Tessera

Graham Jones

@oldmanrambling.bsky.social

Retired journalist from Liverpool. I was married to the lovely Janet for almost 58 years. Now living in Surrey. Left-wing jazz fan and Humanist. Support 🇵🇸🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈⚧️ No Fascists, god botherers, anti-LGBTQ or requests for cash.

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Graham Jones @oldmanrambling.bsky.social · 32m ago

Alan has decreed that the #BirdOfTheDay theme is #RedOrDead - red in the shot but not on the bird or a photo of a bird on bare winter branches. No #Robins, then? Ha. Here's a young chap with speckled brown, non-red bib with some nice red suet chips. OK marra? #Birds #ForJanet #Photography #ECK

A juvenile Eurasian Robin stands on a dirty red brick garden border wall that is spread with red suet pellets. The little bird still has its early rusty speckled brown plumage and NOT the red bib that will stand it in good stead come Christmas time. Our bird, does, however, have an eye for a photo op and is spreading his brown wings behind him in a pleasing fan pattern, showing the almost green plumage on its back. No red there, either, you will note.
Camera: Canon EOS 400D digital Tamron 55-200mm lens.

Susan Cushing @sdcushing.bsky.social · 7h ago

Hello friends! Happy Wednesday! How are you? 🙋‍♂️ It’s about 6:30am 🕡 EDST here and 🌥️. 🛜 problems, please be patient. 🥴 I’m making our rich & aromatic #BlueBrew coffee ye Olde Coffeehouse 😆. Who’d like a cup? ☕️ Please do stop by & say hello! 👋 We close at 10:30am 🕥 EDST 😊 #EastCoastKin #ECK

Pouring Coffee Time

Alt: Coffee is being poured continuously into a seemingly bottomless cup

static.klipy.com

@observethedate.bsky.social · 10h ago

Today is Wednesday 5 August 2026 It is Play Day 🛝 also 🇧🇫 Burkina Faso Independence Day 🦪 Oyster Day 🩲 Underwear Day 🥴 Work Like a Dog Day 💻 Blogger Day ✝️ St Oswald of Northumbria French Republican Calendar: ALMOND Roman Festival: Nonae, Salus temple anniversary Continues...

Soph0571 @soph0517.bsky.social · 11h ago

#AlphabetChallenge #WeekEforEphemeral #Macro #MacroPhotography #Bee #WeeBee #ECK The moment between being here and being gone 🐝😉

A sharply defined macro photograph capturing a buff-tailed bumblebee lifting away from a pale lavender agapanthus bloom, its legs just leaving the delicate petals as translucent wings blur with the first beat of flight. Every fine hair across its black, amber and cream-striped body is crisp against a soft wash of creamy bokeh, while unopened purple buds frame the scene. The image has an ephemeral quality, preserving the split second between gathering nectar and disappearing into the summer air.

Alan H @alan678.bsky.social · 10h ago

Going out with Sam but will be back in late afternoon to do my BOTD whizz through. 😁 I took this in a dark corner of my garden under a large tree in the rain. Just liked it. Bit different. Not exactly vibrant. 😂 Spot metered. #photography #flowers #BloomScrolling #ECK #macro #NatureLovers

A close-up macro photograph of a single white oxeye daisy against a deep black background. The bright orange-yellow central disc is sharply detailed, contrasting with the white petals, several of which are slightly curled, uneven, or weathered, giving the bloom a natural, lived-in character. Tiny raindrops cling to a couple of the upper petals, while a larger droplet hangs delicately from the tip of a lower petal. The dark background isolates the flower, drawing full attention to its intricate textures and simple elegance.

Graham Jones @oldmanrambling.bsky.social · 11h ago

Because it's the law, according to Soph, @soph0517.bsky.social here is today's #WeeBee a very fluffy caramel coloured common Carder Bee on a red Salvia at the garden centre. #Bees #Insects #ColorADay #RedWed #Nature #PhotographersOfBluesky #iPhonePhotography #EastCoastKin

A common Carder Bee on a red Salvia with a background of the plant's long and narrow green leaves. The bee's veined and semi-transparent wings are spread behind its fluffy caramel -brown coloured body. One of its large globular eyes is clearly defined against the red backdrop of the Salvia bloom as the insect makes its way up the purplish stem that holds each trumpet-like flower. Bees love Salvias. Plant them.
Camera: iPhone 15 Pro.

