This Sparrowhawk, in our Garden
Nikon D7000, 18-200mm lens, iso 400
A Sparrow-hawk in our garden
Photography by : Nigel borrington
One Saturday afternoon last summer I arrived back from a morning visit to a local wildlife reserve, I had got some good images mostly of a fox sitting in a field just outside the woods.
I sat down in our garden with a cup of tea and started looking at my fox friend on the back of the camera, Right in front of my view landed this young and fantastic looking Sparrowhawk. As he was so close to the table I wondered if even to lift the camera would make him fly off but I had to do something, so I slowly put the camera to my eye and just for a moment he did move his head but I took about five shots and stopped just to check that the noise of the camera had not made him fly off.
In the end he stayed on the fence for about four minutes looking around the garden and letting me get some more images, we have bird feeders and I think he knew exactly what he was looking for. Sometime they very thing your looking for is under your nose!
The following web page is a great little description on the Sparrowhawk in Ireland.
Templemichael church, Ballynatray estate, Cork.
All images : Sigma SD15, 15-30mm f3.5-4.5 lens,iso 50
Templemichael church and grave yard, County Cork
Landscape Photography : Nigel Borrington
TempleMichael church, County Cork
If you walk around the Irish landscape, one feature that cannot be avoided and that you will come across very quickly is the countries abandoned church yards, I find these places just amazing to walk around. The grave yard here must contain at least 200 graves, all surrounding the church which is itself in ruins and just a shell.
I have no intention of dealing with the history and as to why these places are forgotten, but I think that anyone would feel a little uneasy walking around these yards. Generations of French/British/Irish – European people rest here, families going back some two or three hundred years.
No one left to lay flowers, No one to cut the grass. Most of the head stones are slowly falling over and the names disappearing. my only personal interest in these church’s is based around the fact that when I walk around them I see no one visiting, no one sitting next to the grave’s of their ancestors, any descendants are absent from these place’s.
History of TempleMichael church
In 1183 Raymond le Gros established a Preceptory of Knights Templar at Rhincrew, an out post of which was TempleMichael. The keep was built specifically to control the river crossing.
The now ruined Church of Ireland parish church dates from 1823 it was built with a grant from the Board of the First Fruits, and until about twenty years ago was used for worship.
Gallery of TempleMichael church and grave’s
Our dog Molly, well she should have been an Otter!
All images using a Nikon D7000, 18-200mm lens, iso 200
Our dog Molly she should of been an Otter
Since she was a one year old our Golden retriever Molly just loved a swim in our local rivers, she is now ten and has had a good swim most days. She was diagnosed last year with arthritis and along with the medical products we get her a swim once a day is just about the best thing to keep her moving healthy and fit!
Molly’s Gallery
Spotting Arthritis in Dogs
Arthritis doesn’t discriminate. It affects not only people of all ages — including children — but also strikes our furry friends, too. If you’re a dog-owner, you make sure your buddy takes his heartworm medicine, eats well, looks bright-eyed and playful, and greets you as only a doggy can when you come home. You notice changes in mood and activity, so if your pet isn’t feeling his best you may suspect a cold or stomach virus – but it could be arthritis. In fact, arthritis affects one in every five adult dogs in the U.S. and is one of the most common sources of chronic pain that veterinarians treat.
Spot’s Pals Are Early Diagnosis and Treatment
How do you know if it’s arthritis? Your dog can’t explain what’s wrong with him, so it’s important to watch his non-verbal cues closely and take even subtle changes seriously.
Signs that your dog may have arthritis:
Favoring a limb
Difficulty sitting or standing
Sleeping more
Seeming to have stiff or sore joints
Hesitancy to jump, run or climb stairs
Weight gain
Decreased activity or less interest in play
Attitude or behavior changes
Being less alert
If your dog seems to have any of these symptoms for more than two weeks take him to your veterinarian for an arthritis evaluation, which will involve a physical exam and possibly X-rays. The best thing to do for your dog in managing his arthritis is to get a diagnosis and start a treatment plan as soon as possible. Treating canine arthritis is similar to that of human osteoarthritis.
Therapies may include:
Healthy diet and exercise to help maintain proper weight.
Working with your veterinarian to find a drug treatment that helps relieve the pain.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS): the most common form of pharmaceutical treatment for arthritis in dogs.
Over-the-counter pet treatments, such as pills or food containing either glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate or Omega fatty acids. Both have shown to help relieve the symptoms of arthritis in dogs.
A veterinarian-prescribed NSAID and an over-the-counter treatment that together may help decrease pain and disease progression.
