As promised, a colour photograph.
I was working in Sweden this week. I didn't get time for much in the way of photography and the photos I got, like this one, were taken on breaks.
As you can see, the sun was pretty low in the sky and casting a rather nice light on the bushes, I thought. At this time of year the sun is never high in the sky in Sweden. This photo was taken at 14:24. An hour later, it was dark.
Funny place, Sweden. I experienced the shortest plane journey of my life, from Copenhagen to Jonkoping (about 30 minutes). The steward only had time to hand out drinks before the captain announced we were descending. By the time the empty cups had been collected, we were on final approach. At the airport, nobody checked my passport... in fact, there were no visible officials of any kind. My bag was first on the conveyor belt, which has never happened before, and I was sitting in a taxi on my way to my temporary home before I'd even worked out how to pronounce Jonkoping (try Yencherping??).
My return journey was equally effortless and the stay, in between times, was both enjoyable and interesting. Perhaps I should consider emigrating? On second thoughts, seeing that I've already done that, I'll stay where I am.
Saturday, December 03, 2005
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Loss
This seems to be becoming a collection of my black and white photos and that really wasn't intended. I'll try to find something colourful that's worth posting soon.
This angel struck me as a very moving image. Standing alone among a plethora of rather ordinary grave stones, she drove home the point for me, at the time, that each of these memorials represents absolutely tragic loss for the family left behind. So much so, that even the angels cry.
This angel struck me as a very moving image. Standing alone among a plethora of rather ordinary grave stones, she drove home the point for me, at the time, that each of these memorials represents absolutely tragic loss for the family left behind. So much so, that even the angels cry.
Sunday, November 06, 2005
All Saints' Day
On All Saints'Day (November 1st) there is a tradition, in Poland, which I find quite beautiful. Many of the local people dislike it, some even hate it, as it reminds them of the loss of a loved one. Simply put, the people of Poland visit the graves of their deceased friends and family. By tradition, while visiting, they will leave flowers and candles at the grave. The effect is very moving. To see hundreds of thousands of people around you, all sharing in the same moment and in similar feelings is something that can't be adequately described in words. It has to be experienced to be understood.
As I have no family of my own in Poland, I go with my wife to visit the graves of her family members and then I make a regular trip to the Old Garrison Cemetary in Poznan. There I visit the British Commonwealth section to pay my respects to my fallen countrymen, and then I move on to the Polish section, to pay my respects there as well.
As I have no family of my own in Poland, I go with my wife to visit the graves of her family members and then I make a regular trip to the Old Garrison Cemetary in Poznan. There I visit the British Commonwealth section to pay my respects to my fallen countrymen, and then I move on to the Polish section, to pay my respects there as well.
Monday, October 31, 2005
Time for...
Time. There's never enough of it. Why the hell do we insist on measuring it? Is this some form of self-torture? Do we need to know that the deadlines our bosses set us are going to arrive far sooner than we would have imagined possible?
Yes!
Why? Well, because devices for measuring time, such as clocks, watches, chronographs and what-not, are intrinsically beautiful. I'm time-piece obsessed, or challenged as the case may be. The pictured example, a brushed-steel, Swiss-made Roamer was a present from my wife a few years ago and keeps near perfect time (for a gadget with gears in it) and gains less than a second during the course of a year. Astonishing.
Yes!
Why? Well, because devices for measuring time, such as clocks, watches, chronographs and what-not, are intrinsically beautiful. I'm time-piece obsessed, or challenged as the case may be. The pictured example, a brushed-steel, Swiss-made Roamer was a present from my wife a few years ago and keeps near perfect time (for a gadget with gears in it) and gains less than a second during the course of a year. Astonishing.
Friday, October 21, 2005
Dragonfly
So... here I was, walking through the zoo in Poznan, minding my own business, when I spotted this little beasty having a (probably) well earned rest. I've always been jealous of those nice pics people post of such critters, and, as a result, I whipped out my camera and snapped as quickly as I could. As it turned out, the shot was rubbish. I tried again, and again, and again.
As it turned out I didn't have to rush cos this particular specimen was much too tired to be going anywhere.
My wife suggested trying to get a film of it in flight... only it didn't want to fly and showed no signs of going anywhere. Prodding it with a stick only made it hop into the air for a second or two before landing exactly where it had been. Doing this several times produced the same effect. What we produced, therefore, was not a nature documentary type film, as we'd hoped, but rather more like "Learn to torture insects" by Sz!
Anyhoo..... The title of this image was originally "Damselfly". It seems there's some confusion regarding these beasts. My original choice of title was based on information I read at Blackbrook Farm Zoological Park (which is in Stafforshire, England). The sign there said that what most folks believe to be dragonflies are, in fact, damselflies. Furthermore, they're so difficult to tell apart that mostly only entomologists know how to do it. Well, ok I thought, I've been wrong all these years and I'll start calling them damselflies. Fine. I posted the image along with many of my others at flickr and, straight away, two folks told me it's a dragonfly. I can live with that. Futher research shows that damselflies are skinny little things - based on the photos I've found they're ugly, thin, black bodied thingies - that sit with their wings held together above the body. Dragonflies, by contrast, are the pretty colourful chappies who lounge around the place with their wings laid out flat ... as was the case with this individual. Soooo... now we know.
As it turned out I didn't have to rush cos this particular specimen was much too tired to be going anywhere.
My wife suggested trying to get a film of it in flight... only it didn't want to fly and showed no signs of going anywhere. Prodding it with a stick only made it hop into the air for a second or two before landing exactly where it had been. Doing this several times produced the same effect. What we produced, therefore, was not a nature documentary type film, as we'd hoped, but rather more like "Learn to torture insects" by Sz!
Anyhoo..... The title of this image was originally "Damselfly". It seems there's some confusion regarding these beasts. My original choice of title was based on information I read at Blackbrook Farm Zoological Park (which is in Stafforshire, England). The sign there said that what most folks believe to be dragonflies are, in fact, damselflies. Furthermore, they're so difficult to tell apart that mostly only entomologists know how to do it. Well, ok I thought, I've been wrong all these years and I'll start calling them damselflies. Fine. I posted the image along with many of my others at flickr and, straight away, two folks told me it's a dragonfly. I can live with that. Futher research shows that damselflies are skinny little things - based on the photos I've found they're ugly, thin, black bodied thingies - that sit with their wings held together above the body. Dragonflies, by contrast, are the pretty colourful chappies who lounge around the place with their wings laid out flat ... as was the case with this individual. Soooo... now we know.
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
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