Its Friday and Its 5 mins to 5pm, So this weekend get outside and take some pictures :)
Its the weekend so get outside
Landscape Photography by Nigel Borrington
Have a great weekend everyone , I hope you manage to get out side if you possibly can !!! 🙂 🙂
Monday Mornings along the lane.
Tipperary Landscapes
Nigel Borrington
Monday the 19th January 2015y
This Monday Morning was just amazing along the lane, a light covering of frost and snow still covered the mountain of Slievenamon, country Tipperary and I just wanted to share this image with you.
I often think this period of January is a little hard on people, the fun of Christmas has gone , the new year has well and truly started and yet the long dark nights are still here. Maybe one of the best ways to raise your spirits is to get outside and find somewhere with a view – like a park , mountains or rivers and take in the great weather this month can bring 🙂
A Monday morning in January !!!!
Drift wood, shadows on the beach
Shadow’s on the beach
Nigel Borrington
I took this image back in November on a beach walk, I found the shadows from this drift wood very attractive but then wondered what came first the foot prints or the wood ?
Planning and starting 2015. a Picture board.
Picture Board for 2015
Well I have been a little quite on my blog during the holidays and into the new year, I hope you all had a great holiday period 🙂
To start 2015 here, I just wanted to say a huge thank-you to anyone who has been visiting this blog since I started it about two years ago. Thank you for your many likes and great comments I have enjoyed sharing my images and the places I visited and also enjoyed reading and visiting so many other blogs from around the world 🙂 🙂
Starting a new year is always a challenge, we are all meant to reinvent the wheel and take on life in a new way – aren’t we !!
Maybe however the best plan is to just look at what you have been doing with your life and just build on these areas, I sat down on Monday morning and put a little picture board together of the things I want to build on during the year ahead, these areas are included in the images there.
I am going to start to look at how I can include some new areas in posts here, it could be that I start some new blogs in word-press and then just place links here if the posts are not relating to photography etc ….. ?
Almost all my posts to date have been mainly about the places here in Ireland that I have visited along with some poetry and art that I wanted to share, this year I am going to share the things I am learning or doing a little bit more !
Violin and Music Plans
For the last few years I have been learning and planing the Violin and I want to share a little more about these experiences and the type of music I love playing the most.
I am not an advanced or a professional player but love to play and learn, I feel that music like many things is not about being the finished item but about journeying your way through a learning process and having some great fun along the way !!!
Computer development skills and plans
For a large part of my life I worked in the I.T. industry, starting back in the 1980’s on IBM main frame systems, mainly programming in Cobol/rpg and C++ during my time. I want to start to share a little about some plans I have to get back and then keep in touch with these skills.
This will most likely be a new Blog !!!
I also would like to start to share how I see the current computer industry, when I started training in ( I.T. ) it was not easy to get the skills you needed however it was much easier however to see how you could apply yourself to these skills. Today with the internet and you-tube etc … its must easier to put skills together but less easy to see how these skills can be used, mainly due to the all controlling Microsoft !!!
Over the last three years or so however, there is a growing change in the area of small scale computing and its nothing to do with tablets or phones , it’s in small computers such as the credit card computers or Development boards, systems like the Raspberry Pi here above – have sold well over a million units in a very short time and have been followed by many other single board PC’s like the cubie-truck.
These systems have reset the computer industry back to a time when learning about computer technology was not about Microsoft windows and it many ( problems, virus, its costs, and its latest versions ) but about being able to learn fully and openly what a computer can do and at the cost of the hardware only, these computers use Linux OS – as their operating systems and as such follow almost the entire growing world of none Microsoft based devices such as (Apples OS-x, Android phones, Bare-metal devices(using machine coded applications), Linux based desktop and laptop systems along with internet servers and cloud servers).
I want to share something about this area of modern computing, from a very basic level to a level that shows just how the two systems in the images here the (Raspberry pi and Cubie-truck – boards) can be used both independently and along side a windows based computer, many of the current engineering and science fairs show projects using just these kind of devices !
Photography Plans
I will still be posting lots of images and articles on locations here in Ireland!
One thing I want to do very much is to capture my local landscape as we move from the winter months into spring !
Christmas time and the mystery of the Christmas tree
The wild Christmas tree
millennium woodlands
Kilkenny
Nigel Borrington
It’s almost Christmas , so a big Happy Christmas Holidays to you all 🙂
While I was on an evening walk yesterday in one of county Kilkenny’s woodland parks – the Millennium forest, I came across a tree I see every year and every Christmas this one tree has been decorated with all kinds of great Christmas decorations !!!