Never give your dog human medication without checking first with your veterinarian. Certain medications can be toxic to dogs – particularly acetaminophen and ibuprofen – and a safe dose will differ between a greyhound and a dachshund.
No matter how you decide to treat your dog’s arthritis, make sure you work with a veterinarian to ensure that you select a program that helps your best buddy.
If they can do this – You can achieve anything .
Nikon D700, 50mm lens, iso 200
Two men walking the summit of Slievenamon, Co Tipperary
Landscape Photography : Nigel Borrington
Sometimes in life you cannot help but stop in order to admire the abilities that some people hold and have inside themselves.
Last week I came across two of those people and one of those moments. A couple of weeks ago I posted about slievenamon a local mountain that is located about 8km from our home, I wanted to produce a series of posts over time that cover the area of this mountain. I started this project by doing a walk to the top during the week and after sitting down for a little rest got out my camera to photograph the views below.
I had already quickly said hello to two other walkers sitting down on the cairn at the top but at that stage was just happy to find my own spot and get some energy back. As I started getting some images the two of them passed by me again and we started talking about the weather and the views, it was then for the first time I noticed that one of the walkers was blind and the other his friend was attached to him with a cord.
The walk up Slievenamon takes about two hours and uses a strait path up from the village of Killcash below, it’s not a simple walk its rocky and you have to keep your eyes open every step.
For every step these two took the leader had to pass on information about the conditions, rocky or if the ground was level, how close to the edge of the path they stood and if the ground was solid or likely to move under foot. A lot of the path can slip under foot as its just loose stone.
I don’t think I need to say to much about how this experience made me stop and think, Its just one of those moments you will never forget and I wanted to share it here as I think it could inspire anyone who thinks they cannot do something – We can do anything if we truly want to !!!
Gallery of images
It’s a summers weekend, Molly’s early morning visit to Tramore beach
Canon G1x
A visit to Tramore strand
We don’t know what’s hit us here in Ireland, Sun all day for a week and temperatures in the high 60’s or even 70’s.
Just like Irish people do we had to go mad with it and got up very early this morning to head down to Tramore strand, co Waterford. The three of us had a wonderful June morning but molly loved it just that bit more let’s hope it lasts!
Canon G1x
A visit to Tramore strand
Canon G1x
A visit to Tramore strand
Just another ghost estate – Callan, co Kilkenny
Ireland Ghost estates
Yesterdays Lunch time walk was a little more attractive than today’s, at some point however I wanted to post about Ireland’s and Kilkenny’s ghost estates.
The country as a whole feels like its gone through the worst of the last years since 2007, however when you take a walk around these local ghost estates you may not think so.
I took the below photograph during the building of this new estate in Callan, during July 2007.
The Callan housing estate in these pictures was the last to be built in 2007, other estates in the town being built between around 2004 and 2008. None of the houses in this estate ever sold and I heard recently that the council are about to order its demolition.
The entire area around the estate is covered in broken glass, yet there is nothing to stops any Adult,child or dog walking around this location….
Number of Irish Ghost estates by counties Carlow (15), Cavan (21), Clare (9), Cork City (6), County Cork (90), Donegal (22), Dublin City (24), Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown (10), Fingal (17), Galway City (6), Galway County (20), Kerry (21), Kildare (25), Kilkenny (21), Laoighis (15), Leitrim (21), Limerick City (0), Limerick County (11), Longford (19), Louth (17), Mayo (21), Meath (19), Monaghan (18), Offaly (6), Roscommon (35), Sligo (24), South Dublin (7), Tipperary North (16), Tipperary South (17), Waterford City (6), Waterford County (9), Westmeath (18), Wexford (24), Wicklow (11).
More images…
Pentax Super A
Pentax Super A, a 1983 manual focus camera
Reclaiming found things
Well, well – Hello! I didn’t even know you were still around….
Going through some old box’s of things from the old loft last week I found this camera and it must be one of the first SLR Camera’s I ever owned. Back in 1985, I moved from Altrincham near Manchester to live and work for Chase Manhattan bank as an IBM programmer.
I Purchased this Pentax Super A from the shop across the road from the flat I rented. You can just about make out the shop in this photograph (Image photography) which by the way is the first frame from the first roll of film I ever used in this Camera.
I don’t remember at which point I didn’t use this Pentax any more, I think it is when I started getting into Nikon Cameras with an FM2n body which I thought was my first SLR film camera.
I just love finding old things and believe me I will use this camera again now its re-found. I am attempting to get some processing chemicals to do a post on black and white negative processing, the shop I was hoping to get it from however let me down so I am having to get it imported from Birmingham in the UK.
