http://mcgresty.com/index.html as it happens en Fri, 17 Apr 2026 06:21:09 GMT http://mcgresty.com/mgrp/mini-waterfall.html Following months of wet and cold weather, it warmed up somewhat. One day the thermometer read 58 F degrees and the sun was shining with a mild wind, so I set out for a short walk. Fri, 17 Apr 2026 05:58:16 GMT http://mcgresty.com/mgrp/mini-waterfall.html http://mcgresty.com/mgrp/swan-family.html The day began a little warmer with a decent amount of sunshine, so a short trek was in order. A few folk were out and about and I stood at the edge of a lake just watching the water fowl. Trouble is I did not have my camera with me, just a smartphone and only one photo came out. Fri, 03 Apr 2026 03:40:55 GMT http://mcgresty.com/mgrp/swan-family.html http://mcgresty.com/mgrp/some-wanders-about.html Seeing that most of my time is now spent in England, there are ways to get out and about cheaply. The trouble is, over half the country is not accessible by any kind of public tansport. I have a Freedom Pass, available to over 60's in London (for all public transport after rush hour) and I can travel on buses free anywhere in the nation. A Senior Rail Pass gives me 30 percent off train fares, plus the National Coach service also offers discounts. So off I go.... Sun, 01 Mar 2026 08:39:38 GMT http://mcgresty.com/mgrp/some-wanders-about.html http://mcgresty.com/mgrp/gulls-and-a-goose.html The temperatures where I am in England had plummeted, with frost on the way. Three weeks later I flew to Agadir for two and half months to escape the cold. We had a lot of rain and the place I often walk in began to be a sea of mud and water. Before it got worse I decided to do a quick exercise hike, taking only my A3 phone with me. The only wildlife there is of the feathered variety and I grabbed a couple of shots to kill the boredom. Tue, 17 Feb 2026 21:40:40 GMT http://mcgresty.com/mgrp/gulls-and-a-goose.html http://mcgresty.com/mgrp/a-little-winter-walk.html You never know exactly what is going to happen when you step out your front door. Sure, you have plans and hopes but that door has to close behind you before everything takes place. It may be good, bad or indifferent, but it is there. Wed, 21 Jan 2026 14:51:40 GMT http://mcgresty.com/mgrp/a-little-winter-walk.html http://mcgresty.com/mgrp/moroccan-disaster.html The thought of taking a taxi to East Croydon Rail station was abandoned due to nearly all trains for Gatwick Airport being cancelled in the early hours of the morning. Instead I took a train to a station where a tram could drop me off in Croydon. It was around midnite I boarded one to the airport, knowing I would have to hang around the place until 0530 to check in for my flight to Agadir, Morocco. Thu, 01 Jan 2026 05:08:00 GMT http://mcgresty.com/mgrp/moroccan-disaster.html http://mcgresty.com/mgrp/i-saw-a-great-egret.html After purchasing a near perfect but different version of my camera, I set out to take some photographs to see what Icould be done. About two dozen shots were taken, plus a couple of movies. During the trek I saw a Great egret on the lake and decided that could be a subject for a post on my website. Sun, 14 Dec 2025 07:24:17 GMT http://mcgresty.com/mgrp/i-saw-a-great-egret.html http://mcgresty.com/mgrp/those-transient-moments.html For most of my life I just wanted to do something and then get on with what's next. The trouble is it makes me frustrated and that usually causes problems or I end up writing dumb things. The post pandemic years this has lessened in me. A couple of trips to Morocco really helped. There were some people just sitting or standing around, apparently doing nothing, so I gave it a try. I began to notice stuff which normally I would have missed and found it quite interesting. I suppose we all have these transient moments and have to decide what to do with them. Wed, 26 Nov 2025 07:18:56 GMT http://mcgresty.com/mgrp/those-transient-moments.html http://mcgresty.com/mgrp/a-truly-amazing-window-in-the-sky.html A trip north of London one day was good. After returning home I was on my balcony, looked at the sky and saw this incredible thing and went inside to get my camera. English skies have strange clouds but this one was amazing. Wed, 12 Nov 2025 21:52:57 GMT http://mcgresty.com/mgrp/a-truly-amazing-window-in-the-sky.html http://mcgresty.com/mgrp/parsonage-wood.html In the past I have walked a lot in a region and on the way there always passed by an area. I suppose that happens to many of us when we go somewhere often, our mind on the destination pay little attention to the parts we go by on the way. I live in the southeast part of London and head for the northwest corner town of Amersham proceeding a mile or so to get out into the countryside. The quickest way was to take a trail on the edge of a wood, then turn left out of it and go on my hikes. Sat, 01 Nov 2025 21:54:19 GMT http://mcgresty.com/mgrp/parsonage-wood.html http://mcgresty.com/mgrp/bactrian-camel.html This is a two-humped or double humped camel and is native to the steppes of Central Asia. It is also known as the Mongolian or Bactrian camel. Tue, 21 Oct 2025 07:15:33 GMT http://mcgresty.com/mgrp/bactrian-camel.html http://mcgresty.com/mgrp/an-off-chance-day-out.html Back in mid September, England's weather was getting colder quite quickly. The forecast for a couple of villages northwest of London was to be about 75 degrees. How could I resist, so tossed my camera into my small backpack along with a couple of other things. Getting train prices proved to be a bit of a hassle because the train site called it by a different name. I finally got a price and noted it down on my J5. I set out to Liverpool Street Station to grab a train to Stanstead St. Margarets. Wed, 01 Oct 2025 06:55:40 GMT http://mcgresty.com/mgrp/an-off-chance-day-out.html http://mcgresty.com/mgrp/just-a-yak.html I had to research on this because I have never seen one before. It was a zoo day out, hoping to photograph animals which are not native to the UK, Yaks are such a creature. Wed, 24 Sep 2025 06:41:45 GMT http://mcgresty.com/mgrp/just-a-yak.html http://mcgresty.com/mgrp/laptop-frustration.html Show file extensions in Windows 11 Home. I did not have any file extensions showing and needed to. So I did a web search and there were several sites saying the way to do that, they were all exactly the same and none of what they said worked. Thu, 11 Sep 2025 07:21:52 GMT http://mcgresty.com/mgrp/laptop-frustration.html http://mcgresty.com/mgrp/high-summer-stroll.html The middle of July brings high summer. All the prior growth has reached fulfillment and will soon begin to diminish as Autumn awaits it's arrival. On such a day I thought it would be a good idea to take a stroll and amble around for a while. Mon, 01 Sep 2025 08:20:09 GMT http://mcgresty.com/mgrp/high-summer-stroll.html