Paris in Springtime

Paula’s black and white Sunday this week is delicate. Now my selected image may not conjure up fine craftsmanship or intricate textures, but I am aiming for a sense of elegance and grace with these lovely trees providing an intimate framework for the pleasures of Parisians enjoying the spring air.

le jardin de plantes b&w

Lovers sitting on a bench, a child playing, families strolling through le Jardin des Plantes, the main botanical garden in France which lies in the 5th arrondissement of Paris on the left bank of the Seine. This photo reminds me of the sort of picture we used to study at school during our French lessons in order to learn the vocabulary and practice speaking. So many details to find.

A Cornish Landscape

landscape

A view of the coastline from Rinsey Head nr Helston in Cornwall looking towards Prussia Cove and Mount’s Bay.

Future Cornish posts will be from my new Under a Cornish Sky blog where I hope you will join me in exploring my new home county.

This blog remains open for future travels and photography challenges as normal.

Monthly Photo Challenge: March Move

Not quite there yet, but light at the end of the tunnel and a visit to our new house last weekend was full of sunshine and blue skies. So nice that it seemed a shame to stay in the house and clean and plan, so we didn’t! Friday morning dawned bright and blue and we headed for the nearby Trencrom hill where you can get a view of both coasts. Mount’s Bay with the iconic St Michael’s Mount to the east and St Ives Bay with the Godrevy lighthouse to the west. And a view north along the coast as far as Padstow on a clear day.

DSCF3813
Hayle beaches and the coastline to the north

Spying a field full of daffodils in the distance made me want to go and photograph one (field that is not a single daffodil) so we clambered back down the hill and got in the car and drove to one place where I remembered seeing daffodils a couple of years ago near Rinsey Head.

A bowl of chowder for lunch in the delightful village of Porthleven was followed by a walk to the Wheal Prosper engine house. A sunny day in Cornwall and all the stress melted away…

The Cardinal is continuing his photo project throughout 2016 – a blogging event, a monthly photo challenge. Read his blog for the new rules this year (he is running two versions) and to view his interpretation and those of other participants.

 

Thursday’s Special

Paula’s (Lost in Translation) challenge this week is Tall.

Cascais

Following her idea of a lighthouse I have opted to show this  beautiful blue and white striped pepper-pot structure, which is topped by a small glass beacon.

During the 1750s, on a rocky shoulder overhanging the sea, a small fort was erected that was part of the maritime defence of Cascais until the 19th century. In 1762 it was modernized, and began its function as a lighthouse in 1868 after losing its military value.

In the lighthouse museum are gathered representative pieces that illustrate its activity whilst it was a lighthouse, featuring a series of optical devices from the 19th and 20th centuries as well as an audiovisual centre where a multilingual documentary about the lighthouses of Portugal is exhibited.

You really need to wear good sunglasses when visiting this site – the white glossy tiles of the exhibition centre and auditorium throw off a blinding light in the sunlight which quite hurts the eyes! The tiles are laid slightly unevenly so the apparently plain surfaces catch the light and have a subtle iridescent quality.

I have been promising to show this to my blogging friend Jo for a very long time! I hope she enjoys it 🙂