wall art wednesday

These were taken at Latitude Festival last month. I meant to go back and photograph the finished work, but the weather got in the way!

weather

Always a topic of conversation at home and abroad.

We're used to changeable weather here in the British Isles, but I must admit I'm feeling a little chilly today and wondering where the summer has gone! It's been raining on and off all day. As a result the lawn is in need of a cut and blow dry at least, and our shrubs and bushes are covered in luxuriant foliage.

There are little muddy footprints on the kitchen window sill ( if anyone knows how to train cats to wipe their paws, do let me know!) and the washing is drying indoors.

Sending good thoughts to all those on the eastern seaboard, who are facing dangerous extremes of weather.

harbour

A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.
John A. Shedd, Salt from My Attic (1928)

vase

Brief post today, as I'm nursing a torn muscle and am feeling a little groggy as a result of the painkillers and the large glass of red wine with which I washed them down.

The vase is a family heirloom. It stood on my maternal grandmother's mantelpiece in London throughout WW2.

Whilst their house wasn't bombed, the neighbours' was and the vase remained intact.

Don't think it's worth anything much, but it has great sentimental value. There's a small bead stuck halfway down the narrow neck, put there by my brother when he was little!



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props

Don't know the last time I flew on a small(ish) plane.
Last weekend a Cityjet Fokker 50 flew me to and from France. On board I saw a sight I've not seen since 9/11 - the inside of the cockpit. Sorry I couldn't get a photo of that.
But as we wandered across the tarmac to board I managed a shot of the propellors.

theme thursday - tree

So, I'm a week late for Theme Thursday. Never mind.

I found a banana tree growing in a garden in Normandy. Not sure if the little green fingers will ripen. It was a very hot day, but I think it'll take more than a day or two of sunshine.

Is this a sign of climate change, I wonder, finding tropical fruits growing in northern Europe?

wall art wednesday

Saw this in Galway earlier this year. I think she's rather lovely. Seems to have a look of the young Audrey Hepburn about her.

les pommes

Last day of my brief stay in Normandy. Am headed for the airport and home to London tomorrow.
Lovely relaxing stroll around nearby Honfleur earlier today. Pictures to follow later, as they're on my camera.
It looks like there will be a bumper apple crop in France this year. We saw them ripening in the sunshine as we walked back to our B&B.





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normandie

Have taken a couple of days off to see my cousin, who lives in Normandy. We're staying in a lovely b&b in quiet countryside. The only sounds I can hear right now are geese honking and the high-pitched call of the swallows as they swoop past the window. We drove to Rouen for lunch and I took a picture of the rather splendid clock.



This is the view from my window





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rubbish

Who would have thought there would be so many different colours, textures and patterns in a heap of rubbish?







galway bay, ireland. june 2011

dublin

June found us in Dublin for a few days.

We checked out The Temple Bar for a late night of raucous singing and beer.



The next day we headed down to The Point.

Dublin Docklands was being regenerated until the recession hit hard. The promised 'Point Village' hasn't happened yet. Several large buildings stand empty. The only place we could find to get a cup of tea (it was raining and quite cold) was a business hotel, which seemed pretty empty.

But we took a ride on the Dublin Wheel



and enjoyed the views





Walking back into town, this caught my eye



Off to France tomorrow ....

enjoy

“The purpose of morality is to teach you, not to suffer and die, but to enjoy yourself and live.” Avn Rand

I like that thought.

snap!

Photography can be a very serious business



It can be great fun



frustrating



but ultimately satisfying (sometimes!)



1. concentration in la cimetière du père-lachaise, april 2011
2. family fun in sussex, august 2011
3. lighting disaster in chatsworth house, april 2011
4. the B train, coney island, october 2010

wall art wednesday

All taken in Paris in April this year.
If anyone can identify the artists, please do!

(theme thursday) - bridge

It's always worth checking under bridges.
This was taken in Paris.

wonderful world

There's not a little irony in the title of this post.

I have no idea what to blog about this evening.

Less than 3 miles from me buildings are on fire and shops are being raided by looters. It's happening in many places across the city and I'm feeling sad and rather helpless.

I've had worried messages from my brother in Kent and my daughter in Oxfordshire. Glad that I was able to assure them we're all fine here.

Louis Armstrong's (What a) Wonderful World came suddenly to mind. The song was one of my Mum's favourites and I've always thought it a hopeful song.

It wasn't hard to find some photos to go with it. These were taken in Galway on the west coast of Ireland in June.

echoes

Overhead the albatross hangs motionless upon the air
And deep beneath the rolling waves
In labyrinths of coral caves
The echo of a distant tide
Comes willowing across the sand
And everything is green and submarine.

And no-one called us to the land
And no-one knows the wheres or whys
But something stirs and something tries
And starts to climb towards the light

Strangers passing in the street
By chance two separate glances meet
And I am you and what I see is me
And do I take you by the hand
And lead you through the land
And help me understand the best I can

And no-one calls us to move on
And no-one forces down our eyes
And no-one speaks and no-one tries
And no-one flies around the sun



Cloudless everyday you fall upon my waking eyes
inviting and inciting me to rise
And through the window in the wall
Come streaming in on sunlight wings
A million bright ambassadors of morning

And no-one sings me lullabies
And no-one makes me close my eyes
And so I throw the windows wide
And call to you across the sky



photos taken on winchelsea beach in sussex on 06/08/11

lyrics by pink floyd

every picture

tells a story ...

roofscape

I lean from my window

Smelling the bitter smoke

From the chimneys

And,

My feathers clattering in the breeze,

I soar toward the blue.

My shadow whispering across the slates.

flowers in the rain

After moaning about the heat in London yesterday, today it's pouring with rain.
I'm not at work (time back from a very busy on-call last night) and have sought refuge in a local cafe.
Sitting by the window, there's plenty to see











And afterwards a wander past the churchyard













So much for daily blogging. Like the weather, yesterday was a write off! :)

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galway bay

Taken in June on a trip to Ireland. The quality's not too wonderful as the battery in my camera had run low so I was using the little camera in my iPod touch (forgive me, I'm starting to sound like Steve Jobs' PR woman!)







Galway was beautiful. A bar on every corner, amazing seafood, good craic... The sun even shone. A little!
Not so on the day I took these. Shortly after I'd taken the photos the heavens opened.
Never mind, the nearest bar was a short walk away.



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new

New month
New computer
New resolution
New post

Will try blogging daily again for the next month.

That may be a vain hope. It may even be fiction, but we'll see.

The new computer (not the mac I was hoping for, but a very speedy HP) has meant that I can download a large number of photos which had been lying dormant on the SD card. I've treated myself to Photoshop, but haven't got to grips with that yet.
All in good time.

The photo was taken in Cimetière du Père-Lachaise in Paris earlier this year. The roses are scattered on the grave of Edith Piaf.
I found this simple tribute very moving