Gloves and Mittens Gone AWOL -No 18

Old quay

Here's a nice place to wait for a ferry, even if it takes an hour or two to arrive. There's a bench (orf sorts) to sit on, the scent of overhanging trees and dazzling blue water to behold. The building on the other side is an old Venetian fort, but this side has an even older historical footprint –a whole ancient city going back to long before Roman times. It is likely that in times past its inhabitants would have waited to cross the water here too. I like the sense of tranquility and also the expectation that a quay always holds. It suggests both departure and arrival, depending on your direction, and I liked th way it was framed by the trees. A peaceful picture of a peaceful moment in time.

Location: Butrint, Albania

Waiting for a Train...

Like everyone else, I'm longing for things to return to normal in these strange, unprecedented times. I long to get out and about travelling again, socialising, visiting interesting places and discovering the odd and wonderful and taking photographs. I've taken all sorts of pictures right through this pandemic, more close to home, but I've been very lax in posting any here. So I thought it was about time I offered at least one picture, if only to demonstrate that I am still alive and kicking... unlike (perhaps) these boots –which moonlight as novel flowerpots next to a stretch of the mid-Norfolk Railway. Standing as if in anticipation of an arriving train (you can almost see one of the toes tapping impatiently) they at least put a smile on my face when I spotted them last year.

Location: Wymondham, England

Blue Reflection

I like buildings that are not afraid to be bold with colour. Just because the material is conventional and the form functional, there is no need for greyness –which is sadly the default "colour" of so many modern structures. This particular building is a sports hall, and its setting by a large pond gives its colour the opportunity to reflect marvellously in the water, creating an exciting, vibrant, even slightly unreal look to what could so easily be a humdrum setting. The blue of the building and sky is nicely complimented by the green grass and water plants, and only a tiny splash of red (the sign) breaks the two-colour scheme. Just coming across something like this made me feel good; for all I know, that was its function. It certainly makes for a rather nice photograph, which is why I'm posting it here!

Location: Oslo, Norway

Brick Buildings

The late afternoon sun strikes warm rays against these fabulous brick facades in Lübeck. Unlike the facades of many other buildings in Germany these do not seem at all intimidating, even though they loom high over the lowly pedestrian. As well as the fabulous colour I like the way the picture is divided into a man-made part (the buildings) and a natural part (the sky). Also, the warmth of a particular moment in time seems to have been captured well here.

Location: Lübeck, Germany

Cairn and Snow

I know it's summer and our thoughts may well be focused on sunshine and beaches and warm waves. Mine often turn to the mountains though; an unexpected adventure at any time of the year. Here's a cairn somewhere on a trail in the mountain area of my beloved Valdres. The red "T" is not some indiscriminate tag or unfinished line of graffiti but the marker of the Norwegian Tourist Association, to show you're on the right trail –always something of a relief to see when you're out walking. And cairns have always fascinated me. I find myself wondering who on earth placed the first big stones, when, and how. I always add one of my own, but much more modest in size as walking is quite enough exercise thank you without risking getting a hernia from heavy lifting! The snow is an optional feature of any trip to the mountains; a mere sprinkling like this is more quaint than vexing.

Location: Valdres, Norway

Quayside Sunset

The long, long hot summer seems to be drawing to a close, and though there are no doubt many warm days and evenings still ahead before autumn and winter sets in, the harsh and scorching heat of a couple of weeks ago have mostly abated. For many, the cooler days are very welcome, as is the rain that has started to pour over Oslo more regularly again –like in a "normal" summer. But no one can take away the beauty and mellow peacefulness of late-summer evenings and the sun dipping down beyond the fjord. This is one of my favourite places in Oslo to go for walks and bike rides –along the long quayside that sticks out into the bay and then circles around the castle on the other side, creating one continuous path. Here, a cruise ship is just about to depart in the distance having spent the day in Oslo. Usually along here you'll find dozens of people with fishing rods; some of them may be obscured by the shadows. Otherwise, it's usually a peaceful place -close to the city yet away from its noise and bustle. I took this picture as a snapshot while out biking, so though it's not perfect, I felt it captured very much the mood of a moment; a summer evening moment!

Location: Oslo, Norway

Summer

This summer seems to go on and on like those summers of childhood that stretched into infinity. The heat has taken its toll, but as I write there is finally a little rain –which is more than refreshing. In the countryside much of what is usually green at this time of the year is pale and yellow, the vegetation dried out by weeks of sun. However, in the lakes and ponds that are dotted around in the forests surrounding Oslo, there is verdant life. These water plants seem impossibly green, almost as if they have been artificially fabricated. Against the dark blue of the water they form an attractive pattern and may be welcome rafts for insects in need of a rest. The water is probably delightful to bathe in, though on this occasion I was happy just to photograph.

Location: Oslo, Norway

Summer Idyll

Summer time in the countryside; is there anything nicer? the bees are buzzing, flowers are blooming, the sky is blue and the cows are ...mooing? Well, maybe not the latter; they seem to be doing what they do best –chewing and staring. They're up here for the summer to graze so for them too it's a kind of holiday, even though they are milked daily. Here I was eager to "frame" the cows between the gate posts and capture a little bit of everything that makes me love the Norwegian countryside in summer –the colours, the trees, the clouds. I wish I could have captured the sound too (almost, but not quite, silence) and the many smells, but these you will have to imagine. Perhaps the picture at least helps evoke a feeling –of peace, summer and idyllic days in the country.

