All posts by ckponderings

Architecture, Glastonbury, Monochrome, Nature, People, Photography, Religion

The Loneliness of the Insecure and Paranoid

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He was waiting for her. She was sure of that.

She’d seen him a couple of times around town, over a period of a few weeks, and sensed that he was closing in, seeking her out.

Hunting her down.

She feigned ignorance, of course. She didn’t want to let on that she knew he was following her. Didn’t want to give the game away.

So, she carried on as normal. Walking around like a tourist, she wandered into the Abbey Park.

She knew the place like the back of her hand, having all but grown up there. But still she feigned ignorance. If he thought she was just a tourist, taking photos like the hoards of visitors did during the summer, perhaps he wouldn’t give her a second glance.

Perhaps.

He’d tried to hide, of course, to bury himself in reading. But she knew the stance, the look, the outfit; he gave himself away a lot easier than she knew he would have liked to.

So, she had just walked on by, past the bench he was discreetly sitting on, under the magnolia tree where they had first met, all those years ago.

As if he thought she wouldn’t remember! The audacity of the man. The sheer gall of him!

And yet, the mere fact that he was there, that he was following her, gave her some reassurance.

He still wanted her.

He still needed her.

So, she resolved to go to him. Surrender to him. Accept his love, in whatever form he chose to give it.

But first, she needed to gather herself. To work out what she was going to say. She needed the words, the right words that show she was open to him.

Acceptance, but not desperation. She didn’t want him to think she was desperate.

Not again.

(This is a story based on candid street photos I took over a couple of days, and should not be seen as a true reflection of either of these people’s lives.)

Architecture, Photography, Religion, work

Stairway To Heaven

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We are fortunate to have a lot of historic places in Somerset. From castles to churches, manor houses to pubs, cottages to monuments, there is always something to see, to view, to wander around.

Wells Cathedral has one on the more awe-inspiring religious frontages in the UK, but inside has lots of other things to love.

This staircase leads from the nave to the Chapter House and on, across St Andrew Street to the ancient Vicars’ Close. It is a haven of quiet, in an already quiet structure.

He moved silently upwards, and even though his footsteps were quiet, he felt they echoed deafeningly in the stairwell. Behind him the choir’s voices, chanting something by Telemann or von Bingen, calmed him, urging him on, hiding his presence.

The candlelight flickered expectantly across the walls, shadow leaping out at him as the flame rose and fell with his steps. Ahead of him, in the room above him, he heard the first whispers of voices, the first hint that he was going the right way, that his ascension was surely guaranteed…

Animals, Architecture, Colour, Monochrome, Photography, Wildlife, work

No Dogs

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Some called it discrimination, others called it right and proper. But whatever the sense, dogs were definitely not going to be allowed here.

There’s a voice that keeps on calling me.
Down the road, that’s where I’ll always be.
Every stop I make, I make a new friend.
Can’t stay for long, just turn around and I’m gone again.
Maybe tomorrow, I’ll want to settle down.
Until tomorrow, I’ll just keep moving on.

Terry Bush

Architecture, Monochrome, People, Photography, Religion, work

Discussion

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Something a bit simpler and less deep than yesterday’s post…

Before the lockdown, and after numerous attempts over the years, I finally made it inside Wells Cathedral.

It’s interesting to see the humdrum, day-to-day workings of something as substantial and revered as this, including a short break in vacuuming to discuss matters of the day.

Come on, Henry needs to get back to work!!

Architecture, Glastonbury, Monochrome, People, Photography

Ignoring

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Despite the fact that they knew each other, they also knew that they had to act as if they didn’t.

Rob stared at the screen of his phone from under his cap. He had a sport app open, but the words might as well have been in Swahili for all that he took them in.

Gareth knew why they were there. He’d brought Bella and Poppy along as an excuse to get out of the shopping. He looked after his Fiona’s bags as he sat on the bench.

Fiona was keeping herself busy in the boutique store across the square. She rifled through dress after dress, knowing she wasn’t going to buy anything, but also positioning herself to look out of the window surreptitiously, watching her husband oblivious on the seat opposite.

Rob had ‘bumped into’ Gareth like this a number of times over the years, a few words passing between them, as they slowly but surely, built up their relationship. He was mature enough at 18 to be beyond the grunting stage, but still – understandably – found it difficult to communicate with the man he knew to be his father.

Gareth got a lot of pleasure out of these fleeting moments. He wanted to see his son, to get to know him, but he also wanted to keep his secret firmly safe from Fiona. She wouldn’t understand, his indiscretion unforgivable after so many years that there was no point in talking to her about it, in letting her know, in welcoming Rob into their lifes.

Fiona had known about Rob for years. She also knew that her husband’s unfaithfulness wasn’t habitual; it was a slip, one night’s drunken recklessness nearly two decades ago. She had forgiven him, but would never own up to the fact that she knew about Rob, that she was jealous of Gareth’s relationship with his son, that she was guilt-ridden that she was unable to provide him with children of their own. But she would never allow Rob to be a part of their lives, their set up, their social group.

Of that she was certain.

(This is a story based on a candid street photo shot I took. In no way are the people mentioned real, and this should not be seen as a true reflection of thee two men’s lives.)

