In my Backyard
Blog 05/04/20
I don’t know what it is, but you know you’re in Kefalonia Greece from the aroma that assails you as soon as you step off the plane, it’s a wonderful deeply herbal smell that infuses the senses.
One of the largest of the Ionian islands and probably one of the most unspoilt, Kefalonia is situated off the west coast of Greece. The island seems to have escaped at the moment mass tourism but has gained popularity in recent years following it’s use as the location for Louis de Bernières ”Captain Corelli’s Mandolin” which was filmed in the old Sami area.
The island is developed mainly around the coastal edges with pretty fishing villages and breathtakingly beautiful beaches and although the south has lovely sandy beaches, I prefer the more rugged beaches and crystal blue waters to the north and east of the island like Assos, Mytos & Fiscardo
If there is a holiday destination which can offer something for everyone, Kefalonia is it. Those looking for peace and tranquillity will be happier with the smaller resorts, which offer lovely beaches, traditional restaurants and a few secluded bars, while those looking for something a little more lively, will be more at home in one of the livelier resorts like Skala or Argostoli where you will find many a chic bar or Restaurant.
Cuisine
The cuisine is an important part of your holiday in Kefalonia, as fresh produce is used to create beautifully tasty dishes, from freshly caught fish to locally grown vegetables. The tavernas, dotted around the island provide a great atmosphere, delicious food and are a great place to while away a lazy evening.
Two personal recommendations I have are.. The Miklotos Family Restaurant in Skala which has an amazing atmosphere as well as superb food and great menu choices plus the most amazing customer service, the restaurant is busy every night and is #1 on our list of must visit restaurants, I personally do not go anywhere else.
Another great favourite of mine is Ireda’s in Fiscardo, this is a family-run restaurant which has been trading for over 5 decades, the homemade bread is to die for along with locally sourced sardines and fresh pasta.
Having enjoyed your dinner, you can head over to one of the late-night bars that provide a wide selection of exciting cocktails and a warm and welcoming atmosphere.
Places to stay
There are many places to stay in Kefalonia and many villas to apartments to rent, so in the first instance I would advise trip advisor as a good start, I have stayed in to hotels in the last few years The San Giorgio and The Regina Dell Acqua.
Places to visit
There are many places to visit in Kefalonia, among my favourites are Melissani Lake Melissani Cave(Greek Μελισσάνη) or Melissani Lake, also Melisani is a cave located northwest of Sami, about 5 km SE of Agia Efthymia, NE of Argostoli and NW of Poros. The Ionian Sea lies to the east with the Strait of Ithaca. Forests surround the cave and the mountain slope is to the west. the water in the cave is translucent blue and crystal clear.
Fiscardo & Assos
Fiscardo village and the dense forest in the surrounding area have been declared areas of great natural beauty and are protected under Greek law. In recent years a small tourist industry has developed, centred on luxury villas in the area around the village.
This place is a must-visit for all travelling tourists in Kefalonia as mentioned the Restaurant Iridas is a great culinary experience.
Assos is a stunning little bay on the way to Fiscardo with charming taverners and is truly local, it reminds me of Mamma Mia, there is a little bay for swimming and is well worth the drive down to the bay.
There are so many places to visit I can’t speak about them all! but be assured you will have a great time here in Kefalonia, As for photography well I don’t put the camera down when I’m here so much colour and culture. check out some of the photos I have taken here
So that's me for this blog, I hope you have enjoyed this edition.
Check out my Kefalonia Gallery Click Here
Speak soon and thanks for reading.
Vince
Blog 01/05/20
Good evening everyone,
it's great news that things are starting to stabilize in Jersey and I really hope that things get better for all of us, we are now have 4 hours and to do the things we want to do which for me is photography so that's fantastic I'm looking forward to sharing some of my future images with you...
