"Out & About" Photo Blog: England, Scotland & Wales # 3</br> September 2013

A bit more of Shakespeare's home town...

Every barge was different. I would've loved to see inside one. Anyone been on one?

Clever name I thought... a play on words.

At the head of the main tourist street. 'Comedy' looking for 'Tragedy'?

Not my photo (from the net) but we drove by it. How appropriate is this name for a toy store in Shakespeare's town.

But for the hedgerows, this scene could be outside Oshawa. I was a little surprised how many grain fields we drove by in England. I guess I shouldn't have been. We and the animals all have to eat.

It was a bit of a 'game' with some friendly folks from Florida... trying to get a decent shot from the bus of the round bales. Florida farmers don't use the large bales apparently.

We stopped in Coventry for a visit to the cathedral there.

Outside the cathedral. I've seen many tributes to 'the unknown soldier' but this is the first I've seen to the 'unknown civilians'. And of course there've been millions.

This was on a small bulletin board inside the cathedral. I have to admit it was a mild shock to see it, though I guess it shouldn't have been. It can happen anywhere. It just wasn't something I expected to read in a 'church'.

As the bus stopped for a red light, we were treated to this happy scene. The kids were having a ball.

How could I resist this shot? I had to be alone in the elevator of course. :-)

The small entrance-ways intrigue me.

Tudor architecture is still very much in vogue.

Certain scenes, like the following one in Coventry (I think), look 'very English' to me. The problem with seeing so many cities on a tour is that it's easy (for me at least) to get them mixed up when I look at my photos. I don't take notes when I shoot. I don't think I ever will. It's just not important enough to me. Get a camera with GPS? More time on the computer. No thanks.

There's an old movie, "If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium". I think of it every time I can't remember where a certain shot was taken.

I tell myself that I'm going to sort out any 'where was this?' shots by checking dates and times on the images, but as the weeks slip by, it becomes less & less important to me, especially for 'generic' shots like this one.

As we wander the streets, some windows always catch my eye. This is York... I assume.

All the 'queen likenesses' we saw were pure kitsch.

An interesting contrast.

England's answer to our dollar stores.

The sheep doesn't look very happy. An odd choice I thought.

How English this is... a wicker basket. And a more modern looking wire one for those heavy shopping days.

Had to take this shot of course. We enjoyed a delicious pastry at an outside table here, chatting with a friendly lady at the next table.

It was here that the zoom lens on my main camera gave up the ghost... and only a week into the holiday. The zoom started to lock in the telephoto position. Panic! After trying everything I could think of (none of which worked) I gave it a good slap, and that 'finished' it. It did allow me to move the lens from wide-angle to telephoto, but only by pulling or pushing it, and I lost the autofocus in the process.

It still locked in the telephoto position intermittently (fiddle & slap), but the images were fine once I 'got it ready'--no quick shots with it for the rest of the trip though. So from that point on I carried two cameras around my neck, looking like a true geek. Thank goodness I brought a back-up... a less capable camera, but a back-up nonetheless.

Does it really matter where this is? :-) I took the shot because of the cemetery really.

I was very careful not to disturb this photographer.

A canal near our hotel in Leeds.

Beside the canal... doesn't exactly make you feel welcome does it. And such a permanent looking sign. Turns out it's for an ongoing art project of some sort.

Locks of sweethearts on bridges are becoming popular in Europe. They've just started here... or there aren't many sweethearts in the area.

A business window in Leeds. It can't help but raise one's curiosity. I asked a woman that just left the room what it was about. She said it's a 'business networking' company. It's associated with LinkedIn.

Maybe we should have a Mountie greet visitors as they cross the Canada-U.S. border.

Edinburgh buildings could use some sand-blasting.

Snazzy taxi.

A park in the right spot adds to any city.

A real mix of architecture.

Flowers help to counter the drabness.

I'm not an avid golfer any more; I only watch it on TV now, though I keep telling myself I'll at least get out to a driving range now & then. Maybe next year. Right.

The putting green at St. Andrews. They call it 'the Himalayas'.

This coffee shop's claim to fame... enlarge image to see.

St. Andrews borders the North Sea. This guy looks like he was worshiping it. In fact, he was doing his morning exercises. A great place to do them to be sure.

Low tide by the sea... discovering the world.

I get very few nature shots on tours so it's always a treat when I do. This gull's red bill & feet make him a worthy shot.

I took this shot of the map to help with photo-sorting at home. It was in the small town of Pitlochry, Scotland. Also used the WC here. It was '30p for a pee'. That seemed to be the standard price at the washrooms that charged a fee, as this one did, conveniently located near the parking lot for tour buses. Again, flowers!

We go on most of the optional excursions offered on tours. This one to a sheepdog demonstration in the Scottish highlands, near Newtonmore, was our favourite of this trip.

The sheep were enjoying the perfect weather, as they grazed in what to us was a gorgeous setting. Do they know when they are about to be 'disturbed'?

Neil Ross was the 'man in charge'... some explanation before the demo began.

Using only whistling & some verbal commands, he controlled the dogs from a considerable distance.

There was very little barking. The dogs' posturing and glaring looks were enough to keep the sheep in order.

With puppy in hand (it's time will come, for now it's too rambunctious), Neil alternated between controlling the dogs and explaining to us what was happening.

There's no doubt at all that the dogs are in control. The sheep stare at them, wondering what's next.

Neil said it takes about 2 years to train a dog. The puppy has a time to wait before he can contribute much to the cause.

After the herding demo, Neil sheared a sheep, letting interested volunteers from the group help out. It was as if the sheep was drugged. It fell back against Neil in a motionless stupor throughout... as the dogs and us looked on.

"Show's over folks. I'm outa here." (albeit a few pounds lighter). And what a show it was! I'd seen some working sheepdogs on TV but to actually see them in action was something I'll never forget. Extremely impressive!

Still shots only give a rough idea of what's happening in the field as the dogs display their considerable skill. Jane took a few video clips that give a live version of the show. I combined them into one. It doesn't render well full screen (so keep it small on your screen), but it gives you a better idea of the demo.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuUhvvKvoRA&feature=youtu.be

If interested, here's a link to the Leault farm:
http://www.leaultworkingsheepdogs.co.uk/

And a link to Rick Steves' comments about the farm:
http://blog.ricksteves.com/?p=9600

After the demo, we went to a nearby pub (across from the farm) for a pint. Beautiful light! You seldom get a chance to capture it but when you do it's very special. The contrast of bright sunlight in the foreground with dark clouds in the background is pretty rare.