Got the Blues ?

Spotted this on the way to work this morning. I loved the look of the burnt texture at the bottom of the door.

Being the end of the year, there's a student exhibition on in the National College of Art and Design, and I'm sure this is part of it. I wish the gallery opened earlier and I could go in before work - I usually just want to head straight home afterwards.

Should have a few more swan photos in a day or two when I edit them. I took this one looking down the river towards the sun, so there wasn't much editing needed.

Canal Walk

Thursday was a real summer day here - sunny, blue skies, just beautiful. I was on a day off, too, and if the car wasn't so problematical at the moment I am sure I would have gone to Farmleigh or the park. As it was, I had a lovely walk along the canal enjoying all the birdsong and greenery.

I don't think I've ever seen so many sparrows along there, as well as the usual chaffinches, tits, pigeons, blackbirds and robins. Down by the train station was a hen mallard with one single chick, and on the bank was another hen with an older brood of about five, no longer chick-like. And down at the marina was a swan with two very young cygnets.

Alkanet

Hawthorn

Moorhen

Sparrow

The holiday weekend has at last given me time to read the second chapter in my Elements book, so the next batch of Greek photos won't have crooked horizons!

(The current blog header is a photo from the Bois de Vincennes in Paris last June)

Canal Walk

At  last we had a day with (some) blue skies. Mind you, I think I'd already missed the best of the day by the time I set off for a walk. But it was lovely to be able to go out without a rain-jacket and umbrella, and what sun there was was a tonic.
Even the birds were all out enjoying it!!
Judging by the amount of droppings, whatever board the heron is standing on has been a favourite summer perch for the birds. He flew off very briefly when the dredger came through the lock and up the canal, but by the time I'd crossed at the lock and was walking back up the other side he was back enjoying the sun again.
I had been thinking that maybe the swan was nesting along the bank, since I've often seen it there any time we drive that way, but there was no sign of any sort of nest, and no cygnets either. I saw six on the Liffey earlier on in the week.

Mother duck keeping a good eye out as her young ones rest on the bank. They're beyond the chick stage, but you can see that their wings are still a bit short and stubby - I don't think they could fly yet.

Spring Sunshine

Today was a beautiful, warm, sunny day. I considered going to the Botanic Gardens, but C was heading out on a motorbike run and in the middle of putting the screen back on his bike, a job that sometimes takes two. And by the time he was gone, I know it would have been hard to get parking. So I just went for another walk along the canal, and picked up some chicken carcasses that the butcher had put aside for me on the way back home again. I passed a cat enjoying the warmth of the sun; as soon as I stopped to take a photo he came over, but he was soon happy to lie back down and continue his sunbathing.

On the Way to Work

Two separate mornings, just gathering a few pictures together. The swans were yesterday, in Phoenix Park. My sister was up again (a video editing software interface is no longer Terra Incognita), so I got an earlier bus than my normal one with her, and then went for a walk in the park before work.

The wall is beside Heuston Station. It's looking down onto the river, and I no longer have a good head for heights so taking a photo at all was somewhat precarious, but I loved the sight of all those daisies growing vertically (reminds me of a vertical garden we saw in Paris, only these were prettier), and the fact that because you were seeing them from underneath you could see all the pink.

Sunny Monday Morning ...

...meant a walk along the canal to get bread, instead of just walking down the road.
There was so much rubbish floating in the canal, though - I don't know if it's always like that on a Monday morning. It's been a while since I walked along that stretch.

A thrush enjoying whatever pickings were to be found in the grass:

And two swans feeding on some crumbs somebody had left for them under the bridge.

A cold bird miscellany

Before going shopping today I walked on down to the Twelfth Lock. I was sorry I didn't have anything to feed the birds, but at least someone arrived with crumbs.

What ya got there - gonna share?

Swan Lake

 I was lucky enough to have another trip to Birr today. In a way it's a pity C's meeting last week was cancelled, because it would have been beautiful in the snow, but a nightmare to get there. This morning was a cold frosty morning and a beautiful drive down, although almost as soon as we crossed into Offaly it seemed to get milder and less frosty. More will follow, but as we were up in Lisburn for the weekend an early bed is called for tonight.
I spent too long sitting on a bench near the lake watching the swans and ducks, and got too cold - but I still think it was worth it. Shame I can't add a sound track  - as well as the honking of the ducks there was a little warbling whistle, for all the world just like a referee's whistle blown softly. I only heard it when I saw the moorhens around, but since I've often seen them and never heard that sound before that could have been pure coincidence. I also had fun watching all the goldfinches and chaffinches, along with coal, blue and great tits. But alas, as I only made a definite decision to go just ten minutes before C wanted to leave, I forgot to pack his spotting scope in my bag.