Corona, Hereford Cathedral

These days we are so accustomed to seeing the word "corona" followed by the word "virus" that any other meaning of the word surprises us. In fact, the word comes from the Latin for "crown", and is used as a synonym for that royal head-wear. By extension it is also used to describe a wreath, a ring, a diadem and even the outer atmosphere of the sun that is visible in a total eclipse. Consequently it comes as no surprise to see the word describe the golden "zig-zag" ring that hangs above the altar under the tower crossing of Hereford Cathedral. Incidentally, one of the pearl-like lighting features hangs in each transept and is quite separate from the corona, only looking adjacent because of the point from which I took the photograph.

photos © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Sallow Vallets Inclosure, Forest of Dean

The small plantation of conifers in this photograph form part of an area of the Forest of Dean known as Sallow Vallets Inclosure. I caught them at a point in the afternoon where the low sun was illuminating only favoured areas of the undulating ground, the cold shade of the tree trunks contrasting with the strong sunlit colour beyond. This oddly named location is today largely given over to challenging cycle tracks. Sallow Vallets refers to its original appearance as an area of small valleys (vallets) where sallow (a low, bushy form of willow) grew. Inclosure is an old form of the word "enclosure" describing a piece of "waste" land taken into cultivation.

photos © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Paterae

A patera in Ancient Greece was a shallow bowl, often with relief carving or painted decoration. In astronomy it is an irregularly shaped, or scalloped crater, usually (but not exclusively) formed by volcanic activity. I didn't know either of these meanings of the word until I came to write the description of this photograph, the subject of which is paterae. To the architectural historian (and me) this word describes a circular, oval or square ornament carved with a central pattern of leaves or petals, and often used to decorate the surface of a wall, dome or other structure. This example is in Hereford Cathedral.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100