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It's late September and late afternoon but there is still light streaming from the overcast sky. The curving path across the meadow of Petersham Copse catches my eye and I'm struck by the fact that the grass alongside the path is so green. The curve of the path and the gentle coluring seemed worth a photo: nothing monumental, but it catches the flavour of the season and the area we live in.
The Great River Race last Saturday offered many amusing scenes. The kayak was not a numbered competitor, but accompanied the race with the Yorkshire Terrier nicely tucked into the basket. In the background is a modern racing version of the Pacific Island outrigger canoe.
The interaction between man and animals has always fascinated me. It seems that we all love to keep domestic pets and they love to be with us. My only complaint today is that I wish the badgers did not love to be in my garden, playing their annual seasonal game of "who can dig the biggest pit to undermine the fence posts." They dig under my fence to get into the neighbour's garden where they dig up his lawn. I'm lucky that my lawn is so poor that it lacks juicy grubs which the badgers are hunting for.
The Great River Race is finished. Collecting and marshalling more than 300 landed boats about to wash away on a rising tide is a serious job for strong men. Getting it wrong could have serious consequencies.
(BTW...I'm sorry if this appears to be digitally over-sharpened. That's an accident. I was not paying attention when I uploaded the image.)
Question: Mummy, what do 5,000 oarsmen all gathered into one tiny spot look like?
Answer: A big crowd impossible to photograph except from a helicopter.
The Great River Race took place yesterday and ended at Ham. This is a superb community event attended by enthusiastic oarsmen and women from around the world. The logistics of staging such a huge event are formidable. But one thing is certain - it's a great success and a very happy day for all.
The two previous "glimpses" were of the charateristically "soft" kind. Here's a glimpse of the German School at Petersham, close to Ham House and the river. As we wind through the trees along the secluded Douglas Footpath we catch glimpses of this excellent modern building. This was taken at 400mm telephoto length at f3.5, and I confess that I have dramatised it (but not excessively) on Lightroom to emphasise the impact of the lead cladding and the strong impression made by the cupolas in the glass roof. I suppose we could hype up the sinister imagery of the security cameras, but on the otherhand, the lead cladding attracts "enterprising traders" who must be deterred. My intention is simply to note and appreciate a glimpse of a good building within its Richmond "Arcadian" setting.
I liked the look of anticipation and the focus of these young polo players at the Ham Polo ground. That and the colourful scene.
A couple of days ago we had the "glimpse" of a boat house. Here is a glimpse of Orleans House - c1721 Orleans House link. Both "glimpses" can be seen from the riverside car park close to Ham House. One could visit Orleans House, and then cross by Hammerton's Ferry to see Ham House, and combine it with a walk along the river and a visit to a chosen Richmond cafe (all featured in RuTDP at some time over the 3 1/2 years of its existence).
Those of you who like to see such evocative photos of Richmond might like to look at Steve Morgan's work .
He specialises in beautiful images of the Park.
These harmonious 17th and 18th C buildings sit so wonderfully in their landscapes. But it's easy to forget that this loveliness took 300 yrs to create!
It's that time of year again when the high tides come and the banks are flooded. Before long someone will (as usual) park his car, not bother to read the warning sign, and return to find the car waist-high in water, or even half submered and floating away. This frequently happens to the bright spark who thinks that by parking really close to the river he can avoid the "No Parking" yellow line restrictions......an expensive way to avoid paying 50p.
One thing about the river views around Richmond is the delightful way that things with pleasing shapes peep out from behind screens of trees or around bends. This is just a little boat house, typical of several along the river here. It cheers me up to spend a few moments just looking, and appreciating.
Click it, take it to full screen size and let your eye travel over the surfaces.
Snapping a street musician in Kingston, I was surprised by the result.
Isn't this just the subject for one of those "What is she saying?" contests?
This is the last of our series of happy boating scenes. There seems to be little doubt that this outing is going well.
White water: dark glasses. A bit fuzzy (the boat was moving fast), but I was immediately attracted to the contrast between the dark glasses and the bow wave. I felt that everything came together to make a package that is "well cool" even "wicked". Doesn't the vernacular move fast!
From ladies who chat to ladies who chat and smoke. The colour version actually has a nice blue plume visible but on balance I preferred the B&W version.
From boating chaps to boating ladies all in one mighty bound! Given the fashion for proposing enforced retirement at 70 rather than 60-65, one wonders where things will all end up. As usual, the chaps are just "playing at being pilot and engineer", while the ladies just let them get on with it and focus on important things.
Yes I know it's a bit prosaic, but at last (after 8 months!) I'm feeling more able to get about and begin, once again, to play with the camera and enjoy it. I was just sitting in the car near the river and snapping little glimpses on the extreme telephoto. The sunshine is warm and brilliant. It was so pleasant seeing these two gliding past. This was taken from the car park near Ham House, beside the river.
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