Tough Guys...

... of all shapes and sizes (and sexes) came to do battle at Billy Wilson's farm in Perton, just outside Wolverhampton today. Although it was snowing slightly when I arrived ad the temperature was a balmy -2c, there was no shortage of runners ready to challenge themselves against this most dangerous and death defying course. Over 8 miles of muddy running, ice cold water, that had to be broken beforethe competitors plunged in, and then the ordeal of fire, cattle prods, and nettles all provided the ultimate challenge. The money raised goes to Billy's charity, a donkey sanctuary, and also to help for the heroes in our community.

It was achallenge getting pix off to the agency as there were absolutely no facilities for Press photographers to work from - thank goodness for a Land Rover and a dongle! I was told that I was the first to file, so I was very pleased with that given the army of phootgraphers around. Funnily enough, most of them were "amateurs" but the expensive equipment that they all carried was enough to bring cheer to Mr Darling - someone is keeping the economy going with new photographic kit!

My picture shows one of the less extreme challenges - this fiery carpet is to be run over after emerging from ice cold water! I don't think this chap will need to wax his legs for a while!

When the Moon is in the Seventh House...

... and Jupiter aligns with Mars... as the song from Hair began!

Well I'm not sure about houses and Jupiter, but there was a rare conjunction of the Moon and Mars tonight, so I went out to take a look, and there they were, about as wide apart as my fist, albeit at a distance of hundreds of thousands of miles! Mars was clearly visible to the naked eye and with good binoculars a better view could be seen, but it is always the full Moon that is the spectacular show ona clear night. Brilliant in it's intensity, yet subtle in it's light across the landscape, it is no wonder that the ancient peoples revered this light in the sky which showed them the way through the darkness.

It was bitterly cold, but I managed to grab a quick hand held shot of the moon at 1000ISO, with a shutter speed of 1/800th at f9 ish.... I should have persevered and got some more but it was freezing!!!

A free airshow!

Was what I got today at Sywell Aerodrome, near Northampton. I had pulled in just to use their,um "facilities", when I heard the unmistakeable sound of aircraft engines, powerful ones, very close overhead...

So rushing outside and grabbing my camera (always near to hand!) I was treated to a practice session by The Blades aerobatic team, which is based at Sywell Aerodrome. Conditions for both flying and photography were marginal to say the least, with a low leaden sky and occasional drizzle, but I shot what I could using high ISO speed to gain some shuuter speed advantage. Sadly, I didn't have a telephoto lens with me or I would have been able to get some closer shots - these guys fly LOW!

Anyway.... here are a couple with my 105mm... cropped to enhance them a little

Between a rock and a hard place...

is a common expression, but that is just where I found myself on Wednesday. I was in Shropshire, taking photographs for The Winter's Tale of Shropshire book, and as there had been a good snowfall that day I decided to head for the area known as Little Switzerland, around Church Stretton. Gathering photos along the way, I was encouraged and excited by the heavy fall, especially noticeable the further west (and higher!) I went. Eventually, I reached the pretty town of Church Streeton and headed for possibly the steepest,twistiest road in the county - The Burway. This single track road runs from the town to the summit of the Long Mynd at about 1500 feet, and in many places is 1 in 4 or steeper for short stretches. Even though the sign warning that the road was "closed" due to snow, was only partly obscured, I thought that my Land Rover would have little problem in climbing the hill....

The first 500 or so feet was ok, if a little adventurous (!) but then around a bend I came to what looked like a mound of snow blocking the way forward. This had obviously fallen in a kind of "mini avalanche" turning the evenly covered roadway into an impossible wall of deep snow. So I carefully began to reverse...it was then that I realised the steepness of the road and the fresh snow on ice, meant that even a 4 x 4 could not grip where there WAS no grip, and as I gently braked felt the car continue backwards towards the edge of the road and the drop into Cardingmill Valley, 500 feet below. Thank God, the ABS kicked in and I was able to stop short of the edge, with enough width of road to get out and check my position.... the only was was forward again.... so engaging all of the controls that Land Rovers have for climbing hills in snow, I started off - to feel the whole car shimmy sideways still nearer to the edge...now with a dry mouth and pumping heart, I had to take stock of the situation as i appeared that I could not go up OR down. The snow was still falling heavily and the temperature was at zero...

