Monday 31 October 2016

FACE IN THE STONE

Face made by geological chance.

On shore.
With Seaweed.
July 20th 2016

Sunday 30 October 2016

GMB BANNER AT TOLPUDDLE FESTIVAL

GMB banner at Tolpuddle Festival. Unity is Strength.

July 17th 2016

For more about the day this was taken.
GMB is the General, Municipal and Boiler Makers Union.
The banner here is propped against a hedge while members gather. It will soon be taken into the road to take its place in the procession.
I think I see in the banner . . . Stone Henge (Wiltshire) The White Horse at Westbury (also Wiltshire) Windsor Castle (Berkshire) Brighton Pavilion (Sussex) A mine wheel (representing the Kent coalfields?) Is that Tower Bridge (London) poking up at the back . . . or . . . ? And what about Dorset? Maybe the fields being ploughed? Or the procession of banners itself?

Saturday 29 October 2016

CANOE ON CAR

Orange and yellow canoe on the roof of a white van / car facing railings and sea

This is evening. Down on the beach (beyond the railings) fishermen are setting up shelters. Soon, very soon, it will be dark.
West Bexington. Dorset. August 28th 2016

Friday 28 October 2016

CABLES

Metal cables in black and white


Black and White
May 20th 2016

Thursday 27 October 2016

RED BINS

Two large rubbish bins on wheels

May 20th 2016
Somerset

Wednesday 26 October 2016

RED VEINED SORREL

Red veined sorrel. Part in focus. Part out of focus.

May 17th 2016
Focus.

Tuesday 25 October 2016

MOTORCYCLE, CONE AND REFLECTION

Old green motorbike with trees reflected in its petrol tank. No parking cone and red and white traffic cone

May 20th 2016
Well loved!

Monday 24 October 2016

MOON

Tranquil water with yacht, frigate and harbour wall.

July 18th 2016
Portland Harbour, Dorset.

Sunday 23 October 2016

'SAVE OUR STEEL' MAN

My camera is mended. My laptop is working. There's lot to catch up with. I'm still busy so posts may be intermittent but here goes.
And because I'm catching up, pictures will not necessarily have been taken recently or even in order. So watch out for the date of taking rather than the date of posting. There'll be a mixture.


Taken July 17th 2016

A RARE BIT OF EXPLANATION

There's another difference too - at least for a while. Pictures of people will be included.

I don't know this man's name but I took his photo (with permission) at the Tolpuddle Martyrs Festival in July.

The Tolpuddle Martyrs' Festival is a big event in a little Dorset village. Six men are respectfully remembered there every year because in 1834 they were sentenced to transportation and seven years exile in Australia for secretly swearing allegiance to their society - a forerunner of a modern Trades Union. Protests against their sentences were an important impetus towards the founding of the Trades Union Movement in this country.

And in relation to this blog . . . which is largely 'nature' oriented . . . the tree under which they met is the only individual tree I learnt about in school!

The Festival is held over several days. Thousands attend. There are bands and talks and workshops and tea in the village hall. Some set up camp so they can join in with as much as they can. And it's always rounded off with a Trades Union procession of banners (and balloons!). This year Jeremy Corbyn was among those at the front. But because he's a low-profile politician I didn't realise at the time, though I did listen to his speech after everyone had walked to the end of the village and back.)

(Yes. Everyone walks as far as the Methodist Chapel. Then they turn round and walk back the same way to the field where the big stage is. It's delightfully bizarre. But do not underestimate its importance.)

I took lots of pictures of banners. They are bright and cheerful and inspiring. I couldn't ask everyone holding them or walking behind them if they minded being in frame. But as the whole point of a procession of this kind is publicly to stand up for what you believe in - I reckon joining in is a tactic permission to be part of the publicity. I hope that sounds reasonable.

I'll not post pictures of these banners all in a row but will toss them in like a salad - along with the usual array of twigs and trees and leaves and stones.