Happily Ever After

Life in The Rural Retreat with a beautiful wife, three cats, garden wildlife, a camera, a computer – and increasing amounts about running

Earlier posts can be found on Adventures of a Lone Bass Player, where this blog began life. Recent entries can be found here.

Fine Judgement

by admin - 18:04 on 26 March 2010

The weather-delayed results of Cromarty Camera Club's natural history competition were revealed yesterday evening to an eager audience and proved yet again that there's no accounting for judges.

Of the thirty-eight entries, the visiting expert (who admits to generous marking) gave a maximum score of twenty to six of them. Three of these belonged to the absent Dolphin James and all inspired rhapsodies of praise from the Serious Lens whose task it was to pick a winner.

So it seemed a bit perverse that none of them won. Instead, the nod went to a blue tit of which he'd earlier made some slight criticism. Very confusing.

Sadly, it wasn't my blue tit, who scored a mere nineteen, as did my cheetah. My giraffe calf did make it into the top-scoring six but was discarded before the blue tit won its battle with a gannet. Such is life. But I'm still happy with my efforts.

More matters of a photographic nature were discussed today when I met two like-minded friends (whose names won't be revealed yet in case it all ends in tears) to make progress on our dream of a bumper book of glossy Black Isle snappery.

Progress was made, and a photo expedition agreed in which we'll begin the search for new snaps to supplement those already collected on our hard drives.

As a relatively recent resident of Eilean Dubh, my contribution to the photographic feast is not great but I was able to find a few snaps worthy of a place alongside those of my betters. Here's one of them: an artfully cropped version of a dramatic sky over Chanonry Point that I captured last year. Panoramic or what?

Pine Marten Update: Since finding his way back into The Nutella Tree three nights ago, our stealthy visitor has not returned. Ploughing in the surrounding fields may be the reason, or perhaps he is a she and new life has intervened. I'll keep watching.

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