Burning bright?

Originally uploaded by Szczur

Yes, burning bright, but I'm not talking about the tiger. I'm stuck at home with a mean ol' virus so I can't work. I have a temperature high enough to roast a hog (whole) and I'm on anti-viral drugs that make me smell funny.... anyhoo... all this means I might actually post a few pictures this week.

There are tigers in the zoo in Poznan. They're big. They breed too. Last year a couple of babies were born and now, as you see, they're growing. What I find most worrying about these guys is the fact that they only appear to be contained by a rather ordinary looking garden fence, as you see here. Their enclosure is very large, however, and maybe has some secondary fence that visitors can't really see.

To get a half decent shot of the kitties you need a long lens and some time. Worth the wait though huh?

Sieraków

Originally uploaded by Szczur

I'm getting a bit behind on this whole blog thing again. Sorry.
Anyway....

There is a smallish town, not far from Poznan in Poland, called Sieraków. Odd place. It has a seaside sort of atmosphere. There are hotels and guest houses, ice-cream shops and arcades. All the usual seaside crap in fact. Funnily enough though, it's a good 300 km from the nearest coastline. The water you see here is a lake.

Aint it funny how often things are not what they appear?

Next!

Next!
Originally uploaded by Szczur

I felt the swans were a little too non-seaside-ish so I'm making up for it today with more gulls.

Swans

Swans
Originally uploaded by Szczur

So, I went off to the seaside in June promising pictures... and disappeared. Lots has happened in the time between, which I won't go into, but I'm back now.

Have some swans.

They happened by as I was eating bubble-gum flavoured ice-cream at Kolobrzeg on Poland's Baltic coastline.


A little later, one of this group decided to pose for a portrait.

Maybe

Maybe
Originally uploaded by Szczur

There's a storm coming in.

Maybe.

I kinda hope not cos I'm off to the seaside for a week.
Hopefully I'll have a few summery themed pics to show off afterwards - though very likely they'll be just wet sand.

Ho hum.

Glow
Originally uploaded by Szczur

It's amazing how much easier it is to see things when they're not as you're used to seeing them.

Blue.

Blue isn't around much. Most natural things are odd shades of brown or green. Change that for electric blue and this poor likkle creature has vessels of pure energy coursing through it's wings. Uhh... I guess it would be nice to see other things differently.

Politics for example.

Visitor

Visitor
Originally uploaded by Szczur

My lodger had a visitor last night. I was a bit worried but the fact that he looks so scary but when he looked at me that pleading look in so many of the facets of his eyes, I just had to let him in.

As it turned out, he was the perfect house guest and politely sat on a piece of white paper for me while I got a few snaps of him.

Some time after the photo session was over, our chum here got a bit restless and started buzzing in an angry kind of a way so I scarpered. When I came back a bit later, he'd made lots of little red dots on the bit of paper he was (still) sitting on. One of the dots was still wet and, when I plucked up the nerve to get close enough to examine the dot, it turned out to be a blob of some red liquid. Is this wasp/bee/hornet blood? Is it venom? Either way, it wasn't pretty and I ejected my guest forthwith.

The lodger didn't seem too concerned.

I threw him out too.

Face to face with a monster

Face to face with a monster
Originally uploaded by Szczur

Well, my lodger turned out to be a moth, not a butterfly. I'd originally assumed it was a butterfly because of the amazing blue colour of its wings, but, apparently moths are pretty too - it's the shape of their wings that counts.
Anyway, here he is smiling for the camera.





Pity he's not a butterfly really cos his yellowish eyes made me think butter-full-eyes.


Sorry. Poor joke, I know.

Lodger

Lodger
Originally uploaded by Szczur

This little guy is lodging with me. I nearly stepped on him when I came out of work today. I cursed cos I didn't have a camera with me, then remembered my cellphone has one. The phone camera is sooo poor that I had to get very very close to get anything resembling clarity - which was when I realised this chap wasn't going anywhere. I picked him up on a piece of paper and took him home. He agreed to pose for a few photos in exchange for a lettuce leaf. Odd really, seeing that butterflies don't eat. I can only imagine that he was too tired to haggle. Anyhoo... anyone know what species he is?

Skansen

Skansen
Originally uploaded by Szczur.

One of the carefully restored wooden houses on display at the skansen (folk museum) in Wdzydze (trying saying that when you've had a few), a village in the Bory Tucholskie national park in Poland. The museum is the oldest of it's kind in the country and well worth a visit if you're in the area.

I suggest a stiff drink if you need to ask for directions. :D

Three photos in a week? I have to admit I've been fairly happy with May's photos.

Bugged!

Bugged!
Originally uploaded by Szczur.

Specially for Jane, folks'll think I've gone mad..... posting twice in a month. No flies on me!!

Swan

Swan
Originally uploaded by Szczur.

Swan swam over the sea
Swim swan swim!
Swan swam back again
Well swum swan.

I've been away.
Now I'm back.
Moved house.....
Completed doctorate.....
Took photos.....
Here's one, just some bird I noticed. :)