Interiors

My Town Friday Shoot Out:  Interiors

                                             An amazing chapel interior in Guernsey, one 

                                                       of the Channel Islands

 

The entire interior of this small chapel

is a mosaic decorated with china, shells and tiles.

All of it hand decorated by a monk who built it

in the 1920s.

 

The upkeep is never ending, it is kept looking as it is by a group of volunteers 

mostly from the local school.  The china being donated by many including Wedgwood China Co.  It must be painstaking work as the interior is only able to accommodate about 4 or 5 people at a time.

                                                                     

                                        Although this is an interior based theme I just had to show you the exterior which is decorated in the same way as the interior, make sure you duck as you go in, the doorway is very low!

Made By Hand

Made by Hand

Thought I would stick close to home on this one...

 

This.... is or was my back garden when we first moved into our home.  Not much to look at really except next doors bird table!  Now it's not the largest garden we've seen, it would be exaggerating to call it small, bijou, or even compact, it is basically tiny.  A tiny triangle measuring 25feet wide and 15 feet at the point of the triangle, as we are a corner plot the neighbour to the left also has a similar sized garden although he has built a sun room in his.  Now he can walk out of his door turn around and walk back in again as there is little room for him to do anything else.

Sorry I'm now getting off the subject I started with.  My tiny triangular garden, I am not moaning about it because it's ours and I never thought I would have a garden again, so I do love it.

Just not when we moved in.

In addition to the piece you can see here there is a 5 foot paved part making the actual soil bit only 10 foot.

When I started to plan the garden I didn't want to leave anything out, I still wanted somewhere to sit with my cup of tea, a rockery, pond, boggy area,trellis, a place for climbing plants and above all somewhere which welcomes insects and other wildlife. Oh yes, and fragrance. 

 A tall order!

Many plans later and an awful lot of crossing out I came up with something I was happy with. 

This is the arbour seat positioned to the far right of the garden on the paved area, where we have our cups of tea.  The wicker pyramid, is the trellis for climbing plants and the other side of that is the rockery which was made from the soil that came from the pond.

The pond and boggy area are also enjoyed by some of our new friends that share the garden with us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The plants thrive on the paved area and with lavender

and sweet peas against the fence providing summer long fragrance.

And with the insects collecting pollen all day...

it makes for a perfect haven ... albeit a miniature one and all made by hand, by me, with a little help from my husband and nature of course.

See other things Made By Hand at Friday My Town Shoot Out

Gates & Fences

Gates & Fences

the subject of this weeks Friday My Town Shoot Out





Not much of a fence, well not suitable for livestock, this is a roadside fence on my journey home from work.
A familiar sight around my home county at the moment, turn a corner and you may be met by a sight like this. Many farmers in this area now grow oil seed rape which have these amazingly bright yellow flowers before harvesting. The oil seed rape is turned into cooking oil and also used as a biodiesel as well as improving the ground for the crop that follows it.

Sorry, but once a farmers daughter always a farmers daughter!

A very special fence that helps to form a seated shelter in a part of a small wooded area which is awash with bluebells at this time of year.
It's so special because it has been made by a group of Volunteers who tend the grounds and gardens at the Hospice I work for. They give their time and skills along with another 300 plus Volunteers to provide practical support and comfort to the residents and staff of the Hospice and their families.
This area provides a place for residents,their relatives and members of staff to just sit and be surrounded by nature and it's calming effect.

So as you can tell a very special fence........

..

.and finally...........when is a fence not a fence,

When it's a moat.

Possibly pushing the boundaries ( n0 pun intended) of the definition of fence a little too far.

But you have to agree a very effective fence.

The castle is Bodiam Castle, it's less than an hours journey from home, although it looks good on the outside on the inside it's just ruins.

The river that feeds the moat used to be a place we went fishing in our youth.

I bet there can't be many places to fish with a medieval castle as a backdrop.

Friday My Town; Public Transportation

Public Transport

As time is short this week, (still de-junking my Dads loft), I 've used some of my library photos and seeing as I am being reminded constantly of things past at the moment, I have gone back to my childhood and it's public transportation.