Aj d'Wit (Audrey)@audjde.bsky.social · 12h ago

I have been shocked and angered to learn that rare books are being bought up by AI companies, the spines broken, pages scanned, then the book destroyed. My words flowed in protest. #BlueSkyPoetry #BSPP56 #August #poetry #ShelfDust Word prompt: Shelf Dust #Verse #ECK #Wordsmith #Books #RareBooks

Aj d'Wit (Audrey)@audjde.bsky.social · 14h ago

Your pink-bronze pendulous leaves slow dance with the admiring cool breeze Sun’s early light traces the lines of your luscious foliage Weeping dichromatic Lilly Pilly count me as one of your admirers Enchantress of the bush #Verse #ECK #poetry #Wordsmith #LillyPilly #Australiana

Newly emerged pink-bronze leaves of the Lilly Pilly Cascade dominate the centre of this image. In the background are the mature green leaves of the same bush.

The Lilly Pilly Cascade is a beautiful mid sized shrub with mid-sized glossy apple green leaves with attractive red and pink new growth. Spectacular pink powder-puff flowers in summer are followed by pinkish fruits that are edible and attract birds. Has a lovely weeping habit, with many flushes of coloured new growth, and has a thick bushy habit.

Alan H @alan678.bsky.social · 12h ago

Good morning. The #BirdOfTheDay theme is #RedOrDead, any bird with red in the capture but not on the bird or a photo of a bird on bare winter branches. Alt #SummerVisitors Migratory birds associated with summer or your favourite bird to capture in summer. #birds #photography #ECK

A Meadow Pipit perches sideways on the curved seed head of a dark purple grass, its finely streaked brown upperparts and cream underparts sharply in focus against a smooth green background. The bird grips a large reddish earthworm in its slender bill, likely carrying food back to a nest or recently fledged young. Its alert dark eye and slightly raised crown feathers give it an attentive expression, while the soft, blurred backdrop draws full attention to the delicate plumage and the vivid contrast of the red worm against the bird’s pale face.

Rachel Darker @racheldarker.bsky.social · 19h ago

Prior to spring these boys had never been off a leash, let alone a small housing estate with only a fenced grass area circled by concrete path being their only area to play. It’s a joy to watch them run together, freedom of space encouraging the best in them, as open spaces do us all! #TheCampfire

Graham Jones @oldmanrambling.bsky.social · 22h ago

Thread 1) It is late and many tales have been shared when a familiar raspy English voice is again raised in the darkness as #TheCampfire burns low. "Would you care to hear of the young hitch-hiking, campervan lovers and their now sensible suburban life? Of course not. Would they do that?

pm gibbs @pmgibbs.bsky.social · yesterday

#BlueBrewBooks This is an advance copy that will be released in October. A slim volume, but tremendous emotion from one of my favorite authors. Murakami begins with a simple tale of a cat and then takes you forward through the past.

Susan Cushing @sdcushing.bsky.social · yesterday

Good Morning friends! Happy Tuesday! How are you? 🙋‍♂️ It’s about 6:30am 🕡 EDST here and ☀️. I’m making our rich & aromatic #BlueBrew coffee for the community at the coffeehouse. Who’d like a cup? ☕️ Please do stop by & say hello! 👋 We close at 10:30am 🕥 EDST 😊 #EastCoastKin #ECK

Pouring Coffee Time

Alt: Coffee is being poured continuously into a seemingly bottomless white cup

static.klipy.com

Northern & proud 👊@gazlancs.bsky.social · yesterday

French forces held a fierce defensive perimeter around Dunkirk and lost 18,000 souls. 40,000 became POWs. Without their resolve we wouldn’t have our nation’s story. It’s estimated 20-60k French resistance fighters died during the war. These fuckers really are vile bastards 😡😡

Bumblebee Conservation Trust @bumblebeetrust.bsky.social · yesterday

Most people think these Red-tailed bumblebees are fighting. What are they really doing? They're actually mating! ⏰Mating can last for up to an hour. ⚠️Never try to separate mating bumblebees as this can harm them. 🔒Once mating is finished, they will eventually fly off and go their separate ways.

Graham Jones @oldmanrambling.bsky.social · yesterday

I'm not sure exactly what is going on here but this junior #Robin appears to be levitating next to a blue garden pot. As it also fits the #BirdOfTheDay #Speckled plumage theme and #ColorADay #BlueTue, he gets the gig. I did warn Helen there might be Robins. #ForJanet #Birds #Photography #ECK

A juvenile European Robin caught in mid flight/hop? is pictured in front of a blue glazed terracotta garden planter. The small bird is just beginning to get its rusty red chest plumage but its head is still specked brown. The head and chest are in shade while the birds grey undercarriage and soft brown wings and tail are caught by a shaft of sunlight, which also lights up a section of the blue planter.
Camera: iPhone 15 Pro.

