barbara walker MBE RA at the arnolfini…

I went along to the Barbara Walker ‘Being Here’ exhibition at the Arnolfini today (I’d been meaning to go for some time!). She and I share the fact that we were both born in Birmingham and grew up in Handsworth (albeit she’s 15 years younger than me!).
The exhibition presents almost 60 extraordinary artworks, including rarely seen early paintings of Walker’s family, friends and community in her home city, along with her Turner Prize nominated monumental drawing series ‘Burden of Proof’, which illustrates the impact on the lives of those affected by the Windrush scandal.
Stunningly beautiful, powerful drawings and paintings.
The exhibition runs until 25 May. See it if you can. 

lee…

Moira and I went along to the Watershed this morning (yes, I know!) to see Ellen Kuras’s film about the model-turned-war-photographer Lee Miller.
It’s a tough, but compelling, watch…
Kate Winslet is brilliant in the role of the American photographer Miller, working as a war correspondent for Vogue during WW2. Along with her friend and colleague, Life magazine photographer David Scherman (Andy Samberg), she was one of the very first civilians to bear witness to the atrocities of the Nazi concentration camps at Buchenwald and Dachau.
I was aware of Miller’s photographic career and legacy, but didn’t know that her son only discovered her file of photographs hidden away in the loft of their home after her death in 1977 (over recent years, Miller’s son and granddaughter have endeavoured to keep her memory alive).
There were some scenes that I felt were a bit ‘exaggerated’… but (what do I know!) were vindicated in the closing credits – which showed ‘stills’ from the film alongside photographs taken by Miller that absolutely endorsed what had actually happened.
It’s a remarkable, sobering film… brilliantly acted and depressingly highlighting the exclusion of women/attitudes towards women during WW2.
PS: Winslet chain-smoked CONTINUOUSLY during the film… I just hope they weren’t ‘proper’ fags or else the insurance company might have to pay out bigtime!!

tish…

I went along to the Watershed yesterday to see a film about Tyneside photographer Tish Murtha (1956-2013), who chronicled working-class lives in the north east in the 70s and 80s (and marginalised communities).
WOW!
I absolutely loved this film… and Murtha’s wonderful black+white photographs.
I’m embarrassed to say that I hadn’t previously heard anything about her before reading the Watershed’s film ‘blurb’ (I know!). Clearly, lots of other people had… because the Watershed was a total sell-out – even on a Wednesday afternoon (ok, it was shown in the small Cinema 2, but nonetheless).
The film is beautifully presented by Murtha’s grownup daughter Ella (who is an eerie likeness of her late mother)… talking to Tish’s relatives, friends and teachers at the School of Documentary Photography in Newport.
Tish came from a working-class background and lived a tough life; much of her photography was shot in different areas of poverty and deprivation. She was just one of the people whose lives she recorded and, as such, wasn’t seen as an intruder when it came to her taking her photographs. She was never understood by the arts establishment and, sadly, Tish was never able to make a living from her photography.
In her final years, she was reduced to poverty by Austerity Britain after the 2008 crash, terrified of being sanctioned by the Department of Work and Pensions. She died of a sudden brain aneurysm at the ridiculously young age of 52.
I found it a very moving film… a reminder of the poverty and deprivation of areas like Tyneside in 1970s/80s (and beyond) and the political attitudes of the time (and beyond!)… but also how such a talented photographer was never recognised for what she was – something of a genius.
I would urge you to see this film if you can. You won’t regret it.
PS: There is a now a room at Tate Britain devoted to Tish Murtha’s work. 