I thought I'd chat around rainbows this evening there's been a fair few around lately including this which was around a little while ago.I think quite lucky to be in the right place at the right time with rainbows in Jersey but other times I've been driving didn't have my camera with me and there have been the most beautiful sites
Here's a bit on how they are created by nature
A rainbow is formed when light (generally sunlight) passes through water droplets hanging in the atmosphere. ... When light reflects off a water droplet, it simply bounces back in the opposite direction from where it originated. When light refracts, it takes a different direction.
Most raindrops are spherical rather than the often depicted 'teardrop' shape and it is this spherical shape that provides the conditions for a rainbow to be seen.
The position of the sun and the raindrops in relation to the observer need to be just right for a rainbow to form:
- The sun needs to be behind the viewer
- The sun needs to be low in the sky, at an angle of less than 42° above the horizon. The lower the sun in the sky the more of an arc of a rainbow the viewer will see
- Rain, fog or some other source of water droplets must be in front of the viewer
The size of the raindrops does not directly affect the geometry of a rainbow, but mist or fog tends to disperse the effect more (see fogbows).
Rainbows only appear semi-circular over level ground at sunrise or sunset, when the sun is exactly on the horizon, the majority of the time a smaller segment of an arc is seen.
The bible also mentions rainbows in that God would never flood the earth again after the great flood of Noah's day.
Blog 28/04/20
Good evening everyone,
We have two main castles in Jersey of which Gorey is my favourite with its charm and stunning views over the Royal Bay of Grouville its make the perfect backdrop for landscape photography.
The site had been fortified in the prehistoric period, but the construction of the castle was undertaken following the division of the Duchy of Normandy in 1204. The castle was first mentioned in 1212.
The castle was the primary defence of Jersey until the development of gunpowder which then rendered the castle ultimately indefensible from Mont Saint Nicholas, the adjacent hill which overlooks the castle. Mont Orgueil was updated with platforms for artillery constructed in 1548 and 1549 under the direction of Henry Cornish, Lieutenant of the Earl of Hertford in Jersey. Cornish complained that earlier repairs to the donjon by Robert Raymont had left it so weak it was vulnerable to musket shot; In 1543 he had asked for a "saker" cannon that would cover the sands between "Grovyll" and the castle, where the French had landed in the past.
Mont Orgueil was to be superseded by Elizabeth Castle off Saint Helier, the construction of which commenced at the end of the 16th century. Walter Raleigh, Governor of Jersey in 1600, rejected a plan to demolish the old castle[3] to recycle the stone for the new fortifications with the words: "pity to cast it down".
Blog 25/04/20
Good evening everyone, hope you're having a great weekend so far?
Tonight's blog is about the beautiful St Ouens bay, exposed to the Atlantic weather and tides it makes an amazing backdrop for photography another one of my favourite places and there are a few miles of coastline to photograph,
Here's a little bit about the area
The Island has the third largest tidal range in the world and on spring tides the difference between low and high tide can be almost 12 m, which compares to only 2-5m experienced by English coasts. The Bailiwick of Jersey doubles its area between high and low water spring tides and the Countryside Character Appraisal has been extended to include the large intertidal area.
Saint Ouen (Jèrriais: Saint Ouën) is one of the twelve parishes of Jersey in the Channel Islands. It is in the north-west of Jersey. The parish is the largest parish by surface area, covering 8,341 vergées (15 km²).
It is reputed to be the most traditional of the parishes, being the farthest from Saint Helier and with much of the territory of the parish forming a peninsula. Its manor, Saint Ouen's Manor, the seat of the de Carteret family for over eight centuries.
Many more photos of this area can be found in my Landscape page Jersey Landscape Gallery
Blog 23/04/20
Good evening everyone,
I hope you've had a nice day it's been the most beautiful weather, tonight's blog is about my Grandpa sort of!
The day my grandfather died was a dark day for me and I took the day off of work and one of the things I do to escape is to go out with the camera. I went out in the day but went out again in the evening and I thought I'd go out again and catch the sunset. I find I take my best shots when I'm down
As I was driving along the five-mile road I did notice this cloudbank up on the right heading towards Grosnez, I thought I'd just take a few shots up there, it was a beautiful evening with lovely clouds so I snapped away and then headed home
When I got home and I thought I'll just have a look at what I've taken today, my wife gel said to me, can you see what the clouds are doing above the castle? I looked and looked again and said yes there's like a massive winged dragon descending on an ancient castle.
