Catching the Sun: Close Encounter

A close encounter of the most fortuitous kind. Whilst stepping up on a verge to get out of the way of traffic I found myself eyeball to eyeball with this prickly thistle. Very handy as I'd been so intent on getting to grips with the histogram in the camera, I'd forgotten about getting a shareable shot.

There's also a view from my doorstep at 06.14  the spot I've tied my boots every morning since the winter solstice.