A Visit to Turkey

Last month I spent a couple of weeks touring ancient sites in Turkey. It was my first visit to the country and I was blown away by the sites themselves, by the sheer beauty of the country and the kindness and generosity of the people I met there.

This is the Blue Mosque in Istanbul. It is considered one of the more beautiful of its kind and I would certainly agree.

From inside the major market in Istanbul. Our guide warned us that the prices were elevated and, although we could freely bargain, we were unlikely to win a contest with the sellers. Nevertheless, it is a sight to behold and I recommend a visit.

Dervish followers performing their religious ceremony

The site of Gobeki Tepe, at 12,000 years old, the oldest archaeological site in the world. It is located near the Euphrates River and is the area where agriculture as we know it originated.

The Library at Ephesis is an amazing survivor from Ancient Greece. It is said that Cleopatra walked the path on which I stood to take this shot.

Footpaths

Footpaths in Cornwall date back to at least the Middle Ages and possibly earlier. They are public rights of way that meander through private property. Paths are maintained by each Parish and free passage is a right not to be tampered with. The occasional billionaire or rock star (I’m talking about you, Madonna) buys up a property and tries closing the paths, but their efforts are doomed. British courts uphold the right to roam. They allow is to map our walks and grant us free access to the kind of sights you cannot get through your windscreen.

The photos that follow show several of the footpaths and their signs here in our parish.

This path connects Condons to the beach.

The path leading to Mineshop, an old antimony mine now a thriving set of holiday rentals carved into the hillside.

I suspect that Lovewrs Walk got its name because it is the only secluded place is the parish – one where you might steal a kill without being seen by everyone in the area.

This path leads to Flanders Farm and the former Methodist Chapel at Brockhill. The name, BTW, is celtic for Badger. Bet you didn’t know that.

Solitary Figures

In my time streetshooting I have found that I am most drawn to solitary figures – people lost in their own world, oblivious to their surround – and to me. I am assembling a collection of thest photos. Below are a few of the first.

This must be an important conversation, but who with and how is it being transmitted?

This woman may be speaking to someone, but she looked to me as if she were regarding her image in a mirror. Maybe both?

I got this shot in Bristol on a warm summer evening.

Shopping can be so tiring.

Pieces of an Exhibit

I recently exhibited 41 of my street photos at a gallery in Bude Cornwall. The title was Streetwise and the work consisted of photos taken on the streets of Exeter, Bristol and London over the past three years. Since I cannot post all of them here, I thought I’d put up several that I have never posted before.

This photo was taken on a very old street in Exeter. The figure of the young woman seemed to point back to an earlier time, despite the cell phone in her hands and the Covid mask.

This was shot at a coffee shop in Exeter during a summer lunch rush. I really like shooting people at work.

The title of this photo is Man in Trouble and that about says it all. It was shot on a summer evening in Bristol.

I was drawn to these two women by the light shining down on them. Their actions are calm, ordinary and, somehow, very important. Women Talking.

The title of this one is Romance in the Streets. It was shot in Exeter about two years ago. The time was late summer and the feeling was mellow.

How to Mount a Unicycle

I’ve been seeing cool dudes riding tall unicycles for years and have always wondered how on earth they get up there. During my annual visit to the Royal Cornwall show I happened on one fellow who let me photograph his struggle with his seated beast.

And this final photo is of two cows who met at the Show and fell in love. I thought about buying the two of them and finding a plot of land where they could spoon and graze, but the handler told me they would be reunited at the Stithians show in two weeks so they could be together.

Gay Pride in Bude

Although the first Gay Pride march was in 1970, Bude Cornwall did not have one until this year. Its not that there aren’t enough celebrants. Its just that Conwall is a rural county so we’re all a bit spread out. But this year Pride came to Bude. We marched, spread out a big rainbow flag and welcomed hundreds of allies and families who turned out to enjoy a beautiful summer day. I have lost count of the number of marches I’ve attended, but each one is an occasion for joy and fellowship. And we send good will to each and every one of you.

