Well technically at least. It's definitely on the way, just changing boots and coat for something lighter. Hello again, here we are with another blog for spring. This is the second this month so I am quite pleased with myself at the moment. As I just said this is the Spring blog, so I am sure you will be expecting to see images of daffodils and lambs, things like that. Not wanting to disappoint you too much, here are some of those images. I hope you enjoyed looking at those and they gave you all that warm fuzzy feeling, that dreaming of sunny days to come can only bring. Keeping that warm fuzzy feeling and an open mind, lets have a look at some photography taken in towns/cities on the streets. Yep, that very traditional spring subject! I have to also confess that none of these images were taken in springtime either. Is this just one step too far? Am I pushing it a bit too much? Can you ever forgive me? Well let me try to explain myself. Firstly, you have probably noticed my wording was a bit odd – why not just say street photography, I hear you cry. Well I’m not too sure what actually constitutes “Street Photography” there are far better photographers of this genre than I or my wife (no it’s true, I know hard to believe) and all of them do “Street Photography” differently, just take a look on that popular video channel, some take buildings (architecture) some take people going about their day candidly and some stop and ask people, one of my favourites at the moment is Gary Lashmar (aka the street thief) his style is ask everyone but considerately, far braver than I could ever be. There are many others that I watch too, all different approaches and styles. Anyway, I hope you get what I am trying to say. We are both novices with this genre and like everything else that we photograph we just take images of what we like. So, these are just a few pictures of what we like but just taken on the streets. As you all know, apart from normal photographs, we like to mix things up a bit, composites, artistic interpretations and things created from scratch. All digital creations (although I was shooting with film cameras from the age of 18 and moved to digital as many others did). My wife has always been digital. No, I don’t mean I made her up, she isn’t some kind of creation from photoshop. I just meant she took up photography due to me. Standing around waiting for me to take “just one more” can be frustrating, so, if you can’t beat them join them. She does actually love taking photos now and annoyingly takes very good images, many times very different to mine and possibly better. Don’t tell her I said that. Secondly, I know it’s the start of spring but some times when I am editing, I get a bit, not bored exactly, but I have to change things up a bit and change the images that I am editing to be a little less repetitive. You know what I mean, you may love pie (yum pie) but you wouldn’t want to eat it everyday for the rest of your life (but it is pie, I’m not sure I used the best analogy here). I have also found that although I love taking images of waterfalls, I can’t edit a lot of them in one go. Sometimes I think how you feel also affects what you want to edit at certain times. That’s really why you have been treated to these images, you, lucky things you. I have recently been editing some images taken on the streets by both of us. So, I thought I would share them with you here. At some time, I/we will share many other images with you from many other sources, on social media and if I get the time many more blogs. I can already feel your excitement and anticipation. If nothing else this year you have this to look forward to. I think I will leave it there for now, for some unknown reason I suddenly have a craving for pie. Can’t think why. We hope you like the blog anyway, TTFN. NB. The pie and flower border were free to use downloads and not taken or created by us.🙂
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Well at least in a pictorial sense. 📷👩🚀 Hello to all. So, I was thinking of what to do for a blog. In fact, I have been thinking of what to do for a blog for at least a month. Ok alright, since I finished the last Blog, did you read it? It was funny and Christmassy and packed with piccys, and it is just below this one. What’s the link I hear you ask, you did ask, didn’t you? You are there reading this aren’t you? I am not just typing for myself? No not again, oh well as a great man once said “I have started so I will finish”. Just maybe by the end you might have joined me. Back to thinking (for a very long time) about a theme for a blog. I can tell you what I came up with nothing, nada, not a thing there was just a large sheet of blackness in my mind. It’s difficult, isn’t it? Trying to be current, come up with new ideas and new images to go with the new ideas. Not just here but across all social media, I believe (and you may disagree) that there is a compulsion to keep posting new things all the time. It has to be the best pictures, the best content, the best ideas and of course the very best version of you in this “shiny happy people kind of world”. We all get pulled into this at one time or another, I am sure, because we all want to be liked and we all want those likes and follows. We all want to be validated even if it is only for 30 seconds and then we have to do it all again. The thing is, I am quite old, no I hear you cry, yes, I am (I respond). This means all this technology is daunting to use and get my head around. I know little bits about a few things, hopefully this is enough to make it all look quite good. The rest is all smoke and mirrors. This also means it takes me ages to do it all, I can’t even use both my hands (thumbs) to text and if I try to text and walk, I get dizzy, feel sick and would ultimately fall over. When I edit or create our work for posting etc. I do it on my static computer so that, quite frankly, I can see what I am doing. Things I do on my phone are limited. I am sadly a troglodyte; I don’t want to be and I try not to be but I am regardless. You youngsters can laugh all you like but eventually like me the King of the troglodytes will come looking for you too, to add you to his clan. This all boils down to, I don’t post that much and if I have to be current all the time what do I do with all those other images/creations that I haven’t posted, are they all now just out of date? The only answer is to post what I can when I can regardless of age. There is no best before or use by and for the majority of the time we, myself and my wife create for ourselves because we love what we do. Our home is full of our images. It is in my opinion the best gallery I have ever visited, don’t get me wrong this is just us, you should have your own creations on your walls and this should be the best gallery you have ever visited. If you aren’t creating for yourself, why? If you love it, hopefully others will also. Now after explaining all that where was I? Oh yes, a great big blackness in my brain. Then a small spark (very small, I don’t have a big brain to begin with), an idea maybe not a popular idea but my idea. At this junction I must issue a spoiler alert. I am still going to go on about my idea. However, the images that you have already seen may have given the idea away. I just wanted to keep the blog interesting, look, let’s face it no one comes to read the blog just look at the pictures, right? Regardless I will continue, please pretend that you haven’t seen anything yet and it is all a big exciting surprise