Tuesday 16 July 2013

Devon photographer



Brindle, photographed by Sam Baker
www.sambakerphotography.co.uk

You may remember a post of mine about the life and death of Brindle, one of our dogs. At the end of this I included a photograph of Brindle taken (in about 1997) by Sam Baker, a friend who was just out of art college. Sam is now a professional photographer, specialising in 'photographs with personality'.

She still lives in Devon and still does animal portraits. In addition she now photographs events - including sports, parties and artistic performance.

She has a new website www.sambakerphotography.co.uk . Do check her out.

Tuesday 9 July 2013

Holiday snaps

We went to a Greek island but you'll have to work out for yourself which one as we don't want everybody going there.

I remember when I first saw the Mediterranean - in my teens. I just couldn't believe its colour. I still can't.


It is actually a long long way down to the sea from here and the cliff on the right is a geological fault line. An earthquake in (I think) 2007 sent tons of rock down to the sea to form a new beach. On the left you can just see a swimming pool. This belongs to a new complex of villas. Would you want to stay in a villa on a geological fault line in an earthquake zone? No, neither would I. A path winds round the cliff face. Needless to say, we didn't take it. I had to sit down after taking this picture, I felt so dizzy.



Most of the island is covered with trees, either woods



or olive groves




often terraced.





Ancient footpaths traverse the island




and where there are steps these are shallow so that donkeys can use them (not that anyone on the island uses donkeys any more).

These footpaths have been mapped by an Englishman (www.iankbleasdale.co.uk ) over 15 years and 26 visits but sadly many of them are now becoming overgrown or blocked with new villas. Frog and I took secateurs so that we could do a bit of clearing while we explored. Ian (as we call him) suggests a pruning saw as well, but we thought this was going a bit far.

While new villas spring up all over the place, old houses are left to fall into ruins.





I wonder why.

Spring is the time for wildflowers in Greece but we still saw quite a few.
Wild carrot

Wild hollyhock
Chaste tree


Fragrant clematis

And, as well as walking, we did lots of swimming (in warm transparent sea), sunbathing, eating in tavernas and lazing around on our shady terrace. But that probably doesn't make for very interesting pictures.

The skin underneath




On the second day of the holiday
I tripped on a protruding drain cover
and gashed my elbow.

For over a week since then
the wound has oozed
blood and pus.

(That’s what wounds do, says Frog.
Stop worrying about it.
Why did it happen? I wail.
What is its metaphysical significance?)

But today it started to dry
and bits of scab
are cracking off.

(That’s what scabs do, says Frog.
You don’t have to pick at them.)

The skin underneath is tender.

(New skin is like that.
I remember now.)

In five days’ time
I will have to go home.

The skin
underneath
is tender.