Anna Henly Photography

Brotherly love

Another fun photoshoot hyping up children………As if they weren’t already wiped out after thrashing rival Edinburgh schools rugby teams I was soon putting them through their paces to capture some unique images of their schooldays. Cunning fatherly plan for a surprise Christmas present for mum.
 

Brotherly competition

I wanted their faces a bit muddier......

It's cold and raining and perfect for real portrait photography. Can't believe no one is complaining........

Just hope their mum loves them as they are, and not scrubbed up with a white background………. 
 

Hope they'll remove the mouth guards before chasing women

Much better looking........

Photoshoot over?

I look forward to seeing these talented and committed young players running out at Murrayfield in 2020………. 

Throw-a-mate

A few pictures from the zany Edinburgh Rat Race 2009 - the urban adventure challenge that some of us look forward to all year………….

This activity (for points!) is “throw-a-mate”.  Funnily enough, most of the mates being thrown into the Scottish North Sea at Edinburgh were the women, bullied into it on grounds of reduced weight. Couldn’t really argue this point.

It's going to be cold.....

My greatest worry was losing my contact lenses in the sea. My mountain biking skills are bad enough even when I can see where I am going……..

Robin and Ben are having a laugh at my expense as usual....

Not sure if they were laughing at me, or the seaweed I was tangled up with……..more sea monster than mermaid….

Canoeing down the scenic canal in Sighthill, Edinburgh

No room for a domestic here (as in previous years) about the best way to canoe, so it’s decided that Robin and Ben will make the fastest team……….while I run alongside scaring away the swans and their band of cygnets.

Robin running up Arthur's Seat hunting for rat clues

Time for a spot of orienteering - up, down and all over Arthur’s Seat - to track down letters and form a word - RATIFIED…..

Wait for me!!

The team can’t lose me as the “weakest link” has the dibber. Without me, there’s no way of collecting the points!

It's nearly all over - just a few walls in the way

Phew! That's the Rat Race over for another year.......

And thanks and well done to the Rat Race crew for organising another fantastic Rat Race.  Can slack off for a few months now that’s over……

Rat Race Website details are here!

http://www.ratraceadventure.com

Enchanted forest at Ardanaiseig

Tonight’s frozen AND burnt pizza offering tastes even WORSE  - after a gourmet mushroom foraging weekend in the magical woodlands at Ardanaiseig House Hotel, near Oban, on the west coast of Scotland.

Wild food forager Dick Peebles explains the finer points of mycology (mushroom science) to legendary chef Gary Goldie

From all over the UK, a group of sixteen had travelled to Ardanaiseig House Hotel, winner of “Scottish Romantic Hotel of the Year” to learn how to identify and cook edible fungi.  Dick calls them “free groceries”.

Anita Goldie sniffs a fungus to see if it smells of apricots or rotting flesh......

Soon we began to find mushrooms that we could eat…..

Chanterelle, "Cantharellus cibarius"

 And some that we would leave in peace………

Delicate "mycena" mushroom sprouting from a twig

In spite of blustery rainy weather (very unusual in Scotland), enthusiasm for finding fungi grew as the baskets filled with all manner of species.

Dick's not too impressed with the offerings from Tom. Size matters!

Unfortunately there weren't any red and white toadstools to be found to match the wellies.......

"Weegie" Dick impresses his audience with his knowledge of Latin names - if not the lethal weapon.......

Eddie has a Hamlet moment as the rain pours down

Dick Peebles shows us a fungus that we will be eating later on!

Chef and mycologist review the collection - it won't do to poison the guests

Sorting through the haul

Gary prepares the "free groceries"

We gather, forks at the ready, to sample the plates of mushrooms

Gary sets fire to himself at least once a week, says his wife!

The “fry off” and tasting was a great success.  Everyone now nice and warm after a soggy day in wellies and Goretex. Time for a bath and to get ready for some serious gourmet dining.

Rather than eat with the rest of the guests I always opt to “play” with my food first…….and eat second……..

When "playing" with food is allowed. Have to be quick to catch Gary's wild blackberry souffle.......

Veloute of autumn squash with toasted walnuts and shaved parmesan

Ribeye of Scotch Aberdeen Angus beef with braised ox cheek, roasted salsify, pancetta, potato puree and horseradish emulsion

Courgette flower stuffed with lobster mousseline, "trompettes de mort" and shellfish essence

Blackberry souffle served with vanilla and blackberry ripple ice cream

 And Gary can’t help himself from treating us to a  last mushroom dish……one that’s laced with SPACE DUST!

Hot chocolate fondant with pistachio icecream "snap, crackle and crunch"

Back in the real world I really must try harder - not to burn any more frozen pizza…….

Enchanted tree in Edinburgh

 An enchanted tree has appeared before legendary Scottish author Walter Scott on Princes Street, Edinburgh  - as a preview of the October Enchanted Festival in Pitlochry, Perthshire - whose theme is “Scottish myths and legends”…….

The tree glows with black light

Passer-by in Princes Street Gardens admires the glowing tree by the Walter Scott Monument

Tickets for this year’s Enchanted Forest are NOW ON SALE!

To buy your tickets visit  http:/www.enchantedforest.org.uk

This annual event takes place in Ludlow, and this is the third time Robin and I have made it down from Scotland to take part. This time Robin had come all the way from Stavanger, Norway!