Jolly Boys

Madame

Members of the Club

Celebrants

The New Zealand Bush

We’ve just returned from three weeks in New Zealand where it should have been warm, sunny midsummer, but it wasn’t. For the first time in our 20 years of visits we hand chilly rain and lots of it, all topped off by Cyclone Hale hitting the North Island causing flooding and land slips. But it was all wonderful…if a bit wet.

We spent time out in what Kiwis call the bush (forest to us). On the North Island it is tropical, exotic and filled with life forms new to us.

Bush Pathway

Twisted Roots

These palm like trees are evidence of early Maori settlements dating back 5000 years or 800 years depending on whose archaeology you believe. This would have been a settlement of huts housing a group of nomadic people for the portion of the year spent in this area.

The bush is full of fungi in all sorts of forms. I never learned the proper name of any of them but this one is most definitely white.

I found this black fungi fascinating. It looked quite edible but I didn’t take a chance with it.

Holidays 2022

Truth in blogging. The photos you see here are not from 2022. This is a poor year for the UK and most areas have made such drastic cuts that few Xmas lights are on display so the photos below are all from 2021 and 2020. We will have beauty again in our green and pleasant land and will endure this winter of discontent.

Meanwhile, this is my last post for awhile. I’m off to New Zealand to spend the holiday with beloved family and friends. May you all have a warm and lovely end to this year. Here is wishing you all the best for 2023.

The lights in the next few photos are from the village of St. Teath which is a place that loves to decorate. The central area simply glows on a winter night. The rest of the village slumbers in darkness.

St. Teath 2

St. Teath 3St. Teath 4

This display is the work of a local farm family. They mount this paen to country life alongside the A39, the Atlantic Highway and the main road through our area.

This photo is a simple shot of a winter sunset. The location is across two fields quite near my house. I walk past it daily and never fail to wonder at its beauty.

Cornish Winter

Its

Its winter in the village and we are all preparing for the holidays. By British standards its been quite cold i.e. temps hovering around freezing point. Folks are appearing decked out in arctic gear and wood stoves are crancking out heat. This is a year of great poverty for our country, with people having to choose whether to eat or keep warm. Inflation has not yet peaked and cheerful government officials keep warning us the worst is yet to come. But Brits soldier on with a “Never mind” and “Have another cuppa” we pull our warm clothes on and hope for an early spring.

This is the stream at the bottom of Lansweden Road. The subtle winter colours always knock me out.

This is the former Brockhill Methodist Church built in the Methodist wave during the 19th century, It has been desanctified or whatever Methodists do and sold to someone with a lot of money to do something with. What will it be … a pub, a house of ill repute, a gathering place for Flat Earthers? I

I love winter reds.

I’m spending a lot of time these days evesdroping on Rook conversation. They are endlessly fascinating as they explore bird gossip, the state of local wildlife and the progress of the Tory government.

 

Early Winter on Bodmin Moor

Bodmin Moor is Cornwall’s largest patch of moorland.  It is hilly country, more suited to light grazing than farming and characterized by outcrops of granite stacked by wind and erosion into fascinating formations. It has been in use by humans since prehistory and is the site of some of the earliest settlements in the UK. We see the remains everywhere – standing stones, stone circles and quoits.

Last week I was out looking for interesting trees to photograph. It was a clear, chilly day with almost no wind and the light was spectacular. There us no light in the world to match the beauty of Cornish sunshine.

This is the remains of the old Stannon china clay quarry. In the summer herds of moorland ponies graze here and people come to fly their drones and picnic in the sun.

This is a small clapper bridge. They came in all sizes and were a quick and useful way to make passage across a stream. Some of the larger ones remain, but are too fragile for cars and trucks.

This mare kept a wary eye on me – tolerating my shooting photos, but unwilling to let me draw closer

  And, of course, another tree. This one is well sheltered and has resisted the wind, but I found the branch pattern fascinating. I am learning to appreciate bare, stark trees.