Spring has sprung

April 11, 2021April 11, 2021 / mikeosbornphoto / 4 Comments

Spring has arrived with bursts of life everywhere and carpets of new flowers. CONTINUES BELOW

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Here in Manchester city centre, little local havens including Parsonage Gardens are a riot of bright yellow daffodils.

A spell of warm sunshine coincided with a relaxation of Covid lockdown restrictions, so I finally travelled beyond the city limits to Dunham Massey in Cheshire.

Its beautiful grounds boast many varieties of narcissus, the first flush of tulips and Spring shoots.

Then the weather took a cold wintry turn, even with snow flurries. Let’s hope the blooms weren’t too shocked either…

Autumn sunflowers

September 27, 2020September 25, 2020 / mikeosbornphoto / 17 Comments

A summer field filled with bright yellow sunflowers is a glorious sight. But what is it like when the colour has faded and the season shifted? READ MORE BELOW

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I visited this Cheshire field beyond the fringes of Greater Manchester on our final summery September day. It belongs to Little Heath Farm who encouraged visitors to come and enjoy the sunflowers and take photographs in the uncertainty of a pandemic.

The field is now maturing and the carpet of yellow has faded. The flower heads are heavy with seeds and drying out. It’s a picture of natural progression and the cycle of life, full of textures and more muted colours.

The sunflowers may have aged but they remain a thing of beauty.

The north in bloom

April 28, 2019April 16, 2024 / mikeosbornphoto / 5 Comments

I’ve taken a year-long career break and have spent several months travelling. But it’s also a great opportunity to be at home and have the freedom to enjoy what’s nearby.

On a recent spell of warm, Spring weather I visited Dunham Massey, a National Trust property close to Manchester. The expectation was a carpet of bluebells, but instead there was a vibrant display of tulips.

I was using my secondary, more portable Fuji and finally cracked its macro capabilities. Back at home I continued my shoot with some leftover flowers and new plants on the balcony. Maybe there’s truth in the old adage that home’s best…

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A garden in the north

May 7, 2017March 16, 2020 / mikeosbornphoto / 12 Comments

Manchester is a sturdy, handsome city packed with great buildings and urban power. But it’s relatively quick and easy to escape to the country and find green fields, hills and more.

Dunham Massey is a modest stately pile within the boundaries of Greater Manchester. We made a beeline for the formal gardens, which in Spring are bursting with colour. The tulips and rhododendron are out in force, while it’s that special moment of the year when the native bluebells carpet the woods. It’s soothing for the soul and easy to get snap-happy surrounded by these flowers…