Denis

2 and 3 are terrific Paul!

My version, tickled in Lightroom and a small tweak with Topaz.

Your stalking paid off Fogey, a great set of images you have caught yourself

Thought I would give this image a bit of a colour boost when processing it. it was taken ealier in the year on one of my solitary walks along the River Stort and was the first real sunny day of the year after what seemed a very long wet dull winter.

Nikon D7500-Tokina 11-16mm DXII.

Much appreciated that this was picked, I had almost given up trying to get a photo of any Dragonfly on this particular day, just about to pack up and it settled on a  reedstem in a pond about 11 foot away !

Manual focus on my Nikon 200-500mm lens

Zoos are not places I really like , but provide a look and insight into these magnificent incarcerated creatures .

Great feather detail Geoff, especially so on a normally very reluctant subject!

6 hours ago, Ryewolf said:

but I'd guess you'd still want a go at driving it....

I would give it a spin Geoff, trying to find someone locally with an old Volvo F88 who could let me relive my first impressions of the first big truck I drove when I got my HGV at 21 years old.... Jeez.. 46 years ago

Peterbillt 359 or 363 by the look of it, eye candy but not a patch on a modern Scania or a Volvo for driver comfort and safety

33 minutes ago, Ryewolf said:

 you've got some interesting cloud formation.

The beauty of that Tokina lens Geoff

Stretching eighteen miles from Portland to West Bay, Chesil beach Or Chesil Bank as it is known locally is a World Heritage site and part of the Jurassic coast.

A great set Matt, all good and cant pick a fave as they all have their merits

It has been a rotten year for so many,and a strange one for myself retiring into a lockdown. Love the photo you have created there John,a great sky!  so glad your skills have not left you and good to see you back. I have had a few months off myself having just posted my first images from this year.

Cute little fellow eh?, Reds are a lot more pleasing to the eye than our Greys !

Very good pics of these little locos, I would never have thought the oldest one was really 'that' old ! Seems that design ran and ran.

Ha! we did too

56 minutes ago, Paul said:

They look so pale compared to native snails.

Paul.

It may be something to do with the fact they only thrive in a chalky soil Paul.

The field behind once had a large country mansion, that went too Geoff

He is a charmer James, not seen a frog for a few years now, maybe not looking close enough!

This is the time of year to check waterways, lakes and ponds Fogey, they are out there

We have a colony of these giant edible snails not very far from us. Introduced by the Romans, these have flourished for over 2000 years locally. The shells of  these two measured just over 38mm wide and 41mm tall I didnt get the total length but you have to see 'em to believe 'em!

That is a super photo Geoff (now polish yer bonnet to get better reflections ready for the next bug )

Fascinating Paul, just fascinating you really are a master of your craft. 

A view across the River Ash valley... and those with good eyesight will just about see Canary Wharf in East London a comfortable 21.5 miles away   If you can't I switched to my 500 mm lens and took a photo from the same spot...