Nature's Magic

Nature will bear the closest inspection. She invites us to lay our eye level with her smallest leaf, and take an insect view of its plain.
Henry David Thoreau

On Saturday I went on a macro photography workshop at a nearby nature reserve Langford Lakes. It was a revelation. I have always enjoyed watching and photographing butterflies but had not realised how many other stunningly beautiful creatures there are out there vying for our attention. However before you can see you need to look, and in looking move slowly through the world. Our leader for the day was wildlife photographer Iain Green who introduced, what was for some of us at least, a new wonderland.

Fat-legged Garden Beetle on a Briar Rose

I love the iridescence of this garden beetle and the way in which it brings something new to the flowers it alights on

The day wasn’t perfect for this kind of photography. It was cold for June, we had to dodge the showers and worst of all it was windy. It turns out that winged insects really don’t like wind!

Thought this was a mayfly but having looked on the web not so sure!

I love the delicate tracery of the irridescent wings on this little one.

ladybird mating.jpg — Stages of the ladybird’s life cycle:
Mating

Something else I knew nothing about till Saturday! I included the picture of the ladybirds mating even though it’s not very sharp as I thought it would be fun to show the whole cycle.

I love his little face. when you look at the faces of moths, butterflies and damselflies close up you can really see where people got the idea of fairies from.

Finally to sign off, a plant that tries to fool you into thinking it’s an animal - the Bee Orchid. When I was a child there were fields full of them and pyramid orchids where we lived on the Isle of Wight. Sadly nowadays they are much more difficult to find. Apologies if any of the info about insects in this blog is incorrect. If you spot any mistakes please feel free to highlight them in the comments. In the meantime happy insect hunting!

December Month of Extraordinary Light

“Above the cloud with its shadows is the star with it’s light”

— Pythagoras

December was a month when I noticed beautiful light. Light is more precious during the winter when the days are so short and often, like today, so murky that it seems as if there is no daylight at all.

Three days shone out for me in December. On the first I visited the Christmas Tree Festival at the medieval church of St Thomas in the centre of the city. Different organisations and charities decorate trees in a multitude of ways and the results are stunning.

What absolutely made the whole thing was the afternoon light streaming into the church and casting a golden glow

The medieval 'Doom' fresco was rendered vibrant by the light

The second day of extraordinary light was just before Christmas. We had friends staying and took them on a trip to explore Cranborne Chase a little known but amazingly beautiful part of North Dorset. The weather forecast had been poor so we were delighted to find a sunny and slightly misty day which made the countryside look magical.

The village of Ashmore the highest point in Dorset

We ended the day in the Saxon hilltop town of Shaftesbury watching the sun go down

The final picture in this set is Gold Hill, made famous by the Hovis advert and the Oliver Read / Julie Christie version of Far From the Madding Crowd in the nineteen sixties.

For the the final set we're off to Brighton for our post-Christmas visit to my 94 year old mother-in-law. It was freezing cold and blowing a gale but I ventured down to the promenade to capture the sunset - and boy was it worth it!

The final photo of the post is a tad grainy but I like it because it shows both piers, The West Pier in the foreground and the Palace Pier now known as Brighton Pier. You can also make out the starlings that gather there every evening.

So This was Summer!

We spent our summer in the UK mostly at home or on the Isle of Wight with the odd day trip. The exception to this was a trip to Norway with my 94 year old mother-in-law to visit family.

I should like to share my favourite photos with you.

Dorset

“Rime Intrinsica, Fontmell Magna, Sturminster Newton and Melbury Bubb,
Whist upon whist upon whist upon whist drive, in Institute, Legion and Social Club.
Horny hands that hold the aces which this morning held the plough
While Tranter Reuben, T. S. Eliot, H. G. Wells and Edith Sitwell lie in Mellstock Churchyard now.

Lord’s Day bells from Bingham’s Melcombe, Iwerne Minster, Shroton, Plush,
Down the grass between the beeches, mellow in the evening hush.
Gloved the hands that hold the hymn-book, which this morning milked the cow
While Tranter Reuben, Mary Borden, Brian Howard and Harold Acton lie in Mellstock Churchyard now.

Light’s abode, celestial Salem! Lamps of evening, smelling strong,
Gleaming on the pitch-pine, waiting, almost empty even- song
From the aisles each window smiles on grave and grass and yew-tree bough
While Tranter Reuben, Gordon Selfridge, Edna Best and Thomas Hardy lie in Mellstock Churchyard now.”

— John Betjemin

The first three images and the title image are Corfe Castle, the others are Lyme Regis

Oslo

“Until the Eighties, Oslo was a rather boring town, but it’s changed a lot, and is now much more cosmopolitan. If I go downtown, I visit the harbour to see the tall ships and the ferries, and to admire the modern architecture such as the Opera House or the new Astrup Fearnley Museum on the water’s edge.”

— Jo Nesbo

Åsgårdstrand

“Nature is not only all that is visible to the eye... it also includes the inner pictures of the soul”

— Edvard Munch

Isle of Wight

““Any man from America or Australia might take one glance at the Island as something on a map, and then decide to give it a couple of hours.

But you can spend days and days exploring the Isle of Wight, which, if you are really interested, begins magically enlarging itself for you.””

— JB Priestly

East Lambrook

“‘Nowhere in the world is there anything like the English cottage garden. In every village and hamlet in the land there are these little gardens, always gay and never garish, and so obviously loved. There are not so many now, alas, as those cottages of cob or brick, with their thatched roofs and tiny crooked windows, are disappearing to make way for council houses and modern bungalows, but the flowers remain, flowers that have come to be known as ‘cottage flowers’ because of their simple, steadfast qualities.’”

— Margery Fish

Open to the Unexpected

I have just bought the book ‘Adventures in Seeing’ by one of my favourite photography tutors Kim Manley Ort. I have taken several of her e-courses and found them inspirational. The book suggests a series of challenges or ‘Calls to Adventure’ which can be shared through social media (there is a private Facebook group) or one’s blog. This challenge, which is adventure number three seems to call for a blog post. the challenge was to notice what surprises you and let the photographs come to you (of course there is a lot more about this in the book but for the purposes of this blog this captures the essence of it)

The photographs below were taken during the course of a weekend on the Isle of Wight, following paths I had followed many times before but with what you might call enhanced noticing.

The two images above are of water seen through holes in the wooden floor of a bird watchers hide on the Newtown River (we didn't see much in the way of interesting birds!). To me they look rather like planets.

the magpie and periwinkle I came upon the following day while walking on Headon Warren

These final two are from an evening stroll along the beach. A boat trailer half buried in the sand beginning to rust and early evening colours on sand still wet from the receding tide.

Wishing you all a week of 'enhanced noticing'!

By the Water Keralan Style

During our recent trip to India we spent a fair amount of time by the water whether the sea or the inland waterways. I am using this post to share a few favourite photos from each location focusing on Kerala.

First the 'Backwaters'. To quote our Lonely Planet guide these are a 900km network of waterways that fringe the coast and trickle inland. there are palm fringed lakes, narrow canals and isolated villages and farming communities. The photos below are of the community who live and work on the backwaters.

After our night on a converted rice barge like the one above we headed off to Marari Beach for some R&R staying at the beautiful Marari Villas accommodation right on the beach. While there was always something of interest to see on the beach, the highlight of each day was the return of the fishing fleet and the subsequent fish market

We would love to go back someday and explore further!

Why India is Hell for Photographers

Why would India be hell for photographers? Some might argue it is one of the most photogenic countries in the world. Therein lies the rub, practically everything you see in India seems deserving of a photograph. Potential themes are endless: transport, notices, traditional crafts, wildlife - I could go on. But how to discriminate? do you choose an area to focus on, or do you snap indiscriminately at everything that catches your eye and hope to theme them later? I chose the latter route and am now busy post-processing 2000 + photos. I have themed a few for you to give an idea of the scope, but in doing it this way I am very aware of the lack of place and context.

What works best? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Transport

Bullock Cart on the road from Ooty to Coimbatore

Elephants used for transport Bandipur Tiger Reserve

Traditional Crafts

Lighting a cow dung fire to put with bananas in the 'banana cave' to ripen them Madurai Banana Market

Wildlife

Signs

Notice seen on station while riding the 'Toy Train'  from Ooty to Coonoor — Notice seen on station while riding the 'Toy Train' from Ooty to Coonoor

This is a tiny selection of the pictures I took and the themes explored during my travels in South India. I would love to know about your journeys and how you decide what to focus your camera on.

Once upon a Time on Lake Maggiore .................

Once upon a time there was a scotsman called Neil McEacharn who spotted an advert in The Times for the Villa Taranto. He bought it in 1931 and spent the next 30 or so years creating a rich a varied garden with plants from around the world, the most surprising feature of which was, in my view, the dahlia maze

Dahlias have never been one of my favourite flowers but this display caused me to think twice! Alongside the Dahlias were many more exotic plants such as these giant amazonian lilies

and an amazing field of lotus blossom - one of my favourites

There were also beautiful vistas

and some other visitors

McEacharn died at the Villa Taranto in 1964 and is buried in a mausoleum in the grounds decorated with his beloved flowers

close to these spectacular views

A Walk Round Yarmouth

At the beginning of the month we had a week on the Isle of Wight. With hindsight and considering what it has been like since, the weather was very good. Indeed we had two near perfect days. On one of these we had a lovely walk round Yarmouth, one of my favourite places on the Island.

We headed off past the old station that has recently been reimagined as a cafe

through Rofford Marsh

and down to the sea where we saw a couple of cormorants fishing together, and a man walking his dogs along the shore at what was one of the lowest tides of the year (usually no beach visible here)

Back through the town, the cottage gardens were looking pretty,

then on to the pier, reputedly the longest wooden pier int he UK.

From the pier we spotted children taking advantage of the low tide and glorious evening to go crabbing

All this in a gentle stroll lasting around an hour - we are blessed!

Another Place

On Monday we visited Anthony Gormely's installation 'Another Place' on Crosby Beach just outside Liverpool. It consists of 100 cast-iron, life-size figures spread out along three kilometres of the foreshore, stretching almost one kilometre out to sea.

When we arrived the tide was on its way in and the weather was pretty murky with outbreak sof squally rain, but somehow the scene didn't call for bright sunshine.

The figures - each one weighing 650 kilos - are made from casts of the artist's own body standing on the beach, all of them looking out to sea, 'staring at the horizon in silent expectation'. The figures are really spaced out and some were already underwater when we visited. We walked to a couple of the nearer ones which were textured with rust, sand and barnacles.

According to Antony Gormley, as quoted on Visit Liverpool , 'Another Place harnesses the ebb and flow of the tide to explore man's relationship with nature. He explains: The seaside is a good place to do this. Here time is tested by tide, architecture by the elements and the prevalence of sky seems to question the earth's substance. In this work human life is tested against planetary time. This sculpture exposes to light and time the nakedness of a particular and peculiar body. It is no hero, no ideal, just the industrially reproduced body of a middle-aged man trying to remain standing and trying to breathe, facing a horizon busy with ships moving materials and manufactured things around the planet.'

As we watched and waited the tide rolled in and more figures began to be underwater, it gave a slightly erie feeling. I guess the visit would have been entirely different if it had been a bright summers day with the beach crowded with people. As it was, it seemed to represent the human condition, how we are buffeted by the time and tide of life, marked by its vicissitudes but gaining a strange beauty as we age.

“Happiness, not in another place but this place...not for another hour, but this hour.”

— Walt Whitman

Post Card from Chelsea - Two

Together with the show gardens the big draw was the Great Pavilion. Photography was, if anything, more difficult in here; not least because of the crowds who, like ourselves, had rushed in to avoid the rain. The pavilion is full of amazing displays of plants of all colours shapes and sizes. I particularly loved these aliums both on their own and with amazing displays of Amarylis (?)

Looking up was amazing

Not all the exhibits were natural however, with a ceramic tulip installation by Paul Cummins who was responsible for the poppies at the Tower of London last year (see previous post) His new collection Tulipmania references the rise of popularity of tulips in 17c Holland where they became a national obsession. The tulips are available for purchase on Paul's website

Also impressive was the large stand of carnivorous plants - especially to someone such as myself who went to see the Little Shop of Horrors only a couple of weeks ago. ( I now just call them all Audrey!) Here is a selection for your delectation.

I really think this lot are talking to each other!

Signing off with this image of some of our fellow flower show attendees - I think we may have been underdressed!

Postcard from Chelsea - One

This week for the first time ever my husband and I went to the Chelsea Flower Show . The primary reason of this, other than it was on my bucket list, was to get inspiration for planning our tiny courtyard garden (somehow it seems much more difficult to plan a small space than a large on as there is no room for mistakes). Naturally I took my camera as well.

The challenges of taking photos at Chelsea are immense. First there are the crowds which mean that you are lucky to get close enough to any of the exhibits to see them never mind photograph them. Then there is the fact that you can't spend half the day fiddling with your camera settings as you will (a) annoy those people jostling for position to view the gardens and (b) annoy your companion who is, after all, here to look at the gardens himself. If you then throw into the mix difficult lighting conditions around some of my favourite exhibits ,it seems a wonder that I took any pictures worth sharing at all! But here goes.

I'm going to start off by sharing one of my favourite gardens in the Fresh gardens category which represents the cutting edge of small concept gardens

This is the World Vision Garden inspired both by the beauty of the rice fields of Cambodia, and the fact that many children are existing on 2 bowls of rice a day. The golden rods represent the rice and the dark water the fear of hunger.

Other dangers lurk beneath the waters for those who work in the paddy fields and these are represented by bowls of cacti

Hope blooms in the garden too, represented by the Irises and other delicate flowers that are able to thrive, as Cambodia's children must.

This Garden appeals to me on multiple levels. I love the colour and the visual impact, but I also travelled to Cambodia a couple of years ago and visited Honour Village, a children's centre founded by a friend of mine. This foundation is doing much good work to help children and families in Cambodia.

New Discoveries

One of the great things about moving to a new place is discovering new things about the environment. Today we went for a country walk in the city and the possibility of doing this is one of the things I love about Salisbury.

We started off on familiar territory going through Elizabeth Gardens on our way to the industrial estate. There we followed a grassy track down the side of one of the units which led to the river. It was like entering another world, green peaceful and a million miles away from the industrial estate we left behind. During this part of our walk we only came across two other groups both walking in the opposite direction.

On the other side of the river were stunning views of the cathedral across the water meadows.

There were lots of wild flowers but my favourites were these yellow 'flags' or irises

Then there was the wildlife, families of geese with their goslings,

I love this one with mum (or dad) eating a fish,

A beautiful grey heron,

and last but not least an egret.

Across the river we entered a more wooded area where we spotted some magnificent fungi

Finally on the way back more views of the cathedral this time with sheep!

In all a fabulous country walk without leaving the city boundaries, or having to get into the car.

If you are in Salisbury and would like to try this walk it is detailed in the Salisbury & Wilton Walking map available from the Tourist Information Centre

Come walk with me to Shalfleet Quay

Sorry couldn't resist a bit of of rhyme! We were back on the Isle of Wight last weekend for the bank holiday and I have to say the weather wasn't great. On Sunday there was a sea mist which lingered all day but produced a beautiful soft light that complemented the emerging greens along the river

If I'm really honest though, I have to say I would have preferred blue skies and sunshine - still as the saying goes 'every cloud has a silver lining" and here you could also 'ride a white swan'

Further on there were hundreds of dandelion heads which when you look closely at them are amazing works of art whether viewed in colour

or black and white

As we neared the quay there was the odd splash of colour - a bright boat hull

and some coloured mooring floats reflected in the water

Then there is the little garden, virtually unchanged from when I was a child with a dilapidated shed

and some old caravans, which despite their unpromising exteriors are definitely in use in the summer

On the way back more colour was provided by this bright yellow litchen

and additional interest by a number of oyster catchers at the waters edge

“Spring has returned. The Earth is like a child that knows poems”

— Rainer Maria Rilke

A Sparkling moment Captured!

“Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add colour to my sunset sky.”

— Tagore

On Monday I had to go to London for a meeting. I took the train from home and arrived back in Salisbury at around 4:45. While on the train I had become aware of the beautiful light and wondered if there would be a stunning sunset to see on the walk home from the station?

The Walk home takes me past Elizabeth Gardens, which run down to the water meadows, and as soon as I got there I realised the sunset was shaping up to be something quite special.

I was completely taken by the fact that I was still in the middle of the city, on a routine walk home, and all this beauty was unfolding around me as if I were in the middle of the countryside.

In the distance the trees were highlighted the ridge of the hill displaying their pink tips like ladies fans,

but what really caught my eye was the way in which the reeds were lit up by the setting sun

This effect intensified as the sun sank lower until everything was aglow

As I resumed my walk home after this short detour I really felt that I had captured one of life's 'sparking moments' Hope you found some this week too!

Class Outing

On Sunday my photography class had a field trip. We headed out to the coast at a place called Calshot which is right next to the Fawley oil refinery and also boasts an activities centre run by the local council.

In addition to these delights there are ships, wildlife, marshes, beach huts, and a host of other treasures. Our brief was Go Explore!

I started with the wildlife and was charmed to find this egret pottering about the base of the old castle before taking off to sit on the top.

There were also lots of Oyster Catchers enjoying the low tide

and it's a long time since I saw so many shells on a beach

As well as these natural wonders there was man-made detritus on the shore too, such as old tyres.

But I was getting chilly, maybe it was time to explore inside. Calshot was an airfield from 1913 to the 1960s and the activity centre is housed in the old aircraft hangers

The main attraction indoors from a photography point of view was the velodrome

I've never been inside a velodrome before. It was impressive! I still can't work out how they mange to stick to the walls

It also gave me a chance to practice panning

Back outside again I focused on the more industrial landscape

boats and chimneys

before ending up with a visit to the beach huts

verdict - cold but fun!

Time to Say 'Goodbye"

We now have just three more nights left in our home of 33 years. We are mostly packed up with just the bed, a sofa, a table and a couple of chairs to see us over the weekend. Plus of course my trusty Mac!

This has been a great house for us, and when I look back, what really stands out are the parties. We were pretty young when we first moved here and each year we would hold a summer party and invite everyone we knew. Later on we celebrated major birthdays and anniversaries and of course there were the children’s parties, usually themed in some way.

In the pre-teen years it was usual to go and do an activity before coming home for a barbecue

Over the years I came to realise that although I enjoyed the parties themselves, what I really loved was the planning and preparation. Although some items were bought in, we never used caterers and most things were home made. Of the early parties, the curry party for 100 was particularly memorable as someone managed to set fire to the stove (I’m still not sure how) but disaster was averted and the party carried on (not sure I would be so laid back about this now).

Then we come to the last parties, my husband's 60th in 2010, and the very last party, my son's 21st last year

So its goodbye to the dear old house, but taking so many happy memories forward into our new lives.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas, or other festival you celebrate at this time of year, and a happy and peaceful 2015

NB apologies for the different size fonts Squarespace have changed their platform and I con't seem to change the font size and I just don't have time to work out how right now!

Of Sea and Ships

“Darwin may have been quite correct in his theory that man descended from the apes of the forest, but surely woman rose from the frothy sea, as resplendent as Aphrodite on her scalloped chariot”

— Margot Datz

We were at the Isle of Wight this weekend, still engaged in doing stuff for the move, switching furniture around between houses etc. Still I found time to take a few pictures in between all of the above.

We had to visit Newport to go to the DIY store and took a few moments to walk round the harbour to admire the birds

and the boats

I have recently joined some friends on a new Facebook group 'the Monochrome Explorers' so have been experimenting with all things back and white. This is one of my favourites

I like these ones of birds too, particularly the light patterns on the water

But when all's said and done my first love is colour - I've taken a picture of this particular hull before but I still love the rich colours and textures and couldn't resist trying again

Back home there was just time for a quick trip down to the beach before sunset. It was cold but worth it to see the kite surfer swooping and jumping

and the sunset reflecting on the beach cabin

All in all it was a good day for connecting with beauty

Garden Colour

“To-day I think
Only with scents, - scents dead leaves yield,
And bracken, and wild carrot’s seed,
And the square mustard field;

Odours that rise
When the spade wounds the root of tree,
Rose, currant, raspberry, or goutweed,
Rhubarb or celery;

The smoke’s smell, too,
Flowing from where a bonfire burns
The dead, the waste, the dangerous,
And all to sweetness turns.

It is enough
To smell, to crumble the dark earth,
While the robin sings over again
Sad songs of Autumn mirth.”

— Edward Thomas

Whilst autumn has arrived around here, its not really at full stretch in the countryside yet. The native trees are still to reveal themselves in their full glory and its early to be crunching leaves underfoot. In the garden, however, things are a bit different.

There are browns and golds, seed heads and sedums

pots hanging on by the skin of their teeth.

The colours are glorious, there are rich reds

and pinks

and things that shine

Whether naturally or with the intervention of man. Almost certainly our last autumn here I will savour every moment.

City of Dreaming Spires

“And that sweet city with her dreaming spires,
She needs not June for beauty’s heightening,”

— Matthew Arnold

Last weekend (well it was when I started writing this!) I was lucky enough to attend the 'Call of the Wild Soul' art retreat in Oxford led by Wild Souls, Erin Faith Allen, Tamara Laporte (AKA Willowing), and Claire Russell. The retreat took place in the beautiful Magdalen College which is one of the most beautiful places on earth to spent a weekend.

The college is unique in that it has its own deer park, home to Red & Roe Deer, a tower where the chapel choir sings at 6am on May Morning to welcome in the spring and a most spectacular set of cloisters which seem to be the heart of the college and my favourite place there.

I thought the planting of green Hydrangeas interspersed with what I think was a dark Berberis was inspired, and I don't think I have ever seen quite so many gargoyles and statues in one place!

A particular treat was to hear members of the Genesis Sixteen practising for evensong in the chapel . The acoustics must be truly wonderful as from outside of the chapel the sound seemed as if it came from the choir of 100, on investigating however, I found there were only 5 people responsible for making this glorious noise!

The Sixteen's conductor Harry Christophers and singer and practical scholar Sally Dunkley introduce this year's Choral Pilgrimage tour.

Everywhere you looked there were ancient artefacts and items of everyday use that had been crafted with love and care

Then there were the gardens - an oasis of calm and colour especially the stunning herbaceous borders - always a favourite with me,

enjoyed by college members and visitors alike

Even with a fair sprinkling of tourists around the sense of calm and peace prevailed, and this, together with the hours dedicated to making art and connecting with kindred spirits, made for a very special weekend

“Outside the open window
The morning air is all awash with
angels.”

— Richard Wilbur

Into the Light + a Surprise

“The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever”

— Jacques Yves Cousteau

I think I feel more acutely aware of the light when I am by the sea. It sparkles, it reflects, it picks up colour from the sky, the sun, the clouds, it's constantly changing.

Driving along the esplanade at Cowes on Friday evening on our way out to supper I was struck by how the light was catching the sails of the large racing yachts that were milling about. Of course we had to stop!

The sails just shimmered in the brightness of the evening sun.

Look towards the west however and you get a totally different impression of the light. The sun is beginning to sink, the light is a hazy gold rather than bright, it's hard to imagine you are in the same time and space. This picture is natural colour but it almost looks as if I have put a sepia filter on it.

It's Saturday mid-afternoon and we are walking round the Rofford Marshes at Yarmouth. The tide is out and the waders are feeding, the sun gleams on the mud, the weed looks almost a florescent green

The light is such that we are unable to identify the birds from our reference book,

the colours blend and merge together, the bird seeming to take on the colour of its surroundings.

Looking across the estuary where the glare and gleam of the light is strong, the colour is washed out, so that the difference between a colour and monochrome picture seems almost insignificant.

As we continued our walk we came upon something very unexpected. Our route took us down the old Newport - Freshwater railway track. Closed in 1953 even before Beeching wielded his axe, I have no memory of it other than as a bridleway. Some of the stations have been turned into private houses, others have been demolished and Yarmouth station was a Community Centre. Over the past few months we had noticed building work and renovation going on but couldn't work out what the final result would be. At last we were to discover!

To our great surprise the station had been recreated, painted in the Southern Railways' colours familiar from my childhood, and turned into a tearoom and restaurant. I was not able to take any pictures of the interior on this occasion but it was reminiscent of a 1950 railway carriage.

They have even built a faux signal box which doubles as a bird hide with a wonderful view over the marshes. We can't wait to go there for supper on our next visit to the Island!