Friend or Foe?

In a few months time these caterpillars will no doubt become beautiful butterflies or moths (and I would be delighted if someone could tell me which, and what variety) but, for now, they are not my friends!  I should now have  a flower border bursting with bright nasturtiums but, as is apparent in this picture, the plants have been decimated by these little gluttons!

Please use the other door

The image below shows the door at the rear of a local church.  It makes quite an attractive picture but it does seem to pose a question: ‘How active is this church community?’

 

Watching you watching me!

Do you mind!  Taking a bath is a private activity.  Intruders are not welcome!

Abstract 131

This  abstract pattern is derived from the devastation and chaos left behind in a cornfield after the crop has been harvested.

Wave Study 5

And finally

Click to enlarge

See also High tide at Dawlish

Wave Study 4

The waves rocking and rolling.

See also High tide at Dawlish

Rose Bay Willow Herb

There are more waves to come but today we’ll have something a little different.

Autumn

The rosy florets of bay willow

By hoary breath of some enchanter

Are translated into feathery plumes,

White as angel wings,

And leaves, brittle red and papery thin,

Carpet the thirsty brown soil.

                                         Margaret Gill

Click to enlarge

Wave Study 3

The breaking waves and the returning waves collide.

Click the images to enlarge.

See also High tide at Dawlish

Wave Study (2)

A breaker fragmenting as it meets the stone breakwater.

 

Click to enlarge

High tide at Dawlish

Recently I wrote how relaxing and therapeutic the rhythm of the sea could be (Sea watching).  High tide at Dawlish provided a sharp reminder of the extreme opposite  –  the sea’s relentless energy, mighty power and irresistible force.

In the series of wave studies that follow over the next few days I would like you to imagine that you are standing with me on the path topping the sea wall.  Hear the boom of the wave crashing against the wall, feel the spray carried on the wind, smell the sea, watch the explosive collision of waves moving in opposite directions.  Don’t just view the pictures  –  enter the experience of being there!

Click on the image for greater detail and to intensify the experience.

See also Breaking Wave

Dawlish

Just 5 or 6 miles north of the mouth of the Teign is the small resort of Dawlish.  Despite its long history dating back to Saxon times, it is essentially Victorian in most of its architecture and general ambience.  Its stamp of individuality is created by two features:  the rivulet, Dawlish Water (sometimes called The Brook), which runs through the central park area and effectively bisects the town; and the railway line which separates the town from the beach.

The rivulet has become a sanctuary for a range of water fowl, but is particularly noted for its black swans which were introduced from Western Australia.

The railway line is part of the Riviera Line, linking Exeter with Paignton and the English Riviera.  The route’s proximity to the sea has earned it a reputation as one of the most picturesque rail journeys in the UK.  The line is also one of the most costly to maintain because of the constant threat from sea erosion.  In 1974 a substantial part of Dawlish station was washed away during a severe storm.  The construction of the line was begun by Isambard Kingdom Brunel in 1830.

In the first photo holiday makers are walking along the path on top of the sea wall.  The metal fence beside the path screens the rail track.  Beyond the railway can be seen buildings of the Victorian period.

Abstract: ‘Broken Promises’

This abstract pattern is clearly derived from an incomplete or severed spider’s web.  When I created the image it suggested to me a relationship that had fallen apart (hence the title), held together by a tenuous thread.  I chose black and white to polarize the differences and left large areas of black to represent ‘silence’  –  non-communication.

Other titles have since been considered eg., Anti-social networking  –  representing those who choose to resist Facebook, Twitter et al;  An Act of Vandalism;  Abandoned  etc.  No doubt you can add to the list!!

Reed images

Along the edges of the estuary are large beds of tall reeds bearing showy, purply brown plumes.  The reeds display many moods  –  sometimes appearing upright, still and politely proud; at other times thrashing around wildly under the buffeting by strong winds blowing in from the open sea.

More from the estuary

As with the previous selection it will be helpful to click the images for greater detail.

Early morning

The Estuary

Recently my wife and I spent a few days holidaying in South Devon.  By sheer good fortune we were delighted to discover that our hotel room looked out across the estuary of the River Teign  –  a location that attracts a wide range of wading birds.  It was a photographer’s paradise.  The down side was that most of the bird activity took place in the centre of the estuary at a distance  of not less than 150 yards from my vantage point and I was equipped only with a Panasonic compact.  In addition, at low tide the sea receded completely leaving a glossy morass of mud.  The reflected light played havoc with the metering of the camera, often producing  results resembling an ice rink or winter landscape.  Despite these difficulties (resulting in poor quality images) it was clearly a ‘must take’ situation.

Because of their panoramic nature it will be helpful to click some of the pictures for greater detail.

I am always intrigued by the way birds (especially gulls) turn to face the sun as it begins to set.  I can’t identify the smaller birds in the foreground  –  are they sandpipers, or maybe turnstones?

More Seaweed Doodles

Near the high tide line, fine, thin strands of seaweed often form delicate shapes, sometimes resembling floral patterns or intricate, decorative ironwork.

As previously, these examples are substantially as seen; nothing has been added or removed other than the sand texture. A little Photoshop tweeking has sometimes  been used to sharpen the image or to increase colour saturation.

There will be showers

Colour or Black and White?

I think the choice must be guided by what we are wanting to say about the subject we are photographing.  Take, for example, the two photos below.  They are the same shot presented first in colour and secondly in black and white.  In the first I feel the picture is dominated by the colour.  Yes, I am aware of pattern and texture but, on balance, it is the colour that significantly influences my response.  In the second I am far more aware of the pattern and texture elements  –  the colour does not really enter the equation.  The two shots give quite different interpretations of the subject.

Abstract 123 ‘Blue Grass’

No introduction is needed  –  though I would welcome your comments.  Just relax and enjoy!  (A glance back to the text of this link might be helpful: Abstract 128 Revisited

A meditation

I first posted this poem in May of last year but, according to WordPress.stats, it has not had a single visitor!  I believe that its aspirations are too important to be ignored and allowed to drift off into cyberspace or wherever.  It is for this reason that I am republishing it  –  in the hope that its theme and thoughts might resonate in the mind and heart of the thinking reader.

Yes, the poet happens to be my wife, but this is not an act of nepotism.  I find the simple verse inspirational and challenging.  I hope you do too.

May I always be open to

New ways of seeing,

To the simple, the fresh, the innocent,

To children’s prattle and ingenuous gaze,

For their truth is nearer the secret of living

Than talk in high places or learned tomes.

 

May I always be open to

New ways of hearing.

May I roam freely in new avenues of listening

And, whatever my passions are,

May I hear caution, may I hear balance,

And may I mistrust my need to be right.

 

But may I trust in the open heart,

In my own inner truth,

Unabashed, unashamed,

Not caring what a fool you think I am.

Margaret Gill

Apologies to ee cummins

See http://www.margaretgill.co.uk and I hear music and there’s no-one there