Images of architecture and urban fragments from around the world.
The Weekly Photo Challenge is about Doors. Those of you who are regulars to my blog will know that I am quite partial to a door or two. My last post explained about the importance of having the correct colour for your front door so that everything was good in Feng Shui terms. One colour escaped me though. A yellow door. Lo and behold on a house hunting trip to Penzance I spied one across the road. And naturally had to take a photograph.
Dawn of “The Day After” runs a monthly architecture challenge as well as her windows. May is the month for Bridges.
I like photographing bridges, many of which have great architectural and historical features, and have done so several times within the topic of a photography challenge. (click on the image to enlarge)
Top right: Dinham Bridge, Ludlow;
Metal bridges: Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, USA; Jackfield Bridge, Shropshire, England; Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney, Australia; Burrard Street Bridge, Vancouver, Canada;
Bottom Left: Ironbridge, Shropshire, England
Wooden/stone bridges: Wooden Bridge, Clun, Shropshire, England; Gallox Bridge, Somerset, England; Albany Covered Bridge, New Hampshire, USA; Packhorse Bridge, Clun, Shropshire, England
Header: Rope Bridge in the Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall, England
broken shutters hide
broken promises inside
shattered by your lies
Trelissick’s colourful history stretches as far back as 1750 but it’s most distinguished owner was Leonard Cunliffe, a former director of the bank of England.
Cunliffe fell in love with this Cornish house as he sailed past it on his yacht Laranda in the early 1900s. In 1937 he passed the house down to his stepdaughter Ida and her husband Ronald Copeland. Ronald was the chairman of the Spode-Copeland firm of bone china manufacturers in Staffordshire and hence part of the potteries aristocracy. They lived at Trelissick throughout their careers donating the house and gardens to the National Trust in 1955
Trelissick has no less than four summer-houses. One in the area called Carcaddon* has two beautiful stained-glass windows.
The magnolia, “Rustic Rubera” window is for Ida Copeland and highlights her time as an MP for Stoke from 1931 to 1935 and contains an excerpt from her maiden speech to Parliament on the introduction of import duties on inferior ceramics being imported from abroad, taking away work from highly skilled people and threatening their livelihood.
The rhododendron, “Taurus” window celebrates Ronald Copeland’s passion for rhododendrons and retells a story told by Harold Holdway, chief designer at the Copeland factory in Stoke. Mr Copeland took his prized rhododendrons from Trelissick and had Harold Holdway create designs from them for a Botanical series.
*The Cornish prefix ‘Car’ or ‘Caer’ denotes a fortified place. It contains mass plantings of daffodils followed by camellias, magnolias (including magnolia Trelissick), rhododendrons, viburnum and many other shrubs. Deutzia gives an early summer show, and lace-cap hydrangeas offer colour well into autumn.
This monthly challenge is hosted by Dawn from ‘The Day After’ who invites participants to post pictures of any windows that they find curious, inviting, photogenic, or in some way tell a story. Visit her blog to see more windows and/or to join in with the challenge.
Dawn’s monthly architecture challenge features doors this month. I like doors. And in Ludlow there are a LOT of photogenic doors…
Front doors are very important in feng shui, it is through the front door – also called the mouth of Chi – that the house receives its nourishment of feng shui energy. Your choice should be based on the direction the door is facing.
East facing or South-east? Then you should look at Wood, or wood element colours such as green or brown. But as wood comes from earth and water you can look at colours from these elements as well. Green, brown, blue, black, pale yellow and earthy tones work well. But avoid purple.
West facing? Then the element is Metal. So white or grey are the most suitable though you could also use earthy shades and pale yellow. This also applies to a north-west facing door. Avoid water or fire colours.
South facing? Then the Feng shui element is Fire. So you can go for red, purple, deep orange, strong yellow or deep pink. Green and brown are also OK, but avoid blue and black.
South-west and north-east facing is Earth and therefore pale yellow, sandy or earthy colours are preferable, but as fire is an element of earth you can also choose the fire colours. Earthy/sandy colours, yellow, burgundy red, purple, deep orange, and rich pink. Avoid green, brown, white, grey, blue and black.
The feng shui element of the North direction is Water, so the best colours to choose are blue or black. Metal elements can also be used so white and grey are OK. Avoid green, brown, yellow, red, purple, orange, and deep pink.
My front door is south facing and wooden, so I guess that’s OK. Though I actually prefer a blue door so I need to look for a house with a North or East facing door.
Is your front door painted the correct feng shui colour? Do you care?
TRAVEL WORDS 