Location: Valdres, Norway

Samosian Sunrise

Everyone loves a good sunset and there are thousands or probably millions of photographs that have captured them in some way –I've taken a few hundred myself. But sunrises are a little different, a little rarer. This is because whilst everyone is up and around to enjoy the sight of the sun going down, relatively few are up early enough to see it rise –except at certain times of year up here in the north when it doesn't seem to rise until the afternoon, if at all. But sunrises have a double beauty to them. There is the uplifting sight of unfolding light illuminating and warming the shadows of the night, and then there is the tranquility of the atmosphere –the lack of people, noise, activity. Somehow this makes it easier to really appreciate a good sunrise than a good sunset; and its glory is a sort of special prize give to you for getting up so early. I can no longer remember why I was up so early in this particular instance, but there may have been no reason at all –other than just being out and about before the world has woken up. The picture is from the Greek island of Samos and the sun has just risen above the hills behind the trees. The trees block off much of the light but the sun, even at this early hour, is too strong and pushes its golden rays through the branches and onto the clean cobblestones by the harbour, creating a yellow-brick road that has a magical quality to it. Ten minutes later, five minutes, the scene had changed, so I was happy to have captured this moment of gleaming splendour before the hot Greek sun washed everything into harsh whiteness.

Location: Pythagoreio -Samos, Greece

Boats For Hire

The harsh sun has dipped towards the sea but sends its last rays of warm gold across the water to reflect against the equally gold hulls of these boats, berthed close to a beach on the northern coast of Corfu. Fishing boats are berthed behind them, and out on the water a single little ferry is heading out into the sunset. These boats would have been busy taking tourists along the coastline earlier in the day but now they can rest gently until tomorrow. I like the calm of the picture; though there is a lack of people there is no sense of isolation. Also the picture has a nice temperature about it; the lingering warmth of a hot day giving way to a milder but sweetly tempting Greek evening...

Location: Corfu, Greece

Footbridge in Nuremberg

I was watching a documentary last night about the last months of the Second World War. It partly dwelt on the city of Nuremberg which with its long Nazi past was particularly targeted and damaged as the conflict intensified. In fact, much of it was totally destroyed, flattened. Yet like numerous other cities that suffered a similar fate, it sprang up from the ashes to be reborn and to reclaim its historical heritage. When I visited the city a few years ago I was struck by how successful the reconstruction had been, and how little of the destruction and effects of war was visible. The city was not "modernised" or changed to suit new styles, but went back to its roots, recreating what was there before, without this seeming to be forced. A fine city to explore, especially on a warm summer day. Here we are by the river, looking at a quaint covered footbridge that seems to have been there for generations but is obviously -in its present regeneration– much newer than it looks. The vibrant colours of the trees and roofs and blue sky reflected in the water and the novelty of the bridge itself make this at least a mildly interesting picture; one to soak up and enjoy on an otherwise grey day in March when looking back (or forward) to hotter days is a tempting and rewarding pastime.

Location: Nuremberg, Germany

Mountain Water

Norwegian has a word that describes a body of water that can be somewhere between a lake and a pond, but either of these too! Confusingly, the word is the same as the word for water itself: vann. The English equivalent in this mountain setting would probably be a tarn, but I have always found that word rather bland and nondescript, and somehow "water" works for me –probably because I have been in Norway for so long. This particular "water" in the mountainous countryside of mid Norway is apt to grow in size –being at its largest in spring after the winter snows have melted, and –if the summer is a hot and dry one– retreating to a marshy puddle later in the year. But here it sparkles in the afternoon sun of an early July. Calm, tranquil, somehow inviting and yet also perhaps a little mysterious (in a pleasant way). I've rendered the picture in sepia to accentuate this, but also because I find the cloud formations quite agreeable this way. Beyond the "water" and trees can be seen the ridges of three separate ranges of mountains, some still with snow on them. There is no one about, and were the picture to have an accompanying soundtrack, the only sounds that would be heard would be the slight rustling of the wind in the trees and the occasional distant buzz of some insect out on a spree. I find the picture very calming.

