Gloves and Mittens Gone AWOL -No 17

With a long-lasting cold spell having settled over Northern Europe, it is inevitable that gloves and mittens are once again taken out and used on a daily basis. Inevitably too, as in winter past, some of them will stay outside, finding their way to branches of trees, the top of posts or the spiked railings of the witer city. Here a bright but lonely mitten keeps guard –or perhaps looks out for its companion. At least the railing is kept warm!

Location: Oslo, Norway

Board Among the Rocks

Though I intensely disapprove of littering and irresponsible discarding of rubbish, some objects of waste can be surprsingly captivating -such as this unwanted piece of wooden boarding lodged among rocks on a Greek shore. Perhaps it washed up from the sea, who knows, but there must be a story behind it –the broken board with its flaking paint, at least three colours, gives the effect of a map or a piece of modern art, and somehow blends in with the naturally created patterns and colours of the rocks and the swirling water. It is an example of how the seemingly mundane can appear dramatic; how everyday objects can take on a strange beauty.

Location: Samos, Greece