Final inductions and Ruddington

My inductions at university are now complete. All but two of them were general information talks about the library, the online workspace, travel opportunities, etc.; the remaining two were about English and Media. I have the rest of the week free for the most part before I begin lectures and seminars for my course next week.

As this afternoon was mostly sunny, I used my free time to catch up on some exercise by walking to Ruddington, with the Rushcliffe Country Park being my intended destination. My first visit to the park was in September of last year and until today, I had not returned for a second visit, despite visiting Ruddington since. Yes, a venture to the Rushcliffe Country Park was indeed appropriate.

This is one of the many paths in the park; this particular path is located near to the wooded area along the northwestern boundary.

In this wooded area was this animal sculpture, made from wood and tyres. I think it's a hedgehog? Either that or another rodent coming out of its lair.

Near the centre of the park is this lake, where ducks, fish and swans all reside. The area contains signs that note a ban on feeding bread to the ducks, citing that doing so is of no nutritional value to them and that uneaten bread pollutes the lake.

In addition, I also briefly wandered into the Rushcliffe Fields Business Park, which is home to the Ruddington campus of Central College Nottingham. The business park is within the boundaries of the country park, even though it contains private property.

Once I'd seen the Ruddington campus I walked back to and around the lake and began my trek back up to Clifton. I would estimate, depending on weather and traffic, that it takes about 45 minutes to reach the Rushcliffe Country Park from my accommodation by foot, so it's an excellent walk.

Like "Bliss"

This morning, while my mother and I were out walking on the local fields, I photographed this view:

The field, with its hill and cloudy blue sky, I think resembles the iconic "Bliss" desktop background picture from Microsoft Windows XP.

I used the HDR filter of the app SnapSeed to enhance the image.

The Calverton greens

I visited Calverton last week and took another shot of the greens surrounding the town:

Calverton is one of the prettiest places around here and its bus link is a fun ride in itself. To anyone visiting Nottingham, I certainly recommend a trip to Calverton.

Rolling greens

A gap in today's clouds allowed me to photograph the local green and rolling fields:

A few moments later, a cloud covered the Sun and shrouded the fields in darkness.

The Calverton Connection

I added a new town and bus route to my list today: I visited Calverton - a town to the north-east of Nottingham - via the Calverton Connection route provided by Trentbarton. The journey there lasted about forty minutes and I then enjoyed a pleasant walk around the town. The landscape on the way there and back was also something to behold:

I was unable to properly photograph the landscape on the outgoing journey but on my return trip to Nottingham I ensured I sat in a seat that allowed me to take excellent shots like this one. The rolling hills, trees and background buildings make for fine scenery.