I walked back down the road to the nearest houses, about half a mile down to get some help... no one home! So back up to the car, and I dug an area around the wheels to get me started again. Thankfully, I was able to get away from the edge, where my rear wheel was perilously close to, and managed to get into a shallow passing place and let my car come to a rest against the dry stone wall.

Back down the hill again, to inform the police and also to find a hot drink. The police were brilliant and informed the National Trust Area Warden who said he could see my car from his office on the other side of the valley. Into Mr Bun the Bakers for some hot tea in Stretton, but at this stage I was still shaking from the thought of what may have happened. The advice from the police was to secure my car and leave it for the night, so I had to go back up the road an unload my gear. This was a rucksack with all my camera equipment weighing about 15kilos, my overnight bag, a little heavier, my laptop and sundry note books and maps. The lady at the Belvedere Guest House in Burway must have thought I was a madman when I asked if she had a room available. I was laden like a pack horse, my hat was covered in snow, and I was sweating profusely....

After a brief rest, my brother who lives 30 miles away called and said he was coming to get me and to check out as I could stay with them. Luckily the B&B owner was understanding and made no charge for my use of the room for an hour os so, while I gathered my thoughts and strength

The next day,Thursday, my brother and I retuned to the vehicle (climbing the hill yet again!) and as the temperature had risen slightly we decided to try to press on to the summit to find an area to turn around so at least I could drive down facing forwards instead of reversing which had been the only option earlier. NOW the Land Rover technology was brilliant! Selecting the incredible Hill Descent Control and low ratio gearbox, we set off...and I didn't have to touch the brakes once... the computer sorted all the traction out and slowly we inched our way down, passing the place of previous impasse, then gradually noting the change in road conditions as we got nearer and and nearer to the cattle grid at the bottom - we were going to make it!

A stop for tea and hot sausage rolls in Church Stetton and we were on our way, rapidly leaving behind the snow as we headed east towards Shifnal

Later I heard on the radio someone talking about their life and how they had learned their biggest lessons when they had failed... I certainly learned a huge lesson on that road on Wednesday when I failed to take the conditions seriously....

The picture shows my car "parked" safely for the night on The Burway...

Yay! The Times used one of my ski pictures

... under the In My View feature - got a name check too!

What a great place Northamptonshire is!

I have been busy for the past few weeks working on mt book due out next Autumn, called A Winter's Tale of Northamptonshire - showing the county between harvest time and Easter... which has meant lots of snowy landscapes and frozen Peter Brueghel type scenes. BUT I never thougt I would get chance to photograph some downhill skiing and snow board action!

The enterprising folk at Cold Ashby (how appropriate!) Golf Club had the brilliant idea to hook up a portable ski lift on one of the holes, with a nice long slope, and before you know it the lift passes were printed and the boarders were "catching air".

My pix show one of them soaring over my colleague JR, while he was crouching to get that unusual angle that all we photographers seek, and the other shows what happens when you try to smile at the photographer as you exit the ski lift!

We were out photographing this fun action with a view to the nationals... let's hope that the picture editors like them!

New Year's Eve

At The Courtyard Hotel at Stanwick was a fun, if cold, evening in a marquee...good company around the table, but WHY do organisers think that a disco playing a decibel level similar to a jumbo jet adds to the atmosphere???? I would so much like to have talked to some of the other people there without having to shout in their ear! Still, the fireworks at midnight were good...but an interesting thing was also going on in the sky that night. I noticed a steady stream of dullish orange lights crossing above the horizon in a dead straight trajectory, separated by a few minutes...miles away by the look of it, but there they were one after one, passing over. The interesting thing was that when we got home, my mother in law had been looking from her bedroom window and said that she had seen as many as 50 of these lights passing and gathering together in a hauge formation.... so what was all that about then???
Today I am sitting in the gallery in the hope that a few people have got some money left to spend on lovely photographs and artwork for their walls!