Here are some Sample images that I took first time around with this Pentax Super A.
Marriage: From a Humanist point of view…
As a photographer who has and hopes to keep working in the wedding photography field, I have often wondered how it all started. How it is that most people accept the formal church wedding and some want something a little different.
I have contacted the Association of Irish Humanists and received a book that they kindly sent me “The humanist philosophy”, this little green book is a wonderful guide to the humanist view of our Christian world.
I knew it was for me the moment I opened the front cover and the following quotation was printed on the inside page..
” … We believe that it is better to love men than to fear gods; that it is grander and nobler to think and investigate for yourself than to repeat a creed” ‘A humanist credo’ Robert Green Ingersoll, 1833-1899
Well, this very simple little quotation says it all to me. “Investigate for yourself”! don’t just repeat in parrot fashion something you have been trained to say every Sunday…. Hum, How can I resist knowing more!!
So over the next weeks I will post some, relating to my conclusions of this little book and its view on life and birth,death,marriage,art,etc….
Nigel
And life is like this?
Nikon D7000, 18-200mm vr lens
Nigel Borrington
One morning two years ago I was out walking Molly on the beach at Oysterhaven, county Cork, when I noticed this Woman learning to windsurf, time and time again she went through this cycle – on the board off the board. Up again time and time again. I remember telling myself there you have it, that’s it that’s life, we don’t belong on the board do we. Naturally we belong off the board but its our job to keep getting back on!
So a poem
Getting back up
Life is a bright, long star boulevard,
Where you get good, when you work hard.
But Life is not a fantasy,
or just a love that’s shared between thee’
It’s a battlefield of broken goals,
A purple sky with empty souls.
The city streets with littered trash,
the wild fire left with ash.
Falling, hurting,
crying, blurting,
fearing, slipping,
failing, tripping.
Lies from fakers,
burning heart breakers.
Those knocking you down,
smiling when you frown.
But others tell you keep on going,
you try so hard though your steps are slowing.
You can’t see the future or get a head start,
So getting back up is the hardest part.
I think life is a learning experience, sometimes we fail and sometimes we fall off. I think we will be measured by our ability to both recognise this fact and then to see the process of climbing back on as just part of the fun!
Nigel
Its the weekend
Fuji X100
The Saltee Islands, St. George’s Channel
County Wexford,
Landscape photography:Nigel Borrington
Its the weekend so if you can find a place with a view and lose your self in it!!
Thank you ….
Nikon D7000,
Blue bells from Jenkinstown Park,
Co Kilkenny,
Kilkenny photographer : Nigel Borrington
Since I started posting again on my WordPress Blog, at the start of February this year, I have received over 2600 likes and nearly 300 followers.
So I just wanted to say thank you.
This reaction from yourselves has helped me more than I can say !!!!
Molly, well she should have been an Otter…
Molly Our Golden retriever just loves to swim, since she was about one year old she is just mad for the water.
If we go for a walk with her and it has not included a dip then she will sit in the boot of the car looking at us as if to say “What about the swim then?”.
I have often wondered just why this is such a strong part of her nature:
Well I found this article on the Pedigree website and it helps in understanding why Golden’s love water, and offers advice if you have a Golden retriever…
Golden Retrievers: Born to Swim
We’ve all seen the Golden Retriever at the beach who chases the tennis ball into the surf for hours. We wonder how he is able to get past the breakers, swim with his head above the chop, and manage the strong currents, focused only on getting that ball and dropping it at the feet of his owner.
The answer is in his DNA. Goldens were bred in Scotland in the mid-19th Century to retrieve waterfowl and game birds. The now-extinct Tweed Water Spaniel was crossed with Irish Setters, Newfoundland dogs, Bloodhounds, and other water retrievers to create the breed we know today. The result is a strong, highly trainable dog with a water-repellent coat that can easily withstand cold water.
Taking the plunge with your favorite Golden
You’ve probably noticed your retriever’s excitement as he gets near water. His instinctive love of water is so strong, trying to hold him back rarely works-so why not join him? Just keep these water safety tips in mind:
If you’re swimming with your Golden near the ocean, remember that he’s probably ingesting some salt water. Carry an ample supply of fresh water for him to drink so he doesn’t become dehydrated during play.
If your Golden is playing with children in a pool or lake, remind them not to hang onto his collar or drag him down. While he’s a stronger swimmer than most children, there is a risk of him getting pulled under.
Remember, cold water is not the deterrent to your Golden Retriever that it is to you. He could jump into frigid waters, and if he can’t get out, this could spell trouble. Leashing your Golden near deep water is a good idea.
