This was a reward for the habit I am trying to get into when I'm popping to the shop in my town - via the scenic route of course - the habit of slipping the camera into my pocket. I feel like I should be on commission for this little Lumix TZ70 camera, but I still can't quite get over having this much imaging and telephoto power all wrapped up in something that in the old days we would call 'the size of a fag packet'. It is a nifty bit of kit and won't break the bank either. Today the heron was happy to pose and diverted me for no more than five minutes on the way for a lunchtime snack. Me that is, not the heron. It was most accommodating, I can almost forgive it for eating my trout.
I'm still getting to grips with my new compact camera and I'm trying to acquire the habit of putting it in my pocket whenever I go out. Trouble is, what with the camera, handlens, pocket binoculars, sound recorder, smartphone... I am starting to feel like a one-person mini-media storm looking for someone to break over. Oh well, no one said it was going to be easy. A quick late morning walk round the block and up onto the canal today. It was a lovely light. Shooting into bright sun is always unpredictable but often seems to produce pleasant surprises. Here are a few pics from Newtown Marina on the Peak Forest Canal, complete with fading Christmas decorations on the barges.