Tuesday 4th November 2025, 10.00am (day 5,185)
This is definitely a stock shot, but what the hell. The Rochdale Canal is definitely worth a regular viewing, particularly at the peak of autumn.
Rochdale Canal (stock shot)
Being 42
Life, one day at a time
Tag Archives: ducks
Mother of nine
Saturday 7th June 2025, 3.40pm (day 5,035)
I don’t think I have ever seen a brood of ducklings as large as this. Even though a couple of them are only glimpsed on this shot (there’s one right behind the duck, and another mostly concealed in the left-hand group) there were definitely nine of them. No wonder she looked somewhat frazzled: and there was an equally stressed-looking drake in the vicinity too. Still, they’re a good size: quite an achievement in fact.
Incidentally this was taken at Dunsop Bridge in the Forest of Bowland, a few yards from where, on 27/12/2011, I depicted Clare stood in the phone box that is still there, being the reputed “centre of Britain”. That was 4,911 days ago, meaning that Dunsop Bridge now takes over as the place with the longest gap between appearances on this blog. Can things get any more exciting, you ask? Hey, this particular journey has only just started.
By the old bridge
Wednesday 4th September 2024, 10.30am (day 4,759)
Another picture of someone sitting down, though she looks a little more comfortable than yesterday’s model (and has both her shoes on). Meanwhile, over on the other side of the bridge, there are interventions taking place in the ongoing duck-pigeon conflict,
Duck-pigeon War: new developments (with optional postscript)
Wednesday 17th May 2023, 2.55pm (day 4,283)
“Ssshhh. They’re asleep, I think. We can sneak in….”
“I feel scared. The water….”
POSTSCRIPT (feel free to ignore): You should have had a picture from London today. Specifically, I was going to go inside the Houses of Parliament for the first time in my life. However, thanks to an exquisitely timed cancelled train today — eradicated 10 minutes too late for me to get an earlier one — I couldn’t make it to King’s Cross in time for the event. So there was no point going. So Northern fuck up my day, and I get to just suck it up.
Ducks are for life
Monday 5th December 2022, 11.50am (day 4,120)
In an ideal world, this message would end, “…. and not just for Christmas”, but sadly it does not. Then again, it’s been up for several months now, waiting only for an otherwise opportunity-light day of photography for its chance to be shared with you, my faithful readers. So this is not the seasonal reference it may seem.
Rule 1: Follow mother
Monday 24th May 2021, 3.20pm (day 3,560)
Have I yet done 2021’s duckling/gosling pic? No? Well, here you are then. These balls of fluff can get up to a decent speed in the water, you have to give them that.
Mr and Mrs Duck
Saturday 13th March 2021, 3.20pm (day 3,488)
“Lately, the humans have been conspicuous by their absence, don’t you think dear?”
“Indeed. There’s this bloke with the long hair who often hangs out by the riverside. But I think he’s harmless.”
“I agree. That’s why we let him take these close-ups.”
More Friday night duckwatching
Friday 26th February 2021, 4.55pm (day 3,473)
Media rhetoric suggests we should all be grateful that Our Glorious Leaders have announced a ‘roadmap’ out of lockdown but none of that changes the fact that for now, and for weeks yet, there’s nothing to do. The ducks continue to have a far better social life than us, At least the evenings are getting lighter, the days (a little) warmer.
Duck shake
Saturday 6th February 2021, 11.10am (day 3,453)
I wouldn’t usually put up a shot that was so out of focus but it certainly sums up the weather, and it made me smile that I had captured this duck shaking off the rain that fell constantly today. A smile was needed — life is run, at the moment, according to the whim of the weather and this was the most depressing of ‘weekend’ days thanks to the rain. A shame I couldn’t call this page ‘drake shake’ though.
Duckwatching
Friday 13th November 2020, 3.25pm (day 3,368)
As government policy and public fear continue to ravage our lives and economies, I speculate as to what kind of future awaits, and ahead there’s an old-man version of me that just wanders through our empty town each afternoon to spend time watching the ducks. They are peaceful, good-looking creatures, they clearly have some basic society, with obvious couples, occasional spats and arguments, and an ability to understand and make use of the dynamics of water flow for their own personal edification. This duck seems proud of her own drake and watches the other two parade past in much the same way as might a haughty woman sat outside a café. To my eyes, anyway. There is little else to look at right now.
Being 42 