Killer Sunset

Lando C and I faced up to the festive cabin fever last night and decided leave the comforts of the house. We've been cooped up here like chickens trying to fight our infections for over a week now without much luck. He had bought me a magnificent gift for Christmas which we would be able to use on our trip outside, consisting of - G3 lens converter, three filters, a wide-angle macro lens, zoom lens, tripod and other accessories.



The weather was amazing considering this is England and winter is upon us. It was brisk but sunny with great light for taking pictures. I suggested that we visit a place I'd not been to for years and which I'd forgotten the name of. It is an old church on a hilltop which overlooks South Derbyshire. I thought it was called Calke Abbey seeing as there was brown-sign turn off from the A42 which the church overlooks.

As it turns out, Calke Abbey is a completely different place altogether! It was a nice little jaunt though in the sunshine with many sheep and other tourists about. There is an impressive manor-style building with a similarly looking stable and also, as suggested in the name of the destination - an abbey. This however, was not the religious edifice that I was looking for.

Later on, Lando C and I tried to photograph some hungry Blue Tits munching away on hanging bird feeders on a tree near the car-park. Every time we crossed a three metre threshold near to it though, one always chirped to the others warning them that our presence probably meant we were going to steal their souls or something and they collectively flew away. Sadly, the digital zoom just doesn't do the pictures justice.

Eventually, we did find the church on the hill before the sun went down and unlike Calke Abbey, it was pretty desolated. So that I remember for next time, it is at a village called Breedon-on the-Hill just off the A453. The earliest headstone I managed to find without treading on any graves was from 1758.

We tried taking lots of pictures around the church but the lighting by this time started to fade creating really hi-key or extreme over/under exposed conditions.

The best picture I managed to take was about 5 minutes from home as the sun finally went down. I had to pull over, as the sky was so breathtakingly dramatic.

Tonight we are venturing out again to the Broadway to watch House of Flying Daggers. Last night we watched a cool movie that Lando C's parents sent for Christmas from Canada called Hard Core Logo. We'd watched another Bruce McDonald film called Roadkill earlier this holiday which probably due to my Beechams overdose, was a little out there man. Hard Core Logo hit the spot though and rocked!