Sneaking a peek
A dozing female Mallard duck – floating at the edge of a lock overflow in the middle of Rochdale canal as a safety precaution – is awoken from her slumber and sneaks a quick peek at the disturbance; unfortunately, the waterfowl only finds a moron (me, that is) pointing a camera in her direction!
Staggered
Lying high and dry, this line of wonky depth measures at Norman Hill reservoir in Piethorne valley, Newhey show the demand for water elsewhere, regardless of how much rainfall we’ve had across the UK this Summer!
The cracks appear
A spread of age-old green lichen on a drystone wall appears dried out and lifeless; however, come the rain and there should be life – but not as we know it – back in the resulting chlorophyll slime…
Hoverfly slurp
A Hoverfly tucks into a slurp of nectar from this dew-splashed Buttercup’s brilliant yellow stamen.
Shepherd’s delight
A tangle of wild grasses and a barbed-wire fence are silhouetted against a dying Sunset.
Mr Toad’s Mini-me
August is the usual time for a flurry of amphibian activity, which means near-plague proportions of hatched Toads swamping here, there and everywhere after dark. This little warty ‘mini-me’ had gotten stuck on some steps, unable to climb any further due to its legs being too short to propel it onwards!
God’s window
A stained glass window in the east wall of St Annes C of E church in Royton, Oldham depicting the Virgin Mary holding the infant Jesus, intricately pieced together around a circular limestone frame. Also note the anti-vandal wire mesh in place to protect this stunning work of religious iconography from local morons, goons and cretins!
A stroll on the towpath
A couple take in a leisurely stroll along the Rochdale Canal’s curving tow path near Middleton, Manchester.
Swallow at rest
A Swallow snatches a quick rest on some overhead telephone lines from its hectic Summertime lifestyle.
Blackberry Bokeh
A solitary Blackberry sits atop its stalk whilst the remainder of the plant is rendered in bokeh; a term derived from Japanese meaning ‘the quality of the blur’ and it is a term that certainly seems to fit the picture. The lens used is an old Vivitar 28mm 1:2.8 MC Close Focus Wide Angle Pentax K-mount (K02) lens, shot at the maximum f/2.8 aperture setting and mounted on an Olympus E-P1 Micro 4/3 digital camera.
Stretch the Horizon 