Category: landscapes

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

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)

The Joyous Photograph

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

Circles around Sedgwick (2 – recovered) – a canal of our own

Continued from Part One… (Note: republished from my Mac laptop as the latest version of WP on the iPhone 11 Pro has crashed itself, repeatedly, and appears to have taken the original post with it… I’ve had to recreate this from a (mercifully) still open window that allowed a cut and past of the whole thing… Apologies to those whose links arrived at nothing!) We … Read More Circles around Sedgwick (2 – recovered) – a canal of our own

Circles around Sedgwick (1)

It’s a Viking word, Sedgwick. It dates from the time when the Lake District was part of the Danelaw, the half of England under the rule of the Norsemen, and means ‘place by the river’. The river in question is the Kent, which flows from Kentmere lake through Kendal on its way to the estuary at nearby Arnside, then out as a major channel … Read More Circles around Sedgwick (1)

#ShortWrytz : Hope in the Sky

I have always looked for the key ‘moments’ as the turn of the year progresses. My favourite is the first day when you feel like ‘spring is in the air’. But, prior to that, there are certain nights in March when you feel that there is ‘hope’ in the sky – and sometimes that comes in the darkness rather than in the day. Here … Read More #ShortWrytz : Hope in the Sky

#ShortWrytz: Lille Sundance

It was late afternoon in the city of Lille in northern France. We were making our way back to our relative’s house on the outskirts of the centre when we turned a corner and found the sunset breaking through the heavy clouds at the ‘end of the street’. Being January, the sky was rapidly darkening, but suddenly the street was filled with golden light … Read More #ShortWrytz: Lille Sundance

#ShortWrytz – Intricate Outlines

Winter offers the photographer a challenge – to be creative with what little colour there is… One way around this is to look for the most contrast to be found. In this shot, taken on a walk in the mid-afternoon, the pale sun was already falling towards the horizon, filling the shadows with a rich, inky darkness. Lovely! I walked for a while until … Read More #ShortWrytz – Intricate Outlines

#ShortWrytz – Bare Ash

It’s a view I get every morning, letting the pets out before making the first cup of tea. The beloved ash tree – almost certainly doomed to fade away when the ‘die back’ virus finally gets this far north Today, with the strong wind stripping away the last of its leaves, I had a deep and poignant moment when it seemed to face me … Read More #ShortWrytz – Bare Ash

#ShortWrytz – Peel’s Silent Cross

The beautiful coastal town of Peel, Isle of Man. The former church of St Peters sits, alone, in what is now its own square. There’s very little of it left – just the frontage above, the bell tower at the back and the horizontal cross of its interior space still carved on the ground, suddenly thrust into the lighted world when the church was … Read More #ShortWrytz – Peel’s Silent Cross

#ShortWrytz – Night moves: the big idea

Since I was a child, I’ve been fascinated by the way the autumn darkness conveys a deeper sense of empathy than the late summer it leaves behind… What I mean is (for example in the picture above) the quietness that wraps – envelopes – two people when they gather under a seaside lamp awaiting the arrival (via spouses) of their fish and chips, following … Read More #ShortWrytz – Night moves: the big idea

#ShortWrytz: vertical panaroma

Some smart phones have a ‘Panorama’ feature within the photography options. This allows a left to right scan to be taken of the scene in front of you. You can make it as wide as you like, subject to a maximum of about 180 degrees. The trade-off is that the wider it is, the thinner the vertical slice of scenery, as below. It never … Read More #ShortWrytz: vertical panaroma

Fear and Love in the High Peak – part one

It’s not the best of photo resolutions, but the above image says it all. Briony saluting the Derbyshire landscape in her own way at the end of three days of the Silent Eye’s Tideswell-based workshop: Sue and Stuart’s creation; and a wonderful experience for the group of souls who braved the provocative title for the weekend… Rites of Passage: Seeing beyond Fear …and decided … Read More Fear and Love in the High Peak – part one