Each year I have wondered who comes here to do so, as its a great thing to do and see as you walk past !
I think it has something to do with the origins of this forest , in the year 2000 the Irish forestry company coillte planted one forest in each of the Irish counties and made sure that each forest contained at least one tree for everyone living there. They then sent a letter to everyone telling them where in the forest their own tree was. each tree is not numbered as such but you can locate the area/plot number for your tree.
Clearly someone has taken full ownership of their tree, decorating it each year as they would a tree for their own front room.
So I think the great mystery of the Decorated Millennium Christmas tree is partly solved , I hope to be lucky next year and come across who ever it is who comes back to their tree each year.
Who every you are, Thank you and Merry Christmas to you !!! 🙂
Is a Big Freeze set to grip Ireland ?
Frosty Castle along the river Suir
County Tipperary
Landscape Photography : Nigel Borrington
Winter weather predictions 2014/2015
Each year here in Ireland we always get a run pre-Christmas winter weather predictions, some come from a very famous Donegal Postman others from guru Ken Ring, Mostly these predictions are just great entertainment and raise hope of some snow during the dark winter days.
This Morning I read two reports that we are about to be hit with two months of arctic conditions the Article below is predicting a winter as bad as 1963 !!
Well I guess we will have to all wait and see, some snow would be fun but lets hope the weather is not as bad as this report is predicting !!!
From the Irish Mirror :
Ireland could soon be shivering through a repeat of the 1963 Big Freeze – the worst winter for more than 200 years.
A leading weather expert today warned that Ireland and the UK will be hit by an Arctic blast which is set to arrive over New Year and ice blast the region for at least a month. Some parts could be blanketed with up to five feet of snow with daytime temperatures hovering around zero and overnight lows down to a bone-numbing -15C. Forecaster James Madden believes the white-out will rival the infamous winter of 1963 when Ireland virtually came to standstill in a massive freeze-up which lasted nearly three months.
Back then blizzards lashed the country over the Christmas holidays and on New Year’s Eve 1962, 45 centimetres of snow blanketed of the country and several deaths were reported.
Snow fall in Leitrim
The weather expert fears a “colossal” area of much colder than average surface water in the Mid Atlantic will affect the Gulf Stream. This would leave this country and the UK exposed to a prolonged Siberian blast from northerly winds. James said: “This is of quite some significance as the Gulf Stream effectively acts as a heat machine for our shores, in particular, during our winter months.
“Without the influence of this vital heat source, we can expect a horrific winter to develop with frequent blizzards/strong winds and extremely cold conditions.
“During the winter period of 1962/63 the famous big freeze took a hold of the country from around Christmas until the spring of the following year because of a similar situation.
“We could be looking at a very similar time-frame and scale of events this time around.
“I don’t like saying this but the factors are there for an extremely cold spell in January which will possibly extend into February.
Windmill Museum at Lytham Green, + A big thank you before some down time.
Lytham Windmill
Museum
Landscape photography : Nigel Borrington
The Windmill Museum at Lytham Green, East Beach, Lytham, Lancashire is one of the best kept windmills in the UK and well worth a visit. Its located along the sea front walk at Lyhtam and had featured in many films and tv Ad’s.
If you are in the location you must stop and take a look !
——————
This is my last post for a week or so, I have been posting on my blog for a good two years now and love sharing images with some details about places and locations here in Ireland and Europe. I also love viewing so many great blogs in wordpress this has become my most loved created space!! – Thanks everyone !!!
I just wanted to say a Huge thank you to anyone who has posted comments , added information, likes and just visited here.
THANK YOU !!!!
I am just taking sometime at home without technology – Back soon – have a great end of July everyone 🙂 🙂
Images of my Violin
Hand made Irish Violin,
made my Michael Allen, Ardfinnan, County Tipperary
I have been playing the Violin for sometime now and it is one of my favourite pass times.
I loved violin music for many years before taking it up myself with artists such as Nigel Kennedy and Jay Ungar being amongst my most loved.
Here I just want to share some images of my own violin made by Irish Violin maker , Michael Allen from County Tipperary.
I am very happy to have found him and felt it was a great thing to support a local crafts man when getting this violin from him.
Image Gallery
A day at Ballybunion beach, a Poem
Ballybunion beach, county Kerry, Ireland
Landscape photography : Nigel Borrington
One day last summer while I was walking along the beach at Ballybunion,county Kerry, I was trying to think of words that gave a sense of this place , so I jotted down the following word list for a poem, but I feel its a poem as it is.
