Long Sutton Butterfly Park

More butterflies from Long Sutton Butterfly Park :-)

Long Sutton Butterfly Park

Not long ago we visited Long Sutton Butterfly Park for the first time :-)

Oh No! Butterflies

Strange graffiti spotted in Sleaford :-)

Shipwreck at Hunstanton

The skeleton of an old boat lies in ruins on Hunstanton beach.

Postbox in Bruges

We've spent the last couple of days on a trip to the Christmas Market in Bruges to discover more snow than we've had in Boston :-)

Boston Stump in the Snow

There was a fresh fall of snow overnight. Boston Stump was visible briefly before it disappeared into the mist :-)

Loch Lomond

The view across Loch Lomond to the snowy slopes of Ben Lomond was the first sign of snow we spotted :-)

The Grave of Charles MacArthur

"Here lies the remains of Charles Mackarter whose fame as an honest man and remarkable piper will survive this generation for his manners were easy & regular as his music and the the melody of his fingers will..."

The MacArthurs of Skye were hereditary pipers to the MacDonalds. The inscription on Charles MacArthur's grave in Kilmuir Graveyard is incomplete. According to legend Charles' son Donald was drowned at sea, leaving the mason unpaid.

Scottish Rainbow

I spotted this rainbow close to Kyle of Lochalsh on the way home from the Isle of Skye :-)

Portree, Isle of Skye

Despite it's size Portree is the capital of the Isle of Skye. The picturesque harbour is home to a small fishing fleet and a salmon farm. :-)

Fairy Glen

After walking round the pinnacle searching for an easier path I found a well worn track to the top :-) The view down to the hazel grove is quite spectacular.

Stardust: Kingdom of Stormhold

Stormhold is a magical kingdom close to the village of Wall in the movie Stardust. Fairy Glen on Skye is one of the many locations used. This rocky pinnacle is visible in several scenes. Do you think I can make it to the top? ;-)

Guy Fawkes

Hereabouts lived the parents of Guy Fawkes of Gunpowder Plot fame, who was baptised in St. Michael-le-Belfrey Church in 1570.

Fawkes was arrested in the early hours of 5^th November 1605 after being discovered keeping watch over 36 barrels of gunpowder in the cellars beneath the House of Lords.

The Old Man of Storr

The Old Man of Storr is hiding in the mist. The 50m high basalt pinnacle was first climbed in 1955 by Don Whillan and James Barber.

The Clock at Belton House

Kilt Rock Waterfall, Skye

I'm currently on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. Kilt Rock Waterfall on the east coast is one of the most impressive, plunging 50m down to the sea :-)

The Blue Bedchamber

The bed in the blue bedchamber at Belton House is 18 feet high! :-)

Yew Berries

The dark green seeds of the yew tree develop first followed by the red flesh which almost surrounds them. Yew ranks high among the world's oldest trees. Notable examples include the Llangernyw Yew and the Fortingall Yew.

The Orangery

Looking across the Italian Garden at Belton House towards the orangery and the church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul.

The Lake at Belton House

The gardens of Belton House near Grantham are fantastic. The lake isn't natural, having been dug for Sir John Brownlow 300 years ago.

The Boat House

It's difficult to see how the boat house at Belton could have been used to store boats... The door is only a couple of feet wide.

Acorns

Was I the only child who used to collect acorns? :-)

Belton House from the East

Belton House viewed from the gardens to the east. The house has featured in a number of films and costume dramas. Do you recognise it from Pride and Prejudice? :-)

The Library at Belton House

The Library at Belton House is amazing. I found a copy of Whitaker's History of Richmondshire which I'd love to read but is virtually impossible to get hold of. :-(

A Room of Books

There's something about private libraries that I adore!  This room of books at Belton House is home to the overspill from the main library. :-)

European Yew

The berries of the yew tree are one of the strangest I've seen, having an opening at one end.

Tupholme Abbey

The picturesque ruins of 12^th century Tupholme Abbey stand in a Lincolnshire field waiting to be explored :-)

Emperor Constantine

A statue of the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great sit outside York Minster with a broken sword. The inscription reads Constantine by this sign conquer.

Jupiter

Here's my latest attempt to take photos of the night sky, Jupiter and four moons.

Bile Beans

Nightly Bile Beans keep you healthy, bright-eyed and slim.

A sign painted on a wall in York for a business that has long since disappeared, also known as a ghost sign!

Abandoned...

An abandoned post-war control tower on the disused RAF Manby airfield in Lincolnshire.

Ripon Cathedral

The High Altar at Ripon Cathedral

We stopped at Ripon on the way home from camping at Bishop Monkton. The plan was to find a cafe for breakfast, but I couldn't resist spending a few minutes exploring the cathedral. :-)

The Library at Ripon Cathedral

Red Dragonfly

This afternoon we visited Belton House near Grantham. While exploring the gardens I noticed a few red dragonflies hovering around the ponds, possibly Common Darters?

Dragonfly or Damselfly?

I went for a walk along the River Witham yesterday and spotted these. Does anyone know what species they are? :-)

Vertical Sundial

LUCEM DEMONSTRAT UMBRA - The shadow shows the light

I've been looking out for vertical sundials after noticing one on Saint Botolph's in Boston. This one was spotted above the entrance to York Minster. :-)

Small Copper Butterfly

I spotted this Small Copper in the garden and it kindly waited while I went to fetch the camera :-)

Stoke Bruerne

Stoke Bruerne is a picturesque village on the Grand Union Canal and home to Blisworth Tunnel, the U.K.'s third longest canal tunnel at 2.8km :-)

East Gill Force

East Gill Force is close to the Yorkshire village of Keld. The waterfall drops 4.5m shortly before East Gill meets the River Swale. We visited the falls yesterday after spotting them by chance on the map :-)