Architecture, cinema, Colour, Glastonbury, Music, People, Photography, Wildlife, work

Cover Version

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No, I’ve never seen the film (I know this will be a shock to a lot of cinema aficionados, but I cannot help that!). But I am familiar with the iconography, and this LP cover raised a Glastonbury smile!

‘Someday this lockdown’s gonna end’.

That’d be just fine with the boys in the flat. They weren’t looking for anything more than a way outside.

Trouble is, I’d been out there, and I knew that it just didn’t appeal anymore.

Bored of me nagging, yet?

May’s Mass Observation Project is coming up, so take a photograph based that sums up the theme COLOUR to you, however you want to interpret it.

  • Email the image to adayinphotographs@outlook.com by Thursday 30th April 2020.
  • Images should be a maximum of 650 pixels wide.
  • Include your name, website/blog address and a short note about the image, including where it was taken.
  • Come back and see the results on Sunday 3rd May!
Architecture, Colour, Glastonbury, Nature, Photography, Wildlife

Perspectives

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How we view life is all about the perspective we see it from.

2+2=4, but so does 1+3 and 3+1.

One result of the coronavirus lockdown is that we are stuck indoors with family members. Another result of the coronavirus lockdown is that we have the opportunity to spend time with our loved ones in a way we never have before.

Another result of the virus is that we have to queue for ages outside the supermarket, waiting to get in. However, this gives us an opportunity to stand and do nothing – or perhaps converse with those around us – providing us with time we would otherwise not have had.

Glastonbury Tor is a hill that stands 518 feet (158 m) above the surrounding moors, but is tiny when seen against the immensity of a clear blue spring sky.

May’s Mass Observation Project is coming up, so take a photograph based that sums up the theme COLOUR to you, however you want to interpret it.

  • Email the image to adayinphotographs@outlook.com by Thursday 30th April 2020.
  • Images should be a maximum of 650 pixels wide.
  • Include your name, website/blog address and a short note about the image, including where it was taken.
  • Come back and see the results on Sunday 3rd May!
Monochrome, Photography, work

Still Lives

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With the current set of circumstances limiting the amount of time we can spend outdoors, I have been conscious of making the most of that time and taking my camera wherever I go.

However, I know a lot of fellow photographers have been more limited, and, like them, I wanted to focus some attention on using my camera indoors.

I’m not a massive fan of still life photography, it seems too staged for me; I prefer a candid, off-the-cuff style (I guess as much as anything it is what I am more comfortable with).

But in for a penny, in for a pound, and I thought I would give it a go!

I’ve limited the amount of colour I have used (in fact, only one of the shots included any semblance of colour at all) to add an extra limitation to what I was shooting.

(The reality was that I couldn’t find my white backdrop, so was stuck with my black one; this drove me more towards monochrome that I would have originally gone for.)

May’s Mass Observation Project is coming up, so take a photograph based that sums up the theme COLOUR to you, however you want to interpret it.

  • Email the image to adayinphotographs@outlook.com by Thursday 30th April 2020.
  • Images should be a maximum of 650 pixels wide.
  • Include your name, website/blog address and a short note about the image, including where it was taken.
  • Come back and see the results on Sunday 3rd May!
Monochrome, People, Photography, work

Billy Warren

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She’d pressured him into it, but he was helpless and he knew it.

The way she moved. The way she smiled at him. The way she brushed against him when nobody was around. The way her breath had tickled his neck as she had leaned in to whisper in his ear…

Focus. He had to focus.

He had to complete the task she had set him, otherwise she would be upset and he wouldn’t get his reward. She’d been dangling that carrot for weeks now. The present she had promised was the one thing Billy Warren had been wanting, been longing for.

He straightened his tie, licked his lips and knocked on the door.

(This is a story based on an anonymous photo found in a junk shop, and should not be seen as a true reflection of this person’s life.)

May’s Mass Observation Project is coming up, so take a photograph based that sums up the theme COLOUR to you, however you want to interpret it.

  • Email the image to adayinphotographs@outlook.com by Thursday 30th April 2020.
  • Images should be a maximum of 650 pixels wide.
  • Include your name, website/blog address and a short note about the image, including where it was taken.
  • Come back and see the results on Sunday 3rd May!
Architecture, Monochrome, People, Photography, Wildlife, work

Mr Green

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Mr Green had worked hard all his life, patiently listening to others and following their orders to the letter, often against his beliefs.

But if his employers had known what he truly believed, what his heart told him, they would have let him go in an instant.

His conscience told him that he was doing what he had to, and, despite the uncomfortable marriage between the two lives he led – his work and private ones – he kept himself to himself, his head down and his employers happy.

The sadness in his eyes sometimes leaked through, though, and his colleagues occasionally noticed But when they mentioned anything he smiled his smile and brushed aside their concerns.

He was happy, and as long as he could keep convincing himself of that, then his life would be peaceful.

(This is a story based on an anonymous photo found in a junk shop, and should not be seen as a true reflection of this person’s life.)

Another quick reminder about the May’s Mass Observation Project!

Take a photograph based that sums up the theme COLOUR to you, however you want to interpret it.

  • Email the image to adayinphotographs@outlook.com by Thursday 30th April 2020.
  • Images should be a maximum of 650 pixels wide.
  • Include your name, website/blog address and a short note about the image, including where it was taken.
  • Come back and see the results on Sunday 3rd May!