Ruby Tailed Wasp

Saw this quite attractive insect the other day. A bit less than 1cm long. Never seen one before. It's not a fly but a parasitic wasp of a genus called Chrysis. They parasitise other insects like Mason Bees that raise their offspring in walls. This explains why it was systematically
going up and along ALL the mortar joints of a very big wall!

Claypits

A pond situated in Rixton Claypits Nature Reserve. The reserve is located between Irlam and Warrington. It stands on land used by a local brickworks for extraction of clay during the first half of the 20th Century. The site is now a Special Area for Conservation and a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Father Christmas

Father Christmas presides over the goings on at the annual Christmas market in Albert Square, Manchester.

Wedding Car.

Spotted by St Teresa's Church in Irlam.

Barton Bridge

The swing bridge spanning the Manchester Ship Canal at Barton swings back into position after being opened to allow passage of a ship carrying tourists on a sightseeing cruise of the canal from its beginning in Salford to its end at Eastham where it enters the estuary of the River Mersey.
In its heyday this bridge would open many times each day to allow the passage large ocean going vessels carrying raw materials for, and produce of, the industry of Manchester and the industrial north west of England.

Sir Charles Halle

The grave of Sir Charles Halle (1819-1895) in Weaste Cemetery, Salford. Halle founded the Halle Orchestra, Britain's longest established professional symphony orchestra, in Manchester in 1858.

Beetles

A few of many of this attractive beetle that appear to be devouring the leaves of bushes at my local Tesco supermarket.