A Word a Week Challenge: Atmospheric

Every week Sue from ‘A Word in Your Ear’ dips into her English Oxford dictionary and picks a word on the page that it falls open at. The challenge is to post a photograph, poem, story – whatever the genre you like best to describe what that word means to you.

Decaying Shed
Decaying Shed

On the way home from a trip to Kent a couple of years ago we decided to go via Dungeness headland which is one of the largest expanses of shingle in the Europe, and is classified as Britain’s only desert by the Met office.

boardwalk
boardwalk

It’s an odd place, a flat landscape with a few unusual houses and abandoned boats and gardens with random items washed-up from the sea used to create some kind of weird sculpture.

boat
boat

Add to this a huge nuclear power station and a tiny steam railway with steam puffing into the air  and you get the impression that there is a very unusual atmosphere in this vast desolate landscape.

Steam
Full Steam Ahead

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Heyjude

I have lived in the UK for most of my life, but when young I definitely had wanderlust and even ended up living in South Africa for several years which was a wonderful experience. I now look forward to a long and leisurely retirement doing what I like most - gardening, photography, walking and travelling.

27 thoughts on “A Word a Week Challenge: Atmospheric”

      1. It worked, love it 🙂 Sadly, I didn’t get to my challenge posts this week as you can see but will get back to normal next week. Have a great weekend Jude xx

        1. I almost didn’t get to do anything his week! Tried updating my video driver (it has been cutting out for a while now and a new driver was available on Wednesday) and totally lost access to the screen! Took an absolute age to find out how to crack into safe mode on Windows 8 and roll back to before the installation. I was quite concerned and swear I have more grey hairs than before 😉

          (Note to self: ALWAYS create a restore point BEFORE updating drivers)

        2. Grrrrrrr…that darn modern technology again. So you have Windows 8 do you? I’m still on 7 and dreading having to get a new laptop and go to 8 as I hear it is full of problems. But then look at me, problems anyway, ha! That is a very helpful tip when updating drivers. I had to have my laptop wiped and then restored in the end because none of my drivers would install but things still aren’t perfect by any means.
          I’m sorry for all your hassle and yes, I know just what you mean about it being so time consuming, but glad you got there in the end 🙂
          Think we both better get some more hair dye, lol 😉

        3. Yes, I have the dreadful Windows 8 – no real choice when I bought the laptop last year (up until then I used a desktop, but it was becoming too slow and I can’t upgrade the memory). I don’t use the Apps though, so it looks the same desktop. Who needs all these apps anyway?

        4. Ah, that’s just what I’ve heard about Windows 8, darn…I have loads of apps on my smartphone and wonder what on earth they all are for…

    1. It’s fabulous isn’t it? I have been wanting to post a picture of the shed for a while, just waiting for the right opportunity. These photos are all from very close to Jarman’s cottage and garden, though the garden wasn’t looking too good at the time, and my photos were very poor this day. Love the flotsam in the garden! Only wish I’d taken a photo of the side of the cottage with the poem written on it. (Actually I have found one of the side view and more flotsam sculptures)

      Derek Jarman's Garden

      Rear Garden

      1. These are great, too – thanks for sharing. It’s a place I’d like to visit myself but as it is so out on a limb I haven’t had the chance. One day …

    2. Yeh, it’s not a place one passes very often! 2010 is the only time I have been there, and only because we had plenty of time to return home so went a long way round! Worth it though. So different from anywhere else in the UK.

  5. A place I used to visit regularly, when I lived in Kent in the 1970’s. The last time I went there, ( around 1986) I found the strange juxtaposition of the Nuclear Power Station against the almost alien landscape really fascinating.
    Great shots Jude.
    Regards as always, Pete. x

    1. It is an alien landscape – well described Pete. Feels very different to anywhere else in the UK. But weirdly interesting.

      Hope Beetley is warm and dry – not a bad day here, sunshine and showers. Nice to see that yellow orb again 🙂

  6. My husband used to work for our local power station and didn’t have a good word to say for Dungeoness. The spelling is deliberate 🙂
    But very atmospheric!

  8. I especially like the boardwalk image. It looks as if the walkers are about to drop off the edge of the world at the end.

    1. Haha! The shingle is washed up into a ridge so you can’t actually see the English Channel – it does look as though they will step off into oblivion from this angle 🙂

    1. Yes it does look as though those people are going to fall off the edge of the world doesn’t it? So flat and you can’t see the sea because of the shingle ridge.

  10. You done a fantastic job on ALL the photo challenges out there this week, but Britain’s only desert is my favourite and now on my list of places I’d like to see. The high key effect is particularly effective.

    1. Thanks for the lovely compliment, I’m glad you have enjoyed my responses to the challenges and the photo effects. Hope you get to Dungeness one day 🙂

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