Christmas Market at the British Library

Not only for nerds. These December days, when various places across London host traditional Christmas markets, the British Library also opens it doors. With a little cute Christmas market outside...

Maybe, the British Library Christmas tree could have loads of books on it? ;)

The Christmas continues inside the library.

And for nerds, too!

A few micros on Christmas decorations, the latter ones always make my heart warm and bring the feelings of childhood.

Camera: Canon 6D, Lens: Canon 24-105mm f4 L

Needles Weebles

Sometimes a little journey moment brings a big smile onto the face. A little place at the Needles, Isle of Wight, is can do it for sure. This photo is from a little yard of a cottage at the Needles. The tiny yard is full of wisdom, and inhabitants from... anywhere in the world, real, or not. The first piece of the yard is here.

Lens: Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 L

Corfe Castle Catches the Moon

A rare view should not be missed. Dramatical ruins of the Corfe castle, Dorset are lit by the warm sunset ray, but look, the moon is already there, almost full and clearly seen in the sky!

A little peek of the Peak District ‹ Fotoble

Golden hour shots from Peak District, England. Splendid still beauty!

A little peek of the Peak District ‹ Fotoble

Hiking in Yorkshire Dales National Park. Day One

Yorkshire is really beautiful any time of year and at any weather. The photos below definitely prove hat!

See more photos on:

http://fotoble.com/hiking-in-yorkshire-dales-day-one

Bibury and Winter in Cotswolds

A village-picture, one of the most famouse English postcard images, when in bloom, and the one called by William Morris "the most beautiful village in England", - Bibury in Cotswolds, as it is in the snow. The 17th century cottages covered in white do not seem to have lost a smallest piece of their beauty in the mild post-sunset light.

Broadway Tower, Cotswolds

A beautiful place in Cotswolds is the Broadway Tower on the Broadway Hill, the second high point in Cotswolds after Cleeve Hill. There is something magical about this tower, standing alone on the hill and overlooking the neighborhood. Despite the fact that to get there in the high snow is almost impossible on a 'hair dryer engine', it is so worthy a walk up to the hill.

Plenty of sheep like the Tower. 

And with the thorough look deer can be also spotted.

Apparently, the Broadway Tower is the perfect place for winter fun both for children, and for adults, - not counting dogs!

Stow-on-the-Water

Another cute spot in Cotswolds, England is located twenty minutes drive from Bourton-on-the-Water, and even called similarly: Stow-on-the-Water. The downtown is all in snow, as expected.

The Gnomme's place spotted. I have tried to fit, and I couldn't!

  

After a nice but freezing walk it is always nice to get inside for some warm up.

Bourton-on-the-Water or Bourton on the Snow?

When the snow never stops falling, and winter finally justifies its definition of being a white season, why not to go to one of the most beautiful places in England, Bourton-on-the-Water in the Cotswolds?

These photos were made during the showy walk of the last weekend trip in the picturesque High Street of the Bourton-on-the-Water, Gloucestershire.

There is always streaming water in Bourton-on-the-Water.

 Winter fairy-tale of the one of the ten prettiest villages in England continues even when almost all tea-rooms, restaurants and museums are closed.

 The short walk in such a romantic place is so nice, and is also nice to look at the snow from the window staying warm.

Romantic Bourton-on-the-Water at the sunset light.

 Calm, peaceful and incredibly romantic, called 'Little Venice' of the Cotswolds.

Not too many visitors on the open terraces of the usually overcrowded tea-rooms.

Winter paradox? Oh, in the Hobgoblin pub one can be warmed up if not scared yet!

Back to 2012

As the New 2013 Year is quickly approaching, it may be nice to look back at some moments left in the year 2012. Somewhere in the second middle of 2012 I have started this blog. Not that much of experience yet and not really promoting, only shared with my family and friends. But even to make this possible, greatest thank you to someone who made one of the best Birthday gifts ever, my lovely Canon, and who inspired me for everything created, and is inspiring even more ;)

A lot of good material is still not added, as so much to learn yet, and swept-out me is still trying to battle with some oceanic size waves of the photo material. Nevertheless, was so nice to discover that it is a hard job to choose twelve posts of the leaving year.

The blog start has happened just before the Olympic 2012 started in London. So, obviously being in Olympic London was a good opportunity to share the spirit of the world's most awaited  sport competition. I was lucky enough to have the Olympic Torch Relay passing by my offices before the Games.

And the Team GB full of medals parading on 21 floats afterwards.

   

Both the Olympics and Paralympics were not missed either. Not only I followed the Paralympics tightly and even tried myself in the sport journalism with conducting the interviews with Paralympic athletes and coaches, but also was cheering for the athletes at the Olympic events such as thriathlon, cycling, female football, foil fencing finalle:

and archery. Here, btw, the only one qualified Iraqi (and female!) athlete of the Games 2012, Al-Mashhadani Rand  as participated. And despite the results was maybe the most cheered and warmly supported athlete of the Games by the visitors:

My personal warmest memories were filled with some really sweet people (is that is why the country called Sweden?) including one little but incredibly cute, smart and independent creature...

If not the Battle of Hastings of 1066 and dedicated to it scenes from the Saxon rural life of those times, I would not know how many people like history and reading... If not the love to the cute babies in general and Alexandra in particular, this article would be the most read for the entire time of my blog.

Another thing mastered in the past year was the night photography. I even entered some dodgy photocompetition with a bit crazy London Eye. With more lights, less light, shining in blue, white, red and yellow, now, I love the nights in my camera!

It was also fun to have a different experience of the urban photography.

What is good about London - there is always something on, and often in your area and unexpected, like ice-cream festival at King's Cross St. Pancras, or a Christmas Market in Jamie's Oliver restaurant Fifteen. The most surprise for me was probably the feather snow just at the end of Paralympic: never before have I seen so many adults with absolutely marvellous childish happiness!

After several years living in London, I finally managed going to musicals. The unforgettable experience has started with brilliant Chicago. Well done was the timing - it appeared to be the last day of the performance of 25 years of the Chicago on London stage.

The second part of the 2012 was also the the good time to travel around England. Never before have I seen so much of English countryside. There are collections of English beauty on the way but one of the interesting events attended and published was the Fish Festival held on the last summer day in the small Cornwall fishing village Newlyn.

Sometimes while travelling I saw really funny things:

And I hope to find even more, and to share them... as I see them through my lens ;)

Happy New Year to my friends!