Location: Valdres, Norway

Dom

Berlin is one of my favourite cities both to visit and to photograph. And, without quite knowing why, I have always felt the city looks best on pictures when the sky is bedecked with cloud. Perhaps it's an emotional reflection of the city's dramatic history, perhaps the relative flatness of the terrain is better served against a backdrop of ever-shifting cloud; perhaps it's to do with light. Probably it's a mixture of all three. Don't get me wrong, I love blue, clear skies (anywhere), but my photographic genes are always doubly excited or activated when I see turbulent cloud formations in the sky –and, especially in Berlin. Here, the sky is vivacious but not at all threatening –there had been drops of rain before and more were to follow, but these showers was light. Somewhere behind the clouds the sun was trying to poke through, but its bright light is gently subdued and disseminated –illuminating the facade of the Berlin Dom quite splendidly and vibrantly without harshness. The camera I was using had a bit of a lens issue which has caused the left side of the picture to be a little blurry, but I liked the rest of the picture so much that I've overlooked this deficiency. I wanted to capture the magnificence of the cathedral without it appearing too domineering or even oppressive (which can often be the result when photographing such buildings). Therefore I've taken the picture from a low angle but at some distance, capturing both the building itself but more importantly its setting in the city and against the lovely, moody Berlin sky. Location: Berlin, Germany

Boats and Ducks

Here is a little group of boats on a calm blue lake in Germany. It is a hot summer's day with a light, pleasant breeze and one would think that all these boats would be occupied and out on the water, but here they remain waiting, guarded by a pair of ducks. I liked the way the two boats at the front mirrored each other, their bows almost kissing, and the little splashes of red and yellow add a little vibrancy to all the blue, which I find quite appealing. A nice "summery" picture in other words, with no pretension of being anything else, but yet I am a little intrigued as to why there should be a barbecue out on the quay... Location: Nuremberg, Germany

Au Revoir, Tour de France, 2017

Being hooked on cycling, it is perhaps not surprising that closely following the 21 stages of the Tour de France has meant my mind this month has been full of exciting moments, gruelling mountain climbs, exhilarating sprint finishes, frenzied commentary and the whizz of bicycles flashing by. But the event is so much more than just the cycling -there's theatre, circus, history, geography, comradeship and a closeness between spectator and participant that is unlike that in any other sport. I have even had dreams about cycle races these past few weeks. Today, sadly, it is all over for 2017, but perhaps as a timely salute to France for putting on this spectacular undertaking year after year, the sun shone brightly through a couple of bottles on the white window-sill of my living room, creating the distinctive and proud Tricolore. Vive la France et Le Tour –À la prochaine!! Location: Oslo, Norway

Bench Talk

Sometimes what is missing from a picture says more than if it is included. Here, on a very hot day, two benches face each other on a vast field of grass. There are no people, but their absence is incidental –we can imagine any number of pairings or conversations that have taken place here earlier. But this is a bit like a bench stand-off –or perhaps it's a nostalgic chat, an interview, a date? The benches certainly have personality –one of them even seems to have a face (or is that just my imagination?) and there is something untypical but refreshing about their location and position. It's an image that opens up to all sorts of interpretations and somehow draws you in. Location: Hovedøya (Oslo), Norway

Street Scene

I found this little moment of an urban summer both charming and irresistible. In front of an ornate and somewhat extravagant fountain sculpture, a man is playing a guitar. His main audience is three little children standing seemingly mesmerised by his music. Other people nearby are enchanted as much by the children as the melody. I don't know which of them, if any, are their parents, but I love the span of life that is indicated by the elderly man on the side looking at them, perhaps remembering his own childhood with fondness. And who could not be captivated by these sweet children -only the ones smoking and checking their mobile telephones! (I wish I could erase them from the picture, but they are part of the moment too.) What I like above all else about the picture is the contrast of the bombastic lavishness of the statue and the simple yet epic moment of the human interactions. I'm tempted to say "All of art and all of life in one picture" but that would be stretching it a little too far. I am just glad I was able to capture such a magical little scene, even though technically the shot is not as sharp as I would have liked it to have been; sometimes (most times, perhaps) the content of an image and what it signifies is what really counts most. Location: Augsburg, Germany

Which Way?

Summer is upon us, and with it comes the prospect of myriad outdoor activities under (hopefully) blue skies. One of my own favourite things to do at this time is hiking in the forests and hills surrounding the bowl that is the city of Oslo. This beautiful area is only a short distance from the city –there's even a tram that takes you right to the start of one of the many trails– yet you can walk for miles without seeing a single person at this time of the year. Quite different to the winter season when these same forests teem with people skiing, with queues even forming at weekends! However, in the summer most people seem to prefer being at the beach or along the coast, but personally I find the forest far more agreeable: views are frequently stunning; if the temperature is hot you are cooled by the trees, and a dip in any number of lakes will equal the sea for a relaxing swim. You can be out in the wild for days on end, but there are numerous huts and cabins that can be visited, or you can pitch a tent or sleep under the stars. There's nothing like it! Fortunately all the trails are clearly marked and signposted, (red for winter and blue for summer use) and as you can see, the only problem is deciding where to go... Location: Oslo, Norway

Boat from Above

There's not really a story behind this picture –though I am sure this little boat could tell a tale or two if it were graced with the power of speech. However, I was attracted by all the little details, and the way the bright sunlight played on the murky water and the various textures seen here. I was particularly fascinated by the peeling surface of the quay, revealing a lighter paint beneath and giving the impression of a coastal map. The two brick-shaped objects a little further along are haphazardly placed but perfectly harmonious with the rest of the setting, and the colour is mirrored in that of the oars –another pair. There are also numerous circles here that contrast with each other thematically. I also find it a very calming image –you can feel the warmth of this particular day, and the water is totally tranquil. One of my favourite pictures. Location: Portsmouth, England