The Story Behind A Door: What’s with the feathers?

Thanks to the Thursday Doors weekly challenge hosted by Norm, I’m always on the lookout for the unusual when it comes to those moving structures that allow or bar access or egress to an enclosed space (don’t you just love Wikipedia?). This one seems to be particularly suitable for the latest WordPress Discover challenge.

At first glance, this doorway in Loches is nice enough, without being anything out of the ordinary…

Feathers

…but who stuck all these pigeon feathers in the doorframe? And, more to the point, why? Who knows the story behind this particular door?

Feathers-2

Discover Challenges – Door

Rosebud

Usually, the point about flowers is the colour, but this monochrome image of a rosebud (taken at Chédigny) highlights the intricately furled petals.

Flowers

Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge: Flowers

Thursday Doors: Chaniers

Just outside the town of Chaniers, in the Charente region, is a distillery where they make Pineau Charentes (a fortified wine: a sort of French equivalent of sherry and very delicious) housed in a 16th century chateau. I particularly liked the irony of this very old, weatherbeaten and characterful door, with multiple bolts, locks and latches, being situated next to an open gate that you could, quite literally, drive a bus through.

Chaniers-2

And here’s another redundant door a little further along the same wall:

Chaniers

Thursday Doors 23 June 2016

Hugh’s Weekly Photo Challenge: Week 30 – After

After a hard day’s playing, what could be better than to snuggle under the quilts that grandma made and take a snooze?

After

Hugh’s Weekly Photo Challenge: Week 30 – After

Weekly Photo Challenge: Curve

The dramatic curve of the entrance to the Manarat Al Saadiyat exhibition centre on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi seems like a suitable entry for this week’s Photo Challenge.

Curve

Weekly Photo Challenge: Curve

Playing in cars

What tw0 year-old wouldn’t enjoy playing in a proper grown-up car? Under supervision, of course.

Cars

Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge: Cars

Thursday Doors: Port d’Enveaux

The only way to see this colourful door and shutters is to be cruising down the Charente river near Port d’Enveaux. Which, as it happens, I was last week.

Port L'Evaux-3

Hence the two slightly different angles as we sailed sedately past:

Port L'Evaux-4

It doesn’t look like it gets used much currently, but whoever painted it obviously knew their way around the colour wheel.

Thursday Doors 16 June 2016

Hugh’s Weekly Photo Challenge: Week 29 – Open

This open book, suspended in mid-air, was part of an artistic installation in the Visitor Centre at the Oradour-sur-Glane memorial. If books survive, and they can still be opened, then perhaps there is some hope in that.

Open

Hugh’s Weekly Photo Challenge: Week 29 – Open

Weekly Photo Challenge: Pure

Earlier this week, a moment of pure tranquility on the banks of the Charente river at Chaniers:

Pure

Weekly Photo Challenge: Pure

Steps in sepia

Sepia seems to me to work better than conventional black & white in these pictures: the first of an old set of steps leading up to a cobbled square in the town of Saint-Emilion in the Bordeaux region:

Steps

and this from Montrol-Sénard:

Steps1

Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge: Steps