Tuesday 12th April 2016, 11.10am (day 1,692)
Now there’s an animal that knew how to perform for the camera. It even did it twice, after I didn’t quite get the shot the first time round.
Playful
Being 42
Life, one day at a time
Tag Archives: nature
Intruder
Thursday 7th April 2016, 11.15am (day 1,687)
Another one of those days spent entirely working at home, with grey light, that will eventually do for this blog — one day I will get to the end and realise that there has simply been nothing to photograph. Still, despite some temptation to the contrary since the turn of the year, I remain here. Hope it doesn’t seem too desperate to stick a woodlouse on here — it’s not even that sharp a shot, because this kid could move, believe me. Usain Bolt standard, in relative terms.
Robin Redbreast
Sunday 13th March 2016, 11.55am (day 1,662)
Anybody who lives anywhere near me will know that we enjoyed a perfect spring day today — the sort where all of nature comes out to frolic. Look at the glint in this robin’s eye.
A new chilli
Tuesday 9th February 2016, 12.20pm (day 1,629)
Most of 2016 so far has been two things — firstly, lacking in any light (so few sunny days…), and second, very housebound, which this picture in its way is intended to represent. However, the latter limitation, at least, is about to change, with it being quite feasible that over the next four weeks only three pictures will have to be taken in Hebden Bridge. The weather…. well, I can be less sure about that.
Lake Calder (not normal)
Saturday 26th December 2015. 10.30am (day 1,584)
Up until this morning 2015’s had been an entirely agreeable Christmas filled with friends and family old and new, much good cheer and sociability, etc. etc.
This morning things took a definite turn for the worse in the patch of England that lies, more or less, between Manchester, Leeds and Lancaster. Huge amounts of rain have turned much of this region into what you see here. We were scheduled to drive from my sister’s in Sabden to Clare’s parents in Morecambe this morning, and made it, despite some very damp moments on the road and views over scenes such as this. But we were among the luckier ones. Hebden Bridge and the whole Calder Valley, from Walsden down to Mytholmroyd, was today under over a metre (3.3 feet) of water, leading to terrifying scenes like this one, in Mytholmroyd. I do not even want to think about the impact this is going to have on my home town. In 2012 after the last (twin) floods hit several much-loved establishments were closed for months, and today’s floods were far worse. As this photo shows, the shops on the main street were deluged this morning.
The village of Whalley, which has appeared once before on this blog and was hit by flooding a couple of weeks ago, was also devastated again today. The shot I choose to epitomise this very shitty day is one taken as we tried to negotiate our way from Sabden past Whalley, on the A59 road which bypasses the village, and crosses the River Calder at this point (note: this is not the Calder that runs through Hebden Bridge, but the Lancashire river of the same name; in the first version of this post I misidentified it). As you can see the river has become a literal lake, and many houses in Whalley were evacuated today as a result. Nor do I think the sheep pictured here (lower left) have a great deal longer to live. As far as I know no human lives have been lost in the region today, but it is a frankly terrible situation, that at the moment I do not wish to dwell on very much.
It is all very well to blame capricious nature for this crap, but there are also decisions — to do with land use, water management, pollution — that have been deliberately made over the last couple of centuries of human existence and which are exacerbating natural weather events like this. Today the consequences of these decisions really hit home. I am sure you will see more of this over the next few days, but we have to get home first.
Leafy corner
Monday 30th November 2015, 3.55pm (day 1,558)
November, which began with an absolutely glorious day, has ended with three weeks of pretty sustained crap, weather-wise. With no light but grey, damp dullness, and a day spent almost entirely working at home, I’m having to work hard for these shots at the moment. Still, this one will do — there are lots of nice textures to explore.
Light rain shower in the woods
Monday 16th November 2015, 1.55pm (day 1,544)
Worked at home today, and tried to enjoy doing so as it’s my only chance this week. The weather relented, at least for today, and it was quite sunny and pleasant. I took a walk in the woods at lunchtime for the fresh air and while I did a most delicate rain shower came down, just for half a minute or so and backlit by wan November sunlight. This shot has probably turned out a bit too messy to be quite the capture I wanted it to be, but it was my best attempt in the moment.
Pigeons on the Old Bridge
Wednesday 11th November 2015, 11.05am (day 1,539)
I feel these guys are lining up, ready to attack me a la Hitchcock. But they posed well enough for a photo this morning.
Muscovy duck, cleaning
Sunday 8th November 2015, 2.50pm (day 1,536)
I am sure the Muscovy duck gets as much pleasure from a good solid self-probing like this as we do a good shower. I know this picture could be sharper but this was a long zoom on a very gloomy day. A decent, stress-free weekend, but not at all a sunny one: we are heading for deepest November, the dullest period of the whole year.
Nutclough Woods, November 1st
Sunday 1st November 2015, 1.50pm (day 1,529)
Utterly glorious day today. I suspect the chances of the rest of November being like this are remote, but hey, we can hope.
Being 42 