Aloha Ladybird!

Well hello there friends, I must admit that I have been a negligent. But consider the situation rectified, and please appreciate the underside of a ladybird alongside my sincere apologies. Enjoy! 

Smoking man

Allow me to tell you a magical story. I was walking by a shop that was covered with mirrors, so that the caught and bounced in spectrums of colour in a way that looked like it belonged on the front of a science textbook. I decided to take some photographs, but when I looked at them later, I realised just how dull the beautiful effect looked in my camera. The only interesting photograph which I had taken was of a man in the blue and silver uniform of the underground train. He was smoking quickly, with his  hand on his hip. His face had been so angry before he smoked his cigarette, but it began to calm down. From this photograph I did a drawing, quickly like the man. You, too, can share the magic of this smoking man.

Flower-Arranging

I'm not usually very interested in flower-arranging. It's not that I'm uninterested, I'm just not interested. But, I've been doing some Andy Goldsworthy-inspired arrangements of nature. Above are my shoddy pastiches of Goldsworthy's work –below– which is brilliant and exciting.

                       

                       

                       

And of course this set me googling, and I found this bizarre and rather wonderful video. Enjoy!

Hastings

About a year ago I went to Hastings and took these photographs of the harbour. It is brilliant. I would so recommend a visit.

Nature

Just some lovely old nature to get you through your day. Go outside. Feel the weather. Look at trees or bugs or rain.

The Ruin

This is a poem from the Exeter Book, which was originally written in Anglo-Saxon. Different translations exist and it's nice to read a couple of them, so you can really get the poem. The poem is supposedly written about the remains of the Roman Aquae Sulis, which is modern Bath. I've included a a photograph which I took in bath, just for atmosphere.

	Splendid this rampart is, though fate destroyed it, The city buildings fell apart, the works Of giants crumble. Tumbled are the towers, Ruined the roofs, and broken the barred gate, Frost in the plaster, all the ceilings gape, Torn and collapsed and eaten up by age. And grit holds in its grip, the hard embrace Of earth, the dead departed master-builders, Until a hundred generations now Of people have passed by. Often this wall Stained red and grey with lichen has stood by Surviving storms while kingdoms rose and fell. And now the high curved wall itself has fallen. ............................................ The heart inspired, incited to swift action. Resolute masons, skilled in rounded building Wondrously linked the framework with iron bonds. The public halls were bright, with lofty gables, Bath-houses many; great the cheerful noise, And many mead-halls filled with human pleasures, Till mighty fate brought change upon it all. Slaughter was widespread, pestilence was rife, And death took all those valiant men away. The martial halls became deserted places, The city crumbled, its repairers fell, Its armies to the earth. And so these halls Are empty, and this red curved roof now sheds Its tiles, decay has brought it to the ground, Smashed it to piles of rubble, where long since A host of heroes, glorious, gold-adorned, Gleaming in splendour, proud and flushed with wine, Shone in their armour, gazed on gems and treasure, On silver, riches, wealth and jewellery, On this bright city with its wide domains. Stone buildings stood, and the hot stream cast forth Wide sprays of water, which a wall enclosed In its bright compass, where convenient Stood hot baths ready for them at the centre. Hot streams poured forth over the clear grey stone, To the round pool and down into the baths. Translation courtesy of: http://colecizj.easyvserver.com/pohamrui.htm

Postcards

I bought these postcards at a flea market a while ago, but only decided to share them with you now. I like to look at the photographs and wonder about the stories behind them. Who were the children? Where were they from? Who made their photographs into postcards? Why?

Girls in the Windows, Ormond Gigli (1960)

This is such a great image. Apparently the phtographer came across the  building –which was to be demolished the next day– and had to organise the shoot very quickly. Doesn't that story add to the image, it only exists out of sheer luck, and it seems the more exciting for it.

Bugs

Hey there, here are some bugs: a wasp and a ladybird. You know I love a good insect. And so I've also been looking through my Nature Encyclopedia, and have found out that:

-There are over 150,000 species of bees and wasps.

-Most wasp women have an egg-laying tube called an ovipositor. It can drill through wood and deposit the eggs inside, as this is safer. In parasitic species this can also be used to bore the host animal's skin. And in some, the ovipositor has evolved into the insect's sting. 

Lovely.

Pigeons

I found some photographs of pigeons, which I took a while back. I then started thinking about them. They are like opals. 

And I found out a fact or two about pigeons. Apparently the reason that they bob their heads is for depth perception. I have no idea if that's true, but it's so fab that I had to include it. Also they are among the most intelligent birds on the planet, apparently. Pretty interesting.

Morocco

I realised that I never shared the photographs that I had taken in Morocco. And so, although I know it is dull to look at holiday snapshots, here are four of them (four happens to be my lucky number).

1914 In Belgium, Ypres – Carrying Straw towards the trenches

I found this postcard at a Flea Market in France, and was amazed. I had no idea that postcards like this were made; who sent them? Also, it is just so real to hold an object from an era that you read about in books. And to see soldiers in such an informal photograph, preparing their trenches, in 1914, it's actually awful. I just can't let go of it.

Paralympics

I was lucky enough to visit the Olympic Park yesterday and, although I didn't visit any actual events, the atmosphere was thrilling. I hadn't really been involved at all before now, but this is definitely something to get excited about. I had to share the love somehow, so here are a couple of photographs. which I took whilst there. I wish I could have recorded the sounds for you as well; the applause, the bickering but happy families, the megaphones, the slightly incongruous brass quartet (or maybe it was a quintet, I didn't actually count). And wow there was a lot of facepaint.

More people

Walking around London once again, I was touched by these two women. They seemed so calm, and so united, that I had to photograph them.

Hampton Court Palace


I found some photographs, which I took two summers ago, of the resplendent Hampton Court Palace. I think they do it some justice. These reminded me of a poem I've studied, a mock-epic by Alexander Pope, called 'The Rape of the Lock', in which the Palace is described:

'Close by those meads, for ever crown'd with flow'rs,

Where Thames with pride surveys his rising tow'rs,

There stands a structure of majestic frame,

Which from the neighb'ring Hampton takes its name.

Here Britain's statesmen oft the fall foredoom

Of foreign tyrants and of nymphs at home;

Here thou, great Anna! whom three realms obey,

Dost sometimes counsel take—and sometimes tea.'

People watching

Whilst mooching around London on a rainy day, with a camera, I took some photographs that I think are sweet enough to share. Walking in cities is way of feeding my visual greed, there are extraordinary things. And there is also beauty in the mundane.

Painting with Light


Has anybody tried this before? It is really simple, and can have such fun results! All you need are some bike lights (or a torch, or even a mobile phone screen) and a camera. The best sort is a DSLR or SLR camera, as you can adjust the shutter speed- the slower the better. But I think most other cameras would also work.
First of all make sure your camera is focussed, as it probably won't be able to focus in the dark. Then turn off the lights and press the camera button at the same time. Then the fun bit: run around holding a the torch (or whatever else you use). You might want to experiment, because every camera will be slightly different, but the results should be cool.
I'm thinking that you could do a similar thing with sparklers or fireworks, roll on Guy Fawkes' Night!