Possibly the last.
Focusing on the image –
The haiku “whenever”.
Let’s be honest, who comes here for the haiku? At the end of the day it is a photo blog, so I will continue to share my images, many of which may be “marmite” images. Some may hate them, some may love them, but if you like the majority then hopefully you will stay. I am not ruling out the odd poetic expression, but it will not be a focus from now on.
This image is quite possibly a marmite one….
Hardly a blanket.
Just a light dusting of snow
On a woodland walk.
Happy 2026, assuming you use the same calendar as I do. Yesterday I made an error of judgement. Normally, when we get a touch of snow in Nottingham, it is the Peak District to the west that gets it heavier. So We drove out to Upper Moor, hoping for a nice snowy shot, suitable for next year’s Christmas card. Virtually nothing. Not enough of nothing that it was a wasted trip, and the walk followed by a pub lunch made for a really good day, but not what I was expecting.
Then when I watched the news in the evening, it was the East that got all the snow, and I had gone in precisely the wrong direction. Still managed a couple of images, and hopefully more snow on the way.
Sometimes I listen
To what others have to say.
And sometimes I change.
Notice anything different? The haiku and the image are not related at all? I have been doing this all wrong, starting with the image and making a string of syllables fit. It means that although the images are ok, the haiku are often engineered to fit, and not really all that good. So I am going to try and change. I am going to try and put more into the haiku, and if there is not a fitting image then the image will have to stand alone. A bit of eye candy if you like. Let’s see how it goes. Wish me luck.
Catch a falling leaf,
Luck will follow you all year.
You might have missed some?
Getting out in nature is good for you. Especially if you are able to catch a falling leaf before it hits the ground. It is supposed to be lucky, but on this occasion my wife was waiting a loooong time for nothing. Then as soon as she gave up, one solitary leaf drifted down exactly where she had been standing. I swear the trees were laughing.
A single deer stands
Posing, alone in the woods.
Who needs company?
Morning walks in Wollaton Park often bring atmospheric results, and deer in unexpected places. I have yet to see deer in the lake, which they take to quite frequently, but it is always a delight to tuen corner to find a solitary stag hiding in plain sight.
Deep in the shadows
Wary angels fear to tread.
Ghouls and spooks hiding.
Hopefully not too late for Halloween, I resisted the temptation to add in ghosts and bats.
Although I look calm
I’m wilder than I might seem.
So keep your distance.
This is the tail end of the rutting season, a time when the deer are particularly aggressive. But just because they are in an enclosed parkland at Wollaton Park in Nottingham, some people seem to think they are tame pets.
Russet leaves abound,
The autumn air cold and crisp.
Time to walk the dog.
Apparently this year is going to be good for colour, so hopefully I will get the chance to get out and capture some of it. This image is from the circular walk around the lake at Wollaton Park in Nottingham. And no, I don’t have a dog.
Beside the river
Walking among the shadows,
Warmed by evening sun.
Just in case the title didn’t make sense, the river is visible through the trees on the right of the path, Found it?
This was taken on a walk during a recent visit to Grassington in Yorkshire. Grassington is the village where All Creatures great and Small is set.
One of the issues I face when taking photos as part of a holiday break with my wife is that I walk more slowly than she does. Apart from the obvious issue, that if I stop to take a photo I can look up to find I am left behind, there are photos like this one. I see it, I love it, and my wife is already walking through it. Sometimes it works, but other times I have to call her back to stand behind me so I can get a clean image. I know landscapes can be enhanced with people in them, but not always. In my humble opinion, of course…
In a darkened wood
A stray shaft of warm sunlight
Lights a lone sapling.
A walk in spring looking for bluebells, turning a corner to find this young sapling sunbathing. I think this image possibly turned out better than the ones of the bluebells.
