Bramshaw Wood....

New Forest

Pedometer said 19484 steps, whatever that is in English money...

Got 9.30 bus there, got 17.45 bus back, walking almost all the time inbetween time. Many woods and heaths traversed, ponies dotted about, busy grazing. The normally great view from Telegraph Hill, a misty shoal of nothing-ness.

Wanted - and got - hundreds of ultrawideangle shots of tangled and fallen down trees, their contorted limbs snarled and entwined, as they slowly meet and dissolve into the soil. The storms of winter had taken quite a toll.

Unfortunately the light was dire - flat and grey, with added extra dullness and with a further tinge of grey.

Even the normally pretty Eyeworth Pond came out an effluent shade of brown, under a featureless blanket of yes, you guessed it, grey.

Got home and had to cook dinner - peril of living alone and not having ready meals in the freezer to fall back on. The mangled corned-beef hash was surprisingly tasty and just what my empty stomach had ordered!

Then, for about the first time ever, I didn't like ANY of the shots I'd taken. Some were OK but editing proved futile in bringing them to life. Spent an hour and a half editing 20 or so and this is about as good as it gets.

I wanted something more than what was actually there - I wanted a slightly arty and perhaps slightly beautiful image that suggests at the magical grandeur and atmosphere of these ancient woodlands.

Herd of fallow deer in Eyeworth wood, the first about 30, slightly wary of a dog walker and her hound and so moved slowly on. I was pleased that I hadn't disturbed them. They didn't even look in my direction. The second, later, in another wood. I have enough distant 'somewhere in the trees' shots of New Forest deer, thank you and so I just prefer to watch them. If I'd had the long Tamron on the camera I would have had but they would have spotted me dropping the rucksack, opening it up, change lenses, etc, during which my gaze would have not been on them.

Lens is Nikkor 10-24mm

I had planned and written a whole text, in my head, but am now so tired, it's bed-time. Good night folks!!