H is for Home Harbinger

Each day starts with a long walk with the dog. It’s normally a case of put the boots on, grab the lead and go. Our camera is quite cumbersome so it doesn’t get out much. However, last month we decided that we were going to make the effort to take it with us more often on these daily walks.

We’re going to start sharing with you some of the photos that we take when we’re out & about – things that we find beautiful, striking, interesting or fleeting – posting a collection of our favourites each month. This first batch were all taken in & around Todmorden this October.

October heralds the start of autumn with its stunning foliage, fruit, berries & fungi.

We stumbled across this beautiful orange mushroom beside a stream. It must have sprung up overnight – it was so pristine.

We didn’t have to walk far to get this image. These cute, little white-capped mushrooms were growing in a cluster on an old tree stump at the end of our garden.

These amethyst deceivers are plentiful in the local beech woods…

…we picked a few – they’re great in an omelette or salad.

Tempting berries – some edible, some not…

…these juicy elderberries most definitely are – and will soon be turned into jam & jelly.

Todmorden lies in a tree-lined valley, so we get a glorious leaf display around this time of year.

Will one of these grow into a giant oak tree?

After a wet summer, we’ve had much better weather this month. We captured this bee making the most of some lovely autumn sunshine.

This patch of orange crocosmia was growing wild. It looks stunning against the bright blue sky…

…as does this lone, windswept hawthorn tree.

These lovely stone walls criss-cross the fields & hills of the Pennines.

Other fields are divided by wooden fences – they can produce wonderful shadows.

The farms of the area concentrate on hardy livestock – beef & dairy cattle, sheep, pigs and chickens.

October hasn’t all been sunshine. These photos of electricity pylons and a local wind farm were taken under more threatening skies.

And not forgetting a photo of our regular walking companion taking in a view.

Hope you’ve enjoyed this first Out & about post – it’ll be back with more photos next month!