Round the Edge of the Village: It’s All About the Texture

Sunday’s walk, on a cold blustery afternoon, along a too-familiar path, could have been a non-event, a means to burn off a few calories and not much more.  Jude’s challenge this week brought me ideas though.  ‘Look for texture’, she said, ‘close in on your subject and capture the texture and not the context’.  Challenge accepted.

Here we are by the village pond.  Here’s Mrs. Mallard.  And here are her feathers.

And – a sure sign that spring has sprung – here’s a dandelion.

Off to the track through the fields now.  I trudge past the sheep, stolidly munching grass and hay, and spot a rusty old shed at the end of the pasture. Lichen on rust.  Perfect.

Well, you can’t wander through the woods without finding a fallen log.  And fallen logs mean knots, nooks and crannies, velvety moss.  I take a couple of shots.

Oh look.  Here’s a muddy bit:  and I haven’t got my decent boots on.  But oh, look again!  Here’s texture a-plenty. A goose-print; a – er – what – squirrel perhaps? print; a different bird print (offers, anyone?); and a dog-print.  And finally a cracked-mud print.  That was good value.

Any walk in our countryside produces any number of long-established oak trees.  So here is some bark – both shots from the same tree.

The last shot of all doesn’t follow the rules.  But here’s a farmer doing his Sunday afternoon ploughing.  Unturned earth, turned earth, and all being thoroughly investigated by a host of sleek white black-headed gulls.  If that isn’t a symphony in textural contrast, I don’t know what is.

And since this is a post for Jo’s Monday Walk too, I’ll just mention that there was tea and Drenched Lemon Cake waiting for me when I got home.

#2020 Photo Challenge 13: Texture.  ‘Get close to your subject and capture just the texture itself, without the context’.

Jo’s Monday Walk.

Author: margaret21

I'm retired and live in North Yorkshire, where I walk , write, volunteer and travel as often as I can.

64 thoughts on “Round the Edge of the Village: It’s All About the Texture”

  2. Funny because I was doing something similar for Jude around these lanes, though by the time I publish it her challenge will have moved on to Lines. Ah, dear… I can never keep up. 🙂 🙂 I expect you were looking out for tops to Square too? I’m about to grab my brolly and plodge down to the post office with some Easter cards, though I don’t know if they’ll make it to their destination on time. Stay safe, Margaret, and thank you!

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    1. You’re right, I did find a couple of tops, but I haven’t got that many yet. Ah well… Still raining then? Here too, if it’s any consolation. Do you know, I can’t even remember when Easter is? It’s not as if we’re going to be seeing anyone …

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      1. Seamless blue sky atm but when it rains, it rains! 🙂 🙂 I send them to my Polish aunts and uncles but who knows if they’ll arrive. Maybe for next year…

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  4. Thank you for the walk Margaret, and all the textures – seems we’re of the same mind when doing our walks at the moment. I’ve now moved on to looking for lines and tops! And believe it or not, it’s been so dry here even the moss on the trees has shrivelled up!

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      2. dare I mention I am having to water all my pots, the north easterly winds are so cold and drying everything has dried out. Can’t believe it was only a few weeks ago I was emptying trays of water!

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    1. I’ve been looking at badger prints. I’m not sure – too small I’d say. But it’s not squirrel either. I’m foxed! It’s not that either though ….

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  9. And to finish it off with a song; What a wonderful day this was…. well seen, even better caught for the passing eternity, supremely described – I made my walk with you Margaret. The last picture is one I haven’t seen for a long time – and it reminded me strongly of my time in Devon, close by the sea – a time which I consider my best ever. Thank You

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    1. Devon is a county I simply don’t know. South Western England generally is the part of the country I know least. When all this is over, we need to put that right.

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  11. Is it just me or did you find the bird/goose/squirrel prints somehow poignant? I flicked back up to the dandelion shots, the beautiful closeup of delicate texture to recharge my batteries. Never thought I’d appreciate a dandelion so much!

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    1. It was quite a surprise, that dandelion, when I got close and personal. And yes, I also found it quite moving, that little slice of country life when pesky humans aren’t around getting in the way.

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      1. Yes, have you seen some of the chancers of country life taking swift action on that front. I expect you’ve already seen those wild goats moving in on Llandudno since the lockdown. Made me smile, but don’t expect the owners of the front garden hedges are quite so amused.

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      2. No indeed. I saw a short video on the on-line Guardian, and there they were chomping away in the gardens. And they’ll have to be fined on the Social Distance front too.

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  14. Lucky that you can take a walk through the woods now. I have been walking between the kitchen and the living room for a while. And that squirrel’s footprint, that’s a surprise. I don’t think I’ve noticed one ever, but it looks possible.

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    1. I guess it’s one of the advantages of being more constrained in what we do. We have to experience the local with more attention, and therefore often more delight.

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  16. I have a folder full of texture photographs but sadly no bird prints. And how much more invigorating must a drenched lemon cake be over a mere drizzle 🙂

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    1. I’ve always called it ‘drenched’, because that’s what it was called in the first book I ever used to find a recipe for it. The old Cranks recipe book as I recall.

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  17. Your photos show that it definitely pays to pay attention. Its amazing how rich the world is when one adjusts one’s gaze to another level. As usual, I enjoyed all your photos.

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  18. Pingback: Jo’s Monday walk : Beja Blues | restlessjo

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