Cellpic Sunday: Camera-shy
Posted on June 30, 2024
So there I was, wandering around the medieval reconstruction site at Guédelon, when I spotted a charming little tableau: two donkeys with their heads together, grazing quietly in their enclosure.
I approached quietly but they must have spotted me, as they raised their heads and moved, dammit. Firstly, one disappeared behind the other and then they both turned tail and headed off – for pastures new, no doubt.
Lens-Artists Challenge: Two rectangles
Posted on June 24, 2024
The Lens-Artists Challenge this week has been set by Egidio, with the theme of ‘two rectangles’. To me, that seemed like an open invitation to show a bit of minimalist symmetry.
Dusk on Sir Bani Yas Island in Abu Dhabi:
Cellpic Sunday: Another room with a view
Posted on June 23, 2024
On a couple of occasions this year I’ve posted photos of the views from various hotel rooms I had recently stayed in.
We, this is another- from the past week. It is, shall we say, unprepossessing. Then again, it wasn’t a hotel room.
Lens-Artists Challenge: Connections
Posted on June 11, 2024
No doubt I will, over time, be posting quite a few photographs I took last weekend at Guédelon, and here’s a couple that are quite appropriate for this week’s Lens-Artists Challenge of ‘Connections’.
Firstly, there’s this ancient-looking set of stone steps. In reality, it’s probably no more than twenty years old, as work didn’t commence on the site until until 1997.
Secondly, a very elaborate rope knot holding together the component parts of what looks like a ploughshare, or harrow.
Cellpic Sunday: The Guédelon workhorse
Posted on June 11, 2024
Last weekend, we went on a day trip (a very long day trip) to a place called Guédelon. Here, since the late nineties, a group of craftsmen have been using traditional materials and traditional methods to construct a medieval (14th century) castle completely from scratch. It’s not a reconstruction or a renovation, it’s a new build and it is absolutely fascinating.
The site is large and widely spread out, and this noble beast spends its day drawing a cart ferrying workers and materials around it.
Cellpic Sunday: Rural Transport Infrastructure
Posted on June 3, 2024
There are many positive aspects of living deep in the French countryside, but easy access to public transport definitely isn’t one of them. People just have to make do…
Return of the orange poppies
Posted on June 1, 2024
(Yes, it’s flowers again – deal with it.)
About five years ago we (i.e. Madame) scattered a packet of orange poppy seeds in what we’re pleased to call our garden. For the next three years they went viral – dozens (maybe more – I never actually counted them) of them.
Then nothing last year. However, they’re back again, with a handful appearing in one of our raised beds. This is one of them, preparing to unfold.
Lens-Artists Challenge: Floral
Posted on May 27, 2024
I don’t know about you, but I probably take more photos of flowers than any other subject. That’s not surprising really, given there are a lot of them about and, for the most part, they are…..well, photogenic.
For this challenge I wanted to post something a little out of the ordinary, so I chose this image of a bee taking nectar from a small orchid. It helps to remind us that flowers are not standalone things of beauty, but an essential part of a broader ecosystem.
Cellpic Sunday: Big red
Posted on May 26, 2024
Our neighbour is something of an automobile buff. For some reason best known to himself, he has recently acquired this improbably large red Mercedes camion. It does clash somewhat with his blue Porsche with the yellow wheel arches though.
Street scene with stray sheep
Posted on May 24, 2024
This is the road that, about a mile and a half further on, eventually gets to the hamlet that we call Tranquility Base.
The sheep isn’t supposed to be there of course, but it’s not at all uncommon around here to come across one that’s managed to escape from wherever it’s meant to be.
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