Horse riders on the Low

A group of horse riders seen on Slate Field in Werneth Low Country Park one sunny February Sunday.

Lower Higham Visitor Centre

Lower Higham Visitor Centre off Higham Lane houses displays about Werneth Low Country Park and provides leaflets and light refreshments.

It is open in the afternoons only on Tuesdays, Saturdays, Sundays and most Bank Holidays.

They sometimes host special days involving kite-flying or country crafts and organise guided walks.

ABC Wednesday:Frosty Morning at Stonepit Reservoir

A frosty morning at Stonepit reservoir, which is still not yet open for fishing.

Previous photographs of Stonepit Reservoir.

• Jul 20th 2006 Stonepit Reservoir
• Sep 6th 2006 Twigs & Barbed Wire
• Sep 14th 2006 Stonepit Reservoir Again
• Dec 14th 2006 Stonepit Reservoir Yet Again
• Dec 22nd 2006 A Glimpse of Stonepit Reservoir
• Jan 11th 2007 Reservoir Filling Up
• May 15th 2007 Reservoir Nearly Ready
• July 7th 2007 Waterfall flowing at Stonepit
• August 11th 2007 Stonepit Reservoir Not Quite Ready
• September 17th 2007 Missed the Birdie
• November 2nd 2007 A Licence to Fish
• November 23rd 2007 Another Sign at Stonepit

More ABC Wednesday F posts can be found at Mrs. Nesbitt's Place.

From behind the Seal

I've shown you the Hyde Seal from the left and from the right and from the front as well as close-ups of its head and of its middle.

This one from behind looking back across to the market was taken last June.

Caxton Works

Caxton Works is a now derelict mill on the corner of Mary Street and Edward Street off Dukinfield Road and lying just North of the motorway.

I'll show you close-ups of the doorway and rooftop at a later date.

One palm on the side.

Last year I showed a picture of the palm trees outside the Town Hall.

People seemed genuinely impressed by them and considered them healthy. Last week the ones in front of the Town Hall were dug up by council workmen. A taxi-driver told me he saw them doing it on Sunday morning. He said they'll probably be shredded and then sold back to gardeners as compost.

Round the side of the Town Hall in Corporation Street, this and another palm tree were still surviving yesterday. I hope it is staying. Next week I will show you the new trees that have been planted in front of the Town Hall.

Canalside Graffiti

This section of towpath is by the bend in the canal where it passes by Automasters before going under the M67.

The walls are covered in graffiti.

I'll show you more around here on March 1st when the CDPB theme will be Graffiti/Street Art. Over 130 blogs have already signed up to participate.

Bus Station Roof

Two for the price of one today.

This picture, taken with my point-and-shoot Olympus, shows the projecting out roof of Hyde Bus Station. By shooting towards the sun, however, whilst it creates a satisfyingly austere image, all detail is lost.


This is the same image after "equalising the histogram". Although this creates a rather flat appearance it does bring out the details. In the background is the Donnybrook Medical Centre and the rear of the parade of shops at the bottom of Market Street.

Looking up Higham Lane

Looking up Higham Lane.

Although quite narrow and steep, this road carries two-way traffic between Lower Higham Visitor Centre and the Quarry car park at Four Lane Ends near the Hare & Hounds.

Mending Potholes

We've been collecting hub-caps recently from cars that have bounced their wheels into a pothole that has been developing around the drain cover at the side of the road.

One morning last week a couple of council workmen came with some tarmac and made repairs.

Answer to February Quiz

Last week I asked What is this?.

As Ghost of Red Pump Street knew, it is the concrete retaining wall alongside the M67 Motorway.

On the other side of the wall is the Bus Station.

The photograph was taken from the footbridge on the Western side of the Bus Station.

From here you can see the Eastern footbridge and just beyond that Clark Way.


Dick from Eye on Texel has presented us with an award.

Caught in the Middle

This photograph of the middle of the Hyde Seal viewed from across the street is a follow-up from my close-up of its head.

Behind it is one of the old etched windows of the Town Hall.

In front is lamppost #12. I only recently noticed that every lamppost now carries a number indicating its unique street address.

In Over the Low

Last Sunday was remarkably warm and sunny for February.

In the afternoon I climbed up to the War Memorial on the top of Werneth Low.

I took quite a number of photographs which I'll be sharing with you over at least the next six weeks (not all at once).

This is looking North over Hyde in the direction of Oldham, Rochdale and Bolton.

High in the sky but getting lower is an aeroplane bound for Manchester Airport.

New China at the Coffee Morning

Many of my readers will be aware that on Saturday mornings we go for tea and toast at the Methodist Church on Crook Street.

One morning a few months back I was tracked down here by a blogfan from Vancouver, Canada who wanted to say hello.

A church member visited a pottery recently and now we have a whole new set of bone china cups from which to drink our tea. It might not be Starbucks but check out these prices!

