Transformative fog

On a recent foggy morning we walked past a pond that had increased greatly in size following an extended spell of rain. Quite a few of the pond-side bushes and trees now had their roots in water and were making good reflections. However, it wasn't the increased size of the pond that caught my eye as much as the way the fog was giving a different emphasis to the trees.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon P950

Stancheon reflection

Walking along Wye Street, past the seventeenth century pub, the "Man of Ross", I noticed our reflections in the steel posts holding up ropes that delimited the area of outdoor seating. So, never liking to miss a good reflection, I took a snap of our reflections. When I came to add it to my collection of photographs I realised I didn't know the name for such a post. Research came up with "stanchion", a word that means any kind of fixed vertical post that holds something up. Perhaps there is a better word, but if there is it has eluded me all these years.

The cormorant tree

A year or so ago the River Wye was in spate and the force of its flow knocked down a tree that cormorants liked to roost in. There was no obvious nearby tree that they fancied and so the sight of these birds perched above the river was no longer a regular occurence. However, as the months have passed one tree looks like it might become a substitute perch as birds seem to be favouring it. Cormorant trees are known for their dead branches caused by the birds' droppings. This tree is not yet marked in this way, but regular use will undoubtedly produce these characteristic features.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon P950

Frosted teasels

This group of teasels caught my eye when we went out for an early morning walk. The darkess of the large seed heads was turned brighter by the frosting that the cold night had added. The sharp shapes against the out of focus background was very appealing.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon P950

Foggy, flooded bandstand, Ross on Wye

A few times each year heavy rain causes the River Wye at Ross on Wye to spill out of its channel. This doesn't usually do much damage because it's done this for decades and buildings have, for the most part, not been erected where it floods. Or the structures that are flooded aren't damaged - like this bandstand that was recently subject to not only floodwater but fog, and made for an interesting photograph.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon P950

Decorative glass bowls

We bought this pair of decorative glass bowls from a gallery about fifteen years ago. They are pieces that display well in natural and artificial light and every now and then I try to squeeze a photograph out of them.

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

Roosting little egret

The little egret is a member of the heron family that has quickly established itself as a relatively common bird in the UK. It is found in the same sort of locations as grey herons but also favours, in my experience, field drains and salt marshes to a greater extent than its more numerous cousin. It is frequently found roosting in trees and in groups. I've seen as many as ten together in a tight cluster in a pasture near a river. The roosting bird in today's photograph drew my attention for the way it was surrounded and overlaid by  branches. Usually when photographing birds it is customary to seek a completely clear view; here I was attracted to the pattern in which the bird remains the visual focus.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon P950

Grey Heron

The grey heron (Ardea cinerea) is one of the UK's taller birds (90-98cm) with a wing span double its height. It is relatively common with an estimated 13,000 nests being found in heronries annually. The population of herons increases in winter with a large influx of birds from the continent. Its diet is mainly fish so it is usually found by rivers, streams and lakes. The heron's plumage is an attractive and subtle mixture of grey, black and white against which the orange bill and yellow eye stand out. All these factors make it one of the easier birds to photograph.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon P950

Roget's Thesaurus

Roget's Thesaurus is a dictionary of synonyms devised by the British physician, natural theologian and lexicographer, Peter Mark Roget (1779-1869). It was first published in 1852 (with 15,000 words) and has been in print and regularly updated and expanded since that time. It now features 443,000 words and is the most widely used thesaurus among English-speaking people. On a recent walk on the Malvern Hills we took a detour to the church in West Malvern to see Roget's very plain gravestone.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: iPhone

Kingfisher

The kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) is one of a relatively small number of birds that the layman can readily name. Its striking orange and electric blue plumage makes it noticeable even though its fast, direct flight gives only brief glimpses of the bird. It is easiest to photograph as it sits in waterside branches scanning the shallows for any small fish. Capturing the bird in flight requires patience and skill as well as an appropriate camera and lens. This obliging kingfisher sat in riverside willows for about thirty seconds or so before moving on. Time for me to fire off several shots of which this is the best.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon P950

Natural chintz?

