SteveTanham – writing, mysticism, photography, poetry, friends

Category: Lake District

It flows, seemingly singular… until something intrudes. Then, instead of resisting, it parts at the level of molecules, and recombines on the other side. The bank is the end of one world and the beginning of another; a place of soft contrasts, where organic forms reach the limit of their existence, and begin to dissolve. The water embraces them all. Its force and flow, … Read More Winter wanderings with camera (2) Water: form and flow

December 5, 2020 + #Silenti, Lake District, landscapes, mystical travel, Photographic techniques, Photography

Winter wanderings with camera (1) mood and meaning

by Steve Tanham

Winter… Most, but not all, of the colours are gone. What remains is a harder edge of the spectrum, where contrast is to be hunted rather than assumed. And texture and shade take on a different level of purpose; to stand in for the vividness of summer’s colour, to beckon our eye to look deeper. The sky is the photographer’s winter friend, donating half … Read More Winter wanderings with camera (1) mood and meaning

November 29, 2020 + #Silenti, Ancient Landscapes, Lake District, nature, Photography

Mellow moods for Autumn (9) end of season

by Steve Tanham

As autumn gives way to winter, different aspects of nature create new opportunities for photography… (300 words. A three-minute read) (Above: the shores of Lake Windermere – a winter favourite to come) Photographically, I prefer the UK Met Office’s guidance on the dates for the beginning of each season. In this convention, winter’s start is the first day of December, so this will be … Read More Mellow moods for Autumn (9) end of season

November 22, 2020 + #Silenti, Ancient Landscapes, Lake District, nature, Photography

Mellow moods for Autumn (8) the Levens Estate

by Steve Tanham

When the leaves have all but gone, nature still has one or two colourful surprises left. (220 words. A two-minute read) Rivers are beautiful at any time of year. This one, the River Kent, flows through Levens Park on its final mile to the sea, joining three other rivers in its outfall into the north end of Morecambe Bay Levens Park is the ancestral … Read More Mellow moods for Autumn (8) the Levens Estate

October 25, 2020 + #Silenti, Lake District, landscapes, mystical travel, nature, Photographic techniques, Photography

Mellow moods for Autumn (4) : by the river

by Steve Tanham

Autumn is a beautiful time in the Lune Valley… The River Lune rises in the gentle hills of the Eden Valley, in Cumbria, the last western county before you cross the border into Scotland. It flows for 53 miles in long curves, defining a series of beautiful valleys. It’s most scenic section is where it passes a few hundred metres from the centre of … Read More Mellow moods for Autumn (4) : by the river

October 11, 2020 + #Silenti, Lake District, landscapes, Mystery Schools, myths and spirituality, nature, Photographic techniques, Photography

Mellow moods for Autumn (2) The Secret Path

by Steve Tanham

There are three ways back from the centre of Kirkby Lonsdale to Devil’s Bridge, where most visitors park their cars, if they’re just there for the views and, possibly, a coffee. There’s the river path, itself, with the steep descent down Mill Brow to the Lune Valley; there’s the main street out of the town to the south; and there’s this – the tree-lined … Read More Mellow moods for Autumn (2) The Secret Path

October 4, 2020 + #Silenti, Consciousness, Lake District, landscapes, Photographic techniques, Photography, Seasons of the year

Mellow Moods for Autumn (1)

by Steve Tanham

A series of seasonal shots for Sunday, in either monochrome or with the colour reduced to give that mellow mood… The mists and the lane. The first mists gently fill the spaces between the trees at the end of the lane. So ‘soft and special’ you want to run out and take the shot before the shafts of sunlight disappear… ©Stephen Tanham, 2020. Stephen … Read More Mellow Moods for Autumn (1)

September 8, 2020 + #Collie dogs, #Silenti, humour, Lake District, landscapes

#ShortWrytz : PotFest – it’s a hoot!

by Steve Tanham

It’s a short post this morning… I’m awash to the gunnels with prep for this coming weekend’s ‘On the Pictish Trail’ weekend, based in Inverness and a few points north; eventually, (with a whittled-down group) ending up in Orkney, one of the most naturally spiritual landscapes I’ve even visited. All those will be reported on here, and at the Silent Eye in due course. … Read More #ShortWrytz : PotFest – it’s a hoot!

August 23, 2020 + #ShortWrytz, #Silenti, Ancient Landscapes, Collie dogs, Consciousness, Lake District, nature, Photography

#ShortWrytz : The house by the river

by Steve Tanham

We’re often in Kirkby Lonsdale. It’s the perfect dog-walk for Tess, our collie, who loves to chase the ball in its riverside park, then sniff her way along the riverbank as we enter the town by the steep steps that lead to one of the best views in the county – Ruskin’s View. This part of the Lune Valley was a favourite haunt of … Read More #ShortWrytz : The house by the river

August 2, 2020 + #Cats, #Collie dogs, #FurryFives, #RagDollCats, Cats, Collie dogs, humour, Lake District

#FurryFives – thin red line

by Steve Tanham

Misti! Yes, Tess? Let’s have a nose race and see who can cross this red line first! But your nose is already there… Sometimes you’re cleverer than Mum says… ©Stephen Tanham, 2020

July 9, 2020 + #Silenti, Child of Light, Consciousness, esoteric psychology, Lake District, Photography, Silent Eye School, Soul, Spirituality, The Beloved

The Summer Within

by Steve Tanham

When I was a young boy, a favourite uncle, who was quite old, said to me, “You always feel young, inside, you know…” It’s a sentiment I’ve heard many times. I knew it to be true – from the look in the eyes of those who said it, despite the lines of time on their faces. But now, to experience it in my sixties, … Read More The Summer Within

April 23, 2020 + #Silenti, Consciousness, Druids, English Lake District, Lake District, Silent Eye School

Marking the Horizon

by Steve Tanham

Our garden is south-facing, which is lovely when the sun shines, as we benefit from its rays through most of the day. I’ve begun to write about the history of our ‘gunpowder’ village of Sedgwick in other posts. The old (drained) canal bed that runs through our garden has been a challenge to incorporate into a coherent design, but, a decade on, we seem … Read More Marking the Horizon