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Wednesday 31 May 2023

The Moor You See

The cowslips have almost gone now. It was just over a month ago when I was kneeling and rolling in the dewy grass on the "moor" trying to find precisely the right angle to show their poise and beauty. But as the cowslips leave, the buttercups spring up to replace them and I return to repeat my gymnastics on their behalf.

  

It's not really a moor of course, just some badly drained rough summer pastureland, but that's the local name for such places. At first sight it doesn't look very interesting.



But, like most things in life, the "moor" you look, the "moor" you see!



I make my way, slowly and thoughtlessly, in haphazard fashion, stooping here and there to examine whatever catches my eye. And I seem to be becoming addicted to clamping the long lens on the camera and throwing foregrounds and backgrounds into hazy confusion.



My one and only reader from Japan* (as far as I know) left a comment on a recent blog about the word "bokeh", which photographers use to describe this dreamy out-of-focus effect. Apparently when it's things close to the lens that are blurred it should be referred to as "mae-bokeh" ("front bokeh"). She also adds that it's derived from "bokeru", meaning blurred or senile!



My blurred and senile eye failed to notice the miniscule scrap of life clinging on to the grass stem. It's amazing how often that happens, even when I concentrate hard on what I'm doing.



Backlit buttercups against some colouful "senility"!



In the dark waters of a ditch petals of May blossom sparkle among the fallen leaves.



Aha, the sheep are back! The rather raggle-taggle flock of sheep has once again been put out to graze the eastern part of the moor, beyond the little arch that leads beneath the railway line. I'd better be careful where I kneel in this part of the meadow now. These are Manx Loghtan sheep from the Isle of Man.



And what sort of sheep is this? A very woolly one.



But the above (no woolly answers here) is the flower of a White Campion. The field which last year was full of colourful wild flowers has this year been ploughed up, but a generous border has been left untilled and a walking path mown around the edge.



 Ox-eye Daisies are doing well again this year.



And another portrait of White Campion, with Red Campion forming the fuzzy counterpoint to its crisp purity.



I found some attractive fungi on a fallen tree which detained me for a while.



Architecture for small insects to shelter beneath perhaps.



Cow Parsley along the field edge, like foam brought by the incoming tide. A dandelion "clock" set me to wondering what the time was. Oh dear, I seem to have spent over three hours in some kind of suspended reality - though I'm sure it's done me nothing but good. If it were not for the protests of a hungry stomach I'd gladly tarry longer.



So I'll conclude my dreamtime perambulations here.  I hope that, like me, you were able to....



Take care.

* "my one and only reader from Japan" is better known as Yoko or "stardust" and has a quite wonderful blog which you can follow by clicking on the link to "Stardust Talk". One of the more beautiful places in blogland.


27 comments:

  1. La buena vista del fotógrafo, hace recrear esos bellos instantes y sacar lo mejor de esas imágenes que se encuentran de paso.
    Un abrazo

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  2. It's fascinating when you take the time to look closely.
    From where you are, and by the look of her, I would say that's a Lincolnshire Longwool sheep. Like the Romney, with a good long staple and a lustrous fleece.
    I like the Manx Loghtan sheep..like the Soapy, sheep with attitude!!

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  3. Aha! I thought I recognised the Loaghtan sheep! We have several small flocks locally and their meat is much sought after.

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  4. Every photo is a delight and it always takes me awhile to study each one. I often have to come back repeatedly to look a bit longer. You give me so much to see, John! Thank you!

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  5. Manx sheep with those handy horns are tempted by bums - so watch it!

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  6. As always, your photos & prose are wonderful and so entrancing. I can easily lose myself for quite a while in your posts, and it's such a delight to do so.
    Curious... do you find many ticks on you when you've finished for the day outside? Or do you use an insect repellant before heading out? We (in the US) seem to be having an especially bad year this spring in terms of ticks.

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  7. Once again you took us on a beautiful journey. Thanks, John.

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  8. What a beautiful and productive visit to the 'moor'. Thank you. And thank you to your Japanese blog friend for more about bokeh.

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  9. You are a great photographer John, I love your images. The sheep are handsome, and curious. I can't kneel anymore so if I want to take a shot from low down I bend over, put my phone near the ground, press and hope for the best!!

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  10. This gave me such joy to read. Interesting, funny, informative, and those sheep! Thank you.

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  11. These are the delicate frames through the lens you see through

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  12. The more you look the more you see - and you're very good at seeing and showing us.

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  13. I don't have the camera that could take the photos you do. Exquisite!

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  14. This was an interesting three hours. Lots of flowers and bugs and some humor thrown in.

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  15. You may be verging on being bokeru, but you can still post great photos. Thanks.

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  16. Oh, I just left a breif comment about your being bokeru, but I forgot to sign in, so I"m not really anonymous. Not that I said anything stellar.

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  17. You’ve showed us a wondrous world out of seemingly not-interesting place. Nice photos of bokeh! I like it when the subject pops out in the dreamy blur. Thanks for remembering my talks about “bokeh” and introducing me with my blog – I’m so happy. Keep experimenting with nice bokeh.

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  18. I am not quite sure why, but Cowslip always seems a particularly lovely and evocative name for a flower. I know that feeling about getting immersed in something so interesting that you forget about time and I have been chastised a few times. I once almost got trapped by an incoming tide - thank goodness that turned out well, but the tide pools were so filled with interesting life, nothing else mattered at the time. The passage of time has not diminished that proclivity, but I am now at the age where I can wear it with pride, or claim advancing dotage as the reason.

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  19. With every single post, you remind me that I am surrounded by miracles if only I have the wits to look. I do. But sometimes I forget. Thanks for the reminder!

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  20. A wonderful tour and some really beautiful photos, John. Thanks for being our guide.

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  21. Thanks for the tour, those are all such lovely photos!

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  22. Love the focus on the tiny plants! I’ve been doing the same.

    Now that’s a sheep! Quite the coat!

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  23. Joining the chorus here, commenting on the joy of seeing your photos, that we (I) found new ways of appreciating such simple plants and flowers, and the art of photography which gave us both Bokeh and Mae-bokeh. Love the interpretation as well!

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  24. I love your long lens photography. Very true about the "moor" you look!

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  25. Totally enjoyed my visit and your dreamtime perambulations. Fascinating captures of nature's miracles.

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  26. You have shot some beautiful artistic images here John.

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  27. Beautiful photos! I like the wooly sheep and I agree with you that Yoko blog is a beautiful place in the blogland, written with love.

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Thanks for taking the time to comment. I'll try to answer any questions via a comment or e-mail within the next day or two (no hard questions, please!).