We don't know what goes on in the afterlife however I'm sure my grandfather was looking down on me that night and this picture remains one of the most intriguing pictures of ever shot
I hope you have enjoyed reading this snippet from my life.
A bit about the Castle.
Sir John des Roches ordered the castle built around 1330, about the time of the start of the Hundred Years' War. The castle's purpose was to provide local farmers with a place of safety from French attacks.
The walls are of local granite and are thickest on the landward side. The castle's position on a clifftop 200 ft (~ 60 m) above the sea means that the natural features of the site protect it on three sides. A ditch dug into the rock provides protection on the fourth side. The remains of ruined walls, mostly footings, are still present
A drawbridge and portcullis protected the gatehouse, which is the only substantial surviving remnant, and would have made it difficult to capture. there are traces of six simple buildings the castle, though, had a number of weaknesses: there were no sally ports for counterattacks.
Until my next blog
Best regards
Vince
Blog 21/04/20
Good Evening everyone,
Have you seen the Black Dog? I Love a spooky Tale!
Many years ago, the people of Trinity talked of a huge, black dog, with eyes the size of saucers, that roamed the cliff paths round Bouley Bay dragging its chain behind it.
The sound of the chain would frighten people so much that they would stop in their tracks only to be caught by the dog. The dog would then circle its victim at great speed in order to terrify them further.
No bodily harm was ever done to the victims, but they were usually found cowering against a hedge in a state of shock after their encounter with the Black Dog. Due to this, the slightest mention that the dog had been heard was enough to send people hurrying back to their homes.
But did the dog ever exist, or did smugglers make him up, so that scared parishioners wouldn't see them landing secret stores of brandy and tobacco?
The question as to the whether the Black Dog of Bouley Bay was ever real, has always attracted fierce debate, in both Jersey and the wider world. The three most famous images of the creature still feature heavily in global publications of mythology and folklore, and have been the subject of numerous investigations and research projects of zoological institutions, universities and by privately funded individuals for scientific journals - amidst claim and counterclaim as to their authenticity:
It is still said that if you do see Le Chien de Bouley, there will be a storm. I love Bouley Bay, it’s quite a lonely place but always great for a photo, if you are a visitor on misty evening at dusk you may just catch a sight of the Black Dog.
Blog Date 20/04/20
Good evening everyone, I hope you are all well and are enjoying reading my blog.
For this evening's blog, I want to talk about Seymour tower in the Royal Bay of Grouville, have any of you ever walked out to it it's a great walk however it needs to be done when the tide is ebbing.
Here's a bit of info about the tower and when it was built.
Seymour Tower is a coastal defence tower built on a rocky tidal island called L'Avarison, located 2 km (1.25 miles) east of the shoreline of Jersey, an area included in Jersey's South-East coast Ramsar site acquired by Jersey Heritage in 2006.
The tower was constructed in 1782 following the Battle of Jersey January 1781), it has since been used for self-catering accommodation in conjunction with Jersey Heritage.
An amazing feature of walking out here in the dark which again needs to be done with caution is the beautiful bioluminescence in the water found only in this part of Jersey between La Rocque harbour and Seymour, the bioluminescent worms are always a remarkable experience, best seen when there is no moonlight it’s like a scene from Avatar.
I've been out there many times day and night, one of my most successful shots was the milky way above the tower again the milky way is only visible at certain times of the year, as mentioned care needs to be taken when accessing this area at low tide as many people have been caught out by the incoming tide which can easily surround you.
Please find some of my favourite shots.
Until tomorrow.
Vince
Seymour from the reef at sunset
Blog date 19/04/20
Good evening everyone,
I hope you've had a great weekend, even though we're not doing much the weather has been quite palatable. many people have asked how long have you been taking photographs and where my interest came from, well there is a story to be told here.
