A look at my garden as Winter approaches

We have a small garden space and a while ago I decided to create an individual garden that is reasonably easy to maintain, with a lot of colour, individual "room" spaces, and be a garden to sit and enjoy.

I have used timber decking, trelliswork, slates, raised beds, plant troughs, tubs, a pergola, hanging baskets and small features, solar lighting, added over a couple of years. Now everything has grown, some things are out of proportions, and the paintwork needs a refresh.

In the next few months I will replant, paint, install new features, and get it ready for Summer 2015.
My planting schemes are haphazard, I love geraniums, begonias, grasses, fuchsias, clematis and the like, used to create an interesting mix of colour and form.

A labour of love, really tackled as a rehabilitation project after my prolonged illness, looking at it now I am astonished and proud that it took shape. Loads of wood planks, numerous bags of slate and decking slats  were used to complete it, and now I wish I had chronicled the process. Hey ho, can now look to doing it as I add new features and replant.

Below are a few shots I have taken, one during the Summer before last, and some random ones from a week or two ago. No "tidying" done, but the reshaping will allow me to do more clean shots.

Taken a couple of years ago, now much more added.

Self watering troughs on a fence shelf, with more pots on top. Geraniums need to be put away now before the frosts.

Another Surprise - More Art Deco

I was photographing a concert in London (more of that later) and went a little early to visit a Gallery and have a wander about.

Found myself near Mornington Crescent and spied a lovely building in the distance, so hastily went towards it, not that is was going anywhere. Poor light for Architecture but took a few shots with the Sony RX100 II, my constant companion.

Inevitable Google search at home, I learnt more about the building..

"The Carreras Cigarette Factory is a large Art Deco building in Camden, London in the United Kingdom. It is noted as a striking example of early 20th Century Egyptian Revival architecture.
The building was erected in 1926-28 by the Carreras Tobacco Company owned by the Russian-Jewish inventor and philanthropist Bernhard Baron on the communal garden area of Mornington Crescent, to a design by architects M.E and O.H Collins and A.G Porri.
It is 550 feet (168 metres) long, and is mainly white, The building's distinctive Egyptian-style ornamentation originally included a solar disc to the Sun-god Ra, two gigantic effigies of black cats flanking the entrance and colourful painted details. When the factory was converted into offices in 1961 the Egyptian detailing was lost, but it was restored during a renovation in the late 1990s and replicas of the cats were placed outside the entrance."

Will definitely go back there.

Another Gem of the British Seaside - The Jubilee Pool, Penzance

During late August 2012 we went to Cornwall for my Birthday, and stayed in Penzance, travelling to Bedruthan Steps on the wettest day imaginable, and visiting the delightful Mousehole.

The highlight however, was walking along the "Prom" and seeing in the distance a blue & white vision, The Jubilee Pool.

Lovers of Art Deco, we were thrilled to see it on a bright sunny day, gleaming a brilliant white.
Details below from the Jubilee Pool website http://www.jubileepool.co.uk/.

Described as one of the most unusual and pleasingly designed lidos of the era, the Jubilee Pool was designed in the early 1930s by Captain F Latham, the Borough Engineer. The pool was opened with great celebration in May 1935, the year of King George V’s Silver Jubilee.

The Pool was built upon a traditional bathing spot at the Battery Rocks near the harbour at Penzance. Cleverly designed to cope with the full ferocity of the Cornish seas, The pool is triangular in shape yet with gentle curves, making it a most pleasant environment. A contemporary guide book tells us that:

“In many respects the design is unique architecturally, partly from a point of view of necessity in conforming with existing conditions of wave elements and rocks which controlled the outline. Streamlines have been used to the greatest advantage in meeting the direction of the storm waves, while a Cubist style has been adopted in the interior in providing diving platforms and steps… The whole pool is surrounded by high streamlined sea walls terraced up within the interior so as to give aspect and effect. They also serve to strengthen the structure.” These walls also protect swimmers from strong, offshore winds and form terraces for spectators.

The pool was a popular amenity for over 50 years. However, by 1992 the pool had become dilapidated to the extent that its future operation was in doubt. But luckily a retired local architect, John Clarke, came to the rescue. He was alarmed when a proposal to build a copper coloured pyramid structure over the pool was proposed.  The Jubilee Pool Association was formed and thanks to his direct input the pool was listed. In the following two years, John and members of the JPA worked voluntarily with Penwith District Council to secure essential grant funding to contribute to the pool’s restoration over two phases. In 1994, after essential restructural works, the pool reopened to much acclaim, and the jubilant scenes witnessed when the pool first opened in 1935 were repeated some 60 years later.

Like many places on the coast it was badly damaged last year, and there are fundraising efforts to finance the restoration work, with some Government money pledged (which is after all ours).

I read of this and thought I would get some shots edited from that trip, and will hopefully return there one day.

A little colour and a lot of monochrome

Lightroom Collection editing for half an hour before evening meal (fish pie) and found these few to work on.
Street shots today, and I find mono is best for most, but sometimes the colour is part of the story, so decisions are made.

I try not to meddle too much with them, but as one develops skills it is hard not to tone down highlights, straighten and fill in shadow areas.

Spent most of the day in the garden tidying up for the winter, building a shelter as frost protection using a huge roll of bubble wrap, hope that it saves the gems. Took some pics which I will post another day.

Satisfied Customer ?

Some bloke is photographing here

Stories being told

Lunch Over.

Ladies Doing Lunch

In Mono

Mind your backs

Yee- Haaaaa

Trying to break out from the mould and doing something different.........

I refer to photography of course, but I guess it applies to life too.

Been looking at my archive a lot recently and taking decisions on what I want in the future. We have to please ourselves with the images we take, but it is foolish to believe that we don't want others to like and approve as well, getting a positive response is an important human need.

So I have dragged a few images from the hard drive, where they live quietly, and this small selection is below, with some ideas that I am working on, putting them into a Theme envelope seems to make sense, and Lightroom key-wording these, plus other ratings should make help too.

Turner Gallery, Margate "in Muted Skies"

Faces On The Bus - " Urban Transport"

Cleared in -"Changing Cities"

Building The City in -"Transformations"

Moving Music - in "More Than Music"

Summer Lake - in "Free Time in the City"

Hold Tight - in "Building Textures"

Passing Without Seeing - in "Technology Owns Life"

Moving Out - in "Transitory"

Studio Shadows - in "Transitory"