still. What could it be? What did he come up with? My word how does he do it? At this point could I please request that you all start to think of the main tune from 2001 a Space Odyssey and the very small spark in my equally small brain filled with blackness. (This could be the only sci-fi reference in this whole blog so please think very hard). It came to me that a while back we took some photographs of our local Harlow Carnival and to the best of my knowledge they haven’t really been posted anywhere. There it is, the idea the concept the irrefutable proof that contrary to belief I do have a brain! Where all these other words before this paragraph came from and what relevancy they have is anyone’s guess. Now when I said a while back, I actually meant pre Covid. When the world was a different place. So much has happened since in what is ultimately a short space of time. It truly feels like a form of time travel when you look back (ok no it's not sci-fi, I didn’t even mention the TARDIS or Stargate or The Peripheral – oops I just did, didn’t I). This Harlow Carnival was a wet and rainy day – 26 Aug 2018. I truly hope that all the people seen here are still healthy, happy and maybe just a little less wet. Oh yes and the link to the last blog I mentioned at the start, well the Christmas blog was a look back at our year and this blog is a look back at a single day. So how many joined me then, hands up. Three people wow that’s 50% more than last time brilliant, at this rate I will be an influencer in no time at all…………. 🥳🤦♂️
How are you all, how’s it been going and have you had a good year? I don’t expect you all to answer, however we trust you are all well, you have had a productive year and it has been a good one for you all. Yep, Christmas is just around the corner. Can you believe it? I can’t. I really have no idea where this year has gone. I did wonder whether there had been the possibility of Alien Abduction, this could certainly explain the missing time, however my wife distinctly remembers seeing me every day this year. So that theory can’t be proven. Although how do I know that my wife wasn’t abducted too and then given false memories. See it is all totally possible really….yes really. I have a confession; I really didn’t do very well with the posting on social media and the blogging this year despite all my good intentions and plans to be more organised. But I’m guessing that you already know that don’t you! I will not promise to do better next year but I will promise to do my best and show you some of the stuff that we love to create in the hopes that you may also like it. Christmas Joke What reindeer game do reindeer play the night before Christmas Eve? Truth or deer. So, to the blog, because I last blogged in March, I thought I would do a look back on 2023. Just so you know we were doing things (in between the Alien Abductions obviously) and what sort of things we were doing. Without further ado, here we go: January and onwards through 2023 This year we made a return visit to the Canary Wharf winter light festival. Strangely the people who seem to be right in front of my wife, who took this photo, couldn’t see her at all. Such fun. (Quick Miranda quote, my wife likes Miranda) Onwards our first visit to the Graffiti Tunnels. This is literally a captured moment in time as the walls are continually changing with new graffiti artists adding their own art. Some of the artwork is truly stunning, well worth a visit, I am sure we will return. Then a change of tack when we went to see the oldest wooden church in the world - Greensted Church. Now I would not want to cast any aspersions on this claim I am sure that it is quite accurate and it is a lovely little church. However I can't help thinking about Triggers broom in Only Fools and Horses…..Just saying. It is a lovely church. Battersea Power Station was next on our list. I have always wanted to go there and it just so happened they also had a light show going on at the time of our visit. You would even think that we planned it like that. I would have loved to have seen the power station when it was a power station but the more modern iteration is still very impressive with shops on all the floors and some of the old equipment preserved within. Another Christmas Joke What happened to the man who stole an Advent Calendar? He got 25 days! This next part comes with a scare warning of 1.5 out of 10 for those of a nervous disposition. We took a stroll down to Highgate Cemetery East, I say East as we did not have time to see the West side mainly because they closed quite early and we take ages to go round anywhere. You know the thing if it says on the website or someone on TripAdvisor has said “took about 2 hours”, then we know we will be there most of the day (which is probably why no one goes anywhere with us anymore). Now this second image was a bit freaky to say the least, have you noticed why? If you are familiar with the cemetery, then if you turn around from the tomb of Karl Marx you will see this grave. Imagine my surprise. How strange would it be if this was a relative, albeit an unknown one. We did try to do some checking but couldn’t really get anywhere. However, if there is a will waiting to be claimed by a distant relative please let me know in the comments as here I am ready and waiting to take on the burden of a vast fortune and possibly a mansion.😁 Another Christmas Joke What is an elf’s favourite type of music? Wrap! We then found ourselves literally walking through a wonderland in Dorset, luckily, we escaped with our heads intact. We found a tower on top of a hill; it was so windy the tower was even being blown over. No, I am just kidding it is the wide-angle lens used that causes this distortion. Some people would have to straighten it all out in post but I quite like the effect. Back to Harlow Town for this next one. Taken because the buildings shown here no longer exist, demolished to make way for new changes taking place. Nothing stands still for too long. I hope this progress will truly be of benefit to the town and its people. Next on the whistle stop tour a visit to a local favourite of ours Fishers Green which always offers opportunities for a piccy or two or three or four. If your not into taking photos yourself (who isn’t nowadays with mobile phones so ready to hand), then Fishers Green offers lovely walks, oh yes and there is also an ice cream van most of the year, what more do you need. Moving on two images from a commission we undertook. Taken at our local park. And another Christmas Joke Why is the Christmas alphabet different to the ordinary alphabet? The Christmas alphabet has Noel. Somewhere else very local to us, Latton Wood, a great place to take a look around and maybe find a piccy. It isn’t massive but still offers a nice little walk on reasonably good paths. There is also common ground where horses can be found grazing. We also found our image on the front of the Harlow Times Spring edition. We may have mentioned this before.