A halo of fluttering white petals of almond blossom surround the early morning sun rising over the olive groves of Andalucía.

Sunset through the clouds at 38000 feet. The lowering sun painted the clouds below with the colours of flames and glowing embers.

A lovely display from the snowdrops in Alexandra Park Crosby this morning as they glow in the bright sunshine.

Happy to launch this gorgeous book today. Grab a copy via the links in bio! @jmatkin.bsky.social @richardnskinner.bsky.social

A day that started with rain has finished with a touch of radiant light. Tidal pools reflect the glowing sky at the end of a cold winter’s day at Crosby beach. #IronMenCrosby

Rare blue skies and sunshine over Crosby beach this afternoon after days of grey cloud cover and rain bring a touch of hope for brighter days ahead. #IronMenCrosby

Clearing skies over Crosby beach this afternoon as the rain finally ceased. Ice crystals in the high cirrus clouds create a pale sun dog visible to the left of the picture. #IronMenCrosby

Hamamelis from the garden. A yellow flame brought in from the greyness of the day. “Bring in a twig, To break into bud And sweeten our room, To lighten the air With its frankincense, myrrh, flower of winter.” From Witch-Hazel by Gillian Clarke.

This morning's sunrise from the middle of a silhouette of mountains. By the spring equinox it will rise left of Baosbheinn (left on 📷). To me this view is a deep time clock, a natural calendar, marking the passage of seasons across a year, for years uncountable. You can read more in #Windswept

Today, a rare glimpse of sunlight at Crosby beach bringing a faint touch of spring warmth after all the rain of the last week. #IronMenCrosby

A calm mild morning, a sudden burst of sunlight lights up the beach before rain heavy clouds move in again from the west. #IronMenCrosby

A quiet windless morning. Dappled grey skies promise possible sunshine on an otherwise grey morning as the tide rolls out at Crosby beach. #IronMenCrosby

A wet foreshore dotted with the figures of the iron men. A few beams of hopeful light try to pierce the grey wetness on this last day of January at Crosby beach. #IronMenCrosby

Diffused sunlight at the end of a cold clear winter day on Crosby beach. The sky glowing with muted shades of orange and gold, restless sea birds skim low over the waters of the incoming tide, the only sounds their cries and the gentle murmur of waves rippling onto the shore. #IronMenCrosby

Towards evening today soft golden diffused sunlight shimmered on the calm waters of Liverpool Bay. The setting sun sinking into hazy clouds over the mountains of Eryri, Snowdonia. The still air filled with the plaintive calls of oystercatchers feeding at the edge of the incoming tide. #IronMenCrosby

After the storm. This afternoon in calm clear air, bright sunlight sparkled across the rippled sands of Crosby beach bringing a touch of freshness after days of grey cloud cover. #IronMenCrosby

A rare visitor to the garden this weekend, a blackcap. Just in time for the @rspb.bsky.social #BigGardenBirdwatch

A pale winter’s wash of light at the end of the day. The iron men lead the eye onwards, forever looking towards the grey horizon on a cold blue tinted afternoon at Crosby beach. #IronMenCrosby

A great evening of poetry last night in Ainsdale, Southport, with Jennifer Lee Tsai, Jen Corcoran, Robert Sheppard and Molly Osborne. The venue, Mecycle, is run by the charity Autism Initiatives and is a real community hub, perfect for poetry. Thanks as ever to @rondavies.bsky.social for the photos

#MorningObservations A cool, bright blue sky and a biting wind. The flapless flight and keen eye of a hawk. A sudden flurry of feathers, a sparrow’s scream. Dogs frolic by the campsite gates. A solitary figure strides up the cemetery hill. Olive groves glisten, a carpet of gold and green. #words

A snaking river in deep winter spate: the creases & folds, the vortices, varied tints, shadows, reflections, the murmuring. Willow shoots trail in, & tall reeds quiver by, the clouded fringe flow. Stillness is found in the study of a river.

Busy at the time of the best auroral display last night but did manage to capture this from home at 22.30.

The Sacred Memory Bank opens today at Kirkby Gallery. It’s on until Friday 27th March. Assemblage. Collage. Word. Mike Badger & Jeff Young. Come ! Details: cultureliverpool.co.uk/events/the-s...

Clear skies over Crosby beach this afternoon. The air stilled just before sunset and a tranquil calm descended on the landscape. Just me and the iron men to enjoy the vast expanse of sand, sea and sky. #IronMenCrosby

The atmosphere was painted shades of burnt orange and apricot by the bright yellow disc of the sun as it slipped behind the mountains of Eryri, Snowdonia, yesterday evening. An ethereal moment of light and quiet solitude, the iron men on Crosby beach working together with nature. #IronMenCrosby

Shallow sunrays reach through a winterbare copse, spill onto a field edge where dear linnets feed within fodder crop; the dank air resounds with their liquid chatter, and tall seeding weeds quiver by their touch. Flashing white, knitted tight, they all break cover, rise up and away over sepia tones.