Winter Tree by sign for M60

This is another photograph from my January walk along the Peak Forest Canal towpath.

It probably took me around 45 minutes to walk from the motorway bridge over the river Tame, up the path to the canal and then down to here.

The traffic on the M67 motorway would have taken around 10 seconds.

Love & Kisses

These balloons were floating around inside the Clarendon Shopping Centre on Saturday.

Love and kisses to our visitors from around the world.

First Daffodil of 2008

Spring has come early this year.

Our own group of daffs were starting to shoot up in mid-January. They are now showing yellow buds but are yet to fully flower.

I found this one in the garden of the Lower Higham Visitor Centre on Sunday.

There is another photo of it on Winter Haiku 2007.

February quiz

Time for another little quiz.

What is this? Where is it? What is around?

Local readers may know its exact location, whilst others might be able to just make more general guesses as to its nature and surroundings.

Postcard prizes for the best comments/answers.

The complete answer will be revealed next Tuesday.

Looking back at the M67

This is another picture from my walk by the river and canal in January.

Having passed under the M67, this is the view looking back along the snow-strewn path to the bridge over the River Tame.

As from March 3rd 2008, Hyde DP and my other blog, Ackworth born, gone West, will be participating in Broer som Binder [Bridges between]. More details on Runes TX-Blog, but the general idea is to post something bridge-related on the first Monday of the month [or the second Monday if the first is the first].

Out into the light

Do you recall my photograph last week, Waiting under Manchester Road?

Here now is that same pigeon, but this time you can see what lies beyond.

Serendipity

According to Illuci

A serendipity is an unexpected result of a search for something you want to obtain ... You start with an image in mind of what you will get on your picture. Sometimes it's above expectation and you cry : "awesome!". Sometimes it's below expectation and you are disappointed. But incidentally it occurs that it's totally not what you had in mind, but it appears to be another kind of picture, but quite useful! Because:

1. it contains an interesting element you overlooked while shooting the pic. Or,
2. as in this case, when it appears to be an interesting abstract picture. I wanted to shoot a picture of the view from the bus during night, the shutter was open and the bus started, oh what a pity! I thought.
3. you accidentally chose the wrong shutter time, white balance or DOF, and it's too late to restore, but afterwards the wrong settings appeared as good as, or even better than with the "right" settings.

I've always thought of serendipity as being a happy accident.

Happy or not, this picture results from an accident, which I recounted here in November. This was the last image taken with my old Fuji camera after it had become soaked with water. It was blurry and the water around the lens caused distortion. However after a bit of work in the software darkroom, I finally came up with this example of Serendipity.

Locals and regular visitors will still recognise the familiar clock-tower of Hyde Town Hall within this dadaist rendition.

Yesterday and today, a number of photobloggers on the aminus3 platform will be displaying their examples. Mine is on my Sithenah photoblog.

Flowery Field Church and Factory Chimney

Another view from the footbridge over the M67, this time looking North-Westerly to Flowery Field Church and a factory chimney which while it looks like this one is actually another one.

Bollards

Some bollards in the rain and a pile of swept-up fagends.

Canal view looking North towards Ashton

This is another picture taken on my walk in early January along the river from Broomstairs Bridge.

At the top of the picture is where the path from the river to the canal comes out. Northwards the canal leads to the Portland Basin at Ashton under Lyne.

My walk along the Peak Forest Canal though was southerly past Toray Mill to the Manchester Road Bridge.

I've still got quite a few more photographs from the walk to share with you over the coming weeks.

Clark Way Bridge over M67

I recently showed you the view looking East from the footbridge over the M67 near Morrisons.

Look West and we see the bridge which is the start of Clark Way, coming off Fernally Street.

In the distance are two footbridges, either side of the bus station and then another road bridge which is the other end of Clark Way just before the Red Lion.

The Seal's Head

I recently showed you a picture of the Hyde Seal.

Here is a close-up of its head.

The sculpture commemorates the Hyde Seal Water Polo team who were world champions for three years from 1904-1906.

Today's picture on Old Hyde is of a group of girls from the club in 1925.

Snow on the Hydrangea

Well it did indeed snow on Friday night.

On Saturday morning, everything was covered, including the hydrangea bush.

It is a bit different from how the blooms looked in August.

The sun came out though and by mid-afternoon all the snow had gone.

More of this morning's snow on Winter Haiku 2007 and Sithenah

There is snow up there

Passing Diamond Row yesterday morning, I noticed the sky. "There is snow up there", I thought to myself.

Seconds after taking this photograph it was hailstoneing and I hurried home.

Waiting under Manchester Road

This shows the underside of the Manchester Road bridge over the Peak Forest Canal.

Last month I showed you the approach to the bridge, and last year the view from the other side.

A view from 2000 can be found on Old Hyde.