Well, back home again after five weeks of hiking and touring around England’s Lake District. The weather could have been better, but as they say there, “there is no bad weather, only poor clothing”. In any case we managed to hike up a few new hills, had some great meals, and shared a pint or two along the way.

The only down side of the area is a lack of internet access and almost complete absence of wireless connections. So I apologize now for my lack of comments and for all those great works that I quickly glanced at and removed. It does get overwhelming at times when allowed to build up. I should be back to normal soon.

I was somewhat disappointed with the quality of my pictures this year, partially because of the poor weather, but also because of a number of problems I encountered. My tripod fell apart early on, and as a result many of my telephoto shots were blurred (age = shakiness). I had the same problem with the wide angle because of shutter speeds and low light. I vow next year to get a good quality, light travel tripod. Despite that, I still think there are a couple worthy of posting when I get around to processing a few.

I also seemed to have a problem holding on to things this trip. I left my camera bag behind twice in cafes and pubs for extended periods of time (hours) and managed to retrieve it each time. I lost my eye glasses during a short walk, and after painstakingly retracing my steps, found them in the undergrowth on the bank of a small stream at the bottom of a ravine I had scampered down. I felt this one ranked up in the miracle category.

On a positive note, after several years I can say that I now drive confidently on the wrong side of the road and can signal without the windshield wipers coming on. Strangely, I’m now having trouble finding my signal lever on my own vehicle here at home. The joys of long holidays.

A few days late, featured for May are two great photographers that I watch from Australia and New Zealand respectively.