Swim Swan Swim

Our unexpected day off school was spent with Mam and Dad. After yesterday's laziness, we headed over to Talkin Tarn (a "tarn" is a small lake) for a walk. There's a nice walk around the edge and we ambled around fairly slowly, looking at the ice, the birds and the big hotel that might be developed into houses (though local suspicion is that it will accidentally burn down one these days....)

Here's a swan doing that fluffed out thing they're so keen on at this time of year. This is a sort of tribute (ie blatant copying) of a shot I saw on blip a while ago. I had in my head that it was one of Daily Post's or maybe DogenZenji, but now I just can't find it anywhere. Anyway, whoever you are - thanks for the inspiration.

I quite liked this one of the Tarn too - mainly because hours (ok, not hours but more than 10 minutes) of photoshopping was involved but I don't think it looks too overdone. I've been mucking around lately with adding graduated filters in PS but I'm not sure any of the results are subtle enough yet for public exposure. I might hide some away on flickr.

Anyway, walk was followed by pub lunch and going our separate ways. Once back in the village, the day was too nice to spend indoors so we headed straight to the beach for another walk and bumped into an old friend - we were at college with him way back (eek 22 years ago) who has moved to our village and has a kid Conor's age. I know all the stuff about coincidences being just that, and any set of circumstances being as likely as any other - but it is still kind of odd. Nice odd though.

Then home to a freezing house and bags of washing.

EDIT: Felt the background should be darker to get what I was after, so changed the pic. The other one is here. Just don't tell me they look the same....