Macro Moments: Week 36 – Magnolia
Posted on April 19, 2017
I should probably have submitted this close-up image of a budding magnolia a month ago, when the official theme was ‘Spring’ (mea culpa – I didn’t notice). Hopefully, though, it’s not too late. And it does have some Bokeh to fulfil this week’s requirement.

Nikon D800 with Nikkor 24-70mm ƒ2.8 lens at 62mm. 1/3000 at ƒ2.8 ISO 100. Cropped and edited in Lightroom
Tuesdays of Texture: Undrinkable
Posted on April 18, 2017
I wouldn’t even try to drink the water from this ancient pump, which can be found hard up against the ramparts of the medieval centre of the nearby town of Confolens.

Tuesday Photo Challenge: Mystery
Posted on April 18, 2017
Today I am participating for the first time – as it moves into its second year – in the Tuesday Photo Challenge hosted by Frank at Dutch Goes The Photo!
The theme for this week is ‘Mystery’. This photograph shows part of the astonishing painted ceiling in the crypt of the village church of Gargilesse, in central France. Clearly, it’s a religious – specifically Christian and even more specifically Roman Catholic – theme, and as such some of the imagery is familiar, but there’s also some that’s a mystery, at least to me.

M is for motor car
Posted on April 14, 2017
This well-kept example of a vintage Citroen can be found tucked away at the side of an old house in the village of Gargilesse, in central France.

Thursday Doors: Chartres Cathedral
Posted on April 13, 2017
As promised, this week we feature some of the mightily impressive doors of the great cathedral of Chartres, often said to be the most beautiful cathedral in France and certainly a high point of French Gothic architecture dating from the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries.

As you would expect, the principal entrances seek to impress:


As I recall, my second-ever contribution to Thursday Doors was this mouse’s-eye view of one of the main entrances:

It’s worth seeing from the inside too:

This is the entrance to the crypt:

And finally, this qualifies as a door, I think, although technically speaking it’s actually a reredos – a screen that once stood behind the high altar, but is now just propped up against a wall:

Next week we’re back to the usual diet of tatty secular doors.
Thursday Doors 13 April 2017
Weekly Photo Challenge: Surprise
Posted on April 13, 2017
I was very surprised to turn around while at the annual medieval fair in the town of Rancon to see that I was being stalked by a witch. Although from her reaction I think she was rather surprised too.

L is for ladder
Posted on April 7, 2017
This image of a ladder with its strong shadow is a good subject for monochrome treatment. Photograph taken at Taronga Zoo, Sydney.

Thursday Doors: Chartres (1)
Posted on April 6, 2017
After last week’s detour around redundant shopfronts, we’re back on more familiar ground with the first of a few posts featuring doors from the cathedral city of Chartres. Next week I’ll focus on the cathedral itself, but for now, to maintain some sort of continuity with last week’s post, let’s start with a couple of commercial premises that are obviously still going concerns:

Shutters count, don’t they?

A couple of old doors from the same residential street in the old part of the town:


And this one is obviously a replacement of the original:

Finally for this week, the premises of an Appart’Hotel (for self-catering holidays):

Thursday Doors 6 April 2017
Weekly Photo Challenge: Security
Posted on April 6, 2017
‘Security’ is generally a serious subject, so all the more reason to allow a little levity sometimes when dealing with it.
This sign can be found outside a chandlery (and key-cutting) shop in the town of St-Junien, in the Haute-Vienne département of France.