😇 A quick train ride and back into London, this time Spitalfields and the Brick Lane areas. At Spitalfields we found ourselves transformed to an earlier era watching an impromptu tea dance. The band were excellent and great time was had by all. Brick Lane is again all about the graffiti and the market. Some fantastic street artwork and lots of it. Keeping with the London theme and later in the year another adventure this time to the Barbican Centre, which was quite quiet and a stroll down to Covent Garden. Sadly, the gardens at the Barbican were shut due to a private function. At least it gives us another reason to return another day. Covent Garden in contrast to the Barbican was awash with people having fun, shopping and dining out. These next two images are from our holiday to Wales, we love Wales it is our fourth year there and we have been to a different area every time. The people are always friendly and there is so much to see. This is one of the train drivers who was happy to pose and give us a wave as he went, steam filling the air. The next image is Borth beech where we found ourselves in a mini sand storm. The way the sand danced across the beech was mesmerising. So many images taken just on this one visit. Another Christmas joke I hear you cry. What’s the absolute best Christmas present? A broken drum — you can’t beat it! After Wales we went straight on Safari capturing the animals in blistering heat of Kenya. Nope hang on that’s not quite true, I wish we could go on Safari. So, this was the next best thing a trip to two of our local Zoos, on different days just for clarification. Would you have guessed if we had continued with the charade? Well, if you are all sticking with this well done and thank you. Back and even more local now with a walk around Gibberd Garden which was the home of Sir Frederick Gibberd who was consultant architect planner for the development of Harlow. He spent the rest of his life living in the town he had designed. Because we didn’t get to see the Highgate Cemetery West on our first visit we decided to return for this very purpose. We were very glad we did and enjoyed another day walking around. If you haven’t been, again we highly recommend it, it is not scary at all quite the opposite full of history, quiet and peaceful. Although, if you do have a penchant for the macabre you can also imagine scenarios with vampires, werewolves, crusaders and treasure maps. Look, at this point you have to admit I have not been forthcoming with my usual sci fi references so I need a little bit of mind wonderings. Another suitable Christmas joke for the last visit. What do you get if you cross a snowman with a vampire? Frostbite. Keeping with the magical and mysterious, this next trip brought us face to face with a Death Eater whilst walking through Diagon Alley. After we clocked it (slang - for saw something UK), we thought it was time (get it time the image is of the clock, clocked it get it. Well I’m not going anywhere, just renewed the website subscription, so you will just have to put up with it) to make a hasty retreat. Once again another brilliant trip, even if you are not a dyed in the wool Potter fan, it is very interesting. Ok sorry no more silliness or tall Tales next is our trip to Canterbury (nope not saying anything about Canterbury and Tales it was just a strange coincidence “honest governor”). Ahem as I said Canterbury. Not exactly what we thought it would be but still very nice, although charging you to walk around the outside of Canterbury Cathedral (that was covered in scaffolding when we went, didn’t say nothing about that on the website before we visited) was a little bit steep in our opinion. Pay to go in we get, but to walk around outside? Bah Humbug (had to get a little Dickens in somewhere, well it is Christmas after all). Anyway, as I said there is much to commend Canterbury and it was nice to visit as we hadn’t been before. Almost there now time for another Christmas joke. Where do Santa's elves go swimming when they have stopped working? The North pool. Just a quick one now, took some frozen fruit out of the freezer and thought “that could make a picture”. Here is my artistic version what do you think? This little image taken on a walk along the riverside (local of course, just through the park and over the bridge) led to our Halloween Reel which was very well received, so we thank you all very much. Check it out on this website. You may have seen one of our other images on Facebook from this walk which was once again local to us at Parndon Wood. Another place full of photographic opportunities throughout the year. We were not out long but came back with lots of lovely fungi images. Finally, December is here and we finish with the Christmas lights in London. Which brings us to the end of our journey and 2023. We hope you enjoyed a wander through the year with us. You may have noticed that a lot of our images were taken very local, so I think what we are trying to say is, take your inspiration from all around you whether that is in an artistic way or just noticing the little things, get out there and see what you can find, you may be more surprised than you think. If you take a look at last year’s Christmas Blog I started off with a quote from C. S. Lewis: “Isn’t it funny how day by day nothing changes, but when you look back, everything is different...” I think that can equally apply here, now I have taken a quick look back I realise just how much we did do in 2023. There is a plethora (don’t you just love words like plethora, so posh) of images from all of these visits to work on. So, 2024 will be equally busy and of course there will be many more adventures to be had. Just time for one more Christmas joke. Why did Father Christmas get a parking ticket on Christmas Eve? He left his sleigh in a snow parking zone. What? There that good you want one more, well ok then. How much did Father Christmas pay for his sleigh? Nothing, it was on the house! Boom Boom. So, we end 2023 as we do all our Christmas blogs. Here is looking to a very bright and prosperous future for everybody. Happy Holidays to all. Be careful, be safe, enjoy what you have, eat, drink be merry and stay warm. We hope that 2024 brings you many adventures both big and small. In our best Dickensian voices, we say (imagine in your head the voice of Brian Blessed, you know, he said Gordon’s Alive in Flash. I did it last year and I've done it again). May we wish you a Merry Christmas and to one and all a Happy New Year. If you made it to the end thank you. Please like, comment and share here and on our facebook page.
Hello to all.
With so much doom and gloom that seems to be hanging over us, like the Sword of Damocles, time for an update, that hopefully will bring a smile to your day. Now is everybody sitting comfortably? Yes? Good then I shall begin. The story begins like all good tales with a line to grab your attention and hook you in, so you want to know more. The world was gripped by a devastating virus, the likes of which had not been seen before. The majority of whom were told to stay at home, not go out, and “Definitely Not Party” (people from the UK will know exactly what I am referring to). Well, why this was all going on and the people of the UK were being told to stay in and not go out, unless it was necessary to go out, then you could go out, but if you did go out don’t go out and work from home, unless you need to go to work but don’t go out and meet no one when you do go out but don’t go out………
At this moment we are drawn to (think drone footage and big blockbuster films) a large town in Essex the scene dropping to magnify selected streets, dropping more to highlight one street, then a terrace then one particular house. Flying over the roof and dropping down to the garden where something can be seen in a large flower pot, well yes, a large shrub but under the shrub is an animal stretched out catching the rays of the sun on its back. Finally moving a bit closer we can see what it is, it’s a cat. The Covid Cat to be precise.
