A date to put in your diary again. A successful local produce show, running for many years, Albury Produce Show will be held this year on 20th July 2019. The competitive show categories include several photography classes, and I can recommend them as a good exercise in photographic competition.

Details at http://www.alburyproduce.org.uk/

Not an event as such, but the cold weather this January is presenting quite an opportunity for some cracking bird photos. Birds normally find it quite difficult to find food at this time of year, and the recent frosts haven't helped. Therefore if you are able to put out some scraps or a few seeds and nuts, you'll probably find you are quickly surrounded by grateful birds in close enough proximity for you to click away whilst in the comfort of your own home.

I know this may sound a rather obvious tip, but it's worthwhile doing nonetheless since you may well be surprised at the variety of species. Right now I am, of course, able to see plenty of blue tits, robins, pigeons and the like, but I'm now getting regular visits from thrushes, nuthatches, jays, a couple of woodpeckers, wrens, several types of finch and a few smaller birds I've yet to identify for certain. Moreover, I've been careful to put the feeders close to cover so the birds have somewhere to hide from predators, but nonetheless all this bird activity has attracted several buzzards as well. All this for the sake of a bit of food in the garden at a time of scarcity.

From a photographic point of view, the Prudential Ride London-Surrey event on 30th and 31st July certainly offer plenty of opportunities to capture all manner of emotive shots. And, with up to 100km for the cyclists to ride, you will have quite a choice of places to set up shop. Visit the PRLS web site for details.

If you're interested in things to drive and things that fly, an obvious date to put in your calendar for fantastic photo opportunities is the annual Wings and Wheels event at Dunsfold Park on 27th and 28th August 2016. Great fun to be had by all.

For one day a year, the Mid Hants Railway Line, otherwise known as the Watercress Line, is opened up to a sponsored walk. Although the objective is to raise money for conservation, it offers an unusual opportunity for shots of the line and surrounding countryside from otherwise impossible angles. Their website has more information.