Barrie Cull @barrie6.bsky.social · yesterday

Today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme chosen by @helenbennett.bsky.social is #FabulousWaders An excellent choice of theme by Helen because there is so much scope. I’ve chosen this photo of a Greenshank because I love the reflection. I could almost turn it upside down 🙃 and not notice the difference.

A Greenshank with a white breast and grey brown plumage on its back and grey green legs, looks right. It has a long bill and it is standing in water. There is a clear reflection.

Alan H @alan678.bsky.social · yesterday

I’m going to give Helen a hand for 30 minutes before I go. Then again when I’m back this evening. What a great job AB and Helen are doing btw. For the #BirdOfTheDay alt theme #Speckled I have to go with my garden’s baby Song thrush. #birds #photography #ECK

Close-up portrait of a juvenile Song Thrush perched on a slender branch among green foliage. The bird faces left, showing a warm brown back, creamy underparts marked with bold, dark teardrop-shaped spots, and a large, glossy dark eye. Fine feather detail is sharply captured, while the background is softly blurred in shades of green, helping the thrush stand out. A delicate reddish stem appears just in front of the bird’s bill, adding a subtle splash of colour to the natural woodland scene. Sunlight illuminates the bird’s plumage, highlighting the intricate patterning on its breast and the rich golden-brown tones of its feathers.

Sabine Shutterbug @sabineshutterbug.bsky.social · yesterday

Good morning everyone, have a wonderful #BlueTue. #ColorADay #bloomscrolling #flowers #garden #naturephotography #photography #PhotographersOfBluesky #ECK

A lush cluster of blue delphiniums in full bloom, their petals opening in generous layers of vivid blue. In this close view, the blossoms reveal their delicate texture, with fine veins, soft folds, and subtle shading across each petal. The creamy centers add a gentle contrast, while the surrounding buds and leaves give the composition a fresh, garden-bright feeling. It is a quiet celebration of detail, color, and the simple joy of flowers in bloom.

@fozziefotos.eurosky.social · yesterday

#BirdoftheDay thank you to @helenbennett.bsky.social for her choice for her 1st day on the job. Im going with the Alt theme of #speckled #birds #ECK #photo #photography #birdphotography fledgling blackbirds

a fledgling blackbird hops around in our withered grass already fending for itself. It is a mixture of a rich chocolate digestive and a ginger nut in colour, its breast covered in speckles

Merisi Vienna @merisi-vienna.bsky.social · yesterday

MERISI'S WORLD "How I react to being asked how I like the current heatwave" Kratzdistel Prickly Thistle (Cirsium Thistle) Image © Merisi Vienna #EastCoastKin #ECK #Photography #PhotographersOfBlueSky #AlphabetChallenge #WeekEforEphemeral #TwosDay

"How I react to being asked
how I like the current heatwave"
Kratzdistel Prickly Thistle *
* Seedhead, soon to be gone (unlike me, trust me!)
(Cirsium Thistle)

Aj d'Wit (Audrey)@audjde.bsky.social · yesterday

Tiered balls of petals Labours under harsh, still air Peony will not wilt #PaintbyWords #HaikuKigo #Haiku Word prompt: Peony #ECK #Wordsmith #Strength (No photos of peonies in my photo library. It's more of a Northern Hemisphere flower.)

@fozziefotos.eurosky.social · yesterday

#ColorADay #BlueTue #SensoryArt #Small #AlphabetChallenge #WeekEforEphemeral #photo #photography #wildlife #nature #butterflies #dailybutterfly #threewordgenre flawless fragile fairy holly blue, how do you do

a tiny holly blue butterfly in soft, powder blue sits upon a pastel pink flower. It has tiny black dots peppering the back of its wings. its stripy antennae are folded down over the front of its head which is one big black eye. The background is a melee of pastel greens and pinks in soft focus

Graham Jones @oldmanrambling.bsky.social · yesterday

For her first alt theme as #BirdOfTheDay co-host @helenbennett.bsky.social has chosen birds with #Speckled plumage. I did think about including another young Robin but opted instead for the beautiful but extremely loud and annoying Starling. Time for Robins later. #Birds #Photography #ECK

A Starling crouches, ready to pounce on the half coconut filled with fat, hanging below. The smallish bird - about eight inches long - has a glossy black plumage with a metallic sheen, and at this time of year is speckled with white dots. Its pink legs are braced above claws, clutching a black metal arch. Its dagger-like bill can account for fat balls and other treats in minutes. The background is blurred green bokeh to further highlight the bird's markings.
Camera: Canon EOS 400D digital Tamron 55-200mm lens.

