[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 17 February 2024].
never a dull moment
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 27 November 2023].
crucifixion
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 7 April 2023].
On a rainy day in late September 2021, I was returning from a few days away in West Sussex with my friend and fellow photographer, Phil.
That day, I was scheduled to return to finish my first cat-sitting with the kittehs I'm currently sitting.
Shiloh is nestled in my lap as I type this, despite my semi-regularly lifting her off my lap to go to the fridge or the bathroom during the past few hours of photo editing. When I do that, she gives me a Marge Simpson-like sound of disapproval.
I had an off-peak return ticket to London from Chichester, which meant I could take any train on any permitted route to get back to London within a month of the original booking.
Arundel was on the route back, so we drove there and wandered through the drizzle. Visiting a bookstore. Visiting Arundel Cathedral and the nearby St Nicholas' Church and its churchyard. And having food in a local cafe before Phil dropped me at the station for the next train.
Coincidentally, the train I had planned to be on was cancelled. But I digress.
In the churchyard of St Nicholas' Church, we experienced drizzle, rain, the beautiful after-rain sunlight and the saturated hues post-rain brings to stonemasonry, plant life and... well, everything.
In the churchyard, we also found this elaborate crucifixion scene.
At the time, I presumed it was a monument for someone with a lot of money. Perhaps with a name in the local community.
But, in retrospect, I presume it was installed by the church. Though I can't find anything online to confirm or deny that.
Since I took these photos, I've been keen to share them, but I knew I had to share them as a series, not as individual photographs. And, obviously, Easter is a timely point to share them.
I didn't capture a long shot showing all the participants in this act of mourning together. But, from the individual photographs and the photographs of Christ and the two women, I'm sure you get a sense of the scene.
I presume (with my limited atheist knowledge) the two women closest to Christ are his mother, Mary, and Mary Magdalene. A quick Google search tells me the man is unlikely to have been Christ's father, Joseph.
Earlier today, I tried calibrating the monitor I'm working on, but I'm unsure how successful I've been. Hopefully, successful enough that I don't have to redo the edits on these photographs over the coming days.
Happy Easter to those who celebrate it.
two heads are better than one
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 20 December 2022].
striped treasures
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 16 August 2022].
More Gazania from the St Kilda Cemetery.
the lighthouse keeper’s son
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 5 June 2022].
Nearby the lighthouse at Table Cape in Tasmania lies the small grave of the infant son of the first Table Cape lighthouse keeper.
Bertram Jackson passed away a little over two weeks after the lighthouse opened in 1888.
The lighthouse keepers left Table Cape sometime after 1920 when the lighthouse operation became automated. However, his little body remains.
rievaulx
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 18 March 2022].
Rievaulx is a lovely little spot in the North York Moors.
Visiting there in 2012 (when these photos were taken) inspired me to encourage my parents to visit there during their visit in 2017.
Unfortunately, on that visit, we had sleet and rain instead of smatterings of snow.
It was a lovely spot to visit on Valentine's Day.
the only way is up
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 30 January 2022].
049 ring
Day forty-nine of The 100 Day Project for 2021.
I think I thought this would be easier to draw.
But for some reason, my eyes and my hand couldn't coordinate to really make it work. And, to be honest, my heart wasn't in it to make it work any better than this today.
I think that's part of why I've always struggled to draw.
I can visualise myself drawing effortlessly, skillfully. I can imagine my hand and fingers guiding the pencil to make the lines just so. But the communication between my hand and eyes is never as strong as I think it is when I imagine drawing something.
There was a second or two when I almost tore out the page, put my visual diary away and crawled back into bed.
But I'm a completist, so I determinedly fought the urge. I focussed on the photo on my phone I'd taken earlier in the afternoon when I'd felt more positively. And I finished it. But I think my internal struggle shows in the finished product.
What started as a better day - a day of rest, self-care and a much-needed pep talk full of positive distractions from a friend - unravelled when gently poked later in the afternoon.
I'm still feeling raw and vulnerable, and I don't know when that feeling will stop. I wish it would stop.
I sketched with a 4H, then shaded and drew over the outline with an HB pencil.
ivy and stone
now playing: jeff buckley - grace