Now those of you that have been with us on Facebook etc. may remember the Covid Cat. Do you remember? Just in case you don’t or you are new to us here is a reminder.
Here is the poem that went with the picture:
This is a cat that sits in our garden Boy or girl, we don’t even know If you try to get too close It just gets up and will go We call it a Covid cat as it always keeps a distance We offer a smile and a hand to stroke, but we are always met with resistance. So this is the cat that sits in our garden It is not our cat did we say But if you don’t get too close, it seems quite happy to stay.
This was all back in 2020 (still seems like yesterday). But the story didn’t end there (if you have read this far, I am assuming that you may have guessed this already. It is not a good idea in general to assume anything though, don’t forget it will only make an ASS out of U and ME. If you didn’t guess “Surprise”.) how miffed would you be if it had? Hopefully your invested by now, so I will reveal all.
Well from 2020 onwards the cat in question kept visiting our garden so we would leave out appropriate leftovers for him or her. He or she would pop in regularly stay in the garden and eat the food. The leftovers turned into tins of cat food and treats, oh yes and two cat bowls. Eventually over time he or she got closer to the house eventually beginning to venture in albeit with great caution. The in-home visits started almost a year ago to the day, the cat creating a close bond with my wife and tolerating me every now and again. We started to think of the cat as a she. We had had a look and could, not knowing much about cats, see any dangly bits hence she. Affectionately now known as “hey cat” and constantly being called a good girl all was fine. At the beginning she didn’t come to the garden or come in every day but again over time this got more and more until she was happy to sleep inside most nights insisting on breakfast before going back out. Still tolerating me and loving my wife!
Then one day this February she came down the garden very low and very slowly obviously in pain. She seemed to have hurt her back leg. That day she came in and slept all day inside. Concerned we made an appointment with a local vet and borrowed a cat basket thingy. The day of the appointment we thought we would have trouble getting “hey cat” (my wife had taken to calling her muffin. I wasn’t so sure) in the basket thingy. However, with a few strategically placed cat treats we had no problem. It was only a short journey to the vets and “hey cat” was unsure, but very affectionate to us inside her little barred cat basket thingy, meowing occasionally, she must have been very scared.
The vet explained to us that she thought “hey cat” had been in a fight and although a bit sore would be fine, great news. We then found out that “hey cat” (muffin) was not a girl but was in fact a Boy who had been neutered previously. “Who knew”? Apparently even if he hadn’t been neutered you still wouldn’t see no dangly bits. I say again “Who Knew”? Lastly after checking, the vet confirmed that “HE” was not chipped.
Bringing us right up to date we got him chipped and called him Neo which has Greek origins and means “New” also we have to mention The Matrix (see still managed to get a sci fi reference in). So Neo is officially a new member of our family, fully insured and everything. He has more places around the house to sleep than you could imagine, has toys and treats galore. He also gets told off less than me. We also bought a cat basket thingy of our own but he won’t go near it now.
As you can imagine there are already photos up. He is oblivious to the change still goes out as and when he wants and returns to eat and sleep although he is here every night now. He is still cautious though and doesn’t like other people in the house. I think he thinks of it as a nice B&B where the staff are a bit slow but mean well. He is “Lord and Master” of all he surveys.
So a new verse to the poem has been added:
Three years on the covid cat is still here and to us, has become quite dear. We know it’s a he and Neo is his name he’s a bit less cautious now and a bit more tame. Don’t get me wrong he still likes to roam but now he comes back to his new home. He allows us to tend to him, cute little thing No longer the covid cat more like the King.
The End
or Just the beginning.
NB. Although this is a light hearted look at a terrible time please do not think that we do not care. We are very aware that many people lost loved ones during this time. We now know we didn’t always get told the truth and that others who should have known better, thought it was fine to flout the rules and waste huge amounts of money. We all clapped for the NHS but now those same people that should have known better don’t think they should have a decent wage. Our own personal view is, we think it is disgusting.
The Mini Blog
Did you find all of the six hidden references to February 14th?
Seven if you count Gaia herself, Earth Goddess who, according to mythology, created and surrounds the world with her love and brought calm to the universe. Some of the references are quite obscure, they are not all easy to get, but then what fun would that be? If you want to know where the original idea for this piece came from, then if you have one near you, try looking around The Range you may be surprised. So, what do you think? Would you like to see more like this? Please let us know.
Alternatively : Oh dear I think he did so much better last year don't you?
“Isn’t it funny how day by day nothing changes, but when you look back, everything is different...”
C. S. Lewis I have started this blog with a quote from C. S. Lewis who wrote about Narnia, lots of snow there which is my tenuous link to Christmas. Not that we have a lot of snow, in Harlow, UK, at Christmas, but don’t we all think of Snow being a Christmassy thing. If we do have snow, and I am talking a light dusting, the transport network grinds to a halt causing all sorts of problems. People can’t get to their destinations, food deliveries are held up, panic ensues and all the toilet paper disappears!
Who likes snow anyway Bah Humbug (Dickens, has to be a bit of Dickens at Christmas).
A brief interlude where happy festive thoughts and two mince pies were consumed and …. normal service has been resumed my apologies. As the song goes “It’s the most wonderful time of the year”.
How perceptive that quote is, I am sure that most will agree that we go about our daily business always trying to keep up and without even noticing, we forget about all the little things that happen in our lives. Sorry to spout the “now I am older” routine again, but “now I am older” (not really sorry there has got to be some privileges to getting old. You young whipper snappers groan all you want). I feel it makes even more sense. Let’s face it the older you are the more information you have to hold, more memories, more things, just more everything!
