...

It's rocky shoreline...

and the lapping waves.

We've seen how the 'other half live'...

And how they spend their money...

We had plenty of 'culture', taking in the historic city walls of Dubrovnok...

And we saw the effects of the war, which devastated these parts in the early 1990's and which resulted in almost every roof in the old city having to be replaced after the bombing.

We've seen churches...

...More churches...

and chapels, hidden among the old streets.

And we've posed for pictures like the tourists we were (well, one of us did!)

We've seen the area from high up...

and from the sea...

From Cavtat in the south...

To the new parts of the city with its modern harbour...

All in all, it was a fabulous week.

Now, its back home to enjoy England in the Autumn.

Sparkling Sunshine

The bright sunshine during our time in Croatia made for some wonderful sea views, not least because of the wonderful effect of the sparkles on water. Here, the waters at Cavtat...

And here at Dubrovnik, as seen from on high at the top of the cable car.

Closer to 'home' the shingle and rocky beaches of Plat proved to be good for sparkles too, especially when the breeze caused there to be a few small 'breakers' on the rocks. With a little 'bloom' we get a nice soft focus effect.

Some interesting effects can be made with a little digital manipulation. Here, the view from the city walls of Dubrovnik, across the sea to St. Lawrence's Fortress.

And here, looking across the old city, towards a cruise liner moored in the bay.

There was no need to mess about with the views we had from our walk around Cavtat. The sea was so blue and the sun so bright, that the colours were just perfect as they were.

Back to Dubrovnik

Our second visit to the old, walled city of Dubrovnik was rather more wet than the first. While the Monday was hot and sunny, by Thursday, it had turned uncharacteristically cold and wet. But we were not to be put off as we travelled by bus along the coast road. Umbrellas were in evidence when we got there and the rain made the cobbled streets shiny.

We stopped for an espresso - something the Croatians do very well indeed - before setting off to explore some of the steep side street.

Everywhere there were hundreds of stone steps to negotiate, which was not always as easy as it seemed as the cobbles and flag stones were wet and slippery and the the steps were heavily worn and uneven.

Soon, as we became chilly and wet, we decided to head back for the bus. It was all a bit different from our hot and sunny visit on the Monday. In the sunshine, the grey city walls were a formidable sight.

The imposing tower of Fort Minceta was originally built in 1319 but, following the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire in 1453, the walls were reinforced and the tower was redeveloped.A huge round tower was built around the original, quadrilateral one, with walls 6m thick.

The steps up the tower were steep and uneven, so Malcolm decided not to risk the climb (knees not what they were!) So I set off up the tower alone. The views from the top were wonderful. The keen-eyed observer might make out the figure of Malcolm below...

... Aah yes! There he is.

From Malcolm's perspective, the tower was everything you might expect from a fortification.

From this part of the walls, we had some nice views outside the old city and up some of the side streets of the 'new' town.

And a very colourful sight it was too...

Still a little more to come tomorrow.