Chemical works...

Licensed today: Saltend chemical works, near Paull, East Yorkshire…

Happiness...

“Happiness is a by-product, not an end in itself. It is like health: if you do the right things, if you eat the right food, a balanced diet and so on, you are healthy; but if you eat the wrong food and yet search for health, obviously it doesn’t exist. So happiness is something that cannot be sought after; it happens. When it happens, don’t cling to it. If you cling to it, it becomes a memory, and the moment it becomes a memory, it is a dead thing” (Krishnamurti)…

Delivery van, licensed today...

Booths and Skiddaw...

Licensed today: more shots of Booths supermarkets, in the news recently because they have done away with malfunctioning self-service tills. This store is in Keswick, Cumbria. To include the mountain – Skiddaw – in the shot, I hopped onto one of the open-topped tourist buses, with my camera, and took an upstairs seat...

The Lorton Valley...

Licensed today: Palace How Farm, overlooked by Whiteside and Grasmoor, in the Lorton Valley, Cumbria…

Petworth...

The last license before Christmas: a conversation on cobbled Lombard Street in Petworth, West Sussex… 

Hickling Broad...

Licensed today: The Pleasure Boat Inn, Hickling Broad, Norfolk…

Sold and let...

Licensed today: a typical stock shot to illustrate some aspect of the housing market...

Chipping Sodbury...

On my way to the shops today, the car seemed to turn, of its own volition, towards Blacktoft Sands. The reedbeds were very quiet, almost deserted, apart from a few marsh harriers and a cattle egret. A dozen bird-watchers were squeezed into Singleton hide, diverted by the lively antics of an otter.

Licensed today: the broad main street of Chipping Sodbury, a market town in Gloucestershire… 

Cars for cash...

Licensed today: car sales at Hut Green Garage, near Eggborough, North Yorkshire...

Hedon...

Licensed today: St Augustine's Church in Hedon, Holderness, East Riding of Yorkshire…

North Cave Wetlands...

North Cave Wetlands, this afternoon. The birdlife was a bit sparse: no waders at all, apart from a pair of fly-over curlews. I sat in one of the hides with a couple who both had very new binoculars. They wanted to know the names of the ducks, so we spotted them one by one: teal, wigeon, shoveler, mallard, gadwall and tufted duck... plus this mute swan and some energetic dabchicks...

Isle of Mull…

Licensed today: Loch na Keal and Ben More, on the Isle of Mull… 

King Billy...

Licensed today: equestrian statue of King Willam III, erected 1734 in Market Place, Hull…

Escomb...

Licensed today: the 7th century Saxon church at Escomb, near Bishop Aukland, County Durham…

Booths...

Licensed today: a branch of Booths supermarket in Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire… 

Langdale...

Licensed today: a tractor at the head of the Langdale Valley, in Cumbria…

Bluebells...

Is there a month of the year more devoid of colour than December? So it was good to see my pic of bluebell woods get another airing in yesterday’s Guardian…

Ravenscar...

Licensed today: the view from the Raven Hall Hotel, Ravenscar, looking towards Robin Hoods Bay, North Yorkshire…

Letchworth...

Licensed today: Letchworth in Hertfordshire… 

Nine Ladies ...

Licensed today: Nine Ladies stone circle on Stanton Moor, Derbyshire… 

The Taliban...

According to a report by Human Rights Watch, the Taliban is causing “irreversible damage” to Afghanistan’s education system. After taking power in 2021 the Taliban swiftly banned girls from higher eduction, including medical schools, which will affect the future number of female healthcare workers. Female teachers have been banned, with the shortfall being filled by unqualified men. The range of subjects being taught has also been reduced. According to a Taliban spokesman, banned subjects include anything “un-Islamic and non-Afghan that resembles western standards”. Boys are not taught anything which might promote democracy, or other faiths, or feature non-Muslim writers such as William Shakespeare.

Licensed today: the postman on his round in Tadcaster…

Cycling in the Wolds...

Licensed today: a cyclist near Huggate, in the Yorkshire Wolds… 

Skipton...

Licensed today: another outing for this shot of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal in Skipton, North Yorkshire...

Cawood...

 Licensed today: All Saints Church in the village of Cawood, North Yorkshire...

Piel Castle...

Licensed today: Piel Castle, on Piel Island, near Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria…