Duke End

Field edge, near Duke End, between Maxstoke and Coleshill, Warwickshire

About the Day
Took a third consecutive day off work today. Not good. I will be back at my desk on Monday with a weekend within which to prepare. Have gotten through a heck of a lot of beans on toast.

Spent much of the day pouring over camera website reviews. Anything half decent costs an arm and a leg with a suitable selection of lenses. And then I had this eureka moment when it dawned on me that I need not look at the latest models. In the past, I printed no larger than 10" by 10", so if I went through the back catalogue, I would find a full sensor camera which someone was prepared to lay off cheap. The Canon 5D Mk I body seemed to fit the bill admirably. With the EF lenses I already have, covering 20-300mm, I could be set up with my first DSLR for under £300. Seems to me like a no brainer.

After watching England permanently ejected from Brazil 2014 (who rated Costa Rica 28th in the world?), knowing I was pictureless, I drove out to the countryside with an eye out for a layby with nearby footpath. Driving out of Maxstoke in the direction of Coleshill, I took a left at Duke End into Arnolds Lane, a single lane road where I instantly found a place to pull in. Across the other side was Duke's Bridge, crossing the River Blythe. Descending to the river's edge, the way was tightly lined with brambles and stingers. I shot the bridge, but it resembled a recent post, so I headed back along Arnolds Lane in the direction of Maxstoke.

My GPS told me that where Arnold Lane made a sharp left turn, a path would send me towards a footbridge over the Blythe. So that was the way I went, though the stingers and brambles were as tough and high as before, with the added bonus of a soft and slithery surface. The bridge was serviceable but otherwise lacked merit. Planks for feet and what seemed like scaffolding poles for hands. I turned back and, making a detour, followed my way over a stile and into a field.

About the Blip
This is one view which presented itself, looking north west towards Duke End Farm.

In Other News
Fingers crossed for England tomorrow morning at Hamilton