Come away with the raggle taggle gypsy-o
Saturday was beautiful and we drove through Torbay, stopping near Thatcher’s Rock to gaze at this view of Lyme Bay. The phone camera doesn’t do landscapes well but gives you the feel at least. Stretching across the sea are some of the little places I’ve taken you, my favourites, Exmouth, Budleaigh Salterton, Sidmouth, Lyme Regis and Charmouth.
This week’s photo challenge is guest hosted by Aaron Joel Santos. Who says,
‘Culture. Culture is a bit of a loaded word. In a photograph, it can embody everything and nothing. So where do we draw the line? Shopping culture, hippy culture, Asian culture, Thai culture, ancient culture, and on and on. These phrases have different meanings. For me, as a working travel photographer, being able to show culture, in all of its various guises, is crucial to the success of an image.
There are obvious elements that go into making a great photograph: perspective, color, contrast, subject matter, and lighting, to name a few. But for this challenge, go for that little something extra — that piece of the image that makes a viewer want to see more — to delve deeper into the culture you’re photographing. I’ve always said that I want my photographs to make people curious. So that is your assignment here: inspire curiosity with your photography.’
The richness of the culture in Marrakech is something I love, so here are three photos for you. The first shows that culture isn’t always comfortable, in fact in the tannery, that has been part of their culture for so long, it’s distinctly unpleasant when the smell hits you.
Next, there are many stalls in the souk selling the wonderful local figs, dates and olives, delicious.
Lastly, this is Jemaa el-Fnaa, in the heart of the medina, and a world heritage site. It’s a real spectacle in the evening when it is packed with music, dance, snake charmers, story tellers, tooth pullers, you name it. The smoke is from the numerous food opportunities that are set up each night.
Join in at http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/04/26/photo-challenge-culture/
Travel on the chaotic streets of Jaipur in Rajasthan and you can’t fail to notice an abundance of contrasts. Wealth and poverty, youth and age, ancient and modern. Here is some of the traffic chaos, shiny gas guzzling monsters, alongside tuk-tuks and hand carts, all relentlessly squeezing themselves in and out of one of the old city gates.
Next, not the best photo I’m afraid, the Palace of the Winds, what a romantic name. Also known as the Hawa Mahal, this five storey masterpiece was built in 1799 by Maharajah Sawai Pratap Singh. It’s lattice windows were made so the the royal ladies had a window on the world without being seen as they were in purdah. Imagine the luxurious opulence inside compared to the lives of the ordinary people on the outside.
This post is for Ailsa’a Travel Theme, join in here, http://wheresmybackpack.com/2013/04/19/travel-theme-contrast/
As you know I was captivated by Buckland Abbey. It isn’t the most grand of National Trust houses but for me it is an interesting one, packed with history and little surprises. Here are a few of the things I enjoyed.
I know, it’s just a chair leg, but imagine all the ankles that have brushed against it.
Time flies indeed.
I loved the little incense boat.
A 17th century sea chest.
Elegant porcelain.
A model of the Golden Hind.
This chess set has Lord Burghley as King, Queen Elizabeth as Queen and Sir Francis Drake as the Knight. Each of the Pawns is a miniature Golden Hind.
Marianne at http://eastofmalaga.net/ has chosen Multi-colored this month. Her own vibrant photos take on to Australia, Malaysia, Vietnam and New Zealand, check them out. Mine are all taken in Marrakech, one of my favourite places, with colour around every corner.
This challenge is a blog hop, to showcase two different blogs that you enjoy each time.
My first is Marina’s art blog http://marinakanavaki.com/ , her tagline is ‘Art Towards a Happy Day’, so very warm and generous. I love the way she uses her art not only as beautiful paintings but transferred to everyday items, at prices that make it accessible to all. Her work ‘As above so below’ is my favourite – so far.
Next, a relatively unknown blog http://2far2shout.wordpress.com/ , Tony has a light touch and describes himself as a slow traveler. He spent part of this winter in Australia and I loved his post about Kiama, God’s waiting room as he says! This time last year he was in India, returning to the places of his childhood. I have a copy of Hero on a Honda, his travel book about that trip.
I hope you visit and enjoy these two blogs!
. . . in Plymouth today with my kids! We saw anemones and jellyfish.
And fantastic fishies
As always click to see a slide show.
Buckland Abbey is on the far west of Dartmoor and spring is late this year. It isn’t a garden with herbaceous border, more formal and functional elegance and sweeping grounds. There is an Elizabethan garden and although it’s box hedges have been damaged by blight in recent years, it has been replanted. The National trust have been working to establish a flowery mead since 2001 and its wild flowers attract butterflies and moths. Each September the mead is cut and to maintain the low nutrients in the soil that grassland needs the cuttings are rmeoved. In day gone by these cutting would have been animal fodder and also strewn around the floor in the house for its sweet fragrance.
Buckland abbey was founded in 1278 by Cistercian monks on land overlooking the tranquil Tavy valley. The monks were responsible for building the great barn, an impressive building which would have been a treasure store of produce grown on the large estate given to them by the then Countess of Devon, Amicia.
The abbey thrived for two hundred and fifty years until the dissolution of monasteries by Henry 8th and in 1541 the monarch sold Buckland to Sir Richard Grenville who converted it into a home, tearing much of it down, but unusually for the time the church was kept to become the main part of the house. Here is the great barn.
I’ll be back tomorrow with some photos of the garden.
Today I’ve had the most lovely day out for my friends birthday! We went to a National Trust property across the other side of Dartmoor, Buckland Abbey, once the home of Sir Francis Drake. I think I will probably create several posts about it because I’ve just put 400 photos onto the PC. As I don’t know where to start with Buckland here are some photos of the journey across the moor. In the one with the smoke we were wondering if someone was swailing – controlled burning of heath to stimulate new growth, and now I’ve just seen on the BBC’s website that a few mile north there is a huge blaze covering six square kilometres. They don’t know how the fire started yet, swailing can be done until the second week of April, but with prior arrangement .The land is desperatle dry, I can’t remember seeing it look quite like it did today, so just the tiniest spark is all it takes, and the concern now is for nesting birds.. There are 100 firefighters at Chat Tor and they are being assisted by local commoners beating, I hope the fire in my photo, south east of there is quickly contained.
my favourite ice cream entices me
wrapped in woolly scarf and gloves
on an evening that looks like summer
for a walk to Orcombe by the sea
a hoard of pulled along people
in the charge of manic dogs
young love displayed in the sand dunes
I wonder if they notice the view
of the waves tumbling and rattling
the shingle in their wake
or the gaggle of dark and white geese
resting on barnacled rocks and weed
the board paddling Poseidons hold me balanced
between entertainment and anxiety
as they reach the distant sand bank
then float on the current out to sea
hoping they won’t need the lifeboat
I find shelter from the wind
sit back with my supper from Krispies
the best haddock and chips there could be
Lucid Gypsy 