Photographs, art, design (by design I am thinking that tea towel, fridge magnet, kiss me quick hat, beret, sombrero, deerstalker – this one is for Sherlock fans, or any trinket) help to remind us of a place, a time, a thing, a feeling or a person. See it wasn’t just the Narnia snow, Christmas link, it’s a photography / art / me just having a rant “kinda thing”, also. Well, it is a photography / art blog after all, so as Meatloaf once said “two out of three ain’t bad”. The third I am afraid is my catharsis and your? Well, I have no idea what it is for you but whatever it is I / we are very grateful. Speaking for myself, I still think and feel that I am 18, however a quick look in the mirror soon dispels that bit of self-indulgence. So, I look back and everything is different. I think last year as I was writing the Christmas blog, Jack Frost was on the TV. This year it is the news in the background, they are talking about all of the strike action that is and will be taking place. Now whatever your position is on the strikes, we all know what will result. The transport network grinds to a halt causing all sorts of problems. People can’t get to their destinations, food deliveries are held up, Christmas cards and presents won’t arrive on time, panic ensues and all the toilet paper disappears!
Hang on a minute I can feel a Dickens coming on, nurse two shots of coffee cream liqueur (you know, rhymes with taileys) STAT!
So, it’s been another whirlwind of a year and juggling those plates has been a challenge. I know I keep saying that time is flying, but truly if it goes by any faster, I am sure I will start to get younger again (Benjamin Button). Now there is a time space conundrum for someone to consider (all Sci Fi fans), however when talking about the progression of time sadly resistance is futile (Star Trek fans in particular). If only we could jaunt back and forward in time (sort of Dr Who combined with the Tomorrow People – ah remember the Tomorrow People)? I could literally do this all night……. Just as an aside I have picked this blog back up, 4 days later, and we have had snow! Yes, real snow, and lots of it, the deepest that I have seen for many years. Therefore, I am putting on my thermals and wet weather gear to go and get some of that toilet roll, just in case it runs out. Seriously though what a shame it is a bit early, this kind of snow on Christmas day would be rare indeed. Who knows there could be magic in the air?
A few more days later, I am having to write this as and when I can, and there is now a possibility of snow at Christmas. That would be great at Christmas, however at the moment the temperature has dropped and stayed there, making the UK the largest ice rink in the world. Really it is just ice on the small roads and on, it seems all of the pavements both big and small. If you do need to go out, please be very careful. This change of weather could not have come at a worse time, with nearly all worried about the heating bills. Food prices are rising and there are presents to buy too.
A good reason to make this Christmas more about loving and giving the priceless gift of time, far more important than any physical present. Just being with the ones you love at this time of year is more than enough. Sadly, it is also the time of year when we think of those that are no longer with us and raise a glass whilst taking comfort in the fact that those people were part of our lives and that our lives would have been lessened without them. So, I look back and everything is different. It is also a time to be joyous for all those that have only just joined us. New nephews, nieces, grandchildren, sons, daughters, or children of friends and how this will also enrich our lives.
Here now is a quick catchup with things that happened earlier that we may not have yet shown and some new things.
We start with April when family visited from Australia. We went for a walk and these are some of the results.
Ooops! sorry about this one.
Next, late October not long before Halloween, my wife and I were walking through the park when one of the young boys here commented about me holding a camera and asked if I would take a picture? After getting the ok from their father this is what we got before carrying on our walk. We obviously sent these via email to their dad. It was lovely that the young boy asked all on his own. I only wish I was quite as brave.
Of course, then Halloween came and went. The doll picture that was created as a bit of a laugh, was quite popular. I have since seen an advert for batteries using a doll on the floor. Have you seen it? It didn’t air until after Halloween as far as I know. Where do you think they got the brilliant idea from? Graveyard Bill was also created, catch the video here. The last one is a slightly haunting version of the Point of Ayr Lighthouse Talacre.
November saw Autumn in full swing at our local Parndon Wood Nature Reserve.
Which leaves December and a few images created during this latest snow fall.
Could this be a frozen guard of Narnia or Aslan himself?
Maybe it is a cheap B&M lion statue in our garden, but tell no one.
My wife is very clever you know. Doesn't this make you want to straighten it? There is always method in the madness.
We never did find out who the people were in this image so if you do recognise them tell them to get in contact and we can email some images to them.
Well, we are nearly at the end and I am staying with C.S. Lewis quotes for the moment.
“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” Not a truer word spoken and something to inspire. It doesn’t matter where you are now you can alter your future. It may only be something small and insignificant but if it matters to you change it. Alternatively, it could be a really big thing. It might be difficult to do but isn’t anything worth doing difficult for one reason or another. Break it down if you can do a little bit at a time until you have achieved what you wanted to do. Don’t give up, don’t get disheartened and don’t beat yourself up if you get things wrong. Learn from the mistakes you make and carry on. If the ending isn’t quite what you expected then don’t worry, keep fluid, things change the future isn’t set (sorry that last bit is Terminator isn’t it. Good though). The future is for the curious (Einstein) so be curious. Come on where else do you get this kind of combo, Arnie and Albert, I ask you? Really couldn’t all of this just be considered your New Year resolution? I know, I will try harder, I am very aware of my own failings and I will continue bit by bit to improve on them for a slightly better ending. Phew that was heavy again. Many thanks for staying with it, assuming you are still here and if you aren’t, well I have started so I will finish regardless. One last quote and possibly the most important one yet, and yes, I can say with all smugness that I have this one covered. “Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.” C. S. Lewis
Look we even take pictures of our toy dog. He has his own chair and he has his own facebook page.
No we don't talk to him, well maybe.
Some would say I never grew up but I prefer to say I am now old enough!
This is a new update to the blog. We can now announce that we were finalists in the Harlow Chair (Harlow Council) Photographic competition. The competition had the theme of "The best of Harlow". We were invited to a private showing on the 15th December with the other finalists at the Gibberd Gallery, The Water Gardens, Civic Centre, College Square, Harlow CM20 1WG. It was a very pleasant evening and it was very nice to chat with some of the other finalists there. We were very pleased and honored to have been chosen to display one of our images amongst the other very talented photographers.
Lastly, thank the stars I hear you say, we return to Dickens and what has become a blog tradition.
So here is looking to a very bright and prosperous future for everybody. Happy Holidays to all. Be careful, be safe, enjoy what you have, eat, drink be merry and stay warm. In our best Dickensian voices, we say (imagine in your head the voice of Brian Blessed, you know, he said Gordon’s Alive in Flash. One last sci fi reference).
May we wish you a Merry Christmas and to one and all a Happy New Year.
If you made it to the end thank you. Please like, comment and share here and on our facebook page.
So, hello to all, how have you been? It’s been a while I know.
We went on holiday recently and if I am honest, I have struggled to get back into the social media side of things since we came back. Do you ever look at it all and just think “fooothe”? Yes, I know that isn’t a word but it is the noise I hear in my head when I think of having to post on all the platforms, which I love to do, but can be a full-time job on its own. “Fooothe”.
The phrase “So little time and so much to do” comes to mind. (I then thought who said that? So, I googled it. It turns out practically everybody has said it in one way or another, from Roald Dahl to Sir Alfred Lord Tennyson. So at least I am in excellent company with my thoughts). Maybe some of my loss of time is my own fault, due to going off on tangents like googling “so little time and so much to do”. Oh, the irony. Back to the matter at hand, did I ask how you have all been? Ok, then I shall continue, and as for you fine people I trust that you will continue with me, for if not I am lost, lost I tell you (too dramatic?). Talking of drama and the dramatic (see what I did there? Smoother than velvet if I say so myself, and I did say, just me no one else) this first image is very dramatic and could be classed as even contentious.
I would love to hear your comments about it on our Facebook page because
a) I/we are always interested in what you think of our work. b) If you comment about the image on our Facebook page, quoting that you have seen it on our website blog, it could get more people to read the blog (how’s that for honesty for you).
Now let me explain my raison d’etre(what can I say, drama, contention and now world cultural terms, what more could you want?), there is no religious connotations, other than the clear visual depiction of the work itself. There is no denying the image content, however I was not trying to offend anyone. I just looked at the original image, which was a gull taken on our recent holiday to Wales. Something about the positioning just triggered the final artwork you now see.
As a child I saw an album cover, I don’t know if the album was called Stone the Crows or the band was, however the image hid itself in one of the dark corners of my mind. It seems it was waiting for this image. Secondly, to me it is an image full of symbolism. It is charting the demise of the wildlife around us, the changes in the environment all sadly caused by us, Bird Flu, Global warming, Overpopulation, Ocean acidification, Loss of biodiversity, Deforestation, Ozone layer depletion, Food waste, Plastic pollution and Poor disposal of waste. I could go on, and on the list seems endless. Oh, and don’t forget wars, sadly we just seem incapable of getting on as a species. I am not a huge follower of world policy and politics and I am sure I could do more to help the situation. I am just a normal person like you, but I am trying and I would implore you to try and do the same. If we all do little things it may just end up being a bigger thing than we think. However, I think that there are many people across the world who are in far better positions to affect change than we are and quite frankly they should be doing more to ensure the existence of the human race, the youngest of our family already here and the generations to come. So, I hope that now I have explained my position and thoughts, you will no longer consider the image as, contentious. Well not contentious in the way you first thought. It is not a religious statement, but rather a damming visual representation of the world we live in.
If you are still with me, I thank you. That really was quite heavy and serious for me, however to lighten the mood a little I can say with all honesty, that no animals/birds were harmed in the making of the artwork.
To continue, I thought I would carry on the holiday theme in maybe a more traditional way. What could be more traditional than a funfair? Erm I should probably say that this one was completely devoid of people apart from myself and my wife. Not creepy at all, but what an opportunity to walk around completely on our own. We hope you enjoy this small selection.
There are so many more images from the funfair alone to use for creations. In fact, between us, we took so many photographs on this one holiday we worked out that it would take approximately 9 years to use and edit all of them. All I can say is we will try our best, and if you like what we do good because you are stuck with us for a very, very long time!
Was that an audible gulp I heard? Whilst we leave you to digest that fantastic fun fact here are a few more holiday creations from around Wales.
These next pieces are from our local town park.
They were originally going to be submitted for possible inclusion in the next Gatehouse Arts Exhibition, which sadly never happened due to the closure of the space. They are entitled “That’s Entertainment 1 and 2”, for the, dare I say it, more mature readers of this blog (due to the fact that you might know what I am talking about) They are referring to the song of the same name by The Jam and a particular line within that song. Now if like myself, you are as wise as Solomon (this is assuming that indeed wisdom is denoted by age, which means I am very wise indeed, if only), then you already know what I am talking about. If you are somewhat younger and thought that The Jam was what you put on your bread, you found in a scone or ended up in on the motorway, you are actually correct. However back in the day shortly after the dinosaurs died out The Jam were also a musical group. So, if you want to know what I am talking about you will have to google, youtube or spotify (please insert the platform of your choice) and have a listen to the song to find out. If by any chance this song then goes viral and becomes a number one, please let whoever needs to know, that it was I, yes I, who had instigated this modern day miracle and that it is I, yes I, who should be rewarded for such miracle. (Well, if Stranger Things can have such an influence on music, then who knows. If it doesn’t come to pass then I will just keep “Running Up That Hill” of life. Ooooh I have said it before and I will say it again Smooth as Velvet).
So that’s it for now, thank you for staying with it, I am truly humbled.
Now though I have to dash, I have a very important date and I am so very late.
TTFN.
P.S. What did you think of the layout this time? Rather than slide shows we went for individual images.
We thought this may make a difference if you are looking at the blog on your mobile phone. Please let us know which you prefer.
Hello to all.
Here is only our second blog of 2022. This year really has been a case of blink and you will miss it so far. We are already well into June, so I can only apologise for the lack of interaction we have offered and apologise profusely. It feels like we have been stuck in some kind of time and relative distortion in space. I always say start as you mean to go on, so one for the Dr Who fans. (Although Dr Who could also be used to describe your post covid G.P. Surgery. Sorry that was a poor dig for a quick laugh. I know, I’m better than that). Apart from this blog, which I hope will go some way to resolving our information blackout, we are still posting on our Facebook page, Instagram on Google and also on KO-fi, although again slightly less frequently. Please feel free to have a look if you have the time and maybe even like the page, share etc. etc. etc. (to quote Yul Brynner in the King and I). So I have been thinking we have a Blog (which is what this is known as), by the way it is short for weblog (web log every day is a learning day) and a Vlog which is Video Log. So bearing in mind that we use images, some exclusive versions in our blogs, should it not be called an Ilog or Imlog or Pholog or just Plog? What do you think? If you agree, please make it go viral, as I have no idea how to do this or I already would have with our images and would now be sunning myself, with my wife in some very hot destination with a nice chilled glass of something.
Now that’s sorted where to start.
So since our last blog (think Plog) we have had Valentine’s Day, we started a little project entitled Other Worlds creating science fiction style landscapes (exclusive versions here). We will be adding to this as and when possible so please keep your eyes open if you like this sort of thing. I must say in hindsight I wish I had called them Strange New Worlds (one for you trekkies old and new) but I am sure that will certainly appear as a Hashtag from now on. International Women’s Day came and went (another exclusive version here), shouldn’t every day be Women’s Day or more to the point it shouldn’t be necessary to have a day at all if we were all equal. But you know how that went in George Orwell’s Animal Farm! Swiftly moving on, I found a doll in a hedge outside our house, more about that closer to Halloween.
A walk in the park in March led to an image full of symbolism.
Just think for a minute it is now June as we said. Yes already June, 3 months later, our thoughts still remain with Ukraine. We can’t even imagine how we would feel if that happened here.
Daffodils were next to pass followed by some creative Grass (alternative versions).
Sorry got the rhyming bug then, don’t know what happened, I’ll try not to do it again.
Did I say we exhibited at Gatehouse Arts, creations full of musical notes, love and hearts.
Oops sorry still doing it.
Bringing us up to date is Dances With Waves, this is the painterly version.
Phew that was a lot but there is still a little more so I hope you will stay with me. I can now show a small sample of some commission work undertaken by us which the family now have. This includes some of our special Signature Creations.
Finally for now
So far this year, like many other years (and no doubt the same for many of you) has been full of ups and downs, we have imminent new births within the family and sadly we have also had less great news. But like all of you out there we just pull up our trousers, skirts, leggings you know what I am trying to say and put one foot after the other. Continuing to walk along this complicated, sometimes funny, sometimes sad pathway called life. We hope that we will bump into many of you along the way and maybe stop a while to breathe and also have a cuppa.
Take care, be safe and stay happy.
This blog is dedicated to my mother-in-law, who I am sure, although not with us anymore, is still keeping an eye on everybody and all that is going on.
Hello to all and welcome to our first blog of 2022.
Now this first rambling of mine comes from our sister page LGP Imagery please take a look if you haven’t already. Think "The Ring" or Stephen King or a modern Gothic Novel, maybe even a bit "Stranger Things". This is just a couple having fun on a jet ski on the Menai Strait (last year’s holiday in Wales, we both love Wales). However when I started this edit I wasn’t sure what direction I was taking but as I progressed it got my mind going. Not just the Jet Ski in motion, how is that possible in a still image? Also though, how on earth has he managed to look at us? Spooky, or is it just my warped imagination again? Over Christmas we watched the Mezzotint by MR James on BBC 2. Obviously this horror about an image that changed must have filed itself somewhere in my subconscious. I also keep imagining the old fashioned Zoetrope which gave movement to static images. The one with the horse galloping comes to mind.
So as you can see this really is a journey through my thought processes, for which I humbly apologise. I guess that you could say I have a penchant for the macabre (only fiction I might add) as well as my liking for all things Sci-Fi, which you will already know about if you have read some of the previous blogs.
I have put the original image here that kick started this whole thing so that, maybe when you see the two side by side with my ruminations above you might get it. No? Just me then, well that’s embarrassing. I think at this juncture it would make sense to move on then.
Our next piece brings us straight back to normality.
You may have already seen this on our PTP Facebook page, but it is always worth a second mention. The family here were confronted with a rather large puddle at the bottom of the bridge due to flooding. This was at Fishers Green, Mr had already made his way, rather successfully through the water. Sadly no images are available as I had not yet gained permission and no one wants to start pointing a camera at a complete stranger, as he traverses the landscape in front of him, without permission. It could be perceived as rather strange, equally as could gaining permission and then excitedly shouting “do it again do it again”. So as I said no images of Mr are forthcoming. Anyway once permission was gained the resulting images ensued. The young girl seemed to be hesitant to pedal, maybe fearing that the resulting waves would splash higher and with greater force and so getting her wetter. Therefore she coasted into the deep puddle with gusto, however the momentum was not quite enough to propel her through completely, resulting in a soggy foot down in the waters edge. No real harm done though. Mrs, then proceeded to pedal as though her life depended on it. With a big smile and a plume of spray behind her, she quickly made it through.
It was a lucky coincidence and a chance to capture a slightly out of the norm (for us at least), brief moment in time. We did have a quick chat but did not exchange any details hence the need for the terminology used. To be honest I wasn’t even sure if we would get any usable images in the matter of seconds it took for all this to happen. However it is with some regret that we can’t directly show them to the family in question. If you read this and know them please tell them about the images. One positive to happen from this is we are having some new cards made with our details to hand out in a similar situation.
Still here? Well thank you for sticking with it. Here are a few more images taken on that day in way of recompense for my mumblings.
Now does anybody else have a backlog of things to do, artistically I mean?
As I frequently tell absolutely anybody that will listen, no really I do, I already have enough digital negatives that have not been processed to last me well up to my three hundredth birthday. Yet I still keep taking, making and creating images. You never know when the one will arrive that becomes an overnight social media sensation or is bought by a famous person, anonymously of course, and makes our fortune. Once we have, in the immortal words of Del Boy, become millionaires, “oh mangetout Del, mangetout”.
