Dancer’s End 16th August

Hi Folks,

It was a lovely evening as Des and I headed towards Dancer’s End for the penultimate summer meet up.

After travelling down a single track country lane we found ourselves in a land that the world had forgotten.

We were looking for a nature reserve but there were no signs and after an unexpected T junction we stopped to ask a passing cyclist the correct way, and whilst speaking to him we spotted a deer in the opposite field . The cyclist did know of the waterworks car park but wasn’t sure of any nature reserve so we headed there.

The waterworks was built in 1866 and it housed an engine built by James Kay in 1867 and was known as the Dancer’s End Engine and used to pump water from a well on the Rothchild’s estate. The engine is now in the London Museum of steam and water and was donated to them by the Thames Water Authority. It was found to be in good working order and had been kept on standby since the 1930’s

Not sure what is in the waterworks now but this building has two sets of warning lights and two large horns on the side of the building big enough to wake the whole of Aylesbury lol.

I noted H.G.Wells was born in the same year and could this have been inspirational when writing the Time Machine in which a visit in the future described an entrance to an underground system used by the Morlock’s to trap their victims using sirens? ………… Well probably not lol

Only six members made the evening, may be due to the school holidays or the Olympic games. So after a wait for others we pushed Des to the front of the line as he was wearing shorts and there were large stinging nettles ahead. It proved to be a good move as his squeals acted as a warning to the rest of us that there were more stinging nettles to come.

 

Clearly the path hadn’t been used for a few weeks and were the last visitors still lost in there ?

but Des is now a lot happier on the otherside having found some doc leaves

but one inside we were amongst some lovely wild flowers

I’m not sure of my wildflowers but I am sure some of you will recognised this one

Or even this one could it be a Fabaceae I can’t be sure

lots of discussions as to what they could be

There were loads of wild orchids out

I think this was one of my better photos of one

Other flowers seem to mature it’s flowers into a nest like shape

then at the right moment they spring out into a flower

Another detailed photo I took was of this flower

Two of our lady members got down low to take some photographs

lots of more commonly seen flowers

It was a lovely warm evening and nice to be out taking photographs

I think there are going to be quite a few dandelions next year, see I can recognise some lol

There are woods to explore and this place is definitely worth a visit

but of course in the evening the light is not so good in woods

but one can even take pictures of logs as I understand judges prefer them to sunsets lol

anyway, the evening light was dropping

so we made our way back to the car park, where we could hear an owl and as he flew over us he cried out that the whole evening had been a hoot

(sorry couldn’t resist it).

Finally we reassembled in the five bells

The last summer meet up is in a church yard in two weeks time and we are all suppose to dress in black ( the mind boggles) but I understand it is all to do with light photography and not a funeral.

So anybody reading this and fancies joining the club why not give one of the members a ring or come along on

Tuesday September 13, 2016 from 20:15 to 22:15 to Weston Turville Village Hall, School Approach, Weston Turville, Bucks, HP22 5RW