Lytham Boardwalk in Black and White – Lytham, Lancashire, UK

A Black & White Photo of the Lytham Boardwalk. The Boardwalk is used by the RNLI Lifeboat Team and stretches out into the Ribble Estuary which feeds into the Irish Sea (Atlantic Ocean). Across the estuary is the seaside town of Southport in Merseyside. To the left of Southport is West Lancashire and to the right is further into Merseyside and on to North Wales. (AP = F5.6, Shutter Speed = 1/320, ISO = 100)

Translucent Tram

Translucent Tram at Manchester Piccadilly Gardens.

Photograph of a semi-transparent tram coming into the station at Manchester’s Piccadilly Gardens. I took this photo around midday which is not the ideal time to take these types of photographs as it is very bright, as you can see in the top right hand section of the photo. (I could have replaced the background but didn’t) Still, the effect has come out pretty well and the reflections in the windows add atmosphere to the photograph. Aperture size was F22 and shutter speed was 1/5s. (Lowest ISO {100}).

Dave Kirkby Poem (Remembering Hillsborough, 23 Years On)

Remembering Hillsborough, 23 Years Later.

The dawn arrives to greet the day
Daffodils dance and songbird’s sing
I know that grief is on the way
Another year – another spring

Thoughts – visions – sights – sounds
Silent guilt – silent tears
Pain and sorrow all around
It’s here again – that time of year

Mother Nature comforts the soul
With floral colours that gently entwine
It takes me to a field of gold
A beautiful vision from ’89

As time rolls on – each passing year
I feel more close to those who fell
I live in hope that soon we’ll hear
The deafening toll of the justice bell

Ninety six loved ones – ninety six lives
Each one a person – a face with a name
Sons, daughters, husbands, wives
Remembered forever by an eternal flame

Every April feels the same
Daffodils dance and songbird’s sing
Guilt – anger – sorrow – pain
Another year – another spring

Dave Kirkby

Little Marton Windmill, Blackpool, Lancashire, UK, 9th March 2012

I took some shots of Little Marton Windmill over year ago and said I would return. Here are a few more I took yesterday as I was waiting for four new tyres to be put on my car. I seem to be taking a lot of pictures of windmills lately, for some reason. They’re always good for a photo though and there are a lot of them where I live. Although, it may be time to return to the mountains.

Also discovered the dreaded dust particle on the sensor glass when taking shots at f22 aperture which will need to be cleaned at some point. Anyway, if you haven’t got time to read the other post…

There has been a Mill at Marton since 1786. The one in the photographs was built in 1831 (or more accurately a re-build of another mill). The Mill is located just off the A583 towards Blackpool, less than a mile from junction 4 of the M55. The Windmill is supported and maintained by the ‘Friends of Little Marton Windmill’.

Damside Mill (Pilling Windmill), Pilling, Lancashire, UK, 6th March 2012

Pilling Windmill was constructed in 1808 by Fylde millright, Ralph Slater, who also built Marsh Mill in Thornton and the Clifton Windmill near Preston. The mill itself is 73ft tall and is the tallest on the Fylde coast. It was built on a reed bed and has a lower course of sandstone which is surmounted by bricks. It is 30 feet in diameter at the base tapering to 17 feet at the curb. There was also a water wheel at the side of the mill. Beacuse of its height, the mill has some stunning views over the Fylde up to the Lake District and the Pennines.

The mill converted to steam power in 1886 and the sails were removed the year after. The mill continued to operate until the 1940s, after which it fell into disrepair. By 1975 the mill had been restored for use as a private residence and is still a private residence today. The top of the windmill was restored with a traditional “Lancashire boat top” cap by the owners Nick and Catherine Edwards in 2007. The mill now looks as it did in the nineteenth century.

Marsh Mill, Thornton-Cleveleys, Lancashire, UK, 26th February 2012

Marsh Mill was built by, Fylde millright, Ralph Slater in 1794. The windmill is one of the largest mills in Europe, standing at a height of 22.8m (70ft). Until 1922 Marsh Mill was a working windmill producing wheatflour for bread, crushed barley for animal feed, rye flour, and oatmeal. Today the windmill has had its machinery restored so once again the mill’s sails can turn. Guided tours of the windmill are performed all year round.

A Late Harvest around Parlick (Lancashire Pennines), Lancashire, UK

Autumn Time

Parlick in the Autumn

A couple of photographs I took back in late November 2011 around Parlick Pike in Lancashire. It was still harvest time as can be seen from the rolled hay in the photos.