Oldham skyline from Tandle Hills
(click above image for larger picture)
A panoramic shot, taken from the top of the sloping hillside – just off the Oozewood road farm lane – at the rear of Tandle Hills. Almost central in the picture is the Oldham Civic Centre’s skyscraper-style building, with other landmarks dotted throughout the scene:
- Far-left centre can be seen the Royal Oldham Hospital, with the old Oldham Brewery’s pencil-thin silver chimney sitting just above;
- To the left of this are the pointed turrets of Oldham’s Parish Church and behind on the far horizon can be seen Indian’s Head at Dovestones reservoir;
- Oldham Athletic football club can be seen in the centre-left, along with Clayton Playing Fields and the B&Q superstore;
- To the far-right stand the twin tower blocks of Summervale House and Crossbank House, situated next to the Oldham Way bypass;
- Below this and just in shot is Fernhurst Mill, which was home to Constellation Luggage in Chadderton until it was demolished in 2011 and set underneath that lost landmark is the Elk Mill Retail Park, eponymously named after the cotton mill that once stood there;
- And finally, running along the tops of the forefront trees is Middleton road in Royton, its gradual rake from left to right made apparent with the placement of houses at Stottfield and Royley estates clustering either side.
Sums things up around my way quite nicely I think…
Newton’s surprise
A juicy red Apple, all ripe and just about ready for plucking before gravity gets its own way and the fruit becomes part of the leaf litter around the tree’s roots.
I wonder if Sir Isaac’s gravitas trigger looked so tempting a snack as well…?
Raindrops keep falling…
Here’s a picture that goes some way to acknowledging the sheer amount of rain we’ve witnessed falling over the last two months or so across the UK. I think this close-up shot of rain droplets spattered onto blades of grass – looking much like iced jewels sparkling in the morning light – gives us all a nice perspective on what in reality is truly appalling weather for the time of year.
So with no end of the ‘Manchester monsoon’ in sight, it looks like it’s on with the waterproofs and wellies for the foreseeable future: ah, there’s nothing like a good old British summer, is there?!
No flies on me
This Horse was thundering along the edge of its field next to the Rochdale canal in Middleton, stamping its hooves, snorting loudly and flicking its bristly tail in a frenzy. The cause was probably down to the aptly named Horsefly: with our so-called summer’s arrival, these vicious little sods were not only attaching themselves to the Horse’s tender bits, but were intent on taking opportune bites out of me every time I stopped to snap a picture!
The forgotten Beetle
Just a flash of orange through a tear in the cover let’s you know a car is beneath, hidden in the grey, all forgotten about and left to rust away from prying eyes. Vehicle enthusiasts will recognise the horizontal grill, steep boot rake and curving chrome bumper belong to a Volkswagen Beetle, probably circa early 1970s and judging by the state of the weather cover, the car’s been in the same spot for many a year and no doubt will remain for many more to come.
Double yellow score
This Bee is living the dream by snacking on two adjacent Dandelions that are touching: no need for an expenditure of wing energy when you can just crawl across from one flower’s florets to the next, stuffing your mandibles with as much free nectar your proboscis can handle and getting coated in pollen from thorax to stinger being the only downside to a great luncheon!
Purple petals twice over
Only one of the Marguerite daisies still retains its yellow disc florets to temp in any pollinating insects that may be flying past; the other is barren and beginning to wilt, now a spent force that its flowering goal has been achieved for this season, at least…
The golden glow of progress
The golden glow of the Sun breaks through a gap between passing storm clouds and illuminates the distant horizon: along a faraway ridge stand huge wind turbines, man-made giants whirring amongst the man-made moorland, as the cabling of a near-by pylon spreads its man-made electrons side to side across the barren landscape for all Mankind to use…
The feathery belly-flopper
After a little too long in the sun, this Duck had decided it was time to cool off the best way possible, with a belly flop into a nearby stretch of the Rochdale canal in Middleton (or maybe the Duck’s decision to move was something to do with the camera-holding cretin who was close-by)!
Dog day afternoon
A happy Dog bounds through the Summer grass, tongue dangling in uncontrollable excitement.
With the colours reduced back to black and white, the picture now appears much more alive…
Stretch the Horizon 