Take these few precautions and you can expect years of enjoyment watching your Golden do what he does best-swim effortlessly and endlessly through the water!
Good Morning Chicken !
I posted earlier in the week about the fact that every now and then we look after a friends farm house while they go on holiday. One of the biggest Jobs is putting the chickens away in the evening, having to collect up everyone of them and shut them in for the night is Great fun!!!
Well we had great fun last night as the head count was a little low, we searched for about 20 minutes until we found her around the back of the sheds hiding as if she knew very well it was the last place we would look.
She was put in for the night and still there this Morning Few!!!
Sister and Brother
Sister and Brother
There is some 25 years between the photos here on the left and the two images on the right and these two characters are my niece and nephew, Louise and James.
I took the first image on a visit home to (Timperley, chesire) after I had moved to live in London some 3 years before.
The images on the right are the two of them at Louise’s wedding last year in Alderly edge, Chesire. I was asked to do the main photography for Louise and it was a pleasure…
Again I only found this image of the two of them on the left, while scanning some old films.
I hope they enjoy this set!
Nigel
Good Morning Chicken !
Good Morning!
Every now and then we look after a friends farm house while they go on holiday. One of the biggest Jobs is putting the chickens away in the evening, having to collect up everyone of them and shut them in for the night is Great fun!!!
This job is balanced very well though when the next morning you have to let them out and give them some feed, they look very pleased to be set free for the day!
Fujifilm X100
Fujifilm X100
Its the weekend
Nikon f90x
Kodak film
50mm f1.4 lens
Its the weekend so find a place with a view and relax
Pilgrim Hill
Pilgrim Hill – A Movie about the true side of farming life
Yesterday I watched a great review about a new film Pilgrim hill that has been made by young film maker Gerard Barrett in the above video he talks to RTE’s Nationwide about Pilgrim Hill. In cinemas April 12th 2013. Pilgrim Hill is the debut film from Gerard Barrett, winner of the 2013 Irish Film and Television Academy Rising Star Award.
“Jimmy Walsh is a farmer in rural Ireland. Like the landscape he inhabits, his life is bleak and hard. Looking after an ageing sick father, life is passing him by as he comes to terms with his changing circumstances. Loneliness and isolation are his continual companions, along with his modest herd of cattle.
A young twenty something neighbour is one of the only links Jimmy has to the real world. In him, Jimmy sees what he could have been, as he realizes what he is, a middle aged bachelor farmer with vanishing opportunities and on the verge of living the rest of his life alone on the side of a cold un-nourishing hill.
A final blow is dealt to Jimmy when it seems that life can’t get any worse. He is barely able to articulate his situation, yet his honesty and vulnerability speak to the loneliness that haunts the human condition in all of us”
In and around the area I live in Ireland, Co.Kilkenny there are many Jimmy walsh’s including members of my own family.
Sean a family friend is one of them, older than Jimmy but he will have travelled through many of the same things in his time.
Many of these farmers never got married and lived out their lives in remote places like this farm Burnchurch in Co.Tipperary.
Watching the review of the film last night, I wondered why these men’s lives have not been shown and received much more coverage than they have. Many other nation like the America have shown the hard lives their own famers have lived on the screen for many years, it time these mens live got the same exposure, please go a watch this movie if you can.
Nigel
Pet’s, Just how good are they for you?
Molly our 10 year old Golden retriever
My mother loved Golden retrievers, we owned cats….
She would always say that you should never truly trust someone who’s not into pets, while I don’t hold to this I kinda get what she was talking about.
You don’t have to own a pet to love them in fact you can show you love them by being honest to yourself if your not in a position to look after them correctly. You are then free to love and look after other peoples pets.
But just how good are they for us, well I found this article and it look like they are very very good for us!
http://stress.about.com/od/lowstresslifestyle/a/petsandstress.htm
When thinking of ways to reduce stress in life, usually techniques like meditation, yoga and journaling come to mind. These are great techniques, to be sure. But getting a new best friend can also have many stress relieving and health benefits. While human friends provide great social support and come with some fabulous benefits, this article focuses on the benefits of furry friends: cats and dogs! Research shows that, unless you’re someone who really dislikes animals or is absolutely too busy to care for one properly, pets can provide excellent social support, stress relief and other health benefits—perhaps more than people! Here are more health benefits of pets:
Pets Can Improve Your Mood:
For those who love animals, it’s virtually impossible to stay in a bad mood when a pair of loving puppy eyes meets yours, or when a super-soft cat rubs up against your hand. Research supports the mood-enhancing benefits of pets. A recent study found that men with AIDS were less likely to suffer from depression if they owned a pet. (According to one study, men with AIDS who did not own a pet were about three times more likely to report symptoms of depression than men who did not have AIDS. But men with AIDS who had pets were only about 50 percent more likely to report symptoms of depression, as compared to men in the study who did not have AIDS.)
