Meandering Wild

THE LOOK

It is so hard to reconcile this look with the power of these amazing predators. Such an intense experience but special at the same time.

Does that make sense???

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ARCTIC HARE

This ball of floof was tucked in behind a rock sheltering from the wind. Their white coat is perfect for the snowy landscape except for when the snow doesn’t arrive. Exposed to predators these hares desperately need the winter to arrive

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SURPRISE

In the north you never know what is going to happen when and having a camera to hand is essential. After yet another toilet run (not all me honest!) we were stuck in the Field Studies Centre as a bear pottered through.

Having a small group and great guide meant we could leave as soon as it was safe.

I’m not sure who was more surprised - us or the bear as he peered around the corner of the building shortly after we left.

Keeping the 100m required distance gave this young bear a chance to look around the building, make a decision and safely go on with his bimble in search of a suitable place to snooze and wait for winter to arrive.

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FIRST AND LAST

Going through my images slowly this week after a stunning week with , blueskychurchill and a day with , I realise that we had a regular visitor.

First encountered on our first day in buggyland eating something buried in the willows, we then bumped into each other at the east end of polar bear alley the next day and then at the gun range a few days later. Our final farewell was at White Whale Lodge where we watched him walk off into the tundra - the perfect end to my time with the bears.

My first and last bear with so many memories in between. Not beautiful stunning images but the story of a wandering bear waiting for winter to arrive.

Distinctive markings made this individual so easy to identify unless seaweed snoozing leaves the same marking on all polar bears!! Do you reckon this is the same bear?

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TOLERANCE

As a mum there is only so far your young can push you! This cub was on the boundary of tolerance for his mum as he tried to play and she just took it!

This was an early morning find on a superb tour with

RED FOX

This stunning chap gave us the run around a for a while first of all exploring the coast then heading along the railway lines of the port before hunting in the long grass by the road.

He was so beautiful that we didn’t want to move on to polar bears.

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BLACK TONGUE

A little tundra buggy trip to see polar bears with before 5 days of photography. Was good to remember how to use my camera again, get over the excitement of my first ever bear encounter and generally shake down from 50 hours of travel.

The weather was drizzly fog and so grey it never really got light but we pushed through and got some nice first day memory pictures.

This bear was asleep for most of the time we were with him, but a brief 5 minutes stretch, roll and groom after being disturbed by another bear interrupting his snooze was worth the wait.

What surprised us was the second bear almost tripped over him, not sure who was more surprised but after a sniff and a walk around each other they both went quietly on with their lives.

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HARTLAND POINT

As some of you who have been on adventures with me know I am on a mission to visit every lighthouse in the UK. This has been an ongoing project but over 2/3 of the way there now. This is #231!

Hartland Point Lighthouse sits on the north Devon coast close to Bideford and can be reached down an incredibly narrow road or along the South West Coast Path. Despite being used to narrow country lanes living in Somerset, the road to Hartland Point was a bit of a white knuckle ride in places.
However the journey was worth it. We arrived and parked up and then followed the path over the hill to the viewpoint where the lighthouse sits precariously on the edge at the bottom of the cliffs. The waves were crashing along the cliffs even on a relatively good day. Goodness knows what it is like in a big storm.

Another tick on my list!

Do you have any mad lists like this? Would love to start another challenge but need inspiration!

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SEAL PUPS

Very soon the seal pups will start to arrive. Born at the start of winter their lives are tough. Fed by mum for just three weeks before they are alone in the world it is a hard start.

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DEEP THOUGHTS

I am so in love with this young macaque. She was playing along the banks of the river at .bukitlawang tripping over the tree roots as she danced along before pausing.

She was so deep in thought watching another macaque that for a brief moment there was a look of deep concentration.

I loved my stay at this ecolodge. The sounds of the jungle mixed with the rushing river will be something that is etched in my memory. The banana pancakes at breakfast were pretty amazing as well!

Follow the link at the top to read my full review of this beautiful location.

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THE GENEROUS GARDENER

This rose has been full of flower this year. Tucked away left to its own devices it has gone wild, rambling along the back of my garden.

The scent drifts across the garden and more than one small child walking along the lane behind our garden has stopped for a smell.

Not every adventure has to be miles from home. Watch this space for my new series of exploring 1km squares of the map.

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This is the mad world we live in right now. Show David the love his picture deserves.