So much to learn

If you wish to be an author there is absolutely no requirement to purchase an expensive pen to achieve that goal. A Bic ballpoint would be perfectly adequate as it is the individual, not the tools, which are key to good written content. Therefore, in very similar fashion, good photography is not about the camera kit but, instead, the talent and vision of the person pressing the shutter release. All that said I have to admit that my recent purchase, of an EOS 70d, has certainly given me an edge over the previous kit I owned. The lenses remain the same, just the camera body has changed, so am now realising how limiting that aging technology within the EOS 350 & 400 d's had been upon the picture quality I've been able to record. I went for an afternoon stroll around Pegwell Bay NNR and had ample opportunity to play around with my new toy. Absolutely blown away by the difference in image sharpness and quality. Best of all I managed another self-found year tick in the form of a Whinchat (No. 159)

Still not potted a Convolvulus Hawk-moth, in September, yet am seeing them nectaring on the Nicotiana plants most evenings. A Hoary Footman, yesterday, provided another addition to the garden list whilst common migrant species are regular visitors to the egg  trays. Still no rainfall, worthy of mention, around Dumpton although other parts of Thanet have certainly experienced heavy downfalls. Our lawn remains the colour of a bleached corn field so provision of water, for the avian and mammalian garden visitors, is paramount whilst this situation remains. The BBC website is predicting a significant change in the weather, over the next few days, so hopefully the garden will get some moisture and the Hedgehogs a choice of worms, slugs or snails in their diet due to rainfall?

As Kefalonia beckons, the camera lessons are a useful part of my prep and, have to admit, that my expectations have certainly risen a notch, or two, because of the images I've managed to capture.