A Grand Day Out

 Our friend Keith came to stay with us for a couple of days after Easter and, as has become customary when he comes to visit, we had an afternoon out and about with our cameras. We headed back to a location we visited at the start of Autumn 2025, Worthington Lakes. On our previous visit we had only explored the lower lake. This time we headed straight for the upper lake and set about enjoying finding some colour in the pools of light shining through the trees. 

We enjoyed finding bluebells and dandelion flowers. We also saw what looked like a few hardy snowdrops in the shade that were still in bloom months after their variety had showed up and left when the daffodils appeared. Further investigation suggests they may be Whitebells. Whatever they are, the spring flowers grabbed my full attention. I soon finished my roll of Kodak Gold in my Nikon F801s and switched to Ilford HP5 whilst continuing with colour film and Kodak ColorPlus in my OM10. 

On our journey around the upper lake it soon became clear we would have a problem. Keith was using his faithful mobility scooter, Nedward and we began to encounter sections that Nedward wasn't quite powerful enough to conquer. Steep slopes on the path and more than a few protruding roots had us both using our limited mobility to literally drag Nedward past the obstacles in our way. 

I'm not saying it was easy, but to a couple of Lancashire lads with a stubborn streak a mile wide, It was a challenge that had to be answered. We refused to be beaten. Off Roading with a mobility scooter is not something we ever thought we would do, but it was a lot of fun, despite using up all our energy and having to rest a few times along the way. As we say here in Lancashire, It were a grand day out.

I posted my colour film to Analogue Wonderland for processing and I developed my roll of Ilford HP5 at home using Bellini Euro HC 1+31 dilution B for 5 minutes at 20 celcius. Once dry I digitised it with my Nikon D700, Tamron Adaptall 2 90mm f/2.5 macro lens, Valoi 35mm film holder, Pixl-Latr and A5 size led light pad. I processed the RAW files with Affinity Studio.

I am happy with the photos from our grand day out. I enjoyed photographing the colour of spring and the wildfowl busy feeding on the grass or begging from the humans as one enterprising Hissing Cobra Chicken tried on me without success. I don't feed the wildlife I encounter, they do perfectly ok without me spoiling their diet. My black and white photos are ok and properly reflect the day going from sunny to overcast about half way around the reservoir. It was a bit gloomy on the path, but we managed it despite the challenges put before us.

Here's a few favourites from our grand day out. As always I have placed them and more in albums on Flickr you can visit using the links below. There's also some Cherry Blossom photos there too, which I will talk about next week for my annual Sakura Hanami. I hope you enjoy them. 

Grand Day Out - Ilford HP5+ 400
Grand Day Out - Kodak Gold 
Grand Day Out - Kodak ColorPlus