Contemplating Cow

Another picture from Valdres in Norway; this is one of my favourites because I pretty much felt a sense of solidarity and sameness with this cow in the beautiful mountain countryside on such a lovely day. She seems to be gazing at the view with a sense of utter peace, having found the perfect sunny, grassy spot. I also like the vivid colours and the stillness of the picture -it captures the essential quality of this wonderful place, at least for me. Location: Valdres, Norway

Just Before Sunrise

Around 3.30 one morning last week while I was staying in a mountain lodge, I got up to peer out of the window because the colour of the sky was so fabulous and had woken me up, partly. I sleepily imagined I was still dreaming, but grabbed my camera and snapped this shot before clambering back to bed. Sunsets in the mountains can be dramatic and powerful, but few people get to see the sunrise, which seemed gentler, more wistful and somehow rather mysterious. There was a bit of mist on the lake, and this adds to that effect. I only wish I had been quick-thinking enough to go properly outside and take more photographs, but I was still half-asleep and only took one, so this is the only proof I have of that magical morning, but it captures for me both the stillness and the beauty of this special landscape. Location: Valdres, Norway

Goats Chillaxing

Every summer for hundreds of years goats (as well as sheep and cows) have been led up into the fertile grassy meadows of the mountains in Valdres to graze "and become fat". They are free to wander where they like, but come in to be milked twice a day. A "supervisor" goat with a bell round its neck leads the way and the others follow, though if they get lost, they can now, thanks to GPS, be fairly easily located. Unlike most sheep and cows– goats are very sociable and curious creatures, and are quite happy to come up and say hello, or allow one to get up close to take photographs, and though they are tremendous "poopers" their presence in the mountains is always charming -some motorists who have got stuck in front of them may of course disagree. Sadly, however, it seems that this is the last summer that the goats will be holidaying up here, due to the imposing demon of the EU who have come up with some kind of new rules to keep them away. Sad because they seem, like me, to be so content here. They certainly seem so in this picture. Location: Valdres, Norway

Cows On Their Way To Tea

All this week I will be highlighting pictures from my beloved Valdres in central Norway. It really is my favourite place on Earth, and I have been going there for 25 years. The first time I was there I took some really fabulous pictures, only to discover later that I had forgotten to put film in the camera! Hopefully my practical photography skills have improved a little since then, even though I am now digital. I took this picture one evening about five o'clock when the cows returned to their barn for the night. Cows in Valdres famously produce the best milk in Norway, and spend the summer months grazing freely all day in the lush mountain grass. But to intice them to return they get a little treat. These particular animals are the lazy ones –the ones who would prefer to stay out all night, and had to be rounded in by a farmer (just out of shot) who sang to them! The cows have bells around their necks, so all in all it was quite a bizarre musical experience. Location: Valdres, Norway

A Familiar View, Different Season

I have just returned from my favourite place in the whole world -the mountains of Valdres in Norway, and had the chance to photograph again many of the places I shot last autumn, including the heading photograph of this blog. Only now the summer farms were populated with grazing cows, sheep and goats, and verdant greens formed the palette of colours rather than the golden browns of autumn. Each season has its own beauty and charm though, and I have already planned to return to this place in the thick of winter to capture the same image when covered with snow. But here, briefly perhaps, is glorious summer, to be enjoyed to the full. I particularly liked the effect of the splash of red from the walker's jacket, and, though it is somehow bizarrely located in such an idyllic landscape, the abandoned retro yellow petrol pump -which I learned was now being used by birds as a rather luxurious nest! Location: Valdres, Norway