A rowing boat as eye-catcher

A visit to the gardens of Beth Chatto, near Colchester in Essex, produced the photograph above. The pond is one of a series that have been created on a slope in the garden and it features this rowing boat. I imagine the boat is used with serious intent only occasionally. However, it supplies a semi-permanent focal point in this section of the garden as an eye-catcher. Most garden eye-catchers are on land; statues, pavilions,mock ruins, sun dials, etc are typically used. Where there is water it can be a boat house on the shore, a fountain or perhaps a building on an island. I've never seen a  boat used in this way before, but it works, not only for this section of garden, but also for a photograph.

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

A multitude of beach huts

Beach huts are a widely photographed phenomenon of Britain's seaside resorts. They are either privately-owned or publicly-owned for hire and constitute a place where someone can base themselves when spending a day or several by the beach - a place to eat, make a cup of tea, rest, laze, change clothing, shelter from rain etc. Privately-owned examples are often very individually painted and frequently feature somewhat humorous names. Public beach huts are usually brightly painted but with fewer colours. On a recent visit to Walton on the Naze in Essex I came across these ranks of (presumably) publicly-owned huts for hire. I've never seen so many together in stepped ranks, and rarely so few in use on a summer afternoon.

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