Thames at Richmond - # 140/2011

No "big deals" here, but it's time to re-visit the usual scenes and show them as they are right now on certain days in November.


This is the time of very low tides and the river is almost totally "switched off" by the closure of Teddington Weir to allow inspection and maintenance.  So the low water is both natural and also managed by modern man.


Here's the view of the Thames opposite Petersham Meadows.  The Sun is brilliant but there is that noticeable and delightful mistiness in the atmosphere that adds something to a photograph.  It's just a snap, but it sums up why the area has been loved and appreciated by poets and painters for hundreds of years. 

After the rain in London - # 137/2011

This one looks rather good in B&W but the colours are so attractive I decided to stay with colour.

We've jumped back from Richmond and Twickenham in November, and are revisiting Central London in August.  The weather is (it seems to me) a bit better now than it was then - well sort of, plus a few "Ah, well, Yes, if that's what you want to says" thrown in.

Anyway; a nice touristical snap showing from right to left, the Ministry of Defence, Old Scotland Yard (the Police HQ before they built New Scotland Yard) the new parliamentary office buildings and then of course Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament themselves. 

The wide angle lens has given it all a bit of a curve, but who cares!

Mud, mud......- # 136/2011

It's the season of very low tides again, and soon the Thames will be "switched off" by closing Teddington Lock.  The Annual Draw Down will allow inspection of banks and boats and no doubt will yield the usual haul of discarded firearms and other ammazing finds other than engineering "issues" for the city's engineering department.

Richmond Bridge - # 125/2011

.......a nice B&W of Richmond Bridge.

Your table awaits - # 121/2011

Those who live in the London area will know that we have had exceptionally warm, sunny weather for the last several days (also some abnormally cloudy and nasty weather, too). Sun in September is normal, cloud is not normal, but temperatures of 28 degrees C are highly unusual and absolutely delightful!  Delightful, too, is this little scene on a cafe-barge moored beside the bank at Richmond. Hot, sunny, and overall, very, very nice indeed.


  

Tower Bridge after the rain-storm - # 116/2011

Looking through the glass of the high-speed river bus the scene is slightly brown-tinted and shows some traces of rain and river water droplets. But this actually enhances the drama. The terrific rain storm has passed, the sky is blue, but more "weather" is building up.

Bright City - # 109/2011

Yes, it's real.  While America was suffering from the severe storm that wrecked the east coast all the way up beyond NYC, I went down to the mouth of the Thames to photograph the views around the Thames Barrier - the massive defensive system built decades ago to defend London from rising sea levels.  We need it and, it is regularly deployed, several times a year, to block the incoming waters that would under certain conditions devastate London all the way up to Richmond. 

Looking west towards London and the Barrier we were confronted with the sight of this massive rain storm appoaching fast.  The grey clouds above us were shedding a surprising amount of light that, unexpededly, illuminated the huge towers of the Canary Wharf financial area. In the left corner of the photo you can see that one of the massive grey walls of the Barrier has actually been raised, although all the other passages remained open.

The photo was taken at about 17.30 hrs.  By 18.30 London was once again rejoicing under brilliant blue, rain-washed-clean, sun-blessed skies. Amazing!

Oh dear - # 106/2011

Oh dear! The tide is out and the muddy bank presents this weird image. Who or what is under the umbrella?  Did they sink down into the mud? 

Slack water - # 104/2011

Slack water - that period when the tide is neither flowing in nor out. The water becomes calm and the lighting effect becomes special.  The setting sun begins to flood the sky with remarkable colours that change by the minute. For about 20 minutes every photo will be different. The air is still. The scene holds its breath waiting for the night.

Night fall at Richmond Lock - ~ 103/2011

It's the time of year when night photography is getting interesting again thanks to the earlier hour and the rewarding bursts of colour in the sky.  I missed the sky. Was using a fixed focus lens, but my companion, using a lens with a wider angle got a similar but far better shot which included a magnificent red sky.

Anyway, as the lights come on, the lock head watch house takes on a magical appearance.

Police on call - # 97/2011

The photo shows a London River Police boat streaking down river, blue lights and sirens wailing, past the 1980's Docklands apartments towards the distant towers of the mighty Canary Wharf finance district.


In the late '70s and early '80s the derelict docks of the old Port of London were developed into funky flats and "loft apartments" for City bankers. Rupert Murdoch busted the Printers' Union stranglehold on Fleet St. and moved to a brand new Dockland site, using modern computer technology in old dockland Wapping.  A little later the financial "Big Bang" lead to the construction of a gigantic addition to London's financial district in the Canary Wharf development, on more derelict dockland, about 3 miles away from the old City Square Mile 


The power of London as a world leading financial and news information hub was re-confirmed, and its might grew even stronger.


Move forward a few years - not so long after the flawed British politician, Gordon Brown, heralded the opening of Lehman Brothers offices in Canary Wharf the "toxic mortgages" crisis in America brought down Lehman's and triggered the current world financial crisis. Bankers were justifiably vilified, and now Rupert Murdoch's empire is under police investigation in Britain, America and Australia.  


30 years is a long, long time.
  

Richmond Bridge - # 78/2011

Looking through the arches of Richmond Bridge up-river towards Petersham Meadows.  Nothing execeptional in this scene - it's just an everyday sight for those fortunate enough to live here.

Three coloured umbrellas - # 71/2011

Lunch time colour - # 70/2011

Enlarge it.  You can actually count the little half moon bites in the sandwich.

Saturated colour - # 69/2011

We're back in Richmond.  Who says the UK doesn't "do" colour?

It's that time of year - # 46/2011

February high tides flooding the banks at Ham as usual.

Crossing over (Transition from Winter to Spring) 2 - # 37/2011

Late January in Kingston upon Thames.  It looks better in B&W.

A dog's life - # 71/10

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. 

A tricky moment? - # 70/10

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.)

The Great River Race 2010 - # 69/10

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.