Come away with the raggle taggle gypsy-o
The them for Paula’s black and white Sunday this week is ‘through’. The possibilities are endless aren’t they? I love taking photos through garden gates and out of windows, but the view also has to work in monochrome. Hence, I’ve chosen a building, not any old building but Chichester cathedral.
So there we are, a view through the cloisters, up through the vaults, through a pretty gate and through from outside to in.
October 2005, I find myself in Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan. It’s early evening and I’ve just had one of the most moving experiences of my life. The elderly lady in the photo below has hugged me, put a red bindi on my forehead, and entered the temple I’ve just left.
I’d seen an Aarti ceremony in the Rani Sati temple, after the congregation offered puja. The temple is at least four hundred years old and was built in memory of Narayani Bai who self emolliated and became Sati Ji.
The ceremony was incredibly loud, with drums and bells reverberating through every cell in my body. Water was sprinkled around, some of the crowd ran heir hands through flames, before circling the central shrine. We were welcome to take part but there were no expectations. Caught up in the atmosphere and the heady incense, I followed, with thoughts of Rani Sati, who was beloved to be an incarnation of the goddess Durga, running through my mind.
I have no words to describe the feelings, my journal that day had a line, ‘if I have to go home tomorrow, then it’s okay because I’ve had the experience of a lifetime’.
This post is for Paula’s Traces of the Past.
This Thursday instead of Lazy Poet, I’m re-posting a poem I wrote a few years ago, for International Women’s Day. Yes I know that was yesterday, but you know me by now, the other week that I got the day wrong for wordless Wednesday, and the syllable count wrong for LP!
In Hope
Cast aside your veil
Turn your face to the sun
Gather round the hearth
Your work today is done
Your sisters draw near
Feet planted to earth
They no longer fear
The lone walk on the trail
Your children breathe free
The mountains clear air
Well nourished with plenty
And wind blown away care
Your abundance is here
Take love in your stride
Future perfect and clear
Go forward with pride
Cast aside your veil
And no longer hide
The Otter estuary in the East Devon AONB has long been a favourite place of mine. If you park at Budleigh Salterton you can walk along the river up to Otterton, grab a pub lunch, visit a gallery and mill, then walk back down again. The last time I was there, I was too ill to walk very far at all, just far enough to snap a couple of photos.
The clouds performed rather well for a monochrome image, so I hope Paula will like it.
Paula’s Thursday Special this week is ‘pick a word’ from five. They’re quite difficult, but I’m going with indelible.
So, I have indelible memories of the landscape of central Anatolia, Turkey.
In Rajasthan, no matter how remote, the Road Taken will always have plenty of these.
Whether you travel the road on a bike, car, a camel or cow cart, you will find shops with fizzy pop, snacks and a public call office.
My friend Celestine, a Ghanaian poet, blogger and Mistress of haiku said she’d like to see my photos of weaver birds nests, not far from where she lives. Taken at the Cape Coast nearly ten years ago and with one of my earlier digital cameras, they aren’t the best quality images, but still part of my special memories of Ghana.
Here’s a gallery for you Celestine.
This was the grounds of the hotel, or rather the Hans Cottage Botel, a lovely and unusual resort, set on a lake, with ‘friendly’ crocodiles’. They like their crocs in Ghana, but they are probably my least favourite animal on the planet. We only stayed one nignt at Hans Cottage and I remember it being quite restless for me, dreaming of crocs leaving the lake to stroll along the boardwalk in search of supper! I have no idea how Sylvia copes with the gators in her back yard, she’s way braver than me.
The Grand Pier at Teignmouth was built in 1865, is 696 feet long and is one of only 50 remaining in the UK. It has all the usual rides and slot machines that you would expect in a traditional seaside attraction, and is a lovely place for a promenade to breathe in the healthy sea air.
Spot the rainbow! These pics were all taken within half an hour on a winter afternoon five years ago.
Look how the sky changed in such a short time.
But that isn’t why I’ve chosen these photos.
How has this splindly structure stood firm for 150 years? Against all the odds I’d say.In 2014, Teignmouth’s pier was badly damaged by winter storms, and much of it’s floor was washed away. After five months and hundreds of thousands of pounds it re-opened and will no doubt thrill many more people in the years to come.
For Paula’s , Black and White Sunday. I’ve chosen this photo of a section of a lantern in the library at Castle Drogo. It’s supposed to portray his life.
Strange don’t you think?
It’s pick a word Thursday over at Paula’s place, Lost in Translation. This weeks choices are radiant, alimentary, arboreal, frontal and remote. I may find some more but for now, remote is my choice.
This isn’t the best photo, taken through a bus window in torrential rain, but I’ll always remember driving through this village in northern Ghana.
If it was sunny it would be okay, but it was really sad to see that day. It felt really remote, we’d left Mole National Park far behind, but the vibrant city of Kumasi and the sunshine Cape Coast were a long way south.
Lucid Gypsy 