Len leading the charge across the "roof of the world"

Danny Mason, on behalf of the Wolverhampton Wheelers Cycling Club, designs a 70+ mile route through some of Shropshire’s most dramatic (ie steep) landscapes.

Wolverhampton Wheelers

We started with a 1525 ft north face climb of the Long Mynd where unfortunately a few of the “secret” lanes really were a bit steep and I was one of the many cyclists who had no choice but to walk up!

When we were little my dad would bet us one of the new £1 coins that we would have to walk up steep hills to make sure we didn’t, but on this occasion I am not sure that any amount would have kept me on the saddle.

John

After lunch the afternoon provided a two part “hors categorie” climb to the 1508ft summit. (Unfortunately “hors categorie” would appear to mean in English “get off before you fall off” ). As Danny promised, this ride across the top of the world was well worth the pain, and I enjoyed the views and the red kite soaring above us.

Paul

Peter

Robin

Seventy odd miles didn’t seem so difficult with plentiful village hall stops and lots of tea and cakes provided.

Thanks to all the folk who fed us throughout the event

Final tea break at Bedstone

With only ten miles to go my old bike developed even more rattles, which proved to be a puncture. A job which would have taken me hours was done in five minutes by my very competent team, while I stayed well out of the way taking photographs.

Never go cycling without a team of helpful mechanics

Although I have a degree in mechanical engineering, the bike will be fixed quicker without any unhelpful interference from me!!!

They'll have my bike back in action very soon

Job well done and soon we were at the end and time for medals I’m not called Muttley for nothing! Unfortunately due to the untimely stop for repairs we were beaten by a small boy who didn’t look more than 1o or 11, but well done to him anyway!!

Dastardly and Muttley and the new medals

Dad and Muttley

The event is definitely not a race, it’s for the joy of being on the bike on fantastic roads in glorious Shropshire. And it does rain outside Scotland!!!

(These photographs were taken on a mobile phone, and hence are not up to normal professional standards!!)

This was a tough assignment, but someone had to do it……….

This job in Glasgow was particularly fun - the hardest part was turning down squads of aspiring female photographic assistants ………I felt a bit selfish. I hadn’t been able to resist bragging a bit (to girls) about the tempting brief I was sent: Photograph a rugby team creatively………..

The client was O2, and they were needing creative photographs from a variety of deserving community projects for sponsorship. No pressure obviously, but I so hoped my photographs would win Jordanhill Phoenix Rugby Football Club the cash.

I turned up for work two hours early as usual, and then watched time slip away as the players arrived in their own good time and wouldn’t be nagged into hurrying up a wee bit……. They were focused on winning their next match - and could only spare a few minutes for photography before they had to get down to business. Their loss, and mine!!

Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica)

In spite of a hideous rain forecast I went out to the island on 1^st May to find that puffins apparently like sitting on the cliffs in miserable weather - and go fishing when it’s sunny! 

Bad hair day

Time to go fishing

Isle of May

Puffin collecting nesting material for its burrow

Neither would give in, and they both fell off the rock

Puffin love

Puffin party

A puffin crash lands

I spent many hours being amused by their attempts to master the art of flying. It reminded me of my own lack of skill with a paraglider. On several occasions I narrowly missed impaling innocent bystanders on my skis, and tangling them up in a bag of silk. I’d be shouting (in French) to get out of the way, and they couldn’t figure out where the noise was coming from!

"To infinity and beyond.........."

All the tiny white dots are puffins - the hillside is riddled with burrows

The race below the beautiful Hallingskarvet mountain, Hardangervidda, Norway

We survived our first mass cross country skiing race - the Skarverennet -  taking part alongside 12 500 Norwegians who make cross-country skiing on long skinny plastic skis look very simple………The only thing I was first for……was breakfast!!!  

Herringboning up the first hill

It would have been hard to rush through 38 km of breath-taking Hardangervidda scenery anyway, and I HAD to take a few pictures.

Robin kindly waxing his skis and mine, so that no sticky gloopy Klister got anywhere near my camera....

The winners arrived six hours before we did and got a lot a lot more beers in!!! Robin and I were there with a group from BG Norway, mostly British expats with a Dane in charge, which made me wonder what all the Norwegian oilmen knew that we didn’t!!

Team BG

The scariest part was skiing downhill - wondering whether you would fall over, or be run down by the overtaking hordes - not all of whom were entirely in control of their skis. Sensible folk took their skis off, to avoid bloodied arms and noses which were plentiful by the end of the day.

War wounds!

And a sore finger that didn't make the previous photo!

And the girls escaped injury!

At one point a helicopter was hovering above a steep slushy hill with a cameraman hanging out to film the carnage. I thought of lemmings going over cliffs.  The Norwegian red cross posts were all situated ominously like vultures at the bottom of each slope which wasn’t a good sign………..

Even a dog was enjoying the sunshine on "Champagne" mountain - all downhill from now so may as well start celebrating straightaway!

We made it!

There was some serious partying at the end to look forward to - 12 500 Norwegians get through a lot of beer.  Luckily the hotel ran out of water, but not alcohol………. 

"I won't drink both of them..."

And then 12 500 people had to find their way onto a train to carry on the party elsewhere…….

Sunbathing at Ustaoset train station

Racing for the trains back to Oslo and Bergen