A Collage of Life

I won't bang on about the weather this week, save to say that the rain has been plentiful.  Exercise has largely taken a back seat lately, but it's given me more time to tinker and I've been enjoying creating some collage style photo art from my archives.  Warning:  May contain cats and loved up couples.  It's proving addictive as well as causing eye strain.

After last week's shenanigans, I also endeavoured to take some outfit photos, particularly as Vix had kindly altered a couple of my vintage items for me, including the dress I mentioned in a recent blog post (Winter Peach Photography: A Night for Knights and Greensleeves).  Here I am trying and failing to capture the dress in its entirety by myself.  

The dress is so voluminous and now, having had a little trim by Vix, no longer drags behind me like a train (unless I'm going down stairs, which I don't mind, as it forces me to slow down and therefore makes me - a girl from Wordsley - feel a little more regal).  Vintage items are becoming increasingly rare and expensive, so I feel very fortunate to have found this one.  I love imagining the lives it's been a part of.

This skirt has made a previous appearance.  It's vintage St Michael (M&S) but again, was too long for my pit pony legs.  It's been so cold, I've been wearing my crop denim jacket as a top.

Now, a couple of inches shorter, it also has a matching belt.  I feel sluggish and lazy saying this, but I have no natural aptitude for sewing and no real interest.  I have tried, but can't seem to keep to a straight line and when a machine needle loses its thread, which seems to happen to me an unhealthy amount of times, I lose my mind!  I'm so grateful to have a friend who can help.

This week I've addressed a couple of health niggles including getting my eyes tested.  No change apparently, although I've ordered a couple of pairs of prescriptions glasses, having managed to break my last pair.  I've been relying on off the shelf readers which is probably not the best plan.  I had also noticed a little blind spot in my right eye, usually noticeable when my other eye is closed.  The optician checked my eyes and scanned my right eye, but advised me that everything was as it should be.  The joys of ageing!

Talking of which, if you're a woman of a certain age, HRT and collagen are the current buzz words.  I decided to do a little research into collagen and have, for the time being, determined that collagen supplements costing upwards of £30.00 a month are possibly futile.  Rather than popping pills, I've decided to boost my intake of foods that boost the body's ability to produce the precious collagen.  Never mind diamonds, it seems the humble red bell pepper is a girl's best friend!   

Red peppers contain vitamins A and C, potassium, folic acid and fibre.  Vitamin C keeps the immune system healthy, skin youthful and arthritis at bay!  Bold claims, but I'll take my chances munching on peppers rather than having to re-mortgage the house to fund shop bought supplements.

Saturday dawned brightly and to an avian wall of sound.  We decided to make up for lost time and headed down to the river.  Starting at Arley, we headed up the hill to the station, just to confirm that everything was present and correct.  

Children were climbing the apple trees in the hamlet's only pub beer garden on the way up to the station.

So far, so idyllic. Sadly, there was no activity during our brief visit.  In fact, the Severn Valley Railway (staffed by volunteers) is under threat.  Heritage Railway appreciators can contribute here.  They're woefully short of their target at the moment and it would be a devastating blow to the region if we were to lose it.

Severn Valley Railway Survival Fund | Severn Valley Railway (svr.co.uk)

Gareth took this photo of me wearing a pretty cotton top gifted to me by Vix. I know for a fact that his attention was captured by the vintage BP Motor Spirit sign.  My pasty arms are testament to the fact that it's the first time this year I've dared to go out in mere cotton!  I had the additional armour of a scarf and vintage hat (handmade in Ecuador) just in case the sun dipped behind a cloud, but needn't have worried as the temperature reached a balmy 17 degrees.

We walked back down to the river and followed its meandering path, passing under bridges made redundant by Dr Beeching's "reshaping" of the railways...

...coveting tranquil riverside lodges (spot the dolphin topiary)...

...to Bewdley, some 4.5 miles down river.  There, I did a quick scout around the charity shops and we consumed an entire box of Fruit Pastille iced lollies (two each) to rehydrate, before crossing the bridge at Bewdley.  Passing this row of handsome villas - the last vestiges of civilisation for another 4.5 miles, we heading back on the other side of the river for a different perspective.

Dream house in the country!

These love birds were unperturbed by my camera.

I became a little obsessed with the river side signage.

Had we strayed into the Upside Down?  There are more, but I'll spare you.  Distressed angling signs would make for a very niche blog.

The smell of wild garlic permeated the air for much of our walk.

We clocked 10 miles that day and I slept like a baby that night.

We'll overlook the moist Bank Holiday interval that was Sunday and sashay up to date with some more sunshiny photos from today's walk from Highgate Common.

When we left the house, the clouds were plentiful and seemingly trapped in the rear window of our neighbour's car alongside a sunburst.

Suburban skies.

By the time we had parked up, some 10 minutes later, the clouds had parted.  The fields were alive with rapeseed and their vibrant blooms kissed by the sun surely heralds the arrival of spring.

Can you spot the flying creatures?  

Crouched as I was to capture the rapeseed, I was oblivious to the beehives a short distance away to my left.  I did wonder what kept bouncing off my head.  

I heeded their warning and moved on swiftly, leaving them to their important work.

Next weekend we have another Bank Holiday to mark the King's Coronation on Saturday.  Sorry Charles, I'll have to pass!  I have a photo shoot and birthday BBQ that day.

Until next time!

Little Britain

So here we are at the end of another seven days.  It's been a funny old week.  Partygate and the war in Europe rumbles on and the weather has been behaving in that very British manner; I think the technical term is "playing silly buggers."  

In other news, Johnny Depp won his defamation trial, after losing on the very same evidence against The Sun in the UK and is found, celebrating in a pub in Newcastle.  