Ballybunion beach
cool air, sound of sea birds, fresh breeze,
people walking, dogs running, cold swimmers, children shouting,
Waves rolling, people eating, chatting, talking, cliffs casting shadows,
Old castle walls dominating, caves temping you to explore,
Posters offering family photographs, lunch time meals and places to shop,
Restful moments , capturing views,
Old people pottering, memories of traditions past,
Time dragging to a stop, mind slowing,
Families gathering, men managing, car doors shutting, keys locking, after parking,
deep breaths taken, locations chosen, bags unpacked,
People now sitting, grannies talking, best instructions, suggestions given,
Steps taken, shoes in hand,
Temperature falling, evening calling, holiday homes inviting,
Beach clearing, winds rising, cold setting in,
Sea birds return, dogs last walk of the day
Night fisher man setting lines, day over
Peace and nature returning, tide rising,
On Ballybunion beach.
The river is Rising
The River Lingaun, County Kilkenny
Irish Landscape Photography : Nigel Borrington
Yesterday we had the storm of the century here in County KIlkenny, winds over 160kmph and a months rain , We lost power in the house and still have no water supply. We are not alone, there are some 190,000 homes in the country without electric or a clean Water supply.
The county has suffered much damage to peoples Houses and land and the rivers are on the rise again.
It was the eighth Storm this winter and in as many weeks, The First I can remember to receive a name ( Storm Darwin ), he or she will be remembered for many years to come.
The rising river Lingaun : Gallery
Monday mornings in the Mist
Mist on a Monday Morning
Irish Landscape Photography : Nigel Borrington
Misty Monday Mornings.
Some Monday Mornings start full of purpose, the weekend has revived your spirits and you have a clear focus of what your aims are for the week. Other Monday mornings you just don’t know what your doing, you have aims but they just are not in focus sitting in a misty haze and you just cannot reach out to grab them.
This Monday morning, well ?
It was a wonderful Morning for a walk to clear my mind and try to find some direction, the mist was down on the local fields again and a blue and very peaceful haze just floated about the trees.
After Lunch time I hope the mist will lift ….. ?
Thank you – this is my 500th post
Wild Roses, on the bank of the river Suir, County Tipperary
Thank you flowers
Irish wild life photography : Nigel Borrington
I just reached 500 posts on my blog.
In the time I have been Blogging and posting images along with commenting on the locations I love to visit and photograph.
I this time I have received some 41000 hits, 20000 likes and over 5000 wonderful comments.
So I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has visited my Blog and helped to make it something I am very proud of and love sharing !
THANK YOU !
Here are just some of the Local flowers I found and photographed during the year in and around county Kilkenny.
Thank you flower Gallery
Ninemile house grave yard, Happy Halloween.
Ninemile house Grave yard,
On the Kilkenny and Tipperary county borders.
Irish Landscape photography : Nigel Borrington
Happy Halloween! – welcome to Ninemile house grave yard, a place of rest OR is it ?
I few weeks back I visited this old Graveyard at Nine mile house, County Tipperary.
This place just has to be one of the most atmospheric Grave yards in the local area. It is full of very old graves and the remains of an old chapel who’s insides have been used as the location of some graves dating from the 1800’s.
This is a place of rest however and a very peaceful location, But on Halloween night, well I just wonder ? ?
For anyone who has been following my blog, they will know I love poetry, well last night I had a go at my own poem for Halloween!
A poem for Halloween
There is nothing in the dark…
Don’t run to the light, Run towards the night.
For ever fearing the Dark .
Don’t turn on a lights, Shining a torch into the blackness.
There is nothing in the Dark, No monsters to fear.
Nothing hiding in the blackness.
No possessions
No ghosts
No evil demons
No open graves
No devils to consume your soul
No vampires
No zombies
No omen of death
No!
Don’t look towards the stars, Fires of the heavens.
Hoping forever to be alive.
Don’t fear the blackness of the woods at night.
There is nothing in the dark,
nothing that is not just asleep in the day
and awake at night.
It is not the dark you should fear,
Fear the light.
In the dark there is rest,
A peace of your mind.
There is nothing in the dark but rest and a lack of light !
Kilkenny Photography – Cattle market
Nikon D700, 50mm f1.4 lens
Kilkenny Cattle market, Gallery image
Irish photography : Nigel Borrington
Kilkenny Cattle market, Thursday Morning 24th Oct.
I have just spent the last two Thursday mornings at the Cattle market in county Kilkenny building up some Gallery images and selling some cattle I invested in.
