SteveTanham – writing, mysticism, photography, poetry, friends

Category: landscapes

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

Mellow moods for Autumn (4) : by the river

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!

July 15, 2020 + landscapes, Life and Death, nature, Photographic techniques, Photography, Spirituality, Travel and people, Travel and Photography

Dr Joy’s Garden

by Steve Tanham

A poignant return visit to Alnmouth, a beautiful coastal town in Northumberland. A memorial garden dedicated to a very special woman… Read Dr Joy’s garden here…

July 14, 2020 + History, humour, landscapes, Photography

Locked-down and Armed: one man’s struggle with entropy (6) – White Space and USOs

by Steve Tanham

So, now we’ve got to move swiftly! I see you’re willing and able, You have your faded work- jeans on and you can borrow my older safety helmet. It’s a bit squeaky, but perfectly functional. We have two hours to paint Salty Pete between squares 1 and 19. See the ‘Lucky Bag’ diagram, below . During the last hour before you arrived, I’ve been … Read More Locked-down and Armed: one man’s struggle with entropy (6) – White Space and USOs

July 7, 2020 + History, humour, landscapes, Photography

Locked-down and Armed: one man’s struggle with entropy (5) – The White Rabbit

by Steve Tanham

I didn’t explain about the three drills… I’ve written about the new one – a slinky DeWALT with a noise that makes you shiver with DIYlight. The other two are older versions by the same maker. Buying the new one was prompted by the failure of both my re-chargeable batteries, when I tried to use the drill after a year of idleness… So, technically, … Read More Locked-down and Armed: one man’s struggle with entropy (5) – The White Rabbit

June 30, 2020 + History, humour, landscapes, Photography

Locked-down and Armed: one man’s struggle with entropy (4) – Push and Twist

by Steve Tanham

I didn’t set out to have three drills… The posh one, a nice DIY model from DeWALT, was bought because both the batteries for my previous drill failed at the same time, after lying idle in their case for nearly a year… My fault. So, with lockdown looming, we dashed out to Wickes in Morecambe and got a new one. Portable drills have come … Read More Locked-down and Armed: one man’s struggle with entropy (4) – Push and Twist

June 23, 2020 + History, humour, landscapes, Photography

Locked-down and Armed: one man’s struggle with entropy (3) – Two Peters…

by Steve Tanham

(Continued from Part two) Everything was quiet… Several hours after I began swinging the sledgehammer, there was finally peace from the destruction. I pulled up a wooden box and sat on it, wiping the congealed sweat from my forehead onto my arm. The Lucky Bag ‘number square’ idea from the last post seems to have caught the imagination, so I’ve updated it, below, to … Read More Locked-down and Armed: one man’s struggle with entropy (3) – Two Peters…

June 16, 2020 + History, humour, landscapes, Photography

Locked-down and Armed: one man’s struggle with entropy (2) – ‘If I had a hammer..’

by Steve Tanham

“If I had a hammer…” The words rang out in my head. Peter, Paul and Mary giving it their all with one of the most memorable protest songs of the 1960’s. Now, I did have a hammer – a rather big one – and I was striding up the garden path towards an unsuspecting ‘Saltpetre’ with a hefty degree of intent… Bernie’s words rang … Read More Locked-down and Armed: one man’s struggle with entropy (2) – ‘If I had a hammer..’

June 9, 2020 + History, humour, landscapes, Spirituality

Locked-down and Armed: one man’s struggle with entropy (1)

by Steve Tanham

I am not a tidy person. My wife, Bernie, is much better than I am but even she admits that, as a couple, we have to work at it. At the bottom of our garden is a large stone building called ‘The Saltpetre’. Built around 1820, this ‘expense magazine’ (and no, I haven’t just made that up) used to house gunpowder awaiting transportation the … Read More Locked-down and Armed: one man’s struggle with entropy (1)

April 16, 2020 + #Collie dogs, #Silenti, Consciousness, Family memories, Lake District, landscapes

The Joyous Photograph

by Steve Tanham

From a photographic perspective, we live in a wonderful age. Even the most humble of today’s mobile phones boasts a decent camera. Used within their limitations, we can achieve an amazing record of our days – even locally to our homes – with the use of a few simple techniques. My wife and I, plus our cat and dog, are lucky to live in … Read More The Joyous Photograph