Lichfield (from Pipe Hall Farm)

I wasn't quite expecting this scene.  I had headed to Pipe Hall Woodland Trust site for the bluebells, but they had to wait when these crepuscular rays appeared over Lichfield.  I fired off a number of shots, mainly bracketed as I did't think I could control the exposure despite 4 stops of ND filtration.  In the end I was quite chuffed to use a single image to create the Blip.

Afterwards I popped to see Mom who was in much better health than last week.  She reminisced about all the VE70 celebrations over the last few days.  Mom was 21 when VE day took place and she told me that she and her soon to be brother-in-law spent the evening riding on the No 11 bus around Birmingham, watching all of the different beacon fires that had been lit in celebration.  They were very late back and I got the impression that parents were none too happy!

For any of you who have spent any time in Birmingham will I am sure know, the No 11 runs around the outer circle route,  a roughly circular route, about 3 miles from the city centre.  One of Jasper Carrott's most famous jokes was originally set on the No 11 bus, though the reference to it in the joke 'nutter on the bus' seems to have been removed as his appeal got wider than the comedy venues of Birmingham.  Still the route is very much part of Brummie folklore.

Technical:  As I said a single image with 4 stops of ND filtration to the sky.  This also darkened the trees and trunk to the left of the scene so some judicious use of the radial and graduated filter in Lightroom was needed.  This was mainly done by lifting shadow detail.  I  also had to dial in some blue colour to counteract a colour cast on the filters.