"Cleared for Takeoff"

I needed today!
I actually needed three days before the weekend for all the preparation required so I really needed to work BUT I also needed a day off.
Thankfully I had already planned a day out so the day off won! ....... Not sure how I am going to get everything done now though!

Fantastic day with SueT123 and Carrie at Yarrow Valley Country Park. We started with a hot chocolate, well you have to don't you! Then we had an hour of photography, followed by lunch and then another 2.5hrs photography. It was a nice little walk around the lake and along the river to the weir. The weather was fine and late afternoon we caught some golden sun. We did get rather chilly though, especially towards the end, and I haven't quite managed to warm up properly yet.

It was the sort of day for details rather than landscapes. I was pleased with a few of my shots and couldn't decide which to blip. Sue and I spent a while focusing on this swan, willing it to spread its wings or even take off. We had almost given up when it suddenly decided to fly! I got a short series but it was fast going out of my viewfinder and I couldn't keep up with it. I was quite happy with this one though and decided it had to be the blip as I don't often catch birds in flight! More splashes when viewed large.

If you are interested, I have posted my other shots of the day on Flickr.

UPDATE
Yeah! Carrie has now joined blip!