Chintz is the name given to a completely, or mainly, floral fabric. The origins of the this type of decorative textile, and the word that describes it originates in Hyderabad, India. It was appropriated and modified by western designers and has drifted in and out of fashion over the years. As we walked by a small stream under trees and bushes I saw clusters of leaves against browns and blues that reminded me of chintz so I took this shot.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon P950

Late autumn colour

click photo to enlarge
On a recent walk in the Forest of Dean we noted how most deciduous trees had lost a lot of leaf in a relatively few days. This autumn, in my part of the world, has been relatively calm and mild, but change was in the offing as we walked through the oaks and pines near the Speech House. Here, once again it was the fiery oranges and golds of the beech trees that caught the eye.

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

Autumn reflections

Reflections in water offer the opportunity of doubling the impact of a shot. This example shows, mainly, the deep colour of autumn beech and oak trees next to Hartleton Lakes, near Ross on Wye. I took a couple of photographs from this point. The other example didn't include the near vegetation or the fishing platform. When I asked a few people which of the two shots they preferred only one, my eight year old grand-daughter, liked the wider view with the platform, the view that I also prefer.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon P950

Reflections and egret

click photo to enlarge
As I've said before, you often can't predict the way a watery background will appear when you come to look at your photograph. This is sometimes because the water surface is disturbed and the camera "freezes" it. Or, the reflections seem to be offering simplicity but delivers complexity. This photograph of a little egret at Hartleton Lakes near Ross on Wye is an example of the latter. In fact, the watery background almost reaches a psychedelic quality. Interestingly, none of my other photographs taken before and after this shot has quite this level of kaleidoscopic beauty.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon P950

Paving and legs

The shopping area of Gloucester Docks is known as Gloucester Quays, and like all such places it is tidy to a fault; there is a place for everything and everything is in its place (as the saying goes). This includes some of the exterior paving which is in shades of grey. That paving is the subject of my photograph. However, paving alone would have been boring so I included the manhole cover and the legs of a passer-by. This photograph, it should be noted, is a colour shot, not black and white.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Beech avenue, Hereford

The public open space on the south side of the River Wye at Hereford is graced by a beech avenue. In November it looks its best as each tree shows colours slightly different from its neighbour's. There is no doubt in my mind that autumn brings out the best in the beech and I have long thought it to be the finest tree at this time of year, better even than the acers.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100

Autumn at Cannop Ponds

Cannop Ponds in the Forest of Dean are man-made reservoirs that were designed to send a controlled flow of water to a water-powered wheel at Park End Iron works. They comprise two ponds and were built in 1825 (lower) and 1829 (upper). Today they are a popular tourist destination and a nature site.

 In recent years there was the possibility of the ponds being drained and the land returned to its former existence as a valley of the Cannop Brook. Fortunately this project was dropped and the habitats around the two ponds will be developed to benefit more wildlife. These two photographs were taken recently at the edges of the expanses of water.

photos © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Poppy soldier

In early November paper poppies are sold by the Royal British Legion to raise funds to help former service people and their families who are in need. The culmination of events associated with remembrance happens on the nearest Sunday to the 11th November (Armistice Day in 1914) in services at churches and cenotaphs. Enterprising people also highlight the events by making and displaying eye-catching poppy-based tableaux. The wire frame person in the photograph above is the sort often seen dressed up with potted plants in summer. In this example artificial poppies have been used and a beret added to make a serviceman. It was outside the town hall in Hereford, and was certainly eye-catching, if a little creepy!

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: iPhone

Fused art glass

This small example of fused art glass is a piece that took our fancy when we saw it on display in a gallery. It is designed to be displayed against a window so that its colours glow in the daylight. Here I used a light box to illuminate it for a photograph.

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

Ornamental oaks

Britain's two native species of oak are the English Oak (Quercus robur) and the Sessile Oak (Quercus petraea). Both are relatively widespread, are often long-lived and have suffered greatly at the forester's axe. Today they are particularly prized for the great conribution they make to the richness of nature in the areas where they are found. More oaks were introduced into Britain following the exploration of North America, and decorative species such as the Red Oak (Quercus borealis), Scarlet Oak (Quercus coccinea) and Pin Oak (Quercus palustris) can now be found in parkland, large gardens and some woodlands. The leaves in the photograph above are on one of these non-native oaks.