The market meets each Thursday Morning from around 9am, the sales provide one the most atmospheric locations to take images in and I just loved watching all the farmers selling or buying cattle.
I will keep returning over the next months as I hope to keep building on this portfolio of images, I will also post the best images I have so far during the coming weeks.
Two Cows in county Kilkenny
Sigma SD x3 Slr, 15-30mm f3.5-4.5 ex lens
Two cows in County Kilkenny
Irish Landscape potography : Nigel Borrington
It’s not often, if at all I post a single image, just one image !
So maybe its time to just look at one, a single image of two cows in a field.
I was just standing at a gate that’s along a lane I often walk down in county Kilkenny and took this photo, so I hope you enjoy it !
Rain Water, The chaos of falling and splashing
Nikon D7000, 105mm f2.8 Macro lens
Rain water, County Kilkenny, The chaos of falling and splashing
Irish based photographer : Nigel borrington
Yesterday here in Ireland was very wet, I still had to use my Camera.
So I sheltered under the cover of the Ballykeeffe Amphitheatre, and took these images of the rain running of the roof and hitting the ground. The rain flowed freely from the lowest parts of the roof and down over the bolts that hold it together.
The rain was so heavy that the effects I feel I captured, show just how chaotic the water looks as it splashed of the paving stones.
Rain water flowing and landing
Classic Irish homes
Images take using a Nikon D7000
Classic Irish Home, County Tipperary
Irish landscape photography : Nigel Borrington
When I first came to live in Ireland, one thing I really noticed what the different architecture around the country.
While many homes in both Ireland and main land Europe can and do look the same, I started wondering what the classical Irish house looked like, Well this house sitting on the borders of county Tipperary and Kilkenny to myself is it.
Rectangular with it’s five windows at the front and an arched red front door, this house is so classically Irish in nature that I would now see it as the classic 1900’s Irish home.
These houses could both be a Farm house with the Farm yard at the back or a town house sitting with a garden at the back and the street at the front.
Classical 1900’s Irish home
Kerry Sea-eagles project
Sea eagles over Derriana lake, county Kerry
Landscape and nature photography : Nigel Borrington
When we first arrived at the lodge house in Kerry, Zoe the very friendly and helpful women who looks after the house told us about the Kerry sea-eagles project. She also informed us that even though they had not been seen for a couple of weeks, we did stand a great chance of spotting them.
Well one morning while walking Molly our golden retriever down to the banks of the lake, there they were soaring above the water. We watched them for about 15 minutes before they headed back towards the coast at Waterville.
I will never forget the sight of these birds just soaring high above us, well done to the people in the Kerry eagle project for reintroducing these wonderful birds to the Irish landscape.
Not everyone has welcomed them back to Ireland local Farmers for one, but they need to look at just how much money they bring into Scotland’s Islands since they were re-introduced, almost three million per year just because tourists come to get a view of them, above the hill’s of Mull and Skye.
Derriana lake – County Kerry
Derriana Lodge, County Kerry
Irish Landscape Photography : Nigel Borrington
Derriana Lake, a home for two weeks
On the 31st of July I reached the fine age of 50 and along with friends and family we went to Kerry for two weeks. Staying in a self-catering lodge called Derriana lodge
I would very much like to say thank you to family and friends for making the time spent away just brilliant and also some of you noticed my birthday date from my face-book page, so I would like to say thank you for sending me Happy Birthday messages !
The lodge is just a wonderful place to stay as its located above Derriana Lake, county Kerry, the below images are just some that I took during the two week’s. You have already seen some of the others from my posts during the two weeks away.
I will post more !
Thank you to everyone again for such a great time !
Panoramic views of the Lodge and Lake
Image Gallery of the Lake
Irish arts festivals
Carlow Visual arts center
Photography by : Nigel borrington
Irish arts festival season.
The next two weeks is and big period in Ireland for arts festivals (From Carlow,Kerry to Galway) and I intend to visit as mush as I possible can, so I will not be posting as much as usual over the next two week’s.
I will when possible check peoples blogs and see what your all up to, but for the time being I will be getting out and about to learn about and see as much art work as I possible can.
Thank you !
Some flowers to say Thank you.
I just wanted to say thank you, since I started posting again on this blog back in February I have got to know some great people, received some wonderful and very welcomed comments and increased the size of my own world. Seeing images and talking to people from almost every corner of the planet.
So thank you to everyone who has been here and I have truly enjoyed seeing your own blogs !
