Category Archives: Flora/Fauna

Blossom season

Sunday 30th April 2023, 3.00pm (day 4,266)

Blossom in town, 30/4/23

I guess Spring is trying, a bit, and the blossom at the bottom of Keighley Road in town usually makes for a fine display at this time of year. With this being the first of three three-day holiday weekends coming up in May, there was also a general sense of relaxation about the day.

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Dynamic slug

Wednesday 26th April 2023, 8.05am (day 4,262)

Dynamic slug

Pictured on the wall behind platform 1 at Hebden Bridge railway station. This is the fourth slug to appear on the blog, and while one doesn’t normally associate the slug, as a species, with the idea of dynamism, I think this one does give it a shot. It’s not quite the crab on that Prodigy album cover, but it’s getting there.

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Tulips and the Corn Exchange, Manchester

Tuesday 25th April 2023, 8.55am (day 4,261)

Tulips, Corn Exchange, 25/4/23

This was one of those shots where the crowning touch was not apparent until I uploaded it — namely the bees. They are not actual insects, of course, but drawn on the doors of the establishment (an ‘aparthotel’ I think) which lies behind these flowers.

Additionally, this looks like it will be the last shot taken with the Canon PowerShot SX740 camera I have been using since 18th August 2021. 20 months is not long for a camera to last, even with the daily usage that I give it: but it never really recovered from the St Helena Tarmac Incident of late January. It limped on for the next three months, and I am grateful for that, but a replacement was becoming urgent. If you’re interested in these things, today I picked up a Panasonic TZ95: let’s see how long that lasts. I think it will be the fifth (and certainly at least the fourth) camera to have supplied the artwork for this blog.

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Hugo no-go

Monday 17th April 2023, 10.40pm (day 4,253)

Hugo in White Swan, 17/4/23

It’s approaching chucking out time on Monday night in the White Swan but Hugo doesn’t want to go anywhere. He’s quite comfy, thank you.

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Lilac, in Manchester

Thursday 13th April 2023, 8.50am (day 4,249)

Lilac, Manchester, 13/4/23

There are some signs of spring, at least. Whether these trees are actually one of the various species known as ‘lilac’ (genus Syringa) I know not for sure, but they certainly can lay claim to the colour. Behind them, the Town Hall gets on with its decade-long restoration.

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The commute down the study wall

Tuesday 11th April 2023, 11.35am (day 4,247)

Louse on study wall, 11/4/23

I wonder how many organisms inhabit this house along with the two of us. None on an open basis — that is, no pets — but the cave spiders have long been part of the family, and then there are the more occasional sightings of tenants. This louse made a point of crawling down the study wall from somewhere behind the shelves at the top, and disappearing behind the radiator at the bottom. This may have been a one-off journey but for all I know it’s a regular commute.

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The optimism of spring

Thursday 23rd March 2022, 9.15am (day 4,228)

New bud, 23/3/23

On another day of restricted horizons, the choice of pictures came down to this new bud, or a storm/sun combination shot from the afternoon. As I sometimes do, I asked Clare which her preference was, and she chose this one, considering “the optimism of spring” preferable. So yes, why not. Spring should be a time of optimism, even if just in little ways.

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Pea nursery

Tuesday 21st March 2023, 9.30am (day 4,226)

Pea nursery, 21/2/23

How many of these peas will eventually sprout edible small green products remains to be seen: getting them started by the living room window is always the easy bit, each year. But we try.

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Roofscape

Monday 20th March 2023, 10.40am (day 4,225)

Roofscape with pigeon, 20/3/23

Don’t expect much in the way of variety of scene over the next few days. I spent all the month’s money in Cornwall, and payday is keenly awaited. Even the pigeon turns away somewhat disdainfully from the camera as I try to inject some interest.

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Guarding breakfast

Sunday 12th March 2023, 8.55am (day 4,217)

Star Inn dog, 12/3/23

The house pooch of the Star Inn, Penzance, doesn’t necessarily take his guard dog duties all that seriously, at least not where the breakfast buffet is concerned. Then again I was the only guest, so presumably he’d decided I was legitimate.

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