Nature Poetry, Sketches, And the rest.
This is my artistic blog! with some offerings of my local poetry, together with some sketches, articles, and even photographs. I do hope you enjoy my work just as much as I have creating it.
Thursday, 8 April 2021
The Frustrations of a Vismigger
Sunday, 4 April 2021
Monday, 29 March 2021
29th March 2021
Like this morning whilst waiting for the birds to pass, you sat there doodling and thinking, and we all know that thinking can be so dangerous so they say, but who is "they". I prefer my own boggling (thats if it is a real word!). Maybe a better word would be randomize! It is without doubt (for me) the best inspiration time! but inspiration for what!
Monday, 15 March 2021
Skylark versus Merlin - Skylark evades capture, How?
It came back to me this morning whilst out vismigging, remembering one special occasion down in the Grane Valley, Haslingden, East Lancs. Probably from around the mid 1980s, I would set up my old bivvy to keep out the winds and would sit in the entrance looking out, it was quite remote were I did vismig in fields with little conifer plantations, occasionally a noisy car would pull up on the nearby main road and guys would jump out and go in search of magic mushrooms which they successfully found. But that is not really the point of my memories. They are from that day when I saw and heard a Skylark in much distress has it was being chased along the moorland edge by a Merlin, I watched them for about 100 yards and the Skylark suddenly went into a ascend in short spirals, just like a Skylark does, the Merlin also tried to catch the bird, but his spirals were far to large and could not gain the same speed of ascend, and soon the Merlin gave up whilst the Skylark lived to see another day. How clever nature can be.
Thursday, 4 March 2021
Cissy Green Pie
cos thats what I'm thinking right now! I am just about to play Roy Orbison's
lovely song "I drove all night to get to you" ..........
"Nem Mind those mince pies!,
Wer coming down to Hassy for a proper pie.
(Sat 19th Dec 2015)
Wednesday, 3 March 2021
Mollie the Scollie on the first day of Spring (1st March 2021)
who's always no.1 and cannot
wait to tell you its the first day of spring!
Ding a ling a ling.
Saturday, 13 February 2021
Typhoons and Sir Lancelot (12th Feb 2021)
"Mouth is mute
Rest of body is as mute as possible
Feet struggles but as mute as can be
With the lightest creeping tred
Now past without his notice,
Sneaky did it!
Carbon scores yet again"
Wednesday, 10 February 2021
INTERTWINED (9 Feb 2021)
on 9th February 2021.
and secrets revealed"
I saw old established Ivy vines climbing the tree from all directions. I took this photo purely to demonstrate how prolific the vines had become, It was not until later when I got home and put it on the computer that I realized just to how revealing the art-work had become in ones mind. I have called it
"Intertwined"
Thursday, 21 January 2021
Redwing in the Crags, Time is When, Nature awareness! Returning to their roost.
Saturday, 9 January 2021
January Jollies (9th Jan 2021)
January
jollies…..(in 100 yards and less than 1 hour – close to home and
I guess that’s what they call local!)
It was about three weeks ago I saw my first snowdrops,
I am enjoying the first posy of primroses that came to our
garden four weeks ago.
So strong they push off this freeze with just a frown whilst
looking down.
Some Polypodies are regular and normal and ordinary, but
some,
are big show offs today! with their halo freeze and
shivering need.
Freezing colours of yellows and reds and pinks which are
hard to knock out!
Campions are champions, Herb Rob does not sob, whilst
Nipplewort hangs on.
Bridleway trees are sapped of their blood, just where
they are stood,
With listening lots of brown Jelly Ears catching all,
each sound that’s around.
the floor bears old earthstars still doing their best to
puff and pant and smoke.
Christmas has gone, but Turkey Tails hang on.
Shi-shi-shi- vering now! Going home, exercise done, mind
in prose mood.
9th
January 2021.
Tuesday, 29 December 2020
Robins nook on Hutton Roof (29th December 2020)
This was a lovely experience I had yesterday whilst checking out some Polypodium cambricum (Southern Polypody) and when I made a very special friend, who just kept hanging about to attract my attention, so close to arms length. Very very special.
Robin’s Nook on Hutton Roof
A friend
came by this morning,
With a
presence of daring love,
From arm’s
length he spoke,
In a
language of subdued ticks,
He moved
from rock to tree,
And then back
again to stand in a carpet of moss,
He never
stood still for more than 5 seconds,
Then looked
up with a winking eye
He seemed to
want my attention,
Just has he
did on my visit last week.
I think he
would have wanted to play,
And play all
day I guess, it was so special,
Of a
beautiful experience that!
Made me
enter into conversation with him,
Though I
guess we were both disadvantaged,
But we both said
our love in word or ticks
I guess one needs
to earn his keep!
The little
chap kept going to ground,
And pulling
up small worms to his delight.
Then the
penny dropped!
Whilst he
kept me moving around,
I stirred up
the old rotting leaf bedding beneath my feet,
Whilst he
nibbled on the rewards!
And I think this may have made me his best friend!
And for me
he was mine.
That little
cove area is now a special place,
Which I call
Robins nook.
29th December 2020
Sunday, 7 June 2020
It's a bonny place so knock it daaern
It's a bonny place so knock it daaern,
So all can watch with a drooping fraaern.
There's tons and tons of Hassy's best,
Millstone grit can't be seen to rest!
Knock it daaern, knock it daaern!
Vicarage that stood up on that bonk!
In its shadow was Martins Bank,
Grammar School was a buried Road,
Good few ton did mek that load,
Knock it daaern, knock it daaern!