We will of course carry on taking, making and creating images because we love it. Yes of course we may well update our antiquated cameras and lenses to new ones with all the bells and whistles. Canon, Sony, Nikon etc. are you listening? We could do with some upgrades and we really will love you forever. Our car cost less than most of the new equipment out now! Anyhow talking of cars, let’s steer this back on track. (Did you see what I did there, I’ve said it before and I will say it again, I’m wasted truly wasted). Now where was I, yes, we will continue to create because we love it. Shall I let you into another little secret? What we create, we create for ourselves and then we hope that you also like it. In fact we very much hope that social media or that rich person takes a liking, because our camera equipment really is getting old don’t you know.
All joking aside we love to create and will continue to do so, and if I get to my three hundredth birthday it will mean we have acquired a lot more hard drives, cloud space or whatever technology is around by then. I am guessing cognitive brain storage and telepathic viewing or maybe an even smaller screen that I will see even less detail on. I still never understand the connection between 75 inch televisions in the house and a 6 inch screen in your pocket. You wait until these young whippersnappers that design all this stuff see as badly as people of a certain age do (I am including myself in that figure). Then they will know all about it hey. Could be time to go before I fall off that soap box of mine. A few more images you may not have seen, as way of a final apology.
Do not despair if you too would like to take photographs. Half of the images here were taken with a Canon 550d and the other half with the Canon 70d back in 2016 when we visited Pompeii. I checked yesterday on Park Cameras (not sponsored, we wish. I have used them though and they were very good). A used 550d body in excellent condition was £179 not bad for a work horse of a camera. If your budget won’t stretch to that (let’s face it times are getting harder), then you probably have a smartphone which will have a camera. Start with this and see how it goes. There is a great quote “the best camera is the one that you have with you” So whatever you have just keep practising with that, who knows what might happen.
Now I am off to find a large magnifying glass to see how much battery is left on my phone! (Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it’s off to work we go).
And Finally
If you like what we do please share and tell as many people about us as you can. We would really appreciate it. You can now also support us on Ko-Fi (pronounced coffee, yes I got what they did there, very clever).
Alternatively: A quick waffle by me, shared with friends.
Hello to all.
It seems like yesterday was only June. Ah, June do you remember the days were long and warm. Anyway now it’s nearly Christmas the days are shorter and it’s a little bit cooler. A very good excuse to stay in, stay warm, get cosy and snuggle up. Maybe even with a small libation to keep the cold chill away from those old bones, whilst warming by the fireside (sorry the Dickens got the better of me again). I guess the romanticist in me hasn’t disappeared yet and the thought of snow and loved ones at this time of year, in a very Charles Dickens, snow globe, way, still makes me smile. As I type, the film Jack Frost is playing in the background. A classic although slightly odd Christmas film, comedy, romance, sadness and happiness all in one moment. It’s a little bit like life’s journey as we wend our way down this mortal path, which is probably why we like these kind of films so much. Or is it just me again? The older I get the more relatable the topics of the film get. Oh and Michael Keaton, what a good actor, in my opinion anyway. So many good films he is in that I have grown up with. Oh yes, it can also be said that I will also fall deeply in love with the Christmas dinner, Christmas pudding, Christmas sweets, Christmas chocolate, possibly a Christmas chocolate cake and a Christmas coffee cream drink or two. (A quick two hour break from the blog for Christmas chores – well we all have to do our bit) Please note that if you put “Christmas” in front of the food or drink item you are about to eat, it contains no calories at all! I read this on social media so therefore it must be true. So, it has been so busy yet again and if I am honest, I am not sure I have kept up all the time, but hey there is always next year. I could mention the new wave of Omicron, it really does sound like a Transformers Decepticon, but you all know about it by now. So enough said about that! With everything that is going on, why on earth is art still important? Let’s face it we still have wars, famine, covid and much more going on around the world, so why? Well in my opinion and only my opinion art is important, it can record events in time, making history come alive. It can make relevant comments about important topics both then and now. It can also make you think, make you question and just make you smile. That great tune you like (music is also art), the artistic impression of say for instance the Colosseum in Rome. On the television recently they showed a portrait of an officer in the First World War. Drawn by an unknown artist, but still very impressive the officer was also unknown. It made me wonder what had happened to him and how sad that no family still held onto this wonderful piece of art history. Staying with the war theme – trench art how good is that. See any house program on the television, grand designs, old house new house etc. every single house has art on the walls, unique textiles and meaningful portraits. This is because it all makes us feel good and individual and warm. Just think about it, for as long as humans have been on the planet they have created art.
Archaeologists Have Discovered a Pristine 45,000-Year-Old Cave Painting of a Pig That May Be the Oldest Artwork in the World.
The Bhimbetka and Daraki-Chattan cupoles are the oldest pieces of prehistoric art ever discovered and have been dated to around 700,000 BC, almost four times older than the Blombos Cave art. They were discovered in two ancient quartzite caves in the Madhya Pradesh region of central India.
Conclusion These discoveries suggest that different forms of art have been practiced throughout the evolution of mankind. Cave art and sculpture was common and perhaps the only art from prehistoric times that has been preserved.
By Star Trek: The Original Series episode, "Plato's Stepchildren", Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2277374
Slightly more left of field but still in my opinion a form of Art/Creation, program making and films can also bring innovation. Take the original Star Trek (ok so you knew I would get some Sci Fi in somewhere) the whole program brought the future to our now. Just think about it we have:
Warp Drive, Tractor Beams, Phasers, Tablet Computers, Hypospray, Universal Translators, Tricorders, Holodeck and Communicators (think smart phone). It’s all true just search the internet. Also we can’t forget the interracial kiss by Kirk and Uhura possibly not the first but nonetheless very important for its time. So to all Artists/Creators we salute you.
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March 2024
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