Deer Ridge.

Pentax K1000, Kodak BW 400CN 135, ISO 400.

Up early today to finish packing, eat some breakfast and leave the house in a sensible state for our return next week. The journey down was a bit hot and sticky, and we were bunched up next to other folk from Aberdeen to Newcastle. Luckily, we arrived just in time to catch a train to Harrogate with minimal waiting, where Dad picked us up and drove us home. It was super-sunny, so we sat out in the garden and Mum brought us wine, cheese and macadamia nuts. Amazing!

We decided to take a quick drive to Studley Royal for a wander around the lake. There were some very angry geese who hissed at me when I got too close to their not-so-wee ones, so no gosling-shots for me. Mum finds it hilarious that I'm still a bit scared of geese. Until I was seven, we lived near Grimsby and Mum and Dad used to take me to People's Park (looking back, that's a lovely name). One day, I was feeding the ducks and a MASSIVE goose gambolled up to me, hissed, and snatched at the bread in my hand. I screamed and turned away, and it nipped the back of my calf - ouch! I looked back towards it just as it stretched forward and snatched at my hand again and it whipped my glove right off my hand. It launched into the lake and left my glove floating right in the centre of the water. I've never got over that. Childhood trauma.

We sat by the lake for ages, enjoying the sun and watching the tufted ducks and a large swan who was too chilled-out to bother moving, or even looking at me, as I knelt by him taking photos.

As we drove back through the deer park, the sun was beginning to dip and most folk had gone home, so the deer were grazing close to the road. They're really nervy, so it took me ages to creep up on them and take this photo of them on the crest of the hill. This was with my 50mm lens, so I was really quite close! I do have a talent for taking the wrong lens for almost every situation.

When we got home, Mum orchestrated a rather fabulous BBQ with grilled lamb chops, potato salad and mustard-seed green beans. We ate outside in the last of the sun, it was so warm. Later, we put on a film but M and I fell asleep on the sofa almost instantly, shattered from the 5-hour train journey down. The start of a lovely weekend :o)

I'm back-blipping to fill a few gaps left in my journal from taking pictures on my Pentax K1000 - and this has turned out to be my 500th Blip! On 35mm film, too. There are still a few blanks that I have photos for, so this shouldn't really be my 500th... But that's been the style of my journal-keeping from the very beginning, so you shouldn't be surprised :o) Thank you to all those that stop by, and for the lovely comments and stars. A big thanks also to Blipcentral for making this site so ace.