GODS GIFT

JO

Olympus OM4

SUSPICION

SOMERSET CARNIVAL FLOAT DESIGN...1970s

Not used....Would have frightened the kids.

Five in the morning Wales

35mm Olympus OM4

DANCING WITH TEARS IN MY EYES

My big regret I was too young to go tea dancing in the 30s.How civilised was that?

MORE EARLY MORNING SUN

Wet grass against the light

From the studio

One of the garden ponds.

Camera...Olympus C~8080 Wide Zoom.

ON LEADERS

SCIENCE TODAY

A song to remember

Lil Armstrong

EARLY MORNING SUN in a Welsh garden

Bruce Grimes 1936~2009

My brother Bruce was buried yesterday in this lovely little church situated in a Welsh valley close to where he lived,

Nature was kind to us and produced some soft autumnal sunshine during the service.

The above beautiful poem was read out by Jessica Elder his daughter,a poem written by his wife Anne. We will miss him.

PORTRAITS through the ages

Music by Wim Mertens

Story time

Charlie and Yvo

OK for the Turner prize?

Nothing new in art.... Librarian by Giuseppe Aroimboldo 1527~1593

A REAL RADIO it even lights up.

German made Blaupunkt "Barcelona" Bought late 1950s. for 62 guineas which was a fair amount of money in those days but I bought it with some winnings so didnt feel too guilty in spite of being broke.it was a so called stereo radio with three speakers, a rotating ferite internal arial,magic eye and the latest thing, FM. three wavebands but medium wave was the one we listened too,much better in those days for some reason,I could get all the continental stations,this is where the rotating arial and magic eye was useful for fine tuning. and also Long wave for Radio Luxemburg for the latest hits, The BBC was very stuffy then mainly brass bands and cinema organs with maybe some light dance music in the evenings. There was no local radio,just "Home Service"(posh) and "The Light Programme"for the more common people But on the new FM band you could also hear Londons police cars!
This radio also acted as an amplifier hooked up to a record player for our parties in Lansdowne Road played full volume and still survived (slightly wine stained)
Anyway it still works with just a few valves(tubes) replaced, gets polished every week and listened too on special occasions even though turning it on is a bit of a fire risk..

Hanging on

Taken this morning,my Fever Few....Came out in the spring,this bunch decided to stay on.The rest has long gone.Wonder what they're on?...anyway,bless.

Early morning over the Strood

This was a familiar sight when we lived on the Essex marshes. Sometimes people walking on the causeway or the seawalls would appear to be cut off at the knees and floating along.That caused a lot of ghost stories.
from the Strood Cam here And http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=37936 for what it was like in the forties when we were there.

Amazing Feats

Robert Stickney junior who according to this poster appears to be able to change sex in mid air,at this moment he is halfway through his to her, act.

ROSE MURPHY

Rose Murphy was all the rage in the 1950s and all good parties had her belting in the background. No mean piano player was she.

FASHIONS

Not too sure about the fifth one from the left,think he snuck in.

Bruce Grimes. 1936~2009

Away

I have lost a dear brother and will be away from here for a while.

Near the sea

Oil on wood 1980s sometime

Another from the family photo box.

My lovely Auntie May. Unfortunately she isn't in my memory bank but I am told she delivered sports cars which is good enough for me. I believe this one is an MG.

From the family photos box

Our family motor in the mid 30s,a Bentley Sports saloon.On joyous outings Papa being of small stature would be in the driving seat with a cushion underneath him so that he was able to see over the bonnet,Mama would sit beside him clutching her smelling salts and in the rear compartment half a dozen children,the seventh not yet born.
On the then quiet open roads the older boys would be allowed to stand on the running boards and surf the wind,the younger ones to stand on the seats and poke our heads out of the sun roof.
We also discovered that in the back we could lift the floorboards and watch the road go by underneath, drop things down there and and see the prop shaft whizzing round at high speed.(dont think my Papa knew this)
If you enlarge the photo and look at front wheels you will notice the difference between the two tyres. This didn't matter as there was no M.O.T. test in those days.
The other thing I remember the back window had a neat little curtain which was drawn at night time to stop dazzle but during the day made it very cosy.
Young people don't know what motoring is. We never asked"are we there yet?"there was so much to do in the back,

MERSEA OYSTER BEDS

latest photo sent from Mersea,the island of sail boats and oysters.

WIDE SCREENS

I hate wide screens.I don't see the point of wide screens except to get you to buy one to keep up with the crowd. Its all black bars to fill in the gaps or fat distorted stretched faces to fill the screen. Old format films are unwatchable.
Wide screens are the wrong proportions for good composition ask any artist or photographer.
Next thing is wide screen mobiles which will require very large pockets or handbags and in a year or two ....TALL SCREENS then god help us.

CIRQUE DU SOLEIL

Dont be viewing this if you've got a headache.

In my tuck box

All good swapping material for shrapnel,cigarette cards,German badges spent cartridge cases,sweets,old cricket balls bits of shot down German airplanes etc.

Funny thing.we all had vast collections of shrapnel but I never see any of it now.Dont even know where my one went. Mum,I expect."Nasty sharp stuff,get rid of it"

AUTUMN MORNING SUN

I took this in my yard this morning,very chilly out of the sun.

Olympus digital C-8080 Wide Zoom

AGE BEFORE BEAUTY

BOYS OWN

For a good read before "lights out"
and a "good read" after lights out under the blankets by the light of a dimming torch as the battery runs out.
A good tip. Getting some heat in to the battery will make it last just that little bit longer,maybe a whole chapter.

The secret valley

Somewhere in Wales but I'm not telling you where.
Olympus E~500

OCTOGIRL

BLOGGERAMA

TANGO....RECUERDO

Raoul Dufy

FLYFATIBUS

ISABELLARITUS

RODENTITUS

BLOGITUS

In the One and Nines

They seek him here
They seek him there
They seek him everywhere
Is he in heaven?
Is he in hell?
That damn elusive Pimpernel.

Then through the blackout and home to bed.

Babes in boats

Came across this brilliant picture(postcard?) in Alan Burnetts blog News from nowhere. All about his collecting mania. I bet he hasnt got as many 78s as I have!

PS Did they have photoshop in Edwardian times?

IS THIS YOUR GRANNY?

Found in the backing of an old picture frame. Looks a trifle like one of the school teachers that used to terrorise me in my first school.

OK Granny,I know its not you.

DAUNTING...Life in the fifties

SWEETER THAN SWEET

NEVER AGAIN

LET BATTLE COMENCE