Beach tracks

It's not unusual to see vehicles cleaning and raking the sand of beaches that are heavily used by holidaymakers. In such places it is a daily, or even twice daily, occurence. Many years ago tracks of this kind added to a slightly surreal shot I took of the beach at Blackpool, Lancashire. The tracks in the photograph above were made by vehicles preparing for beach motorcycle racing at Skegness, Lincolnshire, a task that involved not only raking level but also the creation of mounds and hollows to add to the excitement of the event.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300     2014

Changes to this blog

This blog usually updates on alternate days. It automatically selects and posts the blog written for that particular date. I write the posts up to three weeks ahead, in blocks, and leave automation to do the rest. However, the coronavirus restrictions now disrupt my planning and I am running out of posts. I have to restrict where I go, and how frequently, and consequently I have not taken as many photographs as usual. So, what I plan to do is search through my catalogue of photographs from the past twenty or so years - from the time I changed to digital photography - and post those alongside any recent shots I manage to get. Here is the first one from the archives. If you are interested when such shots were taken I'll be putting the date at the end of the post near the camera details.

The photograph shows a wind farm in the North Sea off Skegness, Lincolnshire. We visited, I recall, on a particularly calm, bright day as a sea mist was starting to clear. The blades were not turning and one unco-operative turbine was not even facing the right way. Perhaps the small maintenance boat was there to sort out the problem. I took a few other shots that day with dog walkers giving foreground interest. I liked this composition because its symmetry was broken by the gulls that were gently rising and falling as the waves rolled in.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

Charles Rolls and Henry V

Villages, towns and cities are understandably proud of the famous people that grow up and thrive in their communities. Frequently the most famous are commemorated with a statue. Such memorials tend to be found in cities simply because their higher populations are more likely to produce people who achieve fame. It is, therefore, unusual for a small town such as Monmouth in Wales (population c.11,000), to produce two people whose names are known acrosss the world. Charles Rolls (1877-1910) was a pioneer aviator and co-founder of the Rolls Royce motor car and aero engine manufacturing companies. Henry V (1386/7-1422) is well known for his military successes against France, and particularly his victory at Agincourt, but more widely through Shakespeare's play that takes his name as its title.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Tomb of Robert of Normandy

The tomb of Robert of Normandy (c.1054-1134) can be found in Gloucester Cathedral. Robert was the eldest son of William of Normandy (William the Conqueror). Turbulent family relationships meant that on the death of his father in 1087 Robert became Duke of Normandy but not King of England. In 1106 he was imprisoned by his youngest brother, King Henry 1, and spent the remaining twenty eight years of his life a prisoner in Cardiff castle. His tomb effigy is remarkable for two reasons. Firstly it was not made until a hundred years after his death, in 1240, and when it was, instead of the usual stone it was was carved from Irish bog oak (with a few metal additions such as spurs and sword). Bog oak is a particularly hard form of ancient wood with excellent durability.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Gloomy city

This photograph was taken at the end of January when we had a few days in London. It was taken in the early evening as the daylight was fading and man-made lighting was starting to appear in the streets and offices of the city. Looking at it I'm reminded how hideous most of the new towers are at an individual level, and how they are even worse collectively. I chose to put this shot on the blog now because today, unlike the day I made the image, it seems to capture the gloom that is descending on the city and country as the spread of coronavirus quickens daily.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

The White Lion

Anyone who has visited Britain cannot fail to have noticed the names given to pubs. Some are very unusual, such as "The Five Alls", a Chepstow establishment with a self-explanatory pub sign. This appears to be one of only a small handful of that name in the country. The Red Lion, on the other hand, is the name of about 520 pubs in England alone, and since it is an emblem of Wales, must count many more in that country. The White Lion is the name of around 150 pubs. Its name comes from the frequently used colour of the lion that forms part of the royal coat of arms. Like the Red Lion, and many other pub names, it is a name of long standing, certainly in use for hundreds of years.

