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

A Tewkesbury house

Tewkesbury is a town with many fine, old buildings. It is particularly rich in domestic houses, most of which are unique in design: few houses on the main historic streets have neighbours that look the same as they do. The town has many timber-framed dwellings and the example above on Barton Street is a good indication of what can be seen.

It consists of three jettied storeys above the ground floor. These feature a C17 remodelling of a C16 structure. The only jarring note is the Victorian shop front window on the ground floor. Pride of place on the elevation is the first floor oriel window with its leaded lights. The bottom of the window is supported by C17 carved brackets (see photo 2).

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

White Hart and Green Men

The thirty two choir stalls of the church of St Laurence, Ludlow, have been described as the best of any parish church. They date from the early 1400s. Each of the stalls has carved stall-ends, armrests and misericords. The photograph shows the carving of one of the misericords (a hinged seat - this is the underside when it is folded up). In the centre is a white hart with a green man on each side. The white hart was a symbol of purity, a beast not to be hunted, and also the badge of King Richard II of England. The flanking green men are a little unusual. In their place is more often an item of vegetation, usually a leaf or flower.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300