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Cities at Night

New Orleans at night seen from the river

Many pictures have a hidden story. We can all see how the river softens and reflects the city lights, but this picture has a mental soundtrack for me. A wisp of smoke towards the top right brings back memories of the steam calliope playing its wavering tune of valediction to New Orleans as we paddle off up the Mississippi River on the other-worldly American Queen steamboat.

The shot below was supposed to show bats streaming out at dusk from their home under Congress Avenue Bridge in Austin, Texas. You might just make out the heads of some of the watchers peering from the top of the bridge on the left, but you’ll have to take my word that there were bats – hundreds of thousands of them – all with the invisibility cloak of my faulty technique. But no matter.

Bat vigil in Austin, Texas

While scoring nil out of a hundred thousand for the bats, by serendipity, I’ve ended up with this Gustav Klimt style view of the city and its people gathered on boats, bridge and banks to witness the little creatures emerging from their bat bridge.   Continue reading “Cities at Night”

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Red, White and Blues in The Delta

Shack Up Inn

An old song drifted into my mind when I saw this week’s photo challenge prompt:

As I sit and bathe
In a wave of nostalgia
For an age yet to come.

Pete Shelley

That thought is perhaps best left dangling like a participle, though there is an oblique connection (trust me, there always is) to these oversized branding signs. They’re part of a past that I’ll never fully understand. I don’t know what DX stands for (I cropped the D out). I can’t even date them.

I used to see adverts and film segments on British TV showing American trucks pulling into American petrol stations, or teenagers hanging out in cars, getting soda from a drive-through that looked like a petrol station. In my naivety, I used to think this was nostalgia – that these scenes were retro-styled, hankering back to a loved, lost past. I didn’t realise it’s like that now. In places.

The present looks different, depending on where you are. American trucks really are L-shaped, with bonnets (hoods) like oversized cars. Sonics exist. No need for nostalgia – if a soda float floats your boat, it’s right here, right now.

But back to the signs and their context. Their bold colours and logos were once deployed to promote things, but today they’ve retired to the country. Together with a lot of old, corrugated tin and reclaimed wood, they now reside at one of the world’s most characterful B&Bs.  Continue reading “Red, White and Blues in The Delta”

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Dahlia ‘Twyning’s After Eight’

Dahlia 'Twyning's After Eight'

Dahlia ‘Twyning’s After Eight’ is one of the most popular of the dark foliage dahlias. The flowers are large and luminous, with pale pink veins and golden yellow centres, making a beautiful contrast with the purple-black foliage.

I had always assumed that this dusky dahlia was linked to Twinings tea, despite the ‘y’, the apostrophe and the thought of tea in the evening. In my rose days, I got several calls from their marketing team, keen to forge an alliance. Now I suspect Cadbury’s After Eights may have been the inspiration.

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The View Towards Windermere From Holehird Gardens

View of the Lake District from Holehird Gardens

Every time I visit a garden, I’m on a quest. Gardeners and photographers will understand. Unlike most quests, there’s no one goal: I’m open to enjoying whatever I find. I love flowers of all kinds so my attention might be caught by a demure woodland plant, shyly lifting a few flowers above its foliage, or a cottage garden classic at the peak of perfection. I rarely miss anything at my feet.

These days, I try to remind myself to lift up my eyes and take in the overall impression of the garden too. These are the pictures that really convey the individual magic of a place. Pictures of flowers can sometimes feel a bit disembodied so it’s nice to be able to give them a beautiful context.

I hope you enjoy the hillside view from one of my favourite spots, Holehird Gardens in Windermere, Cumbria.

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Pelargonium L’élégante | Ivy leaf geranium

Ivy leaved pelargonium

This blushing geranium, technically, a pelargonium, has the good fortune to live in a traditional terracotta pot on a narrow ledge in a greenhouse at Stourhead, with several unusual varieties. I suppose that lends it some aristocratic credentials, although the aptly named P. L’élégante would be graceful even if a cutting somehow found itself transferred to the sunny windowsill of a greasy spoon caff. (Please don’t look like that – I’m not one of those who smuggle the odd plant cutting, though I cannot vouch the same for all people of my acquaintance).

When the pelargonium and I were formally introduced (this was at Stourhead, remember), its pretty white flowers seemed almost inconsequential compared to the foliage: tumbling, ivy shaped leaves with creamy margins, suffused pink.

Continue reading “Pelargonium L’élégante | Ivy leaf geranium”