2008 – My Year In Pictures

Title: Croxton’s Mill
Location: Little Waltham
Camera: Canon EOS 30D / 17-85mm EF f/4-5.6 IS USM
Notes: It was a sunny day, but bitterly cold for most of it. Nevertheless, Alistair and I set out for a day’s geocaching mission around Little Waltham and Broomfield. The Nature Reserve is a lovely place to walk and for the most part, the sun shone. By the time we had completed the caches here, the light was beginning to fade and it was freezing. But we then headed south to Galleywood to look for a special 500 Finds Geocoin in one of my cache hides, as it was Alistair’s 500th geocache. Can’t imagine how that got there. Not that he’s an addict, or anything

Title: Going Round The Bend
Location: Galleywood
Camera: Canon EOS 30D / 24-105mm EF f/4 L IS USM
Notes: I have a confession to make. I hate the run-up to Christmas. For starters, December has such short daylight hours, and you’re lucky to find any sun at all on some days. Thank goodness it’s the Winter Solstice tomorrow – things can only get lighter from then on. And then there’s the insane knots people tie themselves in, during their frenzied shopping, for all those “essentials” for the Christmas period. It’s only a couple of days when the shops are shut, but some folks seem to get a seige mentality and insist on stocking up with weeks’ worth of provisions. Not to mention the angst caused by not knowing what to get as presents, or wondering if you’ve spent too much. To be honest, I’ll be glad when it’s all over and I can relax and spend some time with friends. So, there you are. My little rant is over. Sorry to be a Scrooge about it all. Bah, Humbug!

Title: Mersey Grey
Location: Liverpool
Camera: Canon EOS 30D / 17-85mm EF f/4-5.6 IS USM
Notes: Before heading off for my train south, I managed to find another couple of caches along the Mersey with Alistair. The view was pretty grey over the water – what a contrast to Saturday’s image.

Title: Mersey Sunset
Location: Liverpool
Camera: Canon EOS 30D / 17-85mm EF f/4-5.6 IS USM
Notes: We went for a 5 mile walk around the town to find some geocaches during BarCampLiverpool, and happened to be passing the Mersey just as the sun was sinking low. Great timing.

Title: Sun Sinks Low
Location: Galleywood
Camera: Canon EOS 30D / 17-85mm EF f/4-5.6 IS USM
Notes: Another miserable start to the day, but things perked up in the afternoon. I haven’t been to my favourite sunset-watching spot recently, so I paid it a visit.

Title: A Chink In The Clouds
Location: Chelmer Park
Camera: Canon EOS 30D / 17-85mm EF f/4-5.6 IS USM
Notes: I managed to snatch a few minutes in the park this afternoon, in between showers and meetings. I liked the silhouette of Galleywood Church on the horizon, framed by these two trees.

Title: Down By The Pond
Location: Writtle
Camera: Canon EOS 30D / 17-85mm EF f/4-5.6 IS USM
Notes: I spent a lovely day exploring various parts of the 22-mile footpath, the Centenary Circle, which rings Chelmsford. It was pretty cold and windy, but the sun was out most of the time and I got some great pictures. In fact, I had trouble choosing which image to use as The One for the day. The duck pond at Writtle won.