Sunday walk in the Park

A sunny Sunday afternoon walking around the lake at Charlecote enjoying the autumn colours and the reflections in the water. Just what Sunday's were made for.

My Sunday's are normally full of washing, cooking and ironing like most mothers I guess but this Sunday with the Sun shining, I was determined to get out even if it was just for a couple of hours. We haven't had many nice days lately so when the weather is good, you have to get out there!

The next few photos were taken 1st thing in the morning at around 10.30am

You can see the colour difference between these and the ones taken as the Sun was going down. I popped over for just half an hour to get a shot I missed the other day due to rain. As it was, just as I arrived I saw the deer moving away from the spot I was hoping they would be in. It's just one of those things, animals are unpredictable, sometimes you are lucky, sometimes you are not. Home I went and back out for a proper walk with my husband later in the day.

I have managed to escape a couple of times this week, one of those day was a little wet but it was still a really enjoyable day. I spent much of my time sat in the Orangery drinking coffee and chatting to a  lovely local gentleman, another regular at Charlecote I hear :)

The rain also gave me a good excuse to photograph something different. I was able to take some photos of  cave spiders, their proper name is Meta menardi. Now please don't panic or stop reading, I know many people don't like creepies so I will give you a link at the end of this blog and it will be your choice if you click on it or not. They are not something that bothers me but it does my Mother and sister so I understand a little.

I like the next photo for a few reasons. You can't really see everything in it, even with clicking on it to make it bigger but what I see are sheep under the tree to the left, a buck by the water in the middle and the birds flying all on a lovely crisp Autumn day. A perfect view.

I love the late warm glow of the  Sun shining on Hampton Lucy's Church, I thought it made it look a little like an oil painting. I am really pleased with this, it actually makes me want to paint it.

We don't often walk around the meadow but yesterday we did as I was aware a lot of work had been done here over the last couple of weeks and I wanted to be a little nosey. 

Hard at work clearing the meadow

Autumn colours

I saw this tree in the car park, how pretty against the blue sky.

The Autumn colours at Charlecote just keep getting better every time I go there, with the Sun shining and the beautiful blue sky yesterday, it was a great day for reflections both before and while the Sun was going down. 

Here are a few photos taken as the Sun was setting but in the opposite direction , it made everything look like it had a warm glow about it.

I took far too many photos as usual but enjoyed myself and also had the company of my lovely husband for a change. We don't often get the chance to go out together these days so we make the most of it when we can. He is also a keen photographer so doesn't mind me stopping all the time to take photos. Sometimes when we go out together, rather than taking a bag with extra lenses in, we put two very different lenses on each of our cameras and just swap cameras from time to time depending on what we want to take, it's easier than changing lenses sometimes and saves us carrying around extra kit.

For these Sunset photos, I put my camera on a tripod and turned the exposure down, it made the pictures darker but I like them. It's all practice for me and I like to try different methods out.

The Sun had dropped behind a lot of low lying cloud so I moved down the bank a little,closer to the water for the next few shots.

I love this time of year, the scenery is constantly changing with the season. People often go somewhere new and then don't go again, they say 'been there, seen it'  I think this is so wrong, they miss so much. I can never take everything in on one visit and I never want to to be honest. I always think it is nice to leave a little to explore on another visit. There is always something new to see if you look, I have been going to Charlecote  since I was a child and still find new things to see and photograph. If it's not the changing season's, it's the animals and wildlife, there is always something new. 

I also like this time of year as I like to watch the Sun rise and set and with them being  later in the morning and early in the afternoon, it means I am more likely to see them. Most of the Sunset pictures in this blog, were taken just as the Sun was going down, in the last half hour of daylight . We took a few photos before the Sun dropped below the low lying cloud's, then decided to go as we would not be able to see much more and time was getting on. I haven't looked through all the photos yet but I am pleased with what I have seen so far.

 I saw many people at Charlecote yesterday, it was busier than it is on the days I normally visit. Some people were just out for a little exercise or a relaxing walk, some for a little family time with their children and a few just out for a walk and a chat with a friend. Many had camera's, but not all saw what was right in front of them. I found it funny when two young girls walked only a few feet away from this buck in the picture below and didn't see it. They were so deep in conversation I think they could have been anywhere :) But that's the beauty of a place like this, you get all sorts of people with all different interests using the park for what suits them best. I too bring a friend sometimes and am too busy chatting that I miss things also but my friend doesn't always come with me and she doesn't miss anything! She has excellent eyes for spotting the deer! Charlecote is somewhere we go for a walk, a coffee and a catch up. I find it a very relaxing and peaceful place to go and always enjoy our visits.

''Do you think if I wait here long enough someone will come and open the gate for me?'' 

I could have kicked myself at this moment, I was just changing the settings on my camera when over the fence the buck jumped!

Warm glows and reflections.

Another photo taken as the Sun was setting.

Here are a few more photos taken earlier this week at Charlecote. They are not great photos as they are only snapshots taken very quickly in the rain but I like them.

I had only just walked into Charlcote Park when these beauties came running past, I hadn't even turned my camera on at this point so I had to be very quick and hope for the best.

You can see how close they are to the entrance, this is only just at the beginning of the avenue of trees.

It was still raining here but I was hid under a tree in the garden. Not the best for taking photographs but I liked the view.

This image below is the shot I went back to retake in the morning. I thought it was a nice picture with the Autumn colours, lake in the background and the fallow deer in the front. Unfortunately it was not to be so you will have to make do with the original image which was taken while raining. I hope to try again soon so will post it if I do.

Now to the bit some will be interested in but some will definitely not be, the spiders. As promised no pictures on this blog, I am not that cruel as I know a few people who like to read my blog, don't like them. If you don't want to hear about them, don't read the little section below this.

Earlier this week I was lucky to have access to an area of Charlecote not open to the public, the basement, one of the Volunteers said If I wanted to photograph something, I should go down in the basement to see the cave spiders, so that's exactly what I did. There has been a lot of press about cave spiders and no, these are not poisonous, well not to us anyway. Many people don't know, but all spiders with the exception of one family, are venomous so yes in a way poisonous but only to the little insects and bugs they eat. On my visit to the basement, I was expecting the worst situation with webs everywhere but these spiders don't do this, the only web I saw was connecting their egg sac to the ceiling and them. Yes it's breading season for them so lots of egg sacks. As promised the link to the photos is below, I will leave the choice to you.

WARNING  Link to Cave Spider photos, don't click, if you don't like spiders.

http://www.panoramio.com/user/3130920?with_photo_id=99127926

Thanks for reading my blog, hope you enjoyed it.