For a few years of my childhood I lived in Isfield a very small village not far from where I live today.
This village consisted of a pub, a grain mill, a church, some farms, Post Office cum shop a variety of dwellings and a school. The school had between 20 and 24 pupils with the age range of attendees being 4 - 11 years , so we are talking small!

However there was a railway line running through the edge of the village and there was a railway station.





The railway closed during a major shake up of the national railways, leaving this village even more isolated. But an enthusiast bought the deserted railway buildings and the one and a half miles of track that hadn't been sold to others already. This gent along with his son-in-law, a boy from the village, started to restore it all back to how it was during it's heyday.





The original signal box had been sold to another Heritage Railway further along the line, The Bluebell Railway, many years before the restoration. Ironically they had to buy a replica of their own signal box which is here.

The furthest side of the box was where the railway line crossed the road and it gave us unending pleasure when we had to wait for the train to go over the road. Delaying our journey as we walked to school.









This is one of the trains that runs on the Heritage Railway, The Bluebell Railway, a bit further up the line. It is similar to ones that ran through Isfield.










This final shot is added because I just love the majestic beasts. The trains at Isfield started my love of steam trains which still give me enormous pleasure and the fun of still traveling on them as often as time allow.



This is a Friday My Town Shoot Out

Time

Time

I have spent the week wondering about time as a photographic subject.  Although I never seem to have enough of it what with working full time and with a family still at home, time just disappears but how do you photograph that?  

Today I've just spent my day off helping my Dad clear his loft out, most has not been touched for at least 15 years, added to but not removed, a lot of time in that.  Things stuck in a time warp, photos, clothes, dolls houses, Christmas decorations, many empty cardboard boxes but no, not really a photographic subject as I was busy looking for mice (as Dad happily told me he has removed between 30 and 40 in the past couple of years) and trying to avoid falling down the loft hatch.

Then a brainwave struck.

During the week I passed a place called Barcombe Mills on my way home from work.  A small hamlet which the River Ouse flows through, last week I used a photo of the sluice gates for thirds, apologies for using it again but all will be revealed..........

My time is the difference a year makes ,

as the first of each pair of photos used was taken 355 days ago, the second photos this week.  All the pairs of photos were taken of the same spots and a similar angle.

The river as you can see is swollen as it cuts through the farmland.

           

The difference here is noticeable, what was a small water course has turned into a sizable torrent.        

The ducks were nowhere to be seen, hardly surprising!  The speed of the water was unbelievable and the noise was deafening.

And lastly one of the small exit streams originally has been engulfed and turned into a fast flowing river.    

Last year was a standard year for my part of the UK weather-wise,

a cold winter, a warm spring with sunshine and showers and a hosepipe ban come summer.

This year a not too cold winter with a bit of snow, wind and rain.  A warm spring to start and then the rain, more rain and even a bit more rain for good measure.  The wettest April for many a year as the River Ouse shows. 

Ironically the water companies have cried drought and imposed the hosepipe ban earlier than last year, the 6th of April to be exact!!!!!!!

This is a   My Town Friday Shoot Out  post

Rule of Thirds

Rule of Thirds

 

Ruins of Corfe Castle in the background, some lovely cows in the foreground, the ruins just happened to be there.

Barcombe Mills sluice gates which help prevent the River Ouse from flooding local farms and houses, although it doesn't always have an effect and it all floods anyway.

Old Heathfield churchyard dating back to the 12th Century, Robert Hunt was a vicar here before sailing to America in the early 17th Century. 

Well, there are three, so it's got to be thirds....... hasn't it?????

This is a http://mytownshootout.blogspot.co.uk/ post

Neglected

A piece of old farm machinery, long forgotten,

or

perhaps it's a piece of modern art.

Which do you think?

Found down a small lane whilst on holiday in Guernsey, this was the part we could see, the rest was overgrown!  It wasn't 'till afterwards we discovered it was inhabited.



This is a Friday My Town Shoot Out post