All the leaves are gone ...

Taken by Margot K Juby

...and the sky is grey.

The Weekend in Black and White should be here.

Up against a brick wall

Near Snuff Mill lane, Cottingham

The thing with walls is that they exclude or include, depends which side you're on I guess. *End of banal pointless platitude*

Blackthorn Winter

The past week has been a bit chilly, windy and wet and through it all the blackthorn has been blooming brightly.

Taken by Margot K Juby

Puddle tree

Snuff Mill Lane, Cottingham

The Weekend in Black and White is here.
Weekend Reflections are here.

The Tenth Circle

Of Hell that is. Cottingham Day on a hot Saturday in July with thousands milling around like the living dead gawping at this and that and nothing in particular. And it was like Groundhog Day all over again exactly the same as last year and the year before that, vintage cars here, motocycle display there, hot and tired looking birds of prey display over there, an aged rock and roll show on the Green, art and crafts in the Derby and Jones Hall (try to look interested) and so on and so on. So nothing new to show for it all save this oddly placed mannequin advertising ice cream. I won't be going next year I've seen it all before. Still Snuff Mill Lane on the way home was looking at its Summer best

First time for everything

Maybe they do it all the time, this sitting on a roof thing, and I have just failed to register it. Anyhow here's my first and positively last picture of a duck on a roof.

Pussy Willow

It appears that, at least on Snuff Mill Lane, Spring might be on its way.

Flash Car

I rarely use flash but when I came across this police car with its special reflective surfaces I just couldn't resist.

First frosts

The first hard frosts of this Winter have turned this flooded field on Snuff Mill Lane to ice. Contrast this then to the raging fire I posted of the same field in April here. Rain and lots of it have returned this field to its natural state, it really should be like this in Winter. The cold snap is set to end on Friday with lots more lovely rain coming in. Here's a couple of extra shots I took.

Swallows

One swallow does not make a Summer and neither , it seems, do four or five. Rain totals show it's been the wettest second quarter on record and quite possibly the wettest June ever; although it's not been too bad in Hull other places have had flooding and even tornadoes! 

As it's the first of the month it's theme day for City Daily Photo with 'chimneys' as the chosen theme. Click here to see other participants. If that link doesn't work try here or the Facebook group here.

Drought in Hull and Hereabouts

On my way to Cottingham down Snuff Mill Lane and came across the land on fire! Months of low rainfall have parched this land which should be a damp marsh with pools of water. It's an area rich in wildlife. The Easter holidays have provided the idle hands for the devil to find work and we have this ugly sight. It's no raging inferno and the firebrigade will have put it out in no time but if the land is this dry in April what will it be like after Summer? As I write it has started to rain but we need lots and lots of the wet stuff. 

No Trains

I took this on Sunday when, for some reason, there were no trains running, which is just as well if you're going to play about on the tracks.

Sunsets and Puddles

Taken by Margot K Juby

Last year's silly cold weather has been followed this year with even sillier weather. Temperatures today(14C/57F) are near a record high for late December. With clear skies we've been having some stunning sunsets; this one captured in the puddles of Snuff Mill Lane.

Reedmace, bullrush, cattail or punk

Call them what you like.
On the way to Cottingham is a sort of wildlife/nature place that gets flooded in Winter and rarely dries out in Summer. These reeds are doing their best to convert this marsh to dry land.

Snuff Mill Lane, Cottingham

A tobacconist used to run a snuff making factory close by this building hence the name of the lane. The lane also provides a short cut from my house to Cottingham village shops so I often go by here.