Postcards – Page 71 – TRAVEL WORDS

Walking in an artist’s footsteps

Whilst in Essex and with time to spare between checking out of one place and checking in to another, we decided to visit the quintessential English Dedham Valley on the borders of Essex and Suffolk where Constable drew inspiration for some of his paintings, notably “The Hay Wain“.

“The sound of water escaping from Mill dams …, willows, old rotten banks, slimy posts and brickwork. I love such things … as long as I do paint I shall never cease to paint such places.”

~ John Constable

The scene is rural England at its most romantic and although the spot which inspired him has altered slightly you can find the easily recognisable view at Flatford. The area is charming; narrow lanes lead to hamlets and meadows and there are plenty of riverside walks along the River Stour which meanders through this enchanting valley. Dedham, East Bergholt and Flatford is affectionatley known as ‘Constable Country’ and you can see examples of his work and information about the man at the National Trust exhibition centre located at Flatford.

Continue reading Walking in an artist’s footsteps

In the dark

Ailsa over at Where’s My Backpack has given me the perfect opportunity to post a few night shots from my recent Barcelona trip. As someone who now lives in the countryside, where the only light is that from the moon, it opened up new photographic challenges.

Placa d'Espanya — Placa Espanya – light trails (No tripod, just balanced on a fence rail above the road.)

Black and White Sunday: Couples

Seen in Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter – a poster of graffiti on the shop door.

And my daughter browsing through the doorway of the Barcelona football team shop with the shopkeeper keeping watch. Both with the same body language!

Please visit Paula to see other representations of this week’s challenge.

The Witch Finder General and Malthouses

Our first stop on the recent trip up the east coast of Britain was in a little place called Mistley which is situated on the River Stour in Essex. You may have heard of Manningtree which is a little further up the river as it is the smallest town in England. Mistley’s use as a port can be traced back to the Roman occupation with archaeological evidence indicating that a Roman road connected its riverside to the important garrison town of Colchester (Camulodunum).

Both Manningtree and Mistley are attractive towns with Georgian and Victorian architecture. Manningtree was a centre for cloth in Tudor times with barges transporting it to London and it is believed that the reference to Falstaff in Shakespeare’s Henry IV as “that roasted Manningtree Ox” relates to the practice of roasting a whole ox at the town’s medieval annual fair.

Mistley is also the village where Matthew Hopkins lived – the notorious Witch Finder General, who struck terror into the local community during the 17th Century. Continue reading The Witch Finder General and Malthouses

WPC: H2O

Droplets on barbed wire

A foggy day in Scotland does not bode well for photography, well landscape photography in particular, but focus on the smaller details and even the greyed out landscape plays its part.