As usual I have no idea what this fellow is but there seem to be a lot of them around in Wanstead at the moment. I took the original picture in colour but I think it looks much more dramatic in black and white...
Friday, 31 July 2015
GUESS WHAT..
As usual I have no idea what this fellow is but there seem to be a lot of them around in Wanstead at the moment. I took the original picture in colour but I think it looks much more dramatic in black and white...
Thursday, 30 July 2015
LOVELY STUFF..
...I came across this lovely scene as I was walking along Wellesley Road the other day. The combination of the plantation shutters and the flowers just looked great, well done to whoever owns the house...
Wednesday, 29 July 2015
SHADOWS...
This is another one of those 'I don't know why', it just grabbed me as I was in the High Street the other day.
Tuesday, 28 July 2015
THE DALEKS ARE COMING!...
...at least that's what I thought, although of course this would be very, very skinny Dalek. It is of course just an upside down dustbin that someone had placed over the parking restriction sign in Nightingale Lane... hoping to fool the traffic wardens perhaps?
Monday, 27 July 2015
AN INSTALLATION..
I was invited to a private view of an installation at Wanstead library last week. It is by my friend local artist Mark Braniff, it's really interesting piece of work. It's mixed media installation entitled 'You are enough' and is on show until the the 14th of August. Apart from the work itself I was also intrigued by the reflection of visitors in the glass and the effect that had on the work...another dimension perhaps... Anyway well done Mark, these pieces are hard work and very time consuming so thank you for giving us the chance to see it.
Here's Marks own words to describe his installation and a link to his website..
'You Are Enough'
Our elders would display prize plates and those commemorating lost
memories on the mantlepiece or up high above the pelmet. Collecting
the dust of our weary bodies; they all at once recorded a life.
Our plates align to punctuate the lives of plants, commemorating their
brevity, their aesthetic systems, their return to nothingness. Like
metaphysical magicians, they conjure with our own vulnerabilities, and
are constant reminders of our own return to dust.
Loss and absence veins through our lives. We will all experience losing
people close to us, losing physiological or mental function or losing our
way at times. Our ideals, dreams and desired destinies crash around
us. Resilience sends boats to our rescue but some of us remain lost.
Those lost ones cannot remember that it is ‘enough’ if we are at peace
with our core…our kernel, and that we must sift through life’s flotsam to
save seed and gather strength....you are enough.
www.pocketofgreen.tumblr.com
'
Sunday, 26 July 2015
RAINY DAYS..
Ah, the English summer you can't beat it. I took this picture last Friday, it rained all day and it looks like it will do much the same today. Still the forecast for tomorrow is much better...when we are all back at work of course..
Friday, 24 July 2015
FLIGHTY...
I managed to get this picture during last Sundays photo walk along the river Roding. We had a bit of a butterfly hunt going on as there is a count of these lovely creatures by the BBC Springwatch programme at the moment. A decent close up of a butterfly is not easy to achieve, they flit from plant to plant generally driving photographers mad. I have loads of admiration for wildlife photographers who must have the patience of a saint. Anyway I was very pleased the way this shot worked out with three on one plant, if anybody knows the variety I'd really like to know...
Wednesday, 22 July 2015
RELAX..
....sit back and relax, this picture will take a little explaining. There are two lovely old Victorian water pumping stations fed by the river Roding near Wanstead, unfortunately they are not open to the public. However I managed to get this picture with a telephoto lens, you can just see some of the machinery inside. Unfortunately it doesn't look to me like the original working parts which in their own way were beautiful but you can't have everything. What I really like in addition to the machinery is the colour of the sky reflected in the window and the peeling glass window frame, it's a little off beat but I do like it..
Tuesday, 21 July 2015
CAUGHT MID AIR...
I had a wander to the garden at the rear of the Corner House last Saturday. Marion Temple, Wansteads guerrilla gardner has been hard at work and has done a splendid job I have to say. I was particularly struck by this lovely plant, as usual I have no idea what it is, backlit against a dark background however it really stood out. I'm not sure if that's a small bee or wasp hovering near the top left of the flower if you know drop me a line please...
Monday, 20 July 2015
TOUR DE WANSTEAD...
Not quite sure what was happening on Sunday morning, I assume a race of some sort. As we were waiting to pull away from the traffic lights on Hermon Hill we were surrounded by cyclists, as I say I don't know what the event was but it was a beautiful day for it.