Major, would turn over in his grave if he knew,
What had happened to his Highfield view,
Lions at Carter Place have gone with rest,
We're left with a porch without its crest,
Knock it daaern, knock it daaern!
Town Hall! Council will have a Ball,
With all thi hard earned cash,
So lets get shut for once and for all,
Before they have their Annual bash.
Knock it daaern, knock it daaern!
Its only a building is yon Con Club,
For some I suppose it was their hub,
Another fine place was Workhouse past,
Who needs a hospital on yon hill,
Knock it daaern, knock it daaern!
And now another bites the dust,
Even the "mighty" can fall but we'll not have a ball!
Salem, Trinity, Primitive and John Wesley preached!
but all went down with a "bang"
and no more did the bells ring or did the people sing"
so Knock it daaern, knock it daaern!
Nah! don't let it stand still,
Or tha'll get a bill,
Knock it daaern!
(Poem by Bryan Yorke - written 25th Feb 2015 with later additions)
Highfield off Grane Road (Photo by unknown)
Carter Place Hall (Photo unknown)
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Haslingden Municipal Buildings (lets call it Town Hall) |
St. Veronicas which earlier was the home to Cpt. Baxter (Photo: B. Yorke 2003) |
Salem Chapel was on Regent St opp John St
Trinity Baptist c1890
![]() |
Primitive Methodist - Grane Road Photo: Kindly shared by Chris Kirby |
Wesley Chapel, Blackburn Rd on corner with Hud Hey
*************************************************************
Friday, 24 April 2020
No Ring Ouzel to Bamboozle
(No Ring Ouzels on show, but 10 Wheatear, 9 Skylarks, 2 Tree Pipits, Linnets and Meadow Pipits
"No Ring Ouzel to bamboozle
on my lonely stride,
Aside, though ten wee tears of joy
and Larks ascending high into the sky
My oh! my......."
Thursday, 9 April 2020
Sir Lancelot (8th April 2020)
Monday, 6 April 2020
The Frustrations of a Mipit Vismigger!
Mipits high, Mipits low and Mipits floored (5th Apr 2020)
Sunday, 5 April 2020
Mipits won't stir on a Southerly (4th April 2020)
This is yesterdays tomorrow and,
Friday, 3 April 2020
Meadow Pipits (3rd April 2010)
Sunday, 29 March 2020
St. Marks Fly
your one of them black thingys
There's thousands of you,
for me your the poor man's Mayfly.
Your like a saucer,
I mean a flying saucer,
you hover a bit,
then shoot off with alien speed...........
thank you..........
A Bag of Jolly Mixture
Monday, 9 December 2019
Paradise Lost (Paradise Terrace), Haslingden
Bryan Yorke - January 2017
Monday, 2 December 2019
Redwing In the Crags/Time is When/Nature Awareness/and Returning to their Roost
Redwing in the Crags (being disturbed they moved across - not altogether but in singles and pairs)
I heard the rare Redwing roost call,
In the Crags, without bags
No! Number 15 theres been,
munching the reds so bright, sunlight,
Still going past maybe now twenty
made the entry and crossed the sunlitten blue sky,
bye bye!
Time is when! (opinion formed on half a tale)
They only have time to listen to some of a story
and from that their opinion is formed,
It doesnt matter who reads it,
What matters is they find it!
to read, the seed...
Nature awareness!
Learning whats about
will save you the doubt..
straight through they went,
Without being bent,
to a dropping down sun in their West.
Thursday, 14 February 2019
6th Feb 2017 - Dalton Crags (Lark ascending was not to be)
Wednesday, 17 October 2018
Pheasants run off in a straight line
Turdus reflections - East Lancs 1980s - South West migration
(Memories of a past Thrush Vismig Day in East Lancs 1980s):
Look up into the sky, high and sometimes higher (binoculars)
To see the black dots, then look further to see the smaller dots
of Thrushes bounding South West between the broken clouds.
In stream after stream and all on one line, and too high to count,
How many hundreds or maybe thousands there could have been.
(turdus reflections 16 Oct 2018)
Sunday, 9 September 2018
More archived sketches
I was asked if the "National Forum for Biological Recording" if they could use this one for the front page of newsletter magazine which you can see the finished product below
This sketch was photographed and then used on the "Large Screen Banners" for Natural History events for the Tullie House Museum in Carlisle. I have a photo of the banner in situ which you can see below (Click over to enlarge) also you can see my smoked sunbeam photo at the bottom.
This is regularly used at the entrance to the Tullie House Museum, Carlisle
CBDC enjoying a well deserved ice cream at the Westmorland County Show. It shows
the banners in situ here as well
This is one of my older sketches, which I can still laugh at and brings quite a "chuckle" from the audiences when I tell them that the "pyramid looking hill" in the background is supposted to
represent "Ingleborough" in Yorkshire and alsways check to see they have spotted the Rarer Red Rumped Swallow.
This was a farmer who checks is sheep out regular, and would come past early in a morning whilst I was birding, and would usually stop and have a "natter" and this particular day he was telling me about the fox he had just seen with a pheasant in its gob!"
“Ay Rag Booen”
Smoked Sunbeams taken at Arnside Knott on 31st August 2010
I have been approached lots of times about this photo, people saying they have taken photos which
appeared to have sunbeams but they could not manage this effect. So I told them that I was very
fortunate on the day of this photo, in that the "foresters" were burning old coppicing about 100 yards away and by chance the blue smoke was travelling in a horizontal and once it caught the beams you
got this special effect
This is regularly used at the entrance to the Tullie House Museum, Carlisle
CBDC enjoying a well deserved ice cream at the Westmorland County Show. It shows
the banners in situ here as well