Much of my earlier photography has centred on landscapes and seascapes but due to recent health issues I have not been able to travel even by car without someone else driving. My access to locations was severely curtailed apart from those close by and within easy walking distance. Family have enabled me to venture a little further afield but it has been a restrictive experience for six months.

I had to embark upon a new path, an evolution both in terms of motivation and creativity. In the beginning I wandered, became frustrated, experienced a plummet in motivation, I bounced from one idea to the next never feeling I belonged. It all seemed to slip through my fingers like sand, I could not grip onto anything for months. Despondency set in, creativity left me, ideas withered, the sand continued to flow and I arrived in a desert - tough times for me.

I now realise that these moments, sometimes long moments of introspection have formed the basis of a new direction, a new phase, new projects to explore - it's all very exciting - scary but exciting!

In recent weeks I acquired a Sigma 105 mm DG DN Macro Art lens and have been working hard to get the best I can out of the lens. So much to learn but it's gradually coming together.

This is my first attempt at micro landscape photography. The first shot was taken through a hole in a railway sleeper which seemed appropriate for embarking on a new project. Looking through the hole I could see a new landscape before me that was bounded but nevertheless warranted exploration and discovery.

Thistles and ragwort amongst the drying grasses provided interesting subjects. Their flowers attracting insects feeding on the remaining nectar.