Monday morning, Sunrise
Nikon D7000, 35mm focus, iso 100
Monday morning sunrise
Landscape photography : Nigel Borrington
A Monday sunrise
Up early this morning I returned to the same location as I walked in yesterday afternoon.
It is near a place called Ahenny, County Kilkenny. the road from the village rises up over some hills and at the top offers some great views of both county’s Kilkenny and Tipperary. The Sun has risen a little time before and is just hiding its self behind some clouds. It has been totally blue sky’s for about ten days which for Ireland is very rare, this morning however we have some light cloud cover that is moving inland.
Monday Morning’s and starting a new week, well I feel a little cloudy myself this morning for some reason and need to get moving but just for a moment I stop to look at the views. When you work for yourself is would be very easy to just give in to these views and stay here for the day just looking at any changes that the day will bring to the landscape, the movement of the sun, farmers working in the fields, wildlife moving its way across the land.
We live our lives as part of this moving landscape below, yet how often do we stop and look at it. We just keep moving in it, life flying past.
Maybe just now and then we should press the stop button and stand still for once, maybe to truly stop and look at all this movement will give use something of a gift. A gift that we can use once we see everything for what it is.
Examining the movement of life may help you understand, needed movement the things we need to do, the things we want to do and then the things we just do for no valid reason what so ever. Pointless time spent doing things just because we always do them. Never stopping to see that we don’t need to do these things they are not doing anything for us or for anyone.
I have a feeling just looking at the week starting that my future is in this story somewhere, finding the things I should be doing, the things I want to do but most of all cutting out the things I just do not have any reason or obligation to do.
Nikon D7000, 35mm focus, iso 100
Monday morning sunrise
Landscape photography : Nigel Borrington
Boating at the lake district
All images taken using a Nikon D7000, 18-200 VR2 lens.
Images from the English, Lake district national park
Landscape Photography : Nigel Borrington
The Lake district national park
I just want to spend sometime today away from Ireland, my fathers family are from the Windermere area in the lake district and until recent years we still had at least one relative living here. I have visited may times and enjoyed boating on the lakes here as much as possible.
So I just want to share some images I have taken during these trips, its a wonderful part of the UK and if you get a chance I would most definitely recommend you spend a week here.
Boating on the lakes – A Gallery
Nigel Borrington 
The crows will only grow louder, by Laura Breidenthal. “Outward self-expression is a personal right , your right !!”
The crows will only grow louder.
Irish Landscape and nature photography
Nigel Borrington
I first came across Laura Breidenthal poem some two years ago and posted it the very day after, Its a great poem full of feeling and motivation !
I think we have all face these feeling at some point in our life’s and anyone who is outwardly expressive will have most of all.
I feel this poem relates to those moments we all have when other people, usually through negative and insecure motives try to put you and your creativity down in order to better themselves.!
I want to share this poem because I want it to act as a powerful motivation to keep going despite anyone Else’s opinion, if you do get someone putting you down know this its usually because they feel your creations are better than theirs if they have any and that they don’t have an idea how you do what you do.
Self expression is how your learn and how you get better at what you love !!!!!
If you read this post my advice is not to let anyone affect your personal rights to self expression, instead CROW Loader and BLOG more than ever 🙂 🙂 🙂
Outward self-expression is a personal right , your right !!
You may see a post using this Poem again and again during the year, I love this poem so much !!!!
The crows will only grow louder
By : Laura Breidenthal
There is no celestial place for you to guide my thoughts
Can you not see that I am free from you?
I am a crow perched high in the treetops
You will hear my crowing and you may hate it
But, you cannot take away my voice!
Yet still, as fire oppresses forests of life,
You can abuse my freedom to find your glory
You may discard these words for your love of gods,
And in so doing you may simply ignore
All the cries that I so passionately utter
But my infectious species will guide your mind straight back
To that once so lonely treetop where you merely glanced
And there will be multitudinous, oppressing thoughts
That shall enslave you and bind you unwillingly
The crows will only grow louder when you turn away—
When you pretend to ignore with your remaining, strangling pride
For my voice is a production sent from above
Dispatched to judge you pitilessly for your swelling lies!
And the choirs of ferocious beaks shall open forever
Harmony and dissonance as one
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February 11, 2015 | Categories: Comment, Landscape, Nature and Wildlife, Nigel Borrington, Poetry Gallery, Solo images | Tags: Callan, creativity, Irish landscape photography, Laura Breidenthal, motivation, Nigel Borrington, personal rights, poem, poetry, Self expression, The crows, The crows will only grow louder | 5 Comments