A walk in the wild, wild wood....

Awake! arise! and come away!

To the wild woods and the plains;

And the pools where winter rains

Image all their roof of leaves;

Where the pine its garland weaves

Of sapless green and ivy dun

Round stems that never kiss the sun

Away, away, from men and towns,
To the wild wood and the downs-
To the silent wilderness
Where the soul need not repress
Its music lest it should not find
An echo in another's mind,
While the touch of Nature's art
Harmonizes heart to heart

Poem taken from

 The Invitation by Percy Bysshe Shelley

1792-1882

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Pictures Haigh Plantations
Wigan
Lancashire

The walk in my week....

Into the

Douglas Valley

The River Douglas, also known as the River Asland or Astland, is a river that flows through Lancashire and Greater Manchester in the Northwest of England. It is a tributary of the River Ribble and has itself two tributaries, the River Tawd and the River Yarrow.

River Douglas

Steps leading nowhere

The long and winding path

In Memoriam...

November is the month of Remembrance

***

These Gothic memorial photographs were taken during

a visit to a WW1 grave of a family member.

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The Victorians had a special affinity with the angelic

This lovely lady is guarding the graves of children..

The youngest was Florence aged two

The dappled sunlight shining through the alder

caught my eye

This secluded corner could almost be a scene from

a Charles Dickens novel

Just shows that there is beauty to be found in the ordinary

"And to live on in the hearts of others is never to die"

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A little bit abstract...

Here are some lovely shapes

These abstracts were captured inside the Lowry Building on a recent trip

Wherever you look 

the inside is 

stunning 

The walk in my week....

This morning's blast of Autumn sunshine meant a lovely meandering walk alongside Scotman's Flash in Poolstock, Wigan. Since I didn't take my little Fujipix camera, these photos were all taken with my Samsung mobile phone!

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Wigan Flashes are a group of wetlands, which were formed originally as a result of mining subsidence.  Over time this area has evolved into landscape rich in flora and fauna and is a haven for birds. Its hard to imagine that just 100 years ago this area formed one of the major coal fields in the area. 

What a legacy those hard working miners left to the town.

Scotman's Flash alongside the Leeds-Liverpool Canal

Mum and her babies

From Ugly ducklings....

.....to a beautiful swan!

A View from the Bridge

My favourite stopping place gives a perfect view of the

Leeds-Liverpool canal towards Poolstock

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Beautiful Birds...

On my walk in the autumn sunshine  I photographed these beautiful birds  

at

Three Sisters Recreation Area

Ashton in Makerfield

Mute Swan

Canada Goose

Three Sisters Recreation Area is located in Bryn, near Ashton in Makerfield, Greater Manchester, England. In 2011 it was designated a Local Nature Reserve.

The area was reclaimed from three coal mining spoil tips during the 1970s and now comprises a large area of woodlands and ponds. It has become a flagship example of brownfield regeneration in Greater Manchester.

The Lowry, Salford

The Lowry is a theatre and gallery complex situated on Pier 8 at Salford Quays, in Salford, Greater Manchester, England. It is named after the early 20th-century painter, L. S. Lowry, known for his paintings of industrial scenes in North West England. The complex was officially opened on 12 October 2000 by Queen Elizabeth II.

This iconic and ground breaking building was designed by Michael Wilford

All this is far removed from L S Lowry's original representation of 

Salford

 

Oldfield Road Dwellings, Salford

1927

Laurence Stephen Lowry (1 November 1887 – 23 February 1976) was an English artist born in Stretford, Lancashire. Many of his drawings and paintings depict Pendlebury where he lived and worked for over 40 years, and Salford and its surrounding areas.

 (wikipedia)