Graham Jones @oldmanrambling.bsky.social · yesterday

Welcome to another #BirdOfTheDay host today. @helenbennett.bsky.social picks #FabulousWaders. I have a Little Egret, a bird first seen in Spain many years ago, but now quite common here. I still love them, though. This is an early, hazy effort. #birds #photography #ECK

An Egret, leg raised and long neck stretched forwards, sets off to the left in the shallows of a sludgy brown coloured lake near the stony shore where green trees reach almost down to the water. A few semi-submerged branches break the water's surface.

Graham Jones @oldmanrambling.bsky.social · yesterday

A huge 250-year-old Lebanese Cedar, branches straddling the high street of the small Surrey town of Caterham-on-the-Hill, said to contain a witch's curse - hold your breath while passing beneath or face untold dangers. #ThickTrunkTuesday #ECK #ClassicMono #iPhonePhotography #PhotographersUnited

An 11 metre high Lebanese Cedar (Cidris Leboni), believed to have been brought home to Surrey from Lebanon 250 years ago as a sapling by a local merchant traveller. The tree stands on a pavement to the left, its branches straddling a road and its branches reaching above the highway, leaving shadows below on a hot and sunny day. There is no traffic on the road, that bends around to a corner and disappears down the hill that lends its name to the town - Caterham-on-the-Hill in Surrey, about 15 miles south of London. The sky is mostly clear but a white fluffy cloud appears, top right, over other trees.
Camera: iPhone 15 Pro.

Graham Jones @oldmanrambling.bsky.social · yesterday

Seed heads of a Cirsium thistle in my garden, still retaining tiny traces of their once purple glory, soon to be scattered and spread. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekEforEphemeral #TwosDay #EastCoastKin #ECK #PhotographersUnited #PhotographersOfBlueSky #Photography #DailyArt

Two seed heads of a Cirsium Thistle caught in a shaft of sunlight in a garden border. The background is blurred green, highlighting the delicate and transient nature of the subject.
Camera: Canon EOS 400D digital Tamron 55-200mm lens.

AnnaLois @annalois36.bsky.social · 2d ago

Floral Globe for #BlueTue by #ColorADay #EastCoastKin #ECK #photography #GlobeThistle #macro #macrophotography #flora #flower #BloomSky #bloomscrolling (iPhone camera)

Photograph taken using a macro setting of a Globe Thistle flower in the garden. The flower is purple-blue spherical mass of tiny spiked flowers which are slightly pink at the base before they open. The background are very blurred leaves and stalks.

Have always loved Globe Thistles. They are so unlike traditional blousy flowers with big, soft petals. Place for both in the garden I feel.

@swandiveswim.bsky.social · 2d ago

#Birds Atlantic Birding @atlanticbirding.bsky.social on their first day, has chosen the #BirdOfTheDay theme as #Firsts some of your earliest bird captures. Taken with a little Sony Cybershot in 2016, the year I started to take pics of birds instead of only watching them. An agreeable Nuthatch.

A small bird perched on a green suet cage, faces left against a light grey background. It has a narrow black cap & a black eye band through a white face. The breast feathers are light orangish tan & the wing feathers are a slate blue.

Robyn @handcranked.bsky.social · 2d ago

Pale pink-and-blue ephemeral minimalism An outrigger canoe at sunset in Tahiti. #BlueSkyMonday #ColorADay #PinkMon #MinimalMonday #AlphabetChallenge #WeekEForEphemeral #EastCoastKin #ECK #PhotographersUnited #photography #ArtYear

An outrigger canoe on a stand over glasslike water at sunset on an overcast evening. The canoe has a bamboo cover over it and bright Smurf blue on the part that extends off the boat. The canoe casts a shadow on the smooth surface of the water, which is a dusty pink directly below the boat. Beyond the boat, the water appears pale blue with some bits of gold where the sun breaks through the clouds. About 1/3 of the way down, there's a bent branch reflected in the water on the right and a small strip of land on the left side. Two thin markers poke out of the water.