five years like this…

Well, somewhat remarkably, it’s been FIVE years since I started my ‘one day like this’ blog (setting myself a challenge of posting a daily drawing or photograph). When I first started, I had absolutely no idea of how long I might keep this daily ‘routine’ going… but it’s actually become very much a significant (albeit ‘normal’) part of my life. I still haven’t set myself any end date for the ‘challenge’… and don’t suppose I ever will. 
I started my blog very soon after returning from two months of volunteering with the Iona Community in 2012 (on that beautiful island of Iona, having met some wonderful people during the course of my stay and formed life-long friendships)… very much thanks to Ruth’s encouragement for me to send 40 postcards (which ended up being quick drawings) to various friends during the course of my stay.
Inevitably, the drawing quality has been somewhat variable (at best), but I’ve been quite pleased to have been able to produce the sketches relatively quickly – these days, the average time for each sketch has probably been 20-30 minutes (but sometimes they take 3 minutes and sometimes maybe an hour)… but I’ve really enjoyed the discipline the daily blog post has provided and the fact that I’m actually drawing on a regular basis. I’m very much a ‘project’ person and so my blog ticks a lot of boxes as far as retired life is concerned.
There’s part of me that thinks I should change from my current ‘project’… perhaps just post a daily Instagram drawing instead, for example? I did experiment with Instagram for a relatively brief period (posting stuff from my daily blog via Gramblr) but then the link packed up and I didn’t persevere. Let’s face it, I’m essentially a man of habit (with OCD tendencies!), so I suspect I’ll simply continue down my tried-and-tested road! Boringly, I quite like continuity!
I’ve produced a couple of Blurb books along the way… and perhaps I’ll produce another one in due course (maybe “2,000 days like this”? – I’m already over 1,800! – or maybe I should just wait until I’ve clocked 10,000 days!?).
PS: but it’s STILL costing me a small fortune in sketchbooks!
PPS: collection of twelve  ‘ordinary lines’ images ‘: sketches of small, incidental, ordinary ‘details’ within much bigger, equally ordinary, pictures.

 

drawing group exhibitions

If you live in or around Bristol, then I strongly recommend that you check out these two exhibitions at the historic city churches of St John on the Wall (in the crypt) in Broad Street and Saint Stephen’s in St Stephen’s Street:

St John on the Wall:

Wednesday 30 August-Monday 11 September (11.30am-2pm, Monday- Sunday). Preview/Open evening: Thursday 31 August 5.30-7.30pm.

Saint Stephen’s:

Thursday 7 September-Wednesday 20 September (9.30am-3.30pm Monday-Friday). Preview/Open evening: Thursday 7 September 5.30-7.30pm.

They will be exhibitions with a difference…

For the past 16 months or so, I’ve belonged to an amazing Drawing Group, which meets from 10.30am-12.30pm every Tuesday in either Saint Stephen’s Church (first Tuesdays in the month) or St John-on-the-Wall Church in Broad St (all other Tuesdays) to draw or write poetry or take photographs.
It’s a very lovely, welcoming and diverse collection of individuals with a wide range of artistic abilities, experience and backgrounds… led by the brilliant Charlotte and Alice Pain, wonderful artists in their own right. The exhibitions consist of sketches that group members have undertaken over the past year (we had a similar exhibition in St John’s Crypt last July/August). Some people have some drawing or photographic experience behind them (but, perhaps, have let the habit lapse?). Others have hardly previously drawn at all. For some, it’s an opportunity to experiment. For some, the group’s principal benefit is the group’s sociability.
Anyone/everyone is welcome to join and I’ve been incredibly impressed by the warmth of the welcome and its non-judgemental approach to art and creativity.
This is what Charlotte has previously written about the project and the group:
“This project is about helping the public connect to buildings and locations. It is about breathing a new breath of life into churches, bringing community back within them and exploring their uses. It’s about getting people drawing and making. It’s about a belief that creativity can help us to strengthen our voices, nurture our mental health and help us connect to each other.
From a core group of people who rarely miss a session to random visitors to the city who have long left Bristol behind them, each drawing is a moment in the life of St John’s/Saint and of the people who have walked through the doors. With the support and open-mindedness of The Churches Conservation Trust the project has flourished.
We are a diverse group of people who have developed a passion for St John’s/ Stephen’s and have spent many hours drawing, photographing and admiring these special buildings. This is not only a celebration, but an invitation to the rest of Bristol to join us”.
As you might realise, Charlotte and Alice are a bit special!

