Friday 21 January 2011

Dropping like daggers!


A beautiful frost this morning, then the sun came out. The trees are snowing!

Friday 14 January 2011

Along with the floods we also get the birds

This year the Canada Geese have arrived in unprecedented numbers, usually they congregate nearer the village of Gnosall, but this morning their first stop was most definitely the Common!
On my return from taking daughter up to the bus stop, I was met by this sight as I dropped down onto our track.



As you can see it was still quite dark so the pictures aren't great, the geese were gradually flying off to the flood beyond where they will spend the rest of the day, too far for me to capture with my camera.
So I had to make the most of the moment, and now my shoes are drying by the boiler and my long skirt is draped over a radiator drying, but it was worth it just to experience the moments

Tuesday 11 January 2011

It's so very wet again:)

I wouldn't mind all this water but we really haven't had that much rain!



Not going to manage to get around all this, time to turn back!


Sunday 2 January 2011

Another Place

We wanted to take the dog out for a walk but couldn't decide where to take her, finally we jumped into car and set off for our chosen destination.

Straight up the M6, onto M62 and M57
 to here .... any ideas?


The clue is in the title of the post, Another Place - By Antony Gormley....


'This installation by the Angel of the North artist, consists of 100 life size figures spread out along three kilometres of Crosby beach, stretching almost one kilometre out to sea. Secured on three metre high foundation piles, the sculptures are solid cast-iron made from moulds of the artists own body.....'

So that's how the sign begins.
I have wanted to visit Crosby beach since these figures were first installed, but actually, I'm pleased we waited until now, as these sculptures have for several years now been subjected to the natural elements of the climate and the sea, so what initially was a series of iron men have now changed into living statues, or the ones that regularly get covered with sea have any way.

This was our first encounter; pretty much all still cast iron!

So we made our way down to these




See how the barnacles and muscles have claimed them, and if you stand up very close to them placing your ear next to them you can even hear the barnacles


hmm ... may be they should be dressed! So son place his hat on this one briefly



Further along the beach we then came across these two 'dressed' statues, I was actually thinking more dinner jacket and bow ties myself!


One word of warning to any one else planning to visit these amazing statues, please do not take to lightly the warning on the sign about the soft sand, as you can see from the photo of me standing next to one of the statues you do sink into the sand very easily, and shortly after taking this last picture my family had to come and pull me out of the sand, at this point I was not far from the top of the beach.

I strongly recommend you visit this wonderful place, but please take care!