The Queen has also been enjoying a perfectly splendid week, with bunting everywhere marking her 70 years on the throne, culminating in a two day Bank Holiday on Thursday and Friday.  But more on that later.

We start on English Bridge in Shrewsbury; a masonry arch viaduct crossing the River Severn.  A bridge has been known to have stood on this spot since at least Norman times.  This incarnation was built in 1926, reusing the original masonry of John Gwynn's 1774 version.  Its sister bridge, Welsh Bridge stands on the other side of town.  Impressive as it is, the Norman bridge sounds way more interesting, comprising five arches, a timber causeway, a tower housing a gate and drawbridge.  The bridge also supported several shops and houses.

Anyway, the light filtering through the arches left in the female pedestrian's wake, caught my eye.  So here's a glimpse of the grade II listed version in all her splendour.

Further along, we encounter said bunting.  Platinum Jubilee fever begins.  Incidentally, has anyone actually seen a Platinum Pudding on sale in a supermarket?  

 

For me, the star of this photo is the wall painted ghost sign with its unusual typography.  

Elsewhere in town, there's a street art tribute to the local wildlife (and I don't mean the beer bellied punters spilling out of the pubs)....

...and a runner measures her miles alongside the flood measuring stick, which has seen some eye popping readings in recent years.

Back in the garden, I have been out and about with my macro extension tubes again (one day I will treat myself to the real deal).  Focusing is always a little bit trial and error with these things; a case of hovering back and forth until you find the sweet spot and then keeping a very steady hand!  If you want a successful outcome, stay off the caffeine would be my top tip.  

Little things up close never cease to fascinate me.  This little pollinator was getting busy with the raspberry flowers.

His counterpart was rudely awakened from his slumber on the leaf of the Gunnera.  For anyone who has been pondering this question, insects quite often like to call it a day, take shelter and a snooze at around 7pm.

This little sawfly was sheltering on the underside of a buttercup.

The ferns are like big green kaleidoscopes, on a seemingly endless growth cycle; unfurling and creating exquisite shapes.  I decided to create low key black and white versions of a few of my favourites, taking in a dandelion seed head along the way.

But come hither...

...join me for a walk around the block to take in the sights and sounds of suburbia marking Jubilee weekend.  My Dad, a lifelong republican, would be chuntering away to himself about "putting them all on an island" and "self sufficiency" if he were around.  Whilst I don't believe any of them are any better than the bloke down the road (unless you're talking about that bloke...the one at number 10), I can appreciate that this is an exciting moment in our history. 

The houses in our neighbourhood have gone all out with the bunting.

This being the one time industrial heartland of the UK, many locals are tradesmen and evidence of home improvements seems to be everywhere (the cost of living crisis hasn't caught on here just yet it seems).  I counted at least 3 skips on our 10 minute walk and some unusual tributes...

...including this one, which appealed to my sense of humour.  Do we think Ma'am would have had that same fixed smile on her face had she walked out onto the balcony of Bucks Palace, only to be confronted with a view of a skip on The Mall?  This photo ended up on Instagram, accompanied by The Sex Pistols' God Save the Queen.  

Despite being a Bank Holiday, the streets on Thursday appeared deserted, so on Friday, after a leisurely start and a spot of sunbathing in the garden, we headed to Arley again (second time in a month).  On the agenda?  A scenic 4 mile circular walk starting in Arley, heading through Eymore Wood and taking in Trimpley Reservoir.  We also thought we might catch a glimpse of the newly painted purple Taw Valley engine, which has been temporarily named Elizabeth II in honour of the woman of the moment.

Purple seemed to be the colour of the day as evidenced by the carpet of rhododendron petals at the entrance to the wood.

The novelty of 21 degrees made me lose my mind and I failed to take a single photo along the route.  However, with yet more bunting and a number of classic cars adorning Arley Station, I made up for it.

There was no escaping Jubilee fever...

...or photographers.

We heard that the train had been delayed and so we enjoyed half a pint of Thatcher's Cider in the sunshine while we waited...and waited for Elizabeth II to show her face.  Ultimately, it was her rear end we were presented with.  I'll never make a train spotter!  

Gareth took my phone and managed to snap the front of the locomotive and her nameplate.

Before we leave behind the Jubilee celebrations, here's one final tribute, spotted in a farmer's field on the journey home.  

We all know Brits can be a pretty strange bunch.  We can't agree on much, as evidenced by Brexit and Boris.  Many Brits who are already being directly and heavily impacted by the cost of living crisis, took to the streets en masse, to wave their Union Jack flags on The Mall in celebration of a family funded by the state.  We are a mass of contradictions.  So, if you think making an effigy of the Queen out of a hay bale is odd, captured "Erotic Elizabeth" in all her glory on the streets of Didcot.  

Photo:  Paul O'Connor

Last night we rounded off the week with an evening with friends at their new house in Stourport-on-Severn, a Georgian town popular with day trippers and the area's self styled leisure capital.  

We enjoyed cocktails in blazing sunshine on the terrace (really), a delicious array of vegetarian and vegan food, music and merriment.  There were cats and dogs adding to our number - including the gorgeous Saffy - our friends' rescue fox hound, who pinned me to the sofa at one point in a bid to show her affection.  For the uninitiated, this is a totally non threatening, but tricky situation to find yourself in.  Fox hounds are persistent and heavy!

The evening was not without drama however, as Saffy did what fox hounds do best and escaped for a while for a little nocturnal exploration of her own.  A very different kind of hunt ensued and fortunately Saffy was discovered in a neighbouring garden - apparently without a care in the world. 

I'll leave you with a pic of my outfit, featuring my often overlooked and groovylicious vintage St Michael maxi skirt, a Leicester born brand sold in Marks & Spencer stores between 1927 and 2000.

Have a fabulous week!