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

Cathedral lights

In the winter months the interior lights of cathedrals come into their own. The effectiveness of the lighting varies from building to building, with some using artificial light better than others. One of the best effects is lighting that emphasises the basic structure of the building. Today's photograph shows some wall lights in Hereford Cathedral. Here the effect is to emphasises the glass spheres of the lights and to throw a pool of light around them. My under-exposed shot has emphasised this effect.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Resting drake mallard

As we passed a distant, sleeping mallard I stopped and pointed my camera at it and saw its eye open. Even though the rear of the bird was pointing directly at us, with its head tucked under its wing, it could still bring an eye to bear on us to decide if we were a threat or not. The mallard was resting in shallow water at the pool's edge, on a single leg, with its feathers insulating it from the morning breeze. We must have been sufficiently distant for it to feel safe because when I looked again, using my camera as a telescope, its eye was closed once more.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon P950

Ginkgo biloba leaves

The tree, Ginkgo biloba (also known as maidenhair tree) has been called a living fossil. It is the last remaining living species of the order Ginkgoales which first appeared 290 million years ago. Fossils that are very similar to Ginkgo biloba appear in the middle Jurassic i.e. c.170 million years ago. The fan-shaped leaves of the tree are unique among trees today and are the easiest way of recognising it. If left unpruned the Ginkgo can grow to 50m tall and individuals are claimed to have live for 2,500 years. The tree's leaves turn to saffron yellow in autumn and it is this colour and the exclusive leaf shape that accounts for its popularity with gardeners.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Old crane, Gloucester Docks

When planning the transformation of an old docks into new recreational areas of water and former warehouses that feature flats and offices it must have been difficult to get the balance between old and new. Gloucester Docks made quite good choices in this regard, and retained enough, but not too much of the old. This crane has no practical function today other than to stir the visitor's imagination. My conversion of a colour photograph of the crane and its surroundings into black and white helps further in this regard.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Dried flowers and grasses

click photo to enlarge
There are a number of methods of flower preservation including hot air drying, silica gel drying, freeze drying and pressing. However, the most common, least difficult and consequently most widely favoured, is hanging small bunches in a well-ventilated area away from direct sunlight. We have a couple of vases of dried flowers and grasses. I'm no expert on suitable plants for drying but in our displays I can recognise lavender, poppy, yarrow and hare's tail grass. In the past we have had teasel and Physalis (Chinese Lanterns). I photographed  a detail from one of our vases as I cast about for a subject on a recent wet and dull day.

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

The bus station

click photo to enlarge
This is the second photograph of Gloucester bus station that I've posted. The first was taken from inside on a bright day and featured the silhouettes of people. I took today's photograph as I wandered about inside and out looking for shots rather than sitting and waiting for our bus. For this photograph I hung about until the people in the glazed waiting areas on the right had filled the buses, leaving a view to the far end of the interesting building.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Lierne vaulting, Tewkesbury Abbey

The complex lierne vaulting  above the choir of Tewkesbury Abbey dates from the 1330s. It features unusually bright red and blue paintwork alongside more traditional cream. The bosses are gilded. The central ring of suns were the emblems of the Yorkists and are said to have been added by Edward IV after the defeat of the Lancastrians at the Battle of Tewkesbury in 1471. This was the last important battle of the Wars of the Roses.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: iPhone

Poppyhead, Tewkesbury Abbey choir stalls

The choir stalls at Tewkesbury Abbey were extensively restored in 1879, with new additions, by John Oldrid Scott. He incorporated some medieval misericords and other old work with his own designs. The photograph shows one of the "poppyheads" on the north side, two winged creatures below with grapes, leaves and tendrils above. Poppyhead is a word derived from the French "poupee" meaning doll or puppet, and describes the 3-part finial carving of the end of a wooden bench or stall.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Willow pattern plate

Since about 1994 I have eaten food from willow pattern plates and bowls. It is thought that this design originated in England towards the end of the C18 when the blue and white ware of the Chinese Qing dynasty was very popular. A standard design evolved in the potteries around Stoke on Trent that had a white background with a blue water-side landscape of trees, a bridge with three figures, buildings, a fishing boat, two birds, a fence etc. The design appears to have been in production ever since those early days. A story about the willow pattern characters was written to help promote interest and sales of the crockery. Our version is the work of the Churchill company and has proved remarkably hard wearing.

