The Meaning of Life.

A year to the day since my father died and I miss him, I feel the loss and I feel his presence within me.  In later years my Dad picked up a paintbrush and painted landscapes; water, trees and skies, in oils, pastels, watercolours, and he loved it.  I've recently picked up a camera, I photograph water, trees and skies, and I love it.  There's a saying along the lines of "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree".  I think I'm beginning to understand exactly what that means....

The picture shows a painting by Tony Vale, from 2012, and if you look very carefully you'll see his name and the date, bottom left, which probably means that he thought it was ok and good enough to be exhibited at his local art society.

Arthur Anthony Vale (Tony Vale) 22.07.22 to 24.04.13 RIP.  Love you Dad.

A Rookery.

On the way to Lymington a couple of weeks ago, I spotted a rookery, high in a stand of trees, opposite Walhampton School, so I stopped to take a look and grab a photo.

The sky was blue, the air was still and I listened to the cawing cries and watched big black birds fly to and from the nests. I still don't know if they were rooks or crows, impossible to tell from a distance, it was just good to be there watching and listening on such a perfect spring day.

The picture shows the rookery on the outskirts of Lymington, Hampshire, at 10:07 on Wednesday 9th April 2014.

Click on the link to read about the crow family:-
http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/families/crows.aspx