mediterranean summer
I took this picture some time go and I know it looks like a sunny piazza in Italy not far from the coast, but it is not, it is a copy of a Roman mosaic that I shot one rainy day in Cardiff Castle a couple of years ago. Even though a copy, in that moment, it brought feelings of brighter places and warmer breezes. So now is a good time to post this picture because today is a dreary day in Canada, and the winter has been long and the summer seems far away, but in reality summer it is just around the corner. Listen carefully as you look at the picture - perhaps you can hear the Mediterranean or some other summer ocean calling you.
memories of the earth
One of the nice things about visiting churches in the UK with my mom is the history. In this church, like many others, there is a list of vicars and rectors. As I recently listened to an audio book copy of “Pillars of the Earth” by Ken Follet, I noted that Andreas, the first rector of this church, would have been a fairly close contemporary of Prior Phillip. Perhaps this church had its own Tom and Jack Builder, its own Aliena, Richard and dreaded William Hamleigh. As I took this photo I listened incase echoes of their voices could still be heard in the soft echoes between the arches of the nave.
pop quiz: ROM rules
In a previous post I complained that my local museum (Royal Ontario Museum) has many rules that stifle visitors, while greater museums such as the British Museum, take accessibility and visitor accommodation much more seriously. Here is an example, this person enjoying the British Museum is breaking 3 rules of the Royal Ontario Museum; two that would bar him from entry ,and one rule that would have him thrown out. Can you list what they are?
sutton hoo helmet (bm)
Another shot from the British Museum. This helmet is linked to the context of the Anglo-Saxon poem, Beowulf. Listen to archaeologist Angus Wainwright and others describe the history of this object and the grave ship where it was found. This shot is the replica mask - the original was next to it but I did not get a good shot of it. Listen to the history of this object by clicking here
aztec art (BM)
This is a "double headed serpent" at the British Museum but unfortunately I only took a shot of one head. To learn about this object in the BBC series "The History of the World in 100 Objects" click here.
looking up - again
Lately when I go to meetings in Toronto I always take a shot looking up – today was no different. You will notice I was using the Nikon D3100 again. More and more I find myself using this small entry level DSLR rather than my 3x more expensive Nikon D300s. I like the size of the D3100, the