My February 2014 In Pictures.

My monthly picture post.

Click on the link below to see My February 2014 In Pictures.

http://susanvale.tumblr.com/post/78109249206/my-february-2014-in-pictures-click-on-a-picture

The picture shows starlings in the oak trees at sunset, The Grove Garden, Hythe, Hampshire, at 16:57 on Monday 10th February 2014.

My Best Pictures.

I've been trawling through my photo archive in recent weeks - sifting and sorting, thinning and binning - and thought I'd share a few favourites.  I like them for all sorts of reasons, but mostly I like them because they make me happy.  I hope you feel the same way too.

The picture shows the sunset in Hythe, Hampshire, at 20:15 on Sunday 18th August 2013.

Click on the link below to look at a few more of my favourite pictures.

http://susanvale.tumblr.com/post/77054300121/my-best-pictures-a-few-of-my-favourites-click

Tree Story.

Battered by the recent storms, the massive cypress in The Grove Garden lost a few branches, but stood its ground.  Then it was struck by lightning.  A fatal blow. So sad to see such a magnificent tree being cut down, but interesting to watch, and fascinating to consider its great age. The landscape has changed for ever.

Monterey Cypress grow to a height of 30m and live for 150 years; sobering to think that from its position overlooking Southampton Water, this wonderful tree witnessed the passage of the Titanic as she left on her fateful voyage.

The picture shows the fatally damaged Monterey Cypress in The Grove Garden, Hythe, Hampshire, at 07:48 on Wednesday 22nd January 2014.

To see my pictures of the Monterey Cypress before, during and after the cutting down, click on the link below:-

http://susanvale.tumblr.com/post/76116721673/monterey-cypress-the-grove-garden-hythe

To read about Monterey Cypress (Cupressus macrocarpa), click on the link:-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cupressus_macrocarpa

1st February 2014.

High tides, sunshine, squalls of wind and rain, a rainbow and a nip in the air; a beautiful start to the month, and of course there's a new moon.

A Cormorant has been fishing in the bay at high tide and perching on an old concrete post in the water to the front of my house.  It was there for a good hour today and I had a fine time watching and taking snapshots.

The picture shows the Cormorant at 12:34 on Saturday 1st February 2014, Southampton Water, Hythe, Hampshire.

To see more of my Cormorant photos, click on the link below:-

http://susanvale.tumblr.com/post/75260983508/a-cormorant-southampton-water-hythe-hampshire

To read about Cormorants, click on the link below:- 

http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/c/cormorant/index.aspx