Andy Rodker's photos

I'm sure you all remember Punky! Well, he's pleased and incredibly proud to announce the birth of a little Punkette, straight out of his 'hair' of course! Take a bow, Punky! www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkUKY9ubUFo Sight and sound. Entirely sensible sentiments, expressed forcefuly and not necessarily all that musically! Nonetheless I include it at Punky's request!

Well Spring has long gone but I found this Spring wildflower meadow shot and I don't think I've posted it before (I may be wrong!)

Why bats? Because I was attempting to capture at least one clear shot of the pipistrelle bats that come out to feeds at dusk! They simply move much too fast! Oh well, there is one fairly obvious bat here and maybe two. These bats roost in next door's eaves and are accepted happily for one very important reason and that is they help to keep the mosquito population way down and for that I am extremely grateful! The bat is easier to see on large!

Well, I haven't shown my favourite picnic table for quite some time and I'm not sure whether I've posted this exact same shot before but even I have, I feel it's worth another airing! Better maybe on full screen.

Revolutionary for the early 1990s, these leaning towers were a noted landmark and perhaps still are, even if the nearby Cuatro Torres now steal their limelight. The main bus terminal for buses to the north lies underground here on many levels. I just missed my bus by seconds so had two hours to wait for the next one (a much reduced summer 'service'!). With time to kill I went for a walk and took this shot on a whim. This wikipedia entry may be of interest; es-m-wikipedia-org.translate.goog/wiki/Puerta_de_Europa?_x_tr_sl=es&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc

Miracle of Peru ( allamanda neriifolia ) aka Missouri primrose, golden butterfly, mirabilis jalapa. Also in red and white. A bright and cheerful plant in the garden .

Granite shapes, La Sierra de La Cabrera. This strange hanging rocky shape fell to the ground a year or two after I took this shot.

Far too hot for children to play out of doors! (41ºC in the shade). In the far distance, on the right is the Sierra de La Cabrera which looks minuscule from here! (See previous upload for note on Algete's position from there!) Another shot from my twice-weekly walk to the shops! www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYy716zmXcM no reason, I just like it!

Sierra de La Cabrera with the town of La Cabrera below and an interested Griffon vulture or three hovering centre stage! (As a side note, directly below where the central vulture hovers, and on the horizon, is Algete, where I currently live). Maybe best on full screen, if only to emphasis the vastness of the Castillian Plain.

How do I know? Well I'm standing on the cliff top ... and it's a very tall cliff! North Cliffs, Cornwall.

This local park is full of them and is called Olive Tree Park (I wonder why!). www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsTf3gZn27k for those that might have wondered what happened to Eric Burdon and his fabulous blues voice after the Animals and House of the Rising Son and, no, it has nothing to do with the photo, I just like it!

Algete's parish church and Constitution Square on a blisteringly hot afternoon. The centre of the town where I live (about 40 minutes walk all uphill from here!) I thought I may have inadverdantly caught myself in the mirror opposite, but it seems not! www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkEd3WgR8qw

In among other wildflowers can be seen dwarf daffodils, Spanish harebells (bluebells) and wild tulips.

Sierra de La Cabrera granite forms. This was in May 2019, the last time I walked in these mountains. Best on large.

A strange situation; over the mountains and into Segovia Province, they had a succession of storms all day while we had unrelenting blue skies. Only late evening, as I relaxed with a glass of something alright, did I see the storm clouds and the edges caught by the rapidly sinking sun.

Another of my sister's shots. I think I can now gracefully retire! Best on full screen.

Just a few yards down our street where can be found better views of the Sierra de Guadarrama. My sister's shot.

Another shot of the view from the garden. I reckon the figs will be ripe in about a month ("sooner than that" says my brother-in-law and he will probably be right; I was thinking of my 4 fig trees in my London garden years ago!).