My late mother Andrea was a very good artist she had amazing drawing talents, mum was not really a photographer, however, her father my late grandfather John Nicolle had many talents.
He was a master cabinet maker and french polisher and during the war he was sent to Alderney to french polish furniture for the German hierarchy, grandpa was also a very keen photographer and from a young age well before I was born, before we had computers the internet or anything like that my grandpa was doing miracles in the darkroom with a camera.
First of all, he used to build his own cameras out of wood & attach some bellows to them. and take pictures of my mother in the garden. not only would he manipulate photographs in the darkroom so two of him would be in one photograph I defy you to see the join something that people like me find hard to do in current modern applications like Photoshop.
So yes I get my interest and talent from my grandfather and my mother and have also passed this talent on to my son who in my opinion is one of the island's leading videographers he has an amazing eye.
I have attached a couple of photographs of my grandpa and his work I hope you enjoy them.
Jersey Landscape Gallery
Until tomorrow
Vince
Good evening everyone,
I hope you're having a fab weekend so far:) again I had the venture out today to do some shopping and thought I would go to have a look at what our beautiful market in the town had to offer, unfortunately, when I got there I would say late morning not a lot of people are shopping there, however, there was a queue 60 people long back to Voisins to get into Marks and Spencers, there was all that I needed right here in the Market. I shopped at Molloy's Greengrocers and went to Lidster's butchers.
Fresh produce some of it locally grown on offer and I was able to shop very easily, there is also 2 butchers stalls that had no queues.
Please support our local growers who supply the market it's all about local now
Good evening everyone,
Welcome to the daily blog I hope you've had a great day, I have had a lot of feedback from people who love reading the blog so may long it continue.
I've had a lot of people asking to see my landscape gallery so I've decided to put a link in the blog so that you can access it
I hope you have a super weekend until tomorrow
Vince
Good evening all,
I hope you have all had a great day,
Who remembers the Borsalino Rocque restaurant on the fringe of the Royal bay of Grouville I so loved that place I spent half of my youth they're either on a Sunday or Saturday evening as the restaurant had everything it had a dance floor it had somewhere you could sit and play games or socialize and then you had the Chic Restaurant where you could go and eat it was just fab, there has been nothing like it since with that sort of atmosphere
From beautiful Sunday lunches, and late summer evenings, dining the night away in their chic bistro-style restaurant and conservatory or just relaxing in the beautifully equipped social area complete with bar and log fire for the winter, and for those late nights the Wackers disco.
I love this area of the island it has so much to give, the beautiful harbour at La Rocque the walk out to Seymour tower with the stunning bioluminescence in the water.
The Oyster beds and muscle posts are a must for visiting on a low tide. Jersey is indeed a beautiful island with beauty that just keep s giving, please enjoy today's Photos
Until tomorrow
Vince
Borsolino Rocque
Rosemary Skelly and the Chef Hans
Mussel Posts
La Rocque
Good evening all,
I hope you have all had a great day,
I was out for a walk early this morning and came across this beautiful Herd basking in the morning light they are so beautiful here are a few facts about them
Until tomorrow
Vince
5 Things about Jersey Cows
- Jersey cows are among the most recognisable cattle in the world! The little dairy breed originates from the Channel Island of Jersey of course, with the first official records dating back to around 1700. They are the second most popular dairy breed in the world!
- They are small-framed, with bulls weighing no more than 820kg on average, while cows weigh about 500kg at most. Their frames are quite dainty, making them an attractive little breed; not to mention their striking long eyelashes!
- Their coat is usually fawn, but they can range from nearly black to a pale tan colour. This darker colour in Jerseys is often called Mulberry! Switches and mouths are usually black, with white hair around the muzzle and in other patches. Their hooves are black and tough.
- Jerseys can adapt very well to extreme temperatures! They can thrive in the hottest parts of South America, but their coat can thicken during cold winters. Irish weather is no problem for this breed since our temperate oceanic climate doesn’t range as far as scorching or arctic temperatures!