Saturday, 18 July 2015
RIVER RODING..
I was just looking through some of my river Roding pictures preparing for Sundays photowalk. It occurred to me that I have never shown you this one, it's taken from the bridge between Charlie Browns roundabout and the Redbridge roundabout. Fingers crossed the weather is this fine on Sunday...
Friday, 17 July 2015
A SPLASH OF COLOUR...
Our friend Wendy D' Souza Daniels popped in to the Gallery to say hello yesterday afternoon. She had been to a local school as part of the 50 year Redbridge Memorial Celebrations. Wendy, a fine local artist, had been helping the children at the school with a mosaic mural based on a Mondrian painting. As you can see Wendy was decked out in true Mondrian style with her outfit, I thought the leggings and painted toenails well worth a picture. You can check out her work here and well done for helping out the school children...
Wednesday, 15 July 2015
SUNSET..
I'm afraid this picture almost slipped through the net. I took it a couple of weeks ago when I we had that fabulous evening sky. It's just a solitary leaf on a Christchurch Green tree as the sun goes down but it works for me...
Monday, 13 July 2015
TRUE OR FALSE...
...I took this picture as I flew over Antarctica in a hot air balloon last week, I thought the glaciers looked amazing, just like whipped cream. Or possibly it's just a close up photograph of the cream on top of my hot chocolate I had in the High Street the other day. I did think it looked like a glacier though...
ps. don't tell my dietician about the cream...
Sunday, 12 July 2015
ANOTHER QUICK LOOK...
....and these were some of the other lovely stalls and people that surrounded us at Wanstead Farmers Market last Sunday. The top picture show fabulous granola made by a local lady Joan, you can find her at Farmers Markets or on Facebook or Twitter if you want to try her great cookies, biscuits etc look for Josa Cakes and Bakes.
Terry runs Company for your Dog, it does what it says in the title plus long and short breaks and forest walks, sounds good to me. You can contact him via www.the72club.co.uk and see one of his other projects as well.
...and as so many of you liked the vintage Singer sewing machine belonging to Bobbin & Spool, I though I'd give you a nice close up, you can follow them on Twitter..
...finally here's a little close up of our own stall with our new Wanstead Daily Photo cards....we will have a nicer sign next month promise..
Saturday, 11 July 2015
TWICE AS NICE...
World © Geoff Wilkinson - All rights reserved
At last weeks Farmers market in the High Street Wanstead Daily Photo had a stall, best to declare an interest I feel, next to two delightful young ladies Dominique and Claire who live in Wanstead. They were selling fabulous tiny mouthwatering cup cakes, delightful brioche and lots more. During a quiet moment I couldn't resist taking a few photographs for the blog. Not only are they at the market they cater for events as well, I'm always pleased to find small companies producing lovely work. They go under the name of 'Pieces of Heaven', just click on the name to go to there website. I hope they have the stall next to us next month, my mouth is watering just looking at these pictures...
...and even one of our hardworking PCSO stopped by...
All pictures world © Geoff Wilkinson - All rights reserved
Friday, 10 July 2015
A SOFT DAY...
...as they say in Eire. I thought I'd go a little abstract today. There was a real downpour of rain on Wednesday, it didn't last very long but it was torrential while it lasted. In case you are wondering about the photograph...it show the rain running of a shop awning with the downpour all around. Hopefully by the time you read this the sun will be on it's way for the weekend..
Thursday, 9 July 2015
Brrrrrm, Brrrrm....
As I'm often saying, cars don't really bother me if it goes forward, backward, 'round corners and the brakes work I'm pretty happy. That said.....occasionally my head is turned, normally it's Italian and made by Maserati, However last Sunday I came across this fabulously restored convertible Triumph TR6 in bright red...I wavered for a second or two but then the moment passed....nice car anyway...
Wednesday, 8 July 2015
A BATTLE OF WILLS...
...please don't be alarmed, this is a yearly event. We have a lovely cherry tree in our front garden, about this time of year as the cherries ripen battle breaks out. It comes in the form of a race, the two sides that line up are me and my neighbour versus the entire pigeon population of Wanstead, it's a matter of who can get the most ripened cherries. Last year the pigeons won by a mile...this year as Baldrick would say "I have a cunning plan"...but really my money is still on the pigeons..