A river of gold crossing Crosby beach leads the eye towards the setting sun this evening at Crosby beach. A stunning, calm quiet evening where the light is working its magic on the senses. #IronMenCrosby

Tonight after sunset at Crosby beach, magical light. The still air meant perfect reflections in a river of tidal water as nature’s brush painted a masterpiece of art across the sky using a palette of pinks and oranges to colour the streaks of high cloud. #IronMenCrosby

Bright. Clear. Basking coffee drinkers warm their bones in a sun-kissed corner of the plaza. A friendly ginger kitten comes to say hello. An old man on a new bench crosses his legs, strokes his chin & takes in the view. Sea mist drifts in the valley...

A crisp winter blueness descends on Crosby beach as the golden winter sun sinks towards the distant Welsh hills. The air chilled by a strong north wind. #IronMenCrosby

Clear skies after morning greyness but the wind is now from the north and cold again. The late afternoon sun sinks behind cloud throwing out beams of golden light across the sky beyond Crosby beach. #IronMenCrosby

@imcmillan.bsky.social Found you over here. Welcome.

Still air and a calm incoming sea at Crosby beach this afternoon. The lowering sun diffused by thin high cloud softening the colour and brightness. #IronMenCrosby

Look what is appearing in the garden! The first snowdrops of the year.

A last flicker of light at sunset on a mostly grey afternoon, the iron men the only static objects on an afternoon with a strong wind, a restless outgoing sea and fast moving clouds. #IronMenCrosby

A pewter grey afternoon tinted by pale watercolour shades of yellow and blue at a windswept Crosby beach, cold but exhilarating, the roar of the waves and the cries of gulls a soundtrack to the ever changing light as evening approaches. #IronMenCrosby

Clear winter skies over Crosby beach yesterday afternoon, the temperature barely making it above 0°. A bracing walk to clear the mind with #IronMenCrosby.

Thanks to #TonySnell and #bbcradiomerseyside for making me feel welcome today for the chat about the #IronMenCrosby exhibition at The Atkinson Southport. Lovely to catch up with Tony after many years.

A stunning, bracing winter afternoon at Crosby beach. Today the distant snow coated mountains of Eryri, Snowdonia, glistened in the sunlight on this icy afternoon as the rough seas receded from around the feet of the iron men. #IronMenCrosby

Rising over the dunes behind Crosby beach, yesterday’s super moon, at first gold then silver as it rose higher above the shoulders of an iron man and a cold clear evening. #IronMenCrosby

Tonight’s super moon, the Wolf Moon rising behind Crosby beach this evening. A beautiful glowing orb of light slowly rising out of evening’s shadow. #IronMenCrosby

A flock of oystercatchers skim the rough waters of the incoming tide this morning as the sun rose on a very cold Crosby beach and the distant snow covered mountains of Eryri, Snowdonia, brushing the hills with golden light. #IronMenCrosby

Me and my shadow. Watching the windblown sand on Crosby beach this morning.

Just after dawn this morning, the distant mountains of Eryri, Snowdonia, were revealed wearing a coat of freshly fallen overnight snow; the warm light of the rising sun glowing on their slopes. Here at Crosby no snow, just a very cold NW wind driving spume capped waves onto the beach.

Just after dawn this morning, the distant mountains of Eryri, Snowdonia, were revealed wearing a coat of freshly fallen overnight snow; the warm light of the rising sun glowing on their slopes. Here at Crosby no snow, just a very cold NW wind driving spume capped waves onto the beach. #IronMenCrosby

This morning’s wintery sunrise over Crosby beach as a strong NW wind whips the waves of the incoming tide and the loose sand on the beach. The temperature was 2°C but was more like -4°C with the wind chill. #IronMenCrosby

New Year morning on Crosby beach and plenty of people out enjoying the air despite the bitter NW wind chilling the air and blowing loose sand along the beach. Lowry like matchstick figures against the watery sunlight. #IronMenCrosby

And so the year fades. The last glimmer of light as the sun sets on another year. A very cold afternoon at Crosby beach with #IronMenCrosby to mark the end of 2025. Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year!

Happy New Year Brian. Thanks for all your wonderful books over the years.

The gulls seem unimpressed by the wonderful display of golden light that nature has provided to mark the end of 2025 on this bitingly cold afternoon at Crosby beach. #IronMenCrosby