A symbolic bridge

Bridges, they cross rivers, roads, railways, and valleys and borders. They can be built of stone, wood, rope and metal. Their symbolism is vast, at birth as we separate from mother, as transition points throughout life, and into the unknown of death

That is the road we all have to take, over the bridge of sighs into eternity’ Soren Kierkegaard.

We speak of building bridges instead of walls when relationships have broken down .

We all have favourite bridges don’t we? this is one of mine. It’s a Clapper bridge and if you’ve ever travelled across Dartmoor in Devon there’s a fair chance that you’ve stopped and admired it.

Clapper bridge
Clapper bridge

It’s believed that it dates back to the 13th century to enable pack horses to cross the river Dart.  Personally it symbolizes a connection with that distant past, a walk back in time.  How many feet have walked across it since those ancestors laboured over its construction – from slabs of granite? How much or little has that landscape changed since then?

How would you photograph a symbol that has meaning for you? that’s this week’s photo challenge, perhaps you’ll join in.

A Bench for July

Jude’s bench challenge this month is ‘unusual detail’. I’ve had each month’s topic in mind when I’ve been out and about this year and I found this one in early April. It was up a little alley in Glastonbury, opposite a shop, and to be honest I wouldn’t choose to sit there when there are so many cafes and places to people watch in that colourful town.
julybench
That’s another post I must get round to – some pics of the streets in Glastonbury, its a hippy dippy place even when it isn’t festival time.
If you have a bench with unusual detail, maybe you would like to join Jude’s challenge?

Weekly Photo Challenge : Door

Cheri at the Daily Post says,

A door is an everyday thing, yet is often a symbol — of a beginning, a journey forward or inward, a mark of one’s home, or even a step into the unknown.

I love photographing doors and I fell for this decaying beauty at St Ives last weekend, I must have known I’d need it!
door1


”I feel very adventurous. There are so many doors to be opened, and I’m not afraid to look behind them.”
― Elizabeth Taylor

A Sheltered Gothic Bench

Edit a bench photo  for my challenge Jude says, give it an art effect! Well it seems I’ve forgotten all the tricks I used to know. Using android has made me lazy and I can’t find anything in Photoshop. This is what I came up with, but that was yesterday and now I have no idea how.

The Gothic Bench at Uppark
The Gothic Bench at Uppark

Uppark is a National Trust property perched high on the beautiful South Downs ridge. My photo is of the Gothic bench, that had a wonderful view of the surrounding countryside. Most memorable for me at Uppark, was being told off for daring to turn a few feet aside to look at a painting,  when the guide wanted to frogmarch everyone ahead!