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Hampshire 2019

05/04/2020 By shendyNo Comments

These photos are from a couple of trips down to Hampshire, after good friends of ours moved there. Most of them were taken in April at the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens in Romsey, just when the magnolias were in bloom and the rhododendrons were just getting going. The last couple of photos are from Winchester Cathedral in August....

Exmouth Boat Trip, August 2019

05/04/202010/04/2020 By shendyNo Comments

At the start of August I headed down to Exmouth for the annual naturist boat trip up the River Exe. I've done this quite a few times now, and always still find something slightly different to photograph.We were fortunate with the tides this year, as we were able to go right up as far as the Princess Weir bridge - as far as the boat is able to go - rather than turning round just after Topsham. The day after, I took a trip to the Devon Sculpture Park - I don't think it's been open that long, as I'd not come across it before. As the crow flies it wasn't far from Exmouth (you could probably actually see if from where I was staying), but I had to drive all the way up to Exmouth and back down the other side of the estuary to get there - and then it takes a bit of finding as it's well out of...

England Rugby World Cup Squad, August 2019

05/04/202017/08/2020 By shendyNo Comments

Prior to the 2019 Rugby World Cup, the England squad were training at Clifton Rugby Club, and the sponsors O2 laid on a "meet the squad" event. Happily, this took place round the corner from my office so I booked an afternoon off work and went. After an interminable wait, (most of) the players eventually arrived and generally mingled, posed for photos and signed autographs.There were also some interviews - Joe Marler is very funny, although I think he had to keep reminding himself to keep the content and language suitable for all ages... As a Northampton Saints fan I was of course on the lookout for our players - Piers Francis wasn't around, I didn't get to meet Courtney Lawes (he was called off to do a "grip & grin") but I did manage to see Lewis Ludlam and wish him luck....

Quenington Fresh Air Sculpture, June 2019

05/04/202005/04/2020 By shendyNo Comments

Back in June we made our second visit to the Fresh Air Sculpture exhibition at Quenington in Gloucestershire - held every other year. It's held in the large (and lovely) grounds of the Old Rectory, with modern sculpture works spread all around - as well as some lovely art, it's also a really nice place to simply wander around. We'll definitely be back there in 2021...

Clevedon & Portishead, June 2019

04/04/202005/04/2020 By shendyNo Comments

We don't visit other towns in the area quite as much as we should, so made the effort to go out to Clevedon and Portishead on a midweek day off. Obviously one has to visit Clevedon pier - although with our customary bad timing, the far end of it was closed off for decoration work.We also ambled along to the open air pool, which is somewhere I need to investigate more from a photographic point of view - I'm thinking long exposures with smooth water, smooth sea and just a hint of a line between them.Some bits of it made me think of 70s eastern Europe, stark concrete that's seen slightly better days. We also headed over to Portishead as I'd see that there's an art trail and one of the exhibits had caught my eye - "Full Fathom Five" by Michael Dan Archer, the stone columns.And as we found, some of the buildings around the marina photograph quite well too....