Ribbit
A Frog all stretched out and taking it easy…
Maintenance time
This Canada Goose is enjoying a good preen on the Rochdale canal in Middleton, using its beak to tweak, tuft and temper any stray feathers back into their right place and ensure the maximum water-resistant buoyancy possible. With this daily routine lasting up to ten minutes per Goose, the narrow stretch of the canal can change from a tranquil place of peace and quiet into a crowded maelstrom of thrashing birds in the blink of an eye, as gaggle after gaggle line up to take their turn to churn up the waterway!
Phoebus
The Sun sets behind bruised clouds, giving us a glimmer of burning brilliance just before it slips from view and the silvery night cools our memories of Phoebus’ passing…
Rusting away
A metal panel, bolted over a window many years ago, has succumb to the oxidation process in a pretty spectacular way: rust has eaten away at large swathes of the steel plate, leaving large fissures where structural rigidity has been compromised and the rest of the surface area is slowly being reduced back to dust through the elements’ interaction. Indeed, the panel is a prime example of how Time stops for nothing and no-one, regardless of which molecular structure it may encounter on the way into the unknown…
Leafy Sunshade
A Six-spot Burnet Moth, seeking a cool spot out of the incessant blaze of the midday Sun, hangs upside down beneath a water reed, its shadow offering just enough solace before the insect has to continue on and fulfil its short lifespan.
Back to the Future
With its Flux Capacitor turned on, the silver DeLoreon in the classic 1980’s movie Back to the Future had to reach a speed of 88 miles an hour in order to time travel. This Nissan Almera on the other hand looks like it’s about to achieve warp speed just driving on a 30mph speed restricted UK road…
Dog Rose delight
One of the most noticeable flowers found bursting from within British hedgerows come early Summer is the Dog Rose. With its pink, love heart-shaped petals encircling a bright yellow stamen, the Dog Rose must appear to pollinating insects as the ultimate nectar-filled sweet treat!
Inca
A post in gratitude and thanks to Bev, for all the times she’s listened to me moan and groan over nothing (and all the times she’s going to hear me moan and groan over nothing in the future)!
Mirror, mirror…
A mouldy convex mirror sits on top of a post, set just perfectly at the apex of a bend so that vehicles’ travelling in both directions can see their approaching, imminent demise reflected back at them a split second before impact!
However, the view I appear to have captured in its surface is a half-empty car park, a couple of shrubs and the shadow of a street light stretched out on the tarmac…
The young one
A juvenile Greenfinch, probably having only just flown its nest, sits hidden in a bush and cheeps away for a parent, looking quite bewildered at the big, wide-open world!
Stretch the Horizon 