Shopping street in Perigueux
Posted on November 7, 2023
This juxtaposition of two unrelated items of street furniture in a shopping street in Perigueux can raise a smile.

Lens-Artist Challenge: Asymmetry
Posted on November 6, 2023
Last week’s challenge was all about symmetry, so it’s quite logical that this time we should consider asymmetry.
I featured an image from Albi cathedral last week and I’m staying there this time. I was struck by what I saw in one of the many side chapels that line the nave. The only natural illumination comes from that stained glass window, but there are two electric lights shining on to that suspended dove. They cast a very striking – and asymmetric – shadow.

Cellpic Sunday: A shrouded altar
Posted on November 5, 2023
The old church in the town of Chabanais is currently undergoing some interior repairs, but it was still a bit of a shock to see the crucifix on the altar covered in a shroud.

Lens-Artists Challenge: Symmetry
Posted on November 2, 2023
This is the organ of the cathedral in Albi, in southern France – never knowingly understated, in terms of either scale or symmetry.

If you ever need a bayleaf
Posted on November 2, 2023
We have two laurel bushes growing in our garden. If you ever meed a bayleaf….or ten.

A new generation
Posted on November 1, 2023
As usual, I don’t know what this is called, but I was struck by the juxtaposition – in the same pot – of the group of mature flowers and the ‘next generation’ of buds.

Zen Garden
Posted on October 31, 2023
This restful Zen garden can be found in the Japanese Garden in the city of Toulouse.

The Penitent
Posted on October 30, 2023
As you can probably tell by the name this blog goes under, I’ve got a keen interest in photography and some of the kit to prove the old adage “all the gear, no idea”.
However, I’m sure that I’m not alone in finding that, these days, the vast majority of the photos I take are captured not on a digital SLR but a smartphone (in my case an iPhone 14 Pro Max). The built-in camera produces results that, in all but the most specialised situations, are just as good as I can get from my old D800 and It’s certainly a much more convenient size. And you can shoot in RAW, which is a huge plus.
All of which is a roundabout way of saying that I thought I might start playing along with the ‘Cellpic Sunday’ challenge hosted by John Steiner.
So here is my first contribution: a carving of a penitent monk that is on display in the Treasury of the massive cathedral at Albi, in southern France.
Apart from a little cropping, darkening the background and bringing up the texture (all done in Lightroom Classic), it’s pretty much as shot.

The street market
Posted on October 27, 2023
Our local village traditionally holds a ‘vide grenier’ (literally ’empty the barn’ – in other words a car boot or yard sale) on the first Sunday in October.
In past years this has been held on a patch of grass known as ‘Le Camping’, although nobody’s ever actually camped there. Given the time of year, this has often been churned up into a quagmire and it has rained throughout..
More recently, though, the practice has been to close off the main street and hold it ‘en bourg’. This year, the weather was kind and there was a big turnout. Still mostly tat on sale, though.
And yes, there’s a beer tent.






