Herb Riddle's photos

Seen in the town of Chania on the Island of Crete. A modern stairway with an old looking banister. Where do the steps lead? We can only guess, but we can applaud the owners of this dwelling for giving our eyes such a feast. Ask the question…. Why do the steps look strange??? I wish you all, a great weekend, Herb Imperative full size. See PiP for another piece of the puzzle.

My local park certainly comes into its own each Autumn. - Only yesterday, after posting one of last years Autumn shots did I think that I was not going to be as lucky this year, and look what happens. Enjoy large.

As we sail away from Mykonos we can see the old windmills and bulk of the Island in one. We can see here other windmills too. Our next stop, Crete, awaits us. Best full screen.

As Autumn starts here, I look back here on one of my best Autumn days out from last year. Yesterday, I witnessed my first real look at the fresh Autumn gold colours and so have hopes of adding to my Autumn collection soon. This taken from 'Strid Wood' in the Yorkshire Dales near Skiption. PiP Enjoy Large.

Seen in the town of Mykonos, on the edge of the sea. Why this should be so obviously unused and locked up is a mystery we will never know. The building, to me was quite fascinating with these shuttered windows and padlocked doors, painted to blend into the whitewashed walls. Enjoy full size.

The other type of Greek churches on these Cyclades islands. This seen in Mykonos town. Enjoy

Looking a bit like a row of satellite dishes pointing to a distant star system, these windmills have been an iconic part of the Greek Island of Mykonos for a long time. 'The windmills can be seen from every point of the village of Mykonos, the island's principal village, which is frequently called the Chora. The windmills are the first thing seen when coming into the harbour of Alefkandra, as they stand on a hill overlooking the area. Most windmills face towards the North where the island's climate sources its strongest winds over the largest part of the year. There are currently 16 windmills on Mykonos of which seven are positioned on the landmark hill in Chora. Most of them were built by the Venetians in the 16th century, but their construction continued into the early 20th century. They were primarily used to mill wheat. They were an important source of income for the inhabitants. Their use gradually declined until they ceased production in the middle of the 20th century. The architecture of each of them is similar, all have a round shape, white colour and a pointed roof and very small windows. Such windmills are found in almost all Cyclades islands.' -WiKi See PiPs

In the thirteenth century the Republic of Venice took control of the island of Mykonos. A Venetian town was constructed on a small headland and later, small houses were built on the edge of a low cliff. This is what we see here. They probably did not have as many balconies as they have today. "Little Venice" is known for its many restaurants and shops. Lots of fish live in the seas here, and this local is clearly taking advantage of that, seemingly oblivious to the mass of tourist running past him towards the beckoning windmills.

A fine scene on the’ Trent and Mersey Canal’ in Staffordshire. The swan just about keeping in the frame as I snapped it on this rare October sunny day. The bridge here is a road bridge but nearby are also numerous railway bridges for the West Coast Main Line railway too. I wish you all, a great weekend, Herb Nice full size.

A wonderful little church just on the old port of Mykonos, Greece. Seen here in the Cycladic whitewashed and blue style of these Islands. Fortunately the door to this tiny chapel size church was open and so one could rest and meditate. See Pip.

OK, our ship is in the middle of the bay , along with several others, and they have disgorged many of their passengers as seen here, now covering the small streets and alleyways of this delightful town. A hot day beckons us all to the shadows where history and folklore await.

Rhodes, which is bristling during the day can have spots which are a bit spooky at night. Still -they make good photos. ............ Did I see a moving shadow just then? Needs full size on black.

A nice T-Junction here for narrow boats and walkers alike. I am actually on the 'Staffordshire & Worcestershire' canal but just under and past the bridge is the 'Trent and Mersey' canal. Yes, a maze of canals for sure. The bridge is a narrow cobbled footbridge where people and horses can follow the boats North and South, whereas this canal goes to the west.

It looks a good life - cruising up and down this delightful canal. Other boat owners have decided to rest up here, maybe to take a snack in the nearby garden centre cafe. Taken on the 'Staffordshire & Worcestershire' at Greater Haywood in Staffordshire.

Orfordness, Suffolk. In September 2012 we visited this wonderful lighthouse and as you can see it was in a fine state of repair. Today, we hear on our BBC news that it has closed its visitor doors for the last time, as the sea has encroached so near that it is very doubtful that it will survive this Winters storm season. Now, at high tide the waters almost lap this lighthouse and the nearest bungalow (behind the walking people here -see PiP) has almost fully collapsed. There has been talk of dismantling this lighthouse and reconstructing it some distance higher on the Island but to date nothing has happened. More info and The BBC

The 'Trent and Mersey Canal', is an attractive peaceful water and along its banks sits a few building mostly constructed at the same time as the canal itself. Here near Great Haywood, we see one of a number of special watering facilities that include a shower no doubt for the sole benefit of the boat owners and their guest.

Enjoy these colours and lines. A prize was offered to the first person who spotted what this (or they) are :) - That has already gone to Colin, below. Off course these are the tops of some of our British Narrow boats, all moored on the 'Trent and Mersey Canal' basin at Haywood in Staffordshire.

A soon to disappear set of fences here in Morecambe as work is shortly to start on a new Northern ‘Eden Project’ on the green land behind the fence. Hopefully the fence will still be reused and put to good use somewhere else as it is a very pretty one, tying in with the modern sea-bird theme along this big promenade. At my back, the sea beckons. I wish you all, a great weekend, Herb