Today was International Fest day at school. The annual fund raising event with all the different nationalities all having a stall to sell things, goods, food etc from their country. Packed again, nice Belgian beer on sale for a change, plenty of food from all over the place and live music. Which is where Tom played in 2 acts. The first he, Laura and Harry, both classmates played an Adele song.
Have to say, Laura needs to stop with the singing lessons, they’re not working. more »
Short post this one. Lovely Autumn day today, cold, sunny and a heavy mist this morning when I got up. So having taken the kids to school I got home, picked up my camera and Annie (the dog) and I went off into the woods.
A nice stroll, steadily getting cold hands and stopped every now and again when the light was right to take a photo. Didn’t really find a good shot until almost the end, with the light shining through the trees the foliage just lit up an managed this shot. Has to be my favourite, and the only one I kept.
Update: Added a second photo to this, much better I think, taken in November 2012, see below
Seems like most of the UK it never stops snowing at present. Snowed about 15cm a few weeks ago, topped up daily and then went over a couple of days before reappearing with a vengeance 2 days ago. Snowed every day since.
But, like most of Germany they seem to just get on with things. Schools stayed open, people went to work, drives and pathways were cleared and occasionally you see a gritter on the roads but most people have their winter tyres by now so the snow doesn’t become much of an issue. It’s a legal requirement now by the way to have winter tyres on your car. Why the UK doesn’t have such a rule I don’t know, makes the ‘British’ look pathetic when it snow and nothing moves. And it’s not like this part of Germany gets snow usually. Speaking with the locals they say it very rarely snows, but they are prepared for it.
So, camera in hand, of I went to take some photos of the street where out house is, and the forest at the back where we walk the dog. Very nice it was too, even if it was a bit nippy.
Kids were off school so we took a day to go and see a few things we had spotted whilst out and about. In particular, on top of this hill we could see what looked like a metal pyramid. Found more about it on the internet, and it’s known as the Tetraeder, and is made of steel pipes built on a former mining heap. It’s around 50 metres tall, and you can walk to the top of it, great views from there and a decent walk to the top of the hill too. And free, what could be better. 
Decided to take a trip into Düsseldorf to take some photos of some of the popular landmark building there. Didn’t stay too long but had a little potter around the media harbour and took some shots of the Gehry Building, below.
Funky looking, cladded with very shiny aluminium I guess. Can’t seem to figure out why the reflections of the sun don’t blind the passing motorist though. 
Also took a few shots of the Rheinturm, basically a tall tower with the obligatory rotating restaurant at the top. Quite expensive I recall to get to the top, but a great view of Düsseldorf and the surrounding areas.
Finally I saw some old shack, wooden hut just stuck in the middle of a well kept piece of grass by the Rhine, with graffiti all over it so took the opportunity to take some photos and merge them together with a great photo tool to bring out the colours. Reckon it looks pretty cool. 