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

Prior Park footbridge, Great Malvern

Most civic parks worth the name feature a small lake and most of these small lakes incorporate a footbridge. That's certainly the case at Prior Park in Great Malvern, Worcestershire. Here the bridge is constructed of unvarnished timber that, almost inevitably, has something of the Chinoiserie about it.

That oriental flavour isn't as obvious as in the timber bridge at Croome Park, but it has a sprinkling of characteristic features that derive from the popular blue and white willow pattern of crockery dating from the C18 and later.

photos © T. Boughen    Camera: Nikon Z 5

Methodist Chapel, Monmouth

Contrary to the Listing information about this Grade II* building Monmouth's methodist chapel is not "prominently sited". In fact, it has to be searched out and is easily missed, being built back from the street line. It was designed by the architect G.V. Maddox and a panel supported by scrolls in the pediment proclaims the date of its completion as 1837. Maddox gave the building a classical facade with Ionic columns at ground level supporting a porch, Ionic pilasters on the first floor, triangular pediments over the rectangular ground floor windows and round-topped windows in recessed arches above. It is a fine composition that deserved a more public location. A small step in making it better seen by the passing public would be the removal of the bushes that impair the view.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Autumn acer leaves

There isn't a season (winter, of course, excepted) when an acer tree doesn't have a show of beautiful leaves. In previous gardens we have had a few acers; in the present garden just the one. But this solitary specimen has beautiful red leaves in spring, foliage that goes well with a blue sky, and a fine mixture of orange and greens in autumn that even that season's ravages of insects, wind and rain cannot dull.

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

Ornate pulpit, Huntley

St John Baptist, Huntley in Gloucestershire is a 1861-3 rebuilding of a medieval church by the architect, S.S. Teulon. He demolished everything except the west tower which he remodelled. For this work he was given plentiful funds by Rev. Daniel Capper, the rector from 1839-1865, and he delivered a no-expenses-spared building constructed with costly materials to give an opulent effect. Possibly the most lavish piece is the pulpit made of English, Irish and Italian marbles.

photos © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Everyday history

Some of the most interesting photographs are those that capture a particular moment in history. This doesn't have to be a momentous moment - mundane is often good enough, so long as it can be compared and contrasted with a different way of doing things. In 2024 the re-surfacing of one of the main roads in Ross on Wye, Herefordshire, looked like the above with men in high-vis and purpose-built machines being used for each stage. It won't be like this 100 years in the future and at that point a photograph like this one may come into its own.

photos © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Tractor at work

Towards the end of September, while standing on the highest point of medieval Goodrich Castle, I noticed a field with a tractor about a mile or so distant. The vehicle was going up and down the gaps between rows of posts and plants. I was carrying what I call my "bird watching camera", a Nikon P950. Even with its long lens I couldn't make out what the crop was when I viewed my shots on the camera's screen and I resolved to remedy that when I got the image on my computer. But no, I'm still none the wiser!

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon P950

Wet, wet, wet

A review by the Meteorological Office of September's weather notes that, "England, and more specifically southern England, has been particularly wet compared to average. Ten English counties experienced their wettest September on record and for Bedfordshire and Oxfordshire, September 2024 was the wettest calendar month the counties have experienced, in a series dating back to 1836." Moreover, Northern parts of Britain and are noteworthy for having less rain than is usual for September. Anecdotal evidence and daily experience in Herefordshire confirms the wettness of last month. To underline the wetness theme today's macro photograph shows the tip of our conservatory door handle, positively dripping with rain.

