SkyWatch Friday Fisheye sky

Using a fisheye lens offers a different perspective.

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SkyWatch Friday Late afternoon walk

A late afternoon walk turning to dusk gave us misty rose-tinted skies and a buttery full moon climbing the sky.

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SkyWatch Friday Season 5, Episode 15 October sunset in Berkshire, UK

Sunset in Berkshire, UK, 20th October 2011     

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SkyWatch Friday - Canada Geese in flight, Beaulieu River

The Beaulieu River in Hampshire, UK, is a wild fowl reserve.


On a grey August evening, skeins of Canada Geese passed overhead, honking their heart-stirring cries.

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SkyWatch Friday - Somerset skies

Somerset skies last weekend

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SkyWatch Friday - waxwings

Periodically, sometimes for several years in succession, large flocks of waxwings fly from their breeding grounds in Northern Europe, often in Finland, to the UK. Such events have been recorded since 1679. They are visitors to these shores and do not breed here. 

They arrive in November and leave in March so we were particularly lucky that Barry saw this treeful yesterday. They are the first we have ever seen. It was late afternoon and the light was not good.

We identified them mainly through their silhouettes.

This is the sky we saw yesterday. Today was sunny. Tomorrow will be dull and drizzly again. I love British weather - it's rarely the same two days running and that's what makes our skies often dull and also frequently fascinating.
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SkyWatch Friday - January 2011 clouds

The first full moon of 2011 . . .

 . . . sailing through the clouds

Emerging from clouds this aircraft is on its way to the USA

Thank you to the SkyWatch team who organise this weekly meme. 

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SkyWatch Friday - Changeable December sky

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The skies have been more changeable than usual recently.

At 3:38 pm in one direction it looked metallic and threatening.

In another region of the sky, at 3:40 pm, it showed shades of blue and a topping of white.

At 3:42 pm the sky showed a different face.

SkyWatch Friday - a foggy day

Barry wasn't intending to take a camera out in the fog on Tuesday.

I'm very pleased that he did.

The fog was thicker in some places than others and remained all day. 

Evening came early so we had a log fire to give a cheering glow.

Thank you to the SkyWatch team who host this weekly meme. Please click here to see more skies around the world.

SkyWatch Friday - October 17th

It was a bright, calm day on Sunday. The sky looked as though the clouds had been appliqued onto the blue backcloth

From the top of Butter Hill we could see for miles 

Three hours later the sky looked like this

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SkyWatch Friday - October late afternoon

Late afternoon in the forest on a beautifully warm October day

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SkyWatch Friday September full moon and a stormy sky

The September full moon is known as the Fruit Moon or the Harvest Moon, both appropriate names for a month in which Harvest is celebrated.

Maybe this was the moon which inspired Alfred Noyes (1880-1958) 

'Look for me by moonlight;

Watch for me by moonlight;

I'll come to thee by moonlight, though hell should bar the way!'

Last night we had the full moon in all her glory. Today we had heavy rain and then it cleared to a fine late afternoon. This evening's sunset was couched in roiling, boiling clouds of incredible hues.

There were one or two raindrops on the camera lens

. . . and please forgive the indulgence. I love this song and I so enjoy watching Laurel and Hardy. I shall be singing this song for a day or two!

Thanks go to the SkyWatch Friday team who organise and host this lovely weekly meme. To see more wonderful skies please click here.

SkyWatch Friday Season 4, Episode 8

Thank you to the Sky watch team who organise this weekly meme. To see more skies in all their glory across the blue planet, click here. 

It was a fine clear night so we decided to try a little astrophotography. There is a lot of light pollution in our area so our original shots, SOOC,  looked like this:-

Using the tools in Lightroom 3 I fiddled.  I found Blue Hi-Contrast Filter returned the sky to something like its 'normal' colour. Increasing the exposure revealed more stars and taking the black to its limit made a more interesting shot. Barry experimented with stacking photos a while ago and it is something we will investigate further. This photo is not stacked. 

Looking at this makes me realise afresh that we see only one tenth of what is up there. It looks pretty crowded, doesn't it?

SkyWatch Friday Season 4 Episode 3 Daybreak

Daybreak - July 27th 2010, 05:08 - from the patio

When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive - to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.
Marcus Aurelius (26.04.101 - 17.03.180)

Morning is the best of all times in the garden. The sun is not yet hot. Sweet vapors rise from the earth. Night dew clings to the soil and makes plants glisten. Birds call to one another.
Bees are already at work.
William (Frank) Longgood (1917 - )

An aubade is a song or musical composition about or evoking daybreak. Sometimes it is about lovers separating at dawn.

And day's at the morn;
Morning's at seven;
The hillside's dew-pearled;
The lark's on the wing;
The snail's on the thorn;
God's in His Heaven;
All's right with the world!
Robert Browning (07.05.1812 - 12.12.1889)
(This poem was written later - or earlier - in the year for dawn in July is around 5:00 am)

Daybreak July 29th 2010, 05:26 - from the patio

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SkyWatch Friday Season 4 Episode 53

At anchor, early July

Buckler's Hard, Beaulieu River, Hampshire, UK

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SkyWatch Friday Season 4 Episode 52

Early July sky over Berkshire, UK - 6:46 pm

The SkyWatch Friday team organise and host this weekly meme, for which we thank them. To see more skies around this beautiful world please click here

SkyWatch Friday Season 4 Episode 50

Tuesday 22nd June 10:38

Tuesday 22nd June 11:03

It was hot and it grew hotter - the sky was so, so blue you could drown in it.

Thank you so much to the SkyWatch team for their efforts every week. To see more skies around this blue planet please click here.

SkyWatch Friday Season 4 Episode 48 Sunrise

04:47 through glass

04:57 outside

Sunrise earlier this week

Thank you to the SkyWatch Friday team whose members organise and host this meme each week. To see more entries please click here.

SkyWatch Friday Season 4 Episode 44 False threats

The clouds promised rain but in the event only a few drops fell, they fled and blue sky returned.

Thanks go to the SkyWatch Friday team who organise and host this weekly meme. If you would like to see more skies around the globe just click here.