Spring is arriving with a stutter here in west London. The sun has been shining, but a piercing wind from the far north killing the benefits. But in my neighbourhood, the trees have blossomed and started to drop their delicate cargo. In our community garden, a robust clump of Euphorbia is radiating its yellow bounty along with other signs of life and flowers (including a plant I’m unable to identify). If Spring is here, can summer be far away?
The first truly bitingly cold morning of the winter. Our loft space has already been deluged by rain, but this time the frost clung onto the slanting roof windows, fighting against brilliant sunshine. The macro lens came into its own, catching the natural wonder and abstract glory of the invading iciness.
Britain is an island of tempestuousness at the moment. Sultry air has been pushing in from the south, leading to dramatic thunderstorms. While many people have been capturing impressive lightning strikes, I photographed what threatened to be the prelude to a storm.
On one side of the sky, there was beautifully pink-tinged sundown. But on the other side swirled dark, foreboding clouds. They eventually came to dominate the rooftops over my west London street, sweeping the tranquil sunset away. There was an impressive shower of rain, but the full sound and light show seemed to pass us by this time.
Everyone loves a sunset, but I am taken with the texture of the black clouds. Which do you prefer?…
The winter in London has been nothing but wet. It’s been unrelenting downpours and stormy gusts to render umbrellas practically useless.
I visited my local park recently, camera in hand and with a specific goal in mind. But the heavens opened and I returned home to protect my gear from the wet.
I went back to be greeted with another downpour, but this time I was prepared. The shower passed and I witnessed the magic of surfaces and plants dappled with droplets.
The rain isn’t all doom and gloom. It produces a lot of beauty and inspiration for the lens.
Click first image to launch the gallery
And here’s a happy post-script to an afternoon drenched in a west London park. A resurgent sun produced this effect, which can only warm the soul.
Dermot hatched a plan for a London escape, just for a day. We travelled to Bournemouth, a resort on the south coast, past the port of Southampton and the Isle of Wight.
It was his first time, it was an occasion for childhood holiday memories for me. The December day was far from freezing. The sun did its best to pierce through, occasionally there was drizzle.
The sky over the expanse of the English Channel was dramatic and compelling, invigorating and interesting…
Click to enlarge
