I'm back...

A long walk in the country today with my sketchbook tucked firmly under my arm...where it remained for the whole journey. Sometimes you just have to walk and not get distracted by pressure to record what you see. It's just better to let the landscape wash over you in a long pleasurable wave - so the sketchbook remained under my arm while I enjoyed a crisp winter day with bright, constant sunshine coupled with low temperatures that made my jaw ache.

Looking into the farthest distance, towards the urban sprawl and highrises of Manchester, I was struck by the atmospeheric flattening of perspective and by the way that the haze (or smog) obstcures the lower floors of the buildings, while the upper floors poke out of the obscuring air and seem to float, shimmering in the heat haze, even on this coldest of winter days.