- Jersey cows are known for being extremely docile and nosy. Their pleasant temperament makes them a popular addition to farms. However, they can be quite nervous
The Jersey Cow
Good evening all
I had to venture out today to do some shopping and walked up to King Street and it's amazing how nature takes over so quickly I noticed in one of the shop doors weeds were already growing and it's like a shanty town as there are not many people about.
I've also seen photographs in Wales where sheep have taken residence in towns, it's amazing with the absence of humans how nature claims things back.
However out in the wilds of Trinity the blossom is out and looking amazing in the trees in the meadow opposite where I live, here is a picture I took tonight.
Well until tomorrow all the very best to you
Vince
Town
Blossom
Good evening everyone,
I hope you've had a great day it's been incredibly Windy up here in the wilds of Trinity, so for tonight's post I've posted a video from my exhibition last year Shooting light a Photographic Journe which was held at the Harbour Gallery Jersey it really shows off the beauty of the lovely island we live in I really hope you enjoy it
Best wishes
Vince
Bank holiday extra,
Good morning everyone I hope you're having a great bank holiday? The weather is not special and it is extremely windy. I've decided to do two posts today on the blog,
Today we are going to look at the beauty of Corbiere, I've always said as a photographer there is always a different scene to be taken down at this beautiful lighthouse, I've been there when the wind has been howling and I've also been there when there is no wind at all and the difference is phenomenal.
Here are three pictures and a bit more information about the lighthouse... Please share this blog with all of your friends Have a great day everyone and please stay safe
Vince
Corbiere Sunset
La Corbière (Jèrriais: La Corbiéthe) is the extreme south-western point of Jersey in St. Brélade. The name means "a place where crows gather", deriving from the word corbîn meaning crow. However, seagulls have long since displaced the crows from their coastal nesting sites.
The rocks and extreme tidal variation around this stretch of Jersey's coast have been treacherous for navigation and La Corbière has been the scene of many shipwrecks, including that of the mail packet "Express" on 20 September 1859.
Corbiere Storm
Corbiere Reflections
Good evening everyone I hope this message finds you well? Welcome to day 2 of my in my back yard.
First of all a very happy Easter to you all I hope you've had a wonderful day, I know it's been a very different Easter to what we all are used to but one we are sure to remember.
Today I want to focus on the beauty of Jersey, for an island that is 9 by 5 square miles it definitely has a lot of beauty.
I've just been walking in the lanes of Trinity near my house and it seems during this lockdown life seems to have gone back 30 years maybe longer in certain parts of the island families walking. People on bicycles it's reminiscent of how Jersey was a couple of decades ago.
if anything good comes out of this virus it has brought people together, families and people looking after each other. Here are a couple of photographs from this afternoon's walk, the beautiful orchard next to where I live. a family cycling in the lanes so nice to see, and of course beautiful horses basking in the fields and the blossom in the orchard just a few yards from my house.
Please feel free to share this blog with as many people as you would like, I hope the photographs give many people a view of our beautiful island.
Until tomorrow
Vince
Hello everyone,
Welcome to my new Blog In My Backyard
We are indeed living in unusual times, never in the 57 years that I've lived have we seen measures taken to protect ourselves from this evil virus. I've been taking photos for over 48 years and have a vast library of photos which I will be sharing on this blog.
We have all needed to change in some way or another so for me I thought I would create this post which I'm going to update hopefully every day.
As you know we can't wander far from home as we only have 2 hours a day for exercise but I always take a camera with me when I go walking and I'm never far from home, there are always amazing things to take when you're walking through the beautiful lanes of Trinity.
I met a lovely couple this afternoon, of course, applying the social distancing rules and the lady said to me that pictures are healing and yes she is right I've never thought of it that way!
So here it is my first post of this series
In the lanes
There is so much Beauty in the lanes at the moment with the spring flowers in bloom, here are just a couple of photos from today's walk, please enjoy and feel free to comment :) Stay safe Vince x
Next post-Tomorrow night
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