A yokel in Sheep’s clothing
Caught in freeze-frame, this Sheep has a single strand of grass sticking from her half-open mouth, conjuring up an image of a simple country bumpkin; an image reinforced with the position of her stick-out ears…
Wired for sound
One wrong wing flap…
Mothra looms…
A close-up shot of a Large Yellow Underwing Moth, expertly probing for some nectar with its long proboscis in and around the yellow flowers of this Common Ragwort.
Call the Cops!
No doubt this Police helicopter was out scanning the area I was wandering around in for some nasty piece of work; you know the type, someone akin to a serial killer or a young Tory – real scum. Luckily, I had my camera to hide behind in the hope of looking half-intelligent, just in case they decided I looked like the wanted recidivist and chose to dive-bomb me with their rotor wash!
Jesus, I knew that pack of penny chews I stole as a kid would come back to haunt me one day…
Watery mirrored view
The reflection of Ogden reservoir’s water valve tower, complete with rusting gantry and door painted in blue anti-climb coating (just above the door can be seen two prongs, which have barbed wire running between them: this is just in case there’s a climbing zealot out there whose intent on carrying onwards)!
Three’s a crowd
High on moorland and casting a combined shadow across a ruined dry-stone wall, stand these Sycamore trees. There are actually three close together and over the years, their boughs and branches have intermingled with unfettered growth and created the effect of one large, bulging canopy in the summer months.
Fetch
With a mouthful of luminous Tennis ball to contend with, this black Dog swims surprisingly well considering. Each time the ball’s brought back to dry land, the owner tosses it back into the Rochdale canal and with just enough sense to shake itself dry, the Dog quickly follows with a fearless leap into the murky waters, time and time again in the name of canine fun…
The Monument & the Runner
Tandle Hills’ Monument in silhouette, along with a fell runner whose just clambered up the summit and is now eyeing the bench as a tempting rest spot, all laid out beneath a sky of HDR brilliance.
The waiting Heron
A grey Heron takes time out from fishing to check over its long webbed toes on the Rochdale canal in Middleton. The fact that this picture was taken at noon, with the sun high above and baking down, plus that the Heron was actually on the tow path side of the canal with people probably goes some way to explaining why this wader was failing to catch any fish…
Wizened gate post
An old gate post – rendered in black and white – shows the long-term effect harsh weather has had upon its wood. Now course and brittle due to exposure, the post shows large fractures running its length, where the gate’s hinge pegs were hammered in many years before and only the knots have stayed a constant on the wood’s surface. As for the gate, it’s just a distant memory to the Sheep that pass through the gap.
Stretch the Horizon 