Pets Control Blood Pressure Better Than Drugs:
Yes, it’s true. While ACE inhibiting drugs can generally reduce blood pressure, they aren’t as effective on controlling spikes in blood pressure due to stress and tension. However, in a recent study, groups of hypertensive New York stockbrokers who got dogs or cats were found to have lower blood pressure and heart rates than those who didn’t get pets. When they heard of the results, most of those in the non-pet group went out and got pets!
Pets Encourage You To Get Out And Exercise:
Whether we walk our dogs because they need it, or are more likely to enjoy a walk when we have companionship, dog owners do spend more time walking than non-pet owners, at least if we live in an urban setting. Because exercise is good for stress management and overall health, owning a dog can be credited with increasing these benefits.
Pets Can Help With Social Support:
When we’re out walking, having a dog with us can make us more approachable and give people a reason to stop and talk, thereby increasing the number of people we meet, giving us an opportunity to increase our network of friends and acquaintances, which also has great stress management benefits.
Pets Stave Off Loneliness and Provide Unconditional Love:
Pets can be there for you in ways that people can’t. They can offer love and companionship, and can also enjoy comfortable silences, keep secrets and are excellent snugglers. And they could be the best antidote to loneliness. In fact, research shows that nursing home residents reported less loneliness when visited by dogs than when they spent time with other people! All these benefits can reduce the amount of stress people experience in response to feelings of social isolation and lack of social support from people.
Pets Can Reduce Stress—Sometimes More Than People:
While we all know the power of talking about your problems with a good friend who’s also a good listener, recent research shows that spending time with a pet may be even better! Recent research shows that, when conducting a task that’s stressful, people actually experienced less stress when their pets were with them than when a supportive friend or even their spouse was present! (This may be partially due to the fact that pets don’t judge us; they just love us.)
It’s important to realize that owning a pet isn’t for everyone. Pets do come with additional work and responsibility, which can bring its own stress. However, for most people, the benefits of having a pet outweigh the drawbacks. Having a furry best friend can reduce stress in your life and bring you support when times get tough.
Hampton Court
A day with Black and white film.
Nikon FM2n, Ilford’s HP5
Nigel Borrington
Some years ago myself and my brother and a friend Neil, headed to Hampton court to do some photography. It was the first time I had loaded Black and white film into my Nikon FM2 camera in a location like this so full of colour from the June flowers on display.
However Neil owned his own black and white dark room so Ilford’s HP5 it was. We spent about four hours at Hampton Court and then some hours processing the film making some prints and drinking a lot from what I can remember.
The images here are some of the results, I cannot find anything else. The prints are long gone so I have scanned any negatives I can find.
I am more than happy with these images and it’s very interesting to look back and think about what I felt made a good image way back then.
Nikon FM2n, Ilford’s HP5
Nigel Borrington
Things you wish you still had?
Going through some old film I found this frame and its years since I looked at this old bike, during the 1990’s I used it for work everyday.
I had to sell it at some point and move on but it occurred to me that we all must have things we remember and maybe wish deep down we still had them.
Whats yours?
Thank you
I just got a message from wordpress, to tell me that since I started this blog again about two months ago I have received over 1164 likes and 155 followers.
So I wanted to say thank you!!
Nigel
Gone walkabouts – back soon
He call me, I am following
I will keep up with everyone if I can get on line!
Talk soon
Nigel
Nigel Borrington 
Fishing boats at Castletownbere
Nikon D700, 18-200mm vr 2 lens, iso 100
Fishing boats at Castletownbere, west cork
Irish landscape photography : Nigel Borrington
Fishing boats at Castletownbere and a cool Sea Breeze
Another very warm morning here in Ireland it’s already 24’oc and it was warm over night, sleeping with all the bedroom windows open.
I thought I would find an image to post that at least created a cooler feeling, so here we are, these two fishing boats at the harbour of Castletownbere, West cork. I took this image a little time back while I sat on the wall of the quays in the town and watched the boats coming and going for the afternoon. From what I can remember the temperature was about the same as today.
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July 11, 2013 | Categories: Comment, Gallery, Landscape, Solo images, Travel Locations | Tags: castletownbere, Cork, fishing boats, Irish photography, Landscape, Nigel Borrington, nikon d700, Sea Breeze, summer, west cork | 3 Comments