Mystery Macro 5

A couple of days ago I found this in the house. Can you identify what it is? :-) All guesses will be kept in the moderation queue to give everyone a chance...

At the End of the Garden...

The neighbour's cat has been sitting at the end of the garden for days. I decided to investigate why! :-)

Soap Bubble

Spur Gears / Cogs

Window...

It's a shame to see this former stately home now neglected, a crumbling ruin left to decay... :-( I wonder if anyone recognises the tower?

Sign: Turn Left At The Baker's

Every time I visit Louth I'm on the look out for strange signs. Here's one I spotted recently in the market hall:

“... Turn left at the baker's then right at the curry house... actually, there are lots of curry houses... anyway, on the left they've knocked down a house to create an alley. Go down there ...”

The signs are created by the artist Rupert Clamp who pretended to be lost. He asked for directions and created signs from the directions he was given. So far I've manage to find 5:

• Market Hall: Turn Left At The Baker's
• Jackpot Pottery: You Can Cut Through Here
• Vickers Lane: Go Onto The Main Street
• Eastgate Car Park: Basically, Carry on Round Here
• Burnt Hill Lane: Actually It's Just Up There

Sign: You Can Cut Through Here

I spotted another strange sign in Louth. This one was by Jackpot Pottery:

“... You can cut through here onto a greenway. Go right onto the old side, carry on up to the main road, keep on up till the lights, then left ...”

The artist Rupert Clamp pretended to be lost and asked for directions. He created these signs from the directions he was given.

Brimham Rock, Yorkshire

North Yorkshire's Brimham Rocks are formed from millstone grit and have eroded into curious shapes.

Ghost Sign: George Gregory

“George Gregory: Book Store, Lending Library. Well stocked with all the latest fiction”

The ghost sign on the corner of Grove Street in Bath is just above a Trompe-l'œil, a painting intended to look three dimensional. :-)

Sunrise Through the Fog

The temperature dropped to -8°C in Boston last night causing the tidal Witham to freeze. This morning the sunrise can only just be seen through the fog near Boston Stump.

Snowflakes

This morning we had the first decent snow of winter and the first chance to take photos of individual snowflakes. Here's the best attempt so far. The trick is to pick out a snowflake with the tip of a knife and move it a cold black surface. :-)

The first was taken on matt black plastic. Photo 2 & 3 used black paper. I'm still looking for a less reflective background and a better way to control the light.

The Meridian Laser

The Meridian Laser is a line beamed into the night sky from the Royal Observatory at Greenwich. The line sits on the Prime Meridian and is visible up to 60 miles away. The picture below also shows Jupiter just above the observatory roof. :-)

Sign: Down on the Other Side

Here's another strange sign I found in Louth, this one on Vickers Lane:

“... Go onto the main street. Right... go down, down, down on the other side of the road for a couple of minutes. You'll go past a couple of butchers' and a little tea shop, then turn right and it's just round the corner ...”

The sign is one of thirteen created by artist Rupert Clamp in 2007-2008. Rupert pretended to be lost and recorded the directions he was given.

Early Morning in the Snow

The morning after we arrived in Llanrhaeadr ym Mochant I went exploring. I discovered this scene on a narrow lane leading to Pistyll Rhaeadr waterfall.

Catrigg Force

Catrigg Force is an impressive waterfall as Stainforth Beck flows into a haunted dell. No-one seems to know who or what haunts the dell. I certainly didn't spot anything unusual when I visited after dark :-)

Chasing Shadows

In the garden a couple of days ago I discovered a cat trying to catch his own shadow. He has an unusual feature, one eye green, the other blue.

London by Night

The London Eye offers an amazing view of London by night. We visited London a few days ago and the ride on the Eye was the highlight of the trip :-)

There's a spectacular view looking down to the Houses of Parliament in one direction and along the river to Saint Paul's in the other.

London Eye by Night

The London Eye is a giant ferris wheel on the bank of the River Thames and looks quite spectacular by night :-)

Autumn Maple

At the weekend we visited Chatsworth House in Derbyshire and walked the gardens and woodland trail. The autumn leaves looked quite spectacular, particularly the red maple. :-)

The berries of the yew tree look unusual. The seed is formed first then the red flesh grows around the seed, leaving an opening at one end. The seeds are poisonous, as are most parts of the yew tree...

Mystery Macro 4 (Artichoke)

Last week I asked if anyone can identify a macro picture taken recently. :-) Correct guesses were kept in the moderation queue to allow everyone chance to guess.

Congratulations to Sandee and Retrophile who guessed the stamen of a flower. The flower is on an artichoke in the gardens of Chatsworth House :-)