I don’t want to embarrass people by highlighting their individual talents or what they bring to the group but, hopefully, this will provide a flavour: Mike has produced more than 100 sketches over the past couple of years and his friendliness encapsulates all that the group stands for; Brian is another of those gentle, generous, welcoming people and his photographs of the churches are an inspiration; David is a simply brilliant artist (especially his watercolours!) who can draw beautifully and chat amusingly at the same time(!); Betty has been something of a revelation for me – every week, she produces her simple, intricate, beautiful sketches; Jonathan loves coming to the group – he’s industrious, friendly and with a passion for art; Jaki simply draws beautifully… and then there’s also Christine, Chris, Frances, Anne-Marie, DaveP, CharlotteM, DaveW, Justin, Jeff, Jean, Alex, Helen, Marc, Aran, Ed etc etc.     
Membership of the group is completely free so, if you fancy having an excuse to do some drawing, then why not give it a try?
Please take an opportunity to pop into the exhibitions to see examples of the work the group has produced over the past twelve months (and also to see these two beautiful Grade I Listed churches).
Photo: Artwork set out on the floor of the Crypt at St John's... selecting from the huge wealth of work produced over the past year wasn't easy!! 

art projects…

It’s been a bit of a strange day… (no, rest assured, nothing to do with the Tory Party Conference!).
Today, couriers delivered the “results” of TWO art projects I’ve been working on.
One of them relates to an ongoing venture (my daily “One Day Like This” blog) and the other to a 2017 Calendar of some of my Bristol drawings (very much a one-off undertaking!).
Firstly, I organised a Blurb book to mark four years of my daily “One Day Like This” blog (since 12 September 2012, I’ve been posting one of my drawings or photographs every day). It’s purely a record, for my own reference – I made a similar book after the blog’s first year. This time, I’ve included a random collection of both drawings and photographs… but, as you can imagine (after posting more than 700 photographs and 700 drawings over the past four years!), the “final” selection represents only a very small percentage of the total output!
Secondly, I decided to put together some drawings of Bristol in the form of a calendar. This is a very speculative project, as you might imagine(!)… I hope to sell copies for £15 in perhaps three Bristol shops on the run-up to Christmas (and also to friends via facebook). I’ll post some images on facebook in due course… and will nag people incessantly until they finally give in and purchase their own highly-prized copy (obviously!).
Photo: my “Four Years Like This” Blurb book and the back page of my Calendar of drawings.

salt of the earth...

I went to the Watershed yesterday to see a film. It was being shown in Cinema 2 – the tiny cinema with seats for just 45 people. ALL 45 seats were taken.

This was very unusual, especially for an afternoon performance (there have been occasions when there’s just been me and two others in attendance!).              
The film was “Salt of the Earth”, directed by Juliano Ribeiro Salgado and Wim Wenders. It was documentary featuring the work of Brazilian photographer Sabastiao Salgado (Juliano’s father) compiled over the past 40 years.
It was simply stunning.
The audience sat spellbound for 110 minutes in absolute silence.
The film consisted of well over 1,000 black+white photographs, with simple, sparse commentary – which frequently featured head-shots of Sabastiao talking about his work and his experiences.
The images were horrific (man’s inhumanity towards man is an under-statement), haunting and tragic… but, at the same time, very beautiful and poignant. They included shots from various of his photographic projects/assignments, including: the Serra Pelado mountain goldmine in Brazil, taken in the mid-1980s; through “Sahel” looking at the famine in Ethiopia, again in the 1980s; the plight of refugees from Rwanda and Yugoslavia during their respective troubles in the 1990s. Somehow, he was allowed into the lives of utterly miserable and desperate human beings. His photographs provided a message to the world.
The film also includes footage of Sabastiao’s aged father (Juliano’s grandfather) on his drought-stricken farm in Brazil – which had once been a thriving forest (before it was felled to help pay for the education and the survival(?) of his family). Having "seen into the heart of darkness" (as Wenders puts it in his occasionally narration) for so long, a burned-out Selgado returned to Brazil and, thanks to his wife’s initiative and drive, embarked on a plan of replanting and reviving the land that he dubbed "Instituto Terra." Not only did this effort help begin to bring the farm back to life, it would spread, first to other parts of Brazil and then worldwide.
After the stream of harrowing black+white images of people’s suffering at the hands of others, greed and the destruction of our planet, it’s completely fitting that the film should end on a hugely-uplifting, positive note.
Without a doubt, this is the best film I’ve seen this year.
Photo: Sabastiao Salgado standing in front of just a few of his photographs.
PS: If you’re not familiar with Salgado’s work, I suggest you just click “Salgado” on google images… you’ll be stunned (and also sadly appalled).  
PPS: You can catch the film at the Watershed, Bristol until Wednesday 5 August.

