So Long September

So the heady days of summer seem to be well and truly behind us.  We're layering up and stepping away from the thermostat, consuming damsons and apples in abundance and on our walks, observing distinctly autumnal landscapes as slowly, but surely, the trees reveal their skeletal frames.  Things are getting twisted.  Spooky season is almost upon us!

Born from the charcoal remains of one of the woodland casualties of the summer fires...

...this dragon emerges from his slumber.

After another manic week, I can confirm that the woodland elopement shoot went very well, but I'm afraid that's all I can say for now, as the shoot is scheduled to be featured in an industry blog next month, so for now, my lips are sealed, although there are a few permitted sneak peaks on my Instagram accounts.  

So what else have I been up to, other than editing photos and touting them around town?  Here's a brief rundown of people, places and consumption of media.

A couple of weeks ago, in the dying days of summer, I had a lovely visit from my oldest friend, Sarah.  We met at primary school, but don't get to see each other so often these days as Sarah lives in London and is a busy working actress/writer/mother to two young boys.  Shortly after her visit, my Mom discovered some old photos of the two of us.  

Here we are, having a Hot Fuzz moment in a model village somewhere in the Cotswolds.

And now.  Sadly, I can't share the photo of the two of us, as I was doing a slow blink and I don't want to scare you.  Mercifully, Sarah and my Mom are way more photogenic.

Books:

I've finished reading "And Away" Bob Mortimer's amusing and highly digestible autobiography. I'll shortly be moving on to either Victoria Hislop's Cartes Postales from Greece or My Uncle Oswald by Roald Dahl (two more differing reads you would struggle to find...the joy of charity shops!)

TV we've watched and enjoyed:

Trainwreck:  Woodstock '99, the Netflix documentary of the ill-fated 90s revival of the original peace and love festival of 1969.  

Bloodlands (BBC)

The first series of this crime drama set in Northern Ireland, contained one of the best plot twists I've seen and the second series is certainly living up to expectations and cranking up the tension.

Cunk on Earth (BBC)

For light relief, look no further.  Her spoof presenter is totally ill equipped to take on the hefty topics assigned to her and her interviews with various academics are priceless.  The writing is sharp and infinitely quotable.

Ka-De-Ve (BBC4) The German subtitled period drama about 4 friends coming of age in 1920s Berlin, centred around the luxury department store.  So far, so brilliant.

FILM: 

The Electrical World of Louis Wain a delightful, bittersweet film about the eccentric artist Louis Wain starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Claire Foy.  

I confess I was unfamiliar with his work prior to watching, but now a convert to his psychedelic cat paintings.  It's a real must-watch for cat lovers with a cameo from Nick Cave too!

As for the places we've visited.  Last weekend we headed to the attractive Warwickshire town of Bideford-on-Avon for the RSVP VW BBQ - a meet for uber cool "rad ride" owners.  Oh my, there were some beauties.

This rare Brasilia, for example with its beautiful patina.

The editor of Hayburner Magazine (a bible for many VW owners) was hanging around this gorgeous Karmann Ghia, which is unsurprising.  What a beauty!

Not a VW, but how cute is this little Renault/caravan combo?

As for this splitscreen, the owner explained to me that it was rescued from New Mexico, where it had languished for years, in use only as target practise.  Its bullet hole scars have now been soldered up and embraced as part of the van's history.

After years of photographing VWs at festivals, nowadays, I tend to zoom in on the details.  I spotted a few familiar stickers...

and...rusty roof tops.

More rear windows, the latter containing some pretty bold statements and life advice.

I loved the contrast between the ageing paintwork and shiny new Porsche wheels on this old bus.

This windscreen was not an easy fit...third time lucky.

However, I have a tendency to glaze over when people take more than a cursory glance inside an engine or begin to discuss at length their restoration jobs.

I moved on and discovered this couple and their feathered friends.  I'm terrible with names, but what I can recall is that one was 6 years old and the other 22!  They "tolerate" each other apparently.

On Sunday, we headed to Harvington Hall with our friends Neil and Laura.

It's some months since our last visit to the grounds of the house (read about it here Winter Peach Photography: Horticulture, History and a Hint of Intrigue).  This time we headed inside to locate the seven priest holes hidden within its walls.  Harvington is known as an Elizabethan manor house and for its role during the period of catholic persecution, although its moat and artificial island date back to the 13th century.

We opted for free flow tickets and wafted through the atmospheric house, picking up little nuggets of information from the enthusiastic volunteers along the way.

The kitchen contained a well, which was extremely rare for this period.  The water was taken directly from the moat (certainly not safe to drink), but is given a clean bill of health once it reaches the well, courtesy of natural sandstone filtration. 

The stained glass on the ground floor depicts Sir (and Saint) Thomas More, English lawyer, judge, social philosopher, statesman and Lord High Chancellor for Henry VIII, who later executed him after he refused to take the Oath of Supremacy.  His parting words were:  "I die the King's good servant and God's first."

The custodians of the house had clearly heard I was visiting, as they had kindly laid out my big dress in readiness.

Framing Laura.

Under a layer of whitewash in 1936, this Elizabethan arabesque style two tailed mermaid wall painting was uncovered.  It has been speculated that this may have been the work of a Flemish artist brought to the Hall from London.

Many of the walls were decorated...

...including the impressive Nine Worthies Passage, decorated with almost life size paintings of nine famous men (the nine worthies).  In Elizabethan and Jacobean houses, this was a favourite decorative theme and the figures were characters that were considered important ideals of chivalry at the time.  The only other surviving depictions of the Nine Worthies still surviving are at Montacute House in Wiltshire (carvings over the main gate) and in Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost.  Only six of the nine remain at Harvington.  I managed to capture two with some clarity.

Hercules

Julius Caesar

As for the priest holes, we found them all, but some are so cleverly concealed, accessed through attic space, reached via a fireplace for example, that they are impossible to photograph.

This one, hidden in plain view in the library, has to be my favourite.  At the top of the steps, you can see a dislodged timber (top right).  This is the opening to the priest hole.

Even more ingenious, is this hole, hidden beneath the staircase. The family would hide jewellery just inside the priest hole, so that if and when it was discovered by a soldier, the soldier would hastily pocket the jewels, assuming this to be nothing other than a clever hiding place for valuables.  He would then guard the hole (and unbeknownst to the soldier, the priests lurking way down inside) with his life to ensure his precious bounty remained a secret from the others.

In other news, I've bought some tulip bulbs and potted a few hyacinth bulbs in my newly acquired £5.00 charity shop find - a vintage 50s Sylvac clam shell planter.  

The waiting begins.  

That's all for now.  On Saturday, I'm off to Birmingham for a fix of Peaky Blinders; this time courtesy of the Rambert Dance ballet entitled "The Redemption of Thomas Shelby."

See you soon!

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!