Tuesday, 7 July 2015
SEEING DOUBLE..
If you are of a certain age, I'm not quite, just for the record, you might remember Jane Morgans recording of 'The day the rain came', it reached number 1 in the UK charts in 1959. Originally it was a French song by Gilbert Becaud called "Le Jour ou la pluie viendra" with Morgan singing in English on one side and French on the other. I thought I'd put that in for the French followers of this blog and because I enjoy visiting France so much.
Anyway back to the picture, during all that heat last week we did have a torrential downpour of rain one night. This gigantic puddle appeared in Nightingale Lane almost opposite The Nightingale pub, I imagine it was due to a blocked drain, one thing about living in London the weather's rarely boring...
Monday, 6 July 2015
CREATION OR THE END...
...of the world. That's what ran through my mind when I came across this sky later on Friday evening. Earlier I had photographed on Christchurch Green, it's amazing the difference in the colour of the sky an hour or so later, you can click here to see the difference. Anyway it turned out to be neither so I continued to The Nightingale and had a beer to celebrate...
...on a different subject I am speaking tonight at the Woodford and Wanstead Photographic Society about my photography for magazines, I'm really looking forward to it..
Sunday, 5 July 2015
A LITTLE MORE DRAMA..
I spotted this tree as I walked across Christchurch Green on Friday evening, I had no idea what species it was. Fortunately there was a small plaque on the ground underneath it, its a 'Cedrus Atlantica Glauca' and the plaque of course dedicates it to a loved one. It's a really fascinating shape and silhouetted against that evening sky it looked brilliant..there a a couple more skies to come from that evening...
Saturday, 4 July 2015
BUSY SATURDAY...
World © Geoff Wilkinson -All rights reserved
World © Geoff Wilkinson - All rights reserved
I popped along to Wanstead library last night to listen to Geraldine Roberts talk about her new book 'The Angel and the Cad'. It was a very full house, around 150 people I reckon, certainly the biggest turnout for an author. It's fascinating stuff and as you probably know by now the location for the story is Wanstead House. I'm not going to give any of the story away but I will say it's a cracking read. Support a local bookshop, Newham Bookshop and buy a copy there...
...and starting today The Friends of Wanstead Parklands are curating a photography exhibition as part of 2015 Wanstead Park Festival. It's on display at The Temple in the park and runs from today until July 26th so there is no excuse to miss it. There are some great pictures on display, we printed them at the Gallery so I had the benefit of a sneak preview. The pictures are all by local photography enthusiasts and cover quite a range of subjects taken at different times of the year. I have four pictures on display, the picture I have published here is one of my favourites. Do try to visit the exhibition and while the weather is so lovely enjoy a stroll around the park, it's a fantastic spot and it's right on our doorstep..
...and one last thing, on 19th July we are having a short photo walk along the river Roding, if you fancy a stroll along the banks you can find full details on the workshops page.
Enjoy the weekend..
Friday, 3 July 2015
SHADE...
World © Geoff Wilkinson - All rights reserved
As the temperature may possibly be rising again today according to the television weather lady I though I would post another cooling down picture. This is the tunnel under the A406 road, as you can see the roof is suspended by quite a few columns, it does provide a cool haven of shade for dog walkers and joggers en route to the river Roding. So think 'shade' as the temperature creeps up today...it's all in the mind...I wish.
...and I have posted three stories in the last week on www.geoffwilkinsonphotography.co.uk. One is about the way modern cameras bodies still look good after years of use (see the link to Elliot Errwitt’s camera) and the other shows photographs from India, a couple of really nice portraits included.
I’m looking forward to my visit to www.woodfordandwansteadphotosoc.co.uk on Monday evening to show some of my work in the meantime enjoy the weekend.
Thursday, 2 July 2015
THE HOTTEST DAY...
...on record for July or so I'm told...
World © Geoff Wilkinson - All rights reserved
I thought this explosion of water was a suitable picture for today just to cool you down a little...you can see the culprit of the explosion below charging back to the bank with his ball..
World © Geoff Wilkinson - All rights reserved
..makes me want to dig out my swimming trunks, although I'm not sure the world is ready for that just yet..
I thought this explosion of water was a suitable picture for today just to cool you down a little...you can see the culprit of the explosion below charging back to the bank with his ball..
..makes me want to dig out my swimming trunks, although I'm not sure the world is ready for that just yet..