New Work 2

Bog Oak on the rise.

New

2024 Fragile - Hatfield Moors

There comes a time before an exhibition when you have to decide what you are going to show and concentrate on that. Trouble is I keep taking shots that I really like - and want to show.  This was taken on Hatfield Moors (again) and I hope it will be loved. You never know.

 

Wolds Return

I was back walking in the Wolds last week. The first time for a long while. A lovely day, and good to be back. This is Elvin Lear, a mysteriously named dry valley near Cottam.

Bramham

Danielle and I went a walk round Bramham Park last week. In the summer it is where the Leeds rock festival takes place. It could not have been more different for our walk, very peaceful. Layla is obscuring one of the many lovely milestones that trace the old coaching routes around York. Bramham was on the Great North Road, now bypassed by the A1(M)

Meal

 Friend Emelie kindly invited us round for a meal last weekend. Really nice evening and meal. 

Three Bushes and a Bird

A walled garden was developed in Museum Gardens in York, a very pleasant place to pass the time. I was sat looking at these three plants when an artist friend walk by. "You going to make a dramatic photo out of that then?" I failed, but the bird did its best to make it more interesting.

Poem

Where once the peat was dug so carelessly, wind now provides the power for free.

 

Geese et al

Geese flying over Thorne Moors last week, with a couple of lapwings looking after them.

Also last week a couple of Great Northern Divers (ducks, not footballers) were spotted on our local pond. The general consensus was that they must have got lost in the fog (they would normally stick to the coast).

I missed them!

Dog Expert

I think Sarah took this one of Laurence showing his dog handling skills.

 

Family Visit

Niece Sarah came up with two of her clan to see us at the weekend, Rosalind and Laurence. Great to see them all. The photo by Sarah shows the reason the kids were keen to visit - Layla the dog. By the end of the stay six year old Laurence was taking hold of  Layla's lead with growing confidence (a task that very few adults relish - she is strong)

Bradford 3

The snow will be long gone by now, but its dusting provided a strange atmosphere for me to photograph. Not a footstep in the snow, not a soul to be seen.

Bradford 2

The art gallery was built on a large scale for that specific purpose. It really is a great place to find in Bradford, harking back to the city JB Priestley described with pride in his novels and plays.

Bradford 1

 Danielle had a meeting in Bradford, so I went with her and explored whilst she met. The trip coincided with a snow storm, which made for an interesting walk. By the time I got to Cartwright Hall art gallery in Lister Park, I was treading through the virgin snow to reach the art (Hockney and others in a beautiful space) and the cafe (out of vegan samosas but they gave me a free piece of cake). The local authority do a fantastic job in keeping everything ticking over at the hall, despite the immense pressures on their budget.

The last month

We are into the last month that we can let the dog off when we visit Thorne and Hatfield Moors. So I am making the most of it. Yesterday was another classic trip. Found a new path, came across a gallivanting herd of red deer which was at once fantastic and a little unsettling. Even Layla gave them a wide berth, the stags were fantastic (at a distance). Then to cap it all I saw a male hen harrier, one of my favourite birds, very rare and and unmistakable.

This is a pool near the north western fringe of Thorne Moors.

Band

 Had a band session last week. Up to a five piece now, with another guitarist in the mix. Good fun.

Another shot from Hatfield Moors. 

Stillness

Very still water last week on the Moors. Peace.

Hatfield

Remnants of the old railway on Hatfield Moors are all over the place, none so permanent as this piece of track over the old road that has long since gone.

 

New Work

The winter sky, and plenty of water in the wetlands has lead to a spurt of new works. I took this shot on Hatfield Moors this week and am undecided on whether to go with colour or black and white. Feedback on line shows people are split pretty much down the middle as to which they prefer. I shall probably exhibit both this year and see how it goes. If I had to choose one or the other, at the moment I would go black and white; but I don't have to choose!