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

Odd perches

Birds perched on odd perches is something of a recurring theme in my photography. This latest example has a wood pigeon perched on a wooden lion's head. Previous examples include a gull on cyclist, a heron on a heron, and a gull on a swan.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon P950

Autumn cyclamen

In the corners of gardens and in church yards are there are currently pockets of pink - the autumn cyclamen are in flower. They are often in the place where spring crocuses flowered and the cyclamen might be taken for a last "hurrah" of summer. But I prefer to see them as an early sign of autumn because they are usually accompanied by dead leaves that have fallen from the sheltering trees.

photos © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Daddy Long Legs

The crane fly (Tipulidae) - also known in the UK as the "daddy long legs"- is an insect I associate with the month of September. They are often seen during this month and during my working years there was a period when they regularly tripped the alarm of the building in which I worked. The engineer who was eventually called in to remedy the issue memorably said they must have been flying in formation. Why? Because a single crane fly passing through the beam would not trip it, but two within a short period would. This example was one of several on the door and windows at the front of our house one day.

photos © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Gatekeeper butterfly

The butterfly population of the UK seems to have crashed this year. Survey numbers show they are well down, and our unscientific study of local butterflies shows it to be the case in our garden and in the wider countryside too. Interestingly, the gatekeeper butterfly has thrived more than most other species, and this obliging example let me get quite close for my photograph.

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

Rowers and swans

It's not unusual to find rowing clubs and swans co-existing on a river. Rowers seem to want want deepish, clear water with a spot for a club house and boat store, in a location near the centre of a settlement. Swans (invariably mute swans) also like a location frequented by people because that is somewhere they can guarantee being fed! Of course conflicts can arise when the fast, sleek boats meet the slow, stately swans. But, with good will, they usually co-exist. One such location is the centre of the city of Worcester. These rowers stopped rowing and gently glided into the flock of swans that is usually found here. On the day I took this photograph the number of swans on this stretch of the River Severn was about four times the number seen in my shot.

photos © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

St Michael and All Angels, Great Witley

The church of St Michael and All Angels stands alongside the burnt out shell of Witley Court. It is a brick building with an exterior that was faced in Bath stone c.1850 by the architect, Samuel Daukes. The lavish Italian Baroque interior was brought to Great Witley from Cannon's House, Edgeware and fitted to the building by James Gibbs c.1735. The gilded walls and ceiling feature painted panels by Bellucci, a towering monument by Rysbrack and stained glass by Price. It is, if anything more unexpected in an English setting than yesterday's featured church at Hoarwithy.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: iPhone

St Catherine, Hoarwithy

The church of St Catherine at Hoarwithy, Herefordshire, differs substantially from the usual Victorian Church of England building. Why? Well, it derives its appearance from Italian Romanesque churches. The bell tower, the rounded east end of the chancel, the loggia, the Roman tile roofs and the richly decorated, short apsidal chancel all speak of Italy rather than rural Herefordshire. It is a Grade 1 Listed building and on the day of our visit the steep path to the main entrance was covered in matting to make the ascent easier. A notice said that this had been permitted for one year during which time a more fitting finish was to be laid down.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: iPhone

Old warehouse, Hereford

The warehouse in today's photograph is on Gwynne Street near the River Wye and the old bridge in Hereford. It has been sensitively refurbished and displays its original polychrome brickwork, windows where the loading/unloading doors would have been and what looks like the housing for the pulley at the top of the facade. One feature I really like, and probably prompted my photograph, is the colour chosen for the paintwork.

photos © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Self-portrait in old mirror

Georgian country houses often feature rooms with large and/or plentiful mirrors. Sometimes these mirrors have holders for candles. The reason for this is to magnify the candle light which was the only source of indoor light at that time. A visit to a country house also reveals that many of these mirrors (and those from the Victorian period) have deteriorated and no longer reflect as well as they did. The photograph above shows me at Berrington Hall, Herefordshire, photographing a bronze figure in one of these old mirrors.

photos © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Mural by the Rudhall Brook

A corrugated iron fence next to the Rudhall Brook does no favours for that location in Ross on Wye. Consequently, several years ago murals were painted on it, one section depicting a colourful street scene with lights, the other with frogs, ducks and other animals to be seen on the Brook. In recent years it has shown its age somewhat and so sections are being re-painted and painted with different images. This duck's head took my fancy, particularly the glowing red eye amongs the blues and turquoise.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100

Witley Court's fountains

Witley Court was a large country house that succumbed to fire in 1937. Much of the exterior walls and grounds remain and the building is now in the care of Historic England. As well as looking after the remaining structure Historic England brought the magnificent fountains back into use. The main fountain, that depicts Perseus and Andromeda, is turned on for several minutes every hour on the hour and visitors assemble to see the spectacle as fountains slowly build up to their maximum height.

 photos © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5