The White Lion shown above is in Upton upon Severn, Worcestershire. The building dates from the mid-eighteenth century and is reputed to be "the inn at Upton" that features in Henry Fielding's novel, "Tom Jones" (1749). The Automobile Association (AA) sign, indicating a level of quality offered by the inn, dates from the some time in the twentieth century.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

United Reformed Church, Newent

The non-conformist church buildings of Britain, that is to say the Protestant churches that are not the established Church of England (C of E), offer considerable interest to the architectural historian. Often they are built in the Gothic style favoured by the C of E, but more frequently than the established church they follow classical precedents. Sometimes you can see an obvious attempt to eclipse the size and decoration of the local C of E building: at other times there appears to be a deliberate determination to be different. Mostly, however, the size and wealth of the congregation dictates that the church be a lower-cost, brick-built rectangle under one roof, on the small side, and with the money spent where it will be seen - on the main elevation. Such is the case with the United Reformed Church (formerly the Congregational Chapel), a structure of 1846, in Newent, Gloucestershire. The stone facade is in the Gothic style with other elevations in brick (except for stone window tracery). The symmetry of its main elevation and its materials make a pleasing contrast with the brick, render and timber-framing of most of the buildings on the town's main streets.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100

Peace in the woods

As I scanned the woods below me from a spot half way up the Malvern Hills near West Malvern I spotted the icongruous and unfortunate work of a graffitist on a small building at the edge of a clearing, a written intrusion into a peaceful scene.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Yew meets Munch

The moment I saw this barkless section of the Linton Yew I thought of the Norwegian artist, Edvard Munch, and his most well-known painting, "The Scream". The way the lines of growth sweep together over the surface reminded me of Munch's s rushing, swirling, brushwork. It took only a slight mental leap to see in the bark two asymmetrically placed eyes above an open screaming mouth.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100

The Linton Yew

Yew trees are capable of living to a great age and are notoriously difficult to date with precision. However, several in the UK are recognised to be over 1,000 years old, and the oldest example in the churchyard at Linton, Herefordshire, is thought to be 1,500 years old. That makes it a contender for the UK's oldest tree. It is a female specimen and is accompanied by three more old yews in the churchyard.

Like many such yews the Linton tree is hollow and yet continues to thrive, though some branches require a little support. Hereford has a number of ancient trees and a tree of similar age to the Linton example can be seen in the churchyard of  nearby Much Marcle. This also has a hollow centre which for centuries has contained a bench capable of seating several people.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Govilon Wharf

The village of Govilon is only a couple of miles from Llanfoist, and the journey there on foot, by the canal, is very pleasant. There is thick woodland on the uphill side of the canal and a narrow screen of trees on the downhill side. Our journey was punctuated by numbered stone bridges that took tracks and roads over the canal, and at Govilon we came upon a small, stone-built, former warehouse at the wharf. This appears to have been turned to recreational use by the local boating fraternity. On the day of our visit the boats were still tied up and empty, blue tarpaulins and covers still in place to keep the wintery weather at bay. The only moving boat we saw was a powered dinghy with someone examining the branches that had fallen into canal in recent high winds.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Return to Llanfoist Wharf

Our first visit to Llanfoist Wharf near Abergavenny was last November when the canal-side trees were displaying magnificent colours. We thought it was time for another look at the canal and, this time, take a walk along it to a nearby village. We began our walk at the Wharf and I took this photograph from a more distant point than previously, including part of a narrow boat that was moored nearby. The sunny day notwithstanding, the colors are much more subdued than in my earlier photograph.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Bromeliad flower

In evolutionary terms the bromeliad is a relatively recent family of plants. Because of the types of climate they favour they usually have a poorly developed root system. Consequently many have evolved a tight structure at the base of their leaves that traps water and nutrients. If the indoor gardener knows anything about bromeliads it is that they should be watered in the centre of the plant. This is also the point from which the spectacular flowers grow.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10

Leather belts and denim

You have to take care when buying a belt today. Plastic masquerading as leather, plastic coating leather and various other applications of plastic on leather can easily deceive the shopper looking for a simple, straightforward leather belt, the sort that will give good service for many years. The belt in the photograph above is about fifteen years old and I hope it will give me a further fifteen years. I usually wear it with jeans because, to my eye, the warm-coloured, worn leather and strong buckle go well with faded denim blue.


photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10

Great Tit

Which is the most common member of the titmouse family in my part of the world? I don't know, but I think it is likely to be the blue tit, closely followed by the great tit. Thereafter, the most numerous is probably the longtailed tit followed by the coal tit, with the marsh tit the least seen. I've photographed all of these species, some more successfully than others. There may be small numbers of willow tits and crested tits but I haven't seen any. What about the bearded tit I hear some ask? Well, technically this is not a titmouse but a reedling, so I've discounted it. Today's photograph is the best I've taken of the great tit. The perfect background, which looks like it may be some kind of studio device, is actually the out of focus surface of a lake. Incidentally, someone recently asked if I used flash for my small bird photographs. The answer is no: flash is something I use sparingly for people and still life shots and rarely for anything else.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon P900