120 days of dawns…

In a rather haphazard way, back in January, I decided to start taking photographs from our bathroom window of the sky just before sunrise. I’m always up pretty early and I’d noticed some beautiful skies at this time of day – yes, sunrises are often stunning, but I’m talking about the 20 minutes or so leading up to sunrise (and, anyway, sunrises seemed too straightforward!). This developed into an idea for a whole-year project – perhaps a dawn photograph of the same view taken EVERY day for the whole of 2014? But this was clearly impractical – what about holidays? Weekends away etc? So I eventually opted for taking photographs on 10 consecutive days every month.

After three months you get to appreciate that morning sun changes position(!), so I realised that I probably needed to have two distinct views to take account of this (which, after 12 months, now seems entirely justified). As you might imagine, some mornings produce nothing more than grey murk but, on other occasions, the skies can really be quite magical. 
In the end, I developed a sort of routine - probably taking three photographs most mornings, after setting the alarm on my mobile phone to ring on “snooze mode” at five minute intervals say 20, 15 and 10 minutes before sunrise.
I absolutely LOVE skies (and not just the early morning and sunset ones) and it’s been fascinating to watch how they change – literally from one minute to the next. The year-long process has also underlined how much beauty we all FAIL to see or appreciate… it’s all too easy to wake and register that the sun is shining or that it’s another grey day or whatever. Over the course of the past 12 months, there have been SO many fleeting, beautiful treasured early morning moments that so few people have witnessed (obviously, mainly due to them being asleep!)… and it’s at that time, as sunrise approaches, the sky is probably at its most beguiling and surprising.
It’s been a very enjoyable project… and one that I’ll rather miss. Another of life’s simple pleasures.
Photo: 120 days of dawns – January-December 2014.

goodbye gromits!

Yesterday was the final day of Bristol’s wonderful “Gromit Unleashed” trail.

Over the past 10 weeks, thousands (literally) of very happy, smiling people – NOT just parents/grandparents(!) and their children/grandchildren – have been travelling around the city (and a few miles beyond) in search of 80 beautifully painted, 5 foot high Gromits.
Aardman Animinations/Wallace+Gromit’s Grand Appeal joined forces to organise this wonderful art event (and supported by local businesses and communities) to raise funds for Bristol’s Children Hospital.  All the Gromits will be auctioned off on 3 October.
The only negative note, sadly, were the three Gromits that were vandalised during the course of the trail (no doubt by drunken yobs)… I suspect that, if these idiots had been caught, Bristol’s public would have welcomed the reintroduction of the stocks for general humiliation by rotten vegetables… and, no doubt, people would have turned out in great numbers to queue for the privilege!
However, this negative was massively outweighed by all the positives. We know lots of the local artists who painted the Gromits – and an added bonus for us were the two that Ruth painted (on behalf of wind-up radio man Trevor Bayliss and hat designer/maker Philip Treacy) and also the mini-Gromit (for one of the Aardman directors) that was a lovely figurehead for one of Bristol’s ferries.
It’s been just brilliant… what’s going to be next?
PS: you might recall the successful “wow! gorillas” public art trail in Bristol from two years ago (yes, I realise that that there are other similar trails around the country!).
PPS: the photograph shows the 72 Gromits that I managed to see (I feel just slightly guilty that I saw more than any of our grandchildren!).

one day like this… 50 days on

Well, it’s been 50 days since I started my “one day like this” blog (setting myself a challenge to posting a daily drawing or painting or photograph) and I’m pleased to say that, thus far, I HAVE managed to post every day.

Rather as predicted, paintings are definitely something of a rarity (just one bit of watercolour wash on one of my drawings to date!) but I have at least been able to match the number of photographs and drawings  – which is rather better than I’d imagined at the outset.
The drawing quality has been somewhat variable (at best), but I’ve been quite pleased to have been able to produce the sketches relatively quickly – the average time for each sketch has probably been 20-30 minutes. 
I’ve also enjoyed the discipline the daily blog post has provided and the fact that I’m actually drawing on a regular basis.
I haven’t set myself any end date for the “challenge” and will just see how things develop (or not) over the coming weeks/months.
PS: but it’s costing me quite a lot in terms of sketchbooks!

new blog

Now that most of our number40 family members have got their own blogs/websites, I thought it was about time our rarely-used (by us at least!) www.number40.net website was kicked into touch. It’s served its purpose but, frankly, we’ve just been too lazy to update it (and there’s nothing worse than an out-dated website!) and we’ve all “moved on”, as it were.

As this blog of mine has virtually none of my “arty stuff”, I thought I’d set myself a new challenge – by setting up a new blog which is simply used for my “art” images, with a view to posting a daily drawing or painting or photograph (a simple image, no text – except a line of explanation, if necessary).
As you might suspect, I think it’ll be relatively straightforward to come up with a daily photograph; the REAL test will be trying to produce some regularly drawings (and paintings might be something of a rarity!).
Anyway, let’s see how it goes… but don’t hold your breath!

iona photobook

Well, I actually DID get around to producing a photobook at last!

I ended up using Blurb – and have to say that I was very impressed by their stuff (lots of helpful videos etc and everything reasonably straightforward – as they kept stressing: “just get started it’s the best way to learn”… or words to that effect). I would certainly have no hesitation in recommending them to others.
I ordered one hardback and one softback copy and they duly arrived yesterday. I opted for the 10x8” (25x20cm) trim size – so it’s not huge!
Despite having checked things as carefully as possible, I’ve subsequently noticed a couple (and there could be more!) of slight glitches and things that I might have done differently – but hey!
Although the book is available to purchase through Blurb, that certainly wasn’t the point of getting the book produced. It’s really MY own personal – essentially pictorial, but with some accompanying text – reflection of my two-month stay on the island as a volunteer with the Iona Community. It’s a book of photographs of places and things, NOT people (although I do mention various staff members and volunteers I worked with by Christian name – but NOT in a horrible way, I assure you!).
In order to include as many images as possible (within reason), I was very conscious that a) my favourite “short+long” landscape format would have to be compromised for the majority of the photographs, b) some images would be much smaller than I would have ideally wanted and c) in the interests of “design” consistency, some original page layouts had to be abandoned (eg. my “volunteer farewell poster”).
Anyway, I enjoyed the process of producing the book and it will certainly be a lasting reminder of my time with the Community.
Photo: photobook front cover.
PS: I’m not going to highlight the glitches!
PPS: click here if you want to check it out.

staffa

Janelle, Krystof, Joshua, Adam+I went to the beautiful island of Staffa yesterday (just a 45 minute boat ride away). I’d been there five years ago, but had failed to see any puffins – they’d apparently left the week before! The weather was fine and the sea somewhat choppy (but invigorating!) and, this time, we were indeed fortunate enough to see puffins. They’re amazing birds – very quick through the air but also comparatively docile when on land and, at times, being prepared to settle only a matter of a few metres away from people. I managed to take some photographs – but some of my best opportunities were dashed when my zoom lens temporarily jammed! Hey ho! If I’d have be braver (ie. if I wasn’t scared of heights!), I might have ventured closer to cliff edges (see above photograph of Adam, for example!) and been able to capture more images.

Given time restraints on the island, we decided to focus on trying to find puffins and, although the others quickly ventured into Fingal’s cave (I’d been in last time), I spent the remainder of my time on the island being mesmerized by the wonderful rock formations.
On the boat, we also saw seals AND a dolphin (which suddenly leapt out of the water right next to the boat and then disappeared, never to be seen again – by us at least!)… but I don’t think anyone (on a boat FILLED with people with very expensive cameras) managed to take a picture.
A brilliant morning. If you ever get a chance to visit Staffa, this is a MUST-do!
Photo: Adam getting up close to puffins.

bristol harbourside market

I had another enjoyable day at the harbourside market yesterday (beautiful weather, despite starting off at minus 2C!)… and I'm very grateful for lots of friends dropping by to say hello, including: Tracey, Richard, Maria, Liz, Lou, Paul, Hroth, Emily, Loz and Nick (but sorry I missed you!)… and probably a few other wonderful, lovely people who I’ve forgotten!
After some four months of Saturday markets, running up to Christmas, I’d decided to have a break until the summer (with perhaps one or two exceptions). However, before doing so, I made a commitment to myself to have a couple of “January Sales” sessions. I’d become aware of just how many old mounted photographs/drawings I’d accumulated (and not sold!) over recent years – and that it was probably time I got rid of them!
It transpired that I actually had 114 pieces of work (I counted them!) and so yesterday was the first of my two “studio clearance days” (complete with banner explaining this to the punters!). I decided to put a £5 pricetag on all of the photographs and £15 on the drawings/paintings. In the end, I sold a total of 35 pieces of work - 34 photos and one drawing (the latter, one of my favourites, reduced from £50 – actually, I’ve just realised that it’s the one at the bottom right hand side of my photograph)).
It’s given me much food for thought:
• It’s NOT worth trying to sell one-off original drawings/paintings for £15 (despite them not selling anyway!) – I feel it devalues their true worth (doesn’t that sound pretentious!!).
• However, it has made me think again about the pricing of my photographs. Although I always note that each of them are one of a series of 10, I only occasionally ever print more than two or three copies. Maybe I SHOULD consciously be prepared to produce a number of mounted prints and sell them “cheap” (on the basis that I would therefore sell more?)?
• I probably couldn’t sustain a cost as low as £5, but maybe £10 (ie. less than “normal” price of £15)?
• Was yesterday just a one-off? It’ll be interesting to see how next Saturday’s market goes (the last of my “January Sales”).
• Were people only buying on the basis that they felt they were getting a good deal?
• Were people only buying on the basis that it was a “Sale” and that they mustn’t miss a “bargain”?
Photo: our hall at home in preparation for the “Sale”.
PS: No less than SEVEN of my photographs ended up in the hands of ONE family! First of all I had a 15 year-old(?) coming up to me and saying how much she loved the photos… then her mother appears and tells me that her daughter is desperate to pursue photography as a career and wanted me to advise her what she should do to achieve this (clearly, I had to explain that I hadn’t a clue!)(but I WAS very encouraging). The daughter ended up buying four photographs and then, about 10 minutes later, her aunt returned with the girl’s mother and bought three more images!! Very sweet… and slightly embarrassing. In 20 years time, the girl will probably be giving interviews to respected journalists explaining her successful career in photography can all be put down to a conversation with an old bloke at a Bristol market stall…

family likenesses

I spent ages last week hunting through old biscuit tins and shoe boxes full of old family photographs. I was searching for one particular photograph – of my grandparents’ wedding (Fred and Rose Broadway). Well, frustratingly, I didn’t find it and stopped searching. As it happens, earlier today I applied for my Senior RailCard and needed to look up my passport details… and, in the envelope containing my passport, birth certificate etc (you’re way ahead of me, aren’t you!), I found the aforementioned wedding photograph!
If you’ve been reading my blog recently, you will recall me “remembering my father”. I WAS going to use the photograph to demonstrate how physically alike my father and grandfather were… but, having recently come across one of my old school photographs, it seems that I also look a little like my grandfather too!
Scary or what!

Photo: left: Fred (circled) on his wedding day 3 August 1912, aged 25; right: me (circled) in May 1963, aged 14.

sunrise at glastonbury

I had an inkling that it was going to be a bright, but misty, morning first thing and, when I awoke and peered through the curtains (it was still very dark!), it gave every impression that that was indeed going to be case. So I jumped in the car and headed for the Somerset Levels (as you do). En route - having established that it WAS going to be a beautiful “bright, but misty, morning” – I decided to drive on to Glastonbury. I’m really pleased I did because it was absolutely stunning. Once I’d climbed up the Tor (just as the sun was rising), there were the most amazing views across the Levels – which were completely shrouded in low cotton-wool clouds. Perhaps not surprisingly, there were just three other people on the Tor…. we just smiled at each other and acknowledged that we’d been privileged to be there.
Simply magical.
Photo: as you will note, one of the other people on the Tor was a “proper” photographer!!
PS: you can see some of my photographs by clicking here (not compulsory!).

walking along the beach at sunrise (and lens issues!)….

I just KNEW it was going to be a beautiful, bright sunny morning today (albeit with a little dawn mistiness) and was determined to get up early and head for Berrow beach (35 minute drive away) before dawn. I left the house around 5am and drove down the empty motorway, parked by St Mary’s church and walked across the golf course to the beach. It really was a beautiful morning – clear skies, but VERY cold! I ambled along the deserted beach, past the wreck of SS Nornen (which ran aground in 1897) to the groins just as the sun was rising (at about 6am)… then back home for some espresso and a bacon sandwich.
It beats working!

Photo: groins on Berrow beach.
PS: very frustratingly, just as I was about to take some photograph of the sunrise, my camera lens “got stuck” – resulting in the camera automatically shutting down…. this happened repeatedly and meant that I didn’t actually get ANY sunrise images! I’ve just checked on Google(!) and it seems that this is a bit of a problem with Canon cameras (I’ve very occasionally experienced it before – usually in very cold conditions?)…. various suggestions, one of which was: “remove the batteries from the camera, wait for a couple of minutes, then put them back in and turn the camera on”. Brilliant!!

red arrows

I’m very much against Air Shows on environmental grounds, so I feel a little guilty about this…
I knew that the Red Arrows Air Display Team was due to appear at Bristol’s Balloon Fiesta at 5pm yesterday. As it was such a beautiful afternoon, I decided to walk up to Clifton in the hope that I could watch the Red Arrows from the suspension bridge. There were absolutely crowds of people everywhere - the roads were jammed in all directions by traffic trying to get to Ashton Court; people were lounging about on the grassy area next to the bridge; I noticed that the roof terrace at the Avon Gorge Hotel was a particularly popular viewing point and, of course, there were lots of people crossing the bridge to get into Ashton Court itself.
Suddenly, right on time, there was a tremendous ROAR from somewhere behind me and I just managed to react in time to take this photograph (they move bloomin' fast!). I have to admit, the Red Arrows were pretty impressive and they “performed” for nearly 25 minutes.
PS: by the time I returned home, supper was virtually ready(!) and we ate in the garden and watched all the hot air balloons fly directly overhead – very gracefully and somewhat quieter than the Red Arrows!

brean down

It was raining AGAIN when I got up yesterday. I was determined that the weather wasn’t going to deter me, so decided that I’d drive to the coast and take a lengthy walk along a beach in the rain, wearing my wonderful wet-weather garb. So I got dressed, made myself a flask of coffee, collected up my waterproofs and boots and drove off into the gloom. I decided to head off to Brean Down. Amazingly, before I’d even turned off the motorway, the rain had stopped. The sun was trying to shine. I felt strangely cheated!
So I ended up walking along the beach to Barrow and back and then climbed up on to Brean Down itself and walked virtually to the tip of the headland (great panoramic views – apart from the caravan sites!). By now, of course, it was a wonderfully clear, bright, sunny day…. and the waterproofs remained in my bag the entire time!
Photo: "mountain" goats on the down!

(almost) end of term drinks

The final weeks of the summer term are always rather strange at school. The last week is usually taken up with Activities Week and the penultimate week sees the disappearance of several teachers on camps and on trips to Germany, France and Spain. So, in keeping with tradition, most of the teaching staff got together last night at The Boater in Bath to drown their sorrows and to celebrate their impending holidays. A very enjoyable night (fortunately, as an old bloke, I can use the excuse that I need to catch the train back to Bristol before midnight – and therefore avoid being dragged into various clubs!). It’s also a sad occasion that involves saying goodbye to several lovely friends – including Mike (retiring), Jon, Pete and Laura (moving on to pastures new). I’ll particularly miss Laura next year (her classroom is only across the corridor from my office) but the real shame was that she wasn’t around last night and so, not having seen her at the end of school, I haven’t actually said my proper goodbyes.
Somewhat worryingly, this also marks the end of my fourth year at the school (the world of architecture seems an absolute age ago!). Blimey!
Photo: Sangeeta+Karin+Mike’s viking helmet (don’t ask!).
PS: I took my broken camera along, but this is the ONLY photograph that came out – I ordered my new camera two weeks ago and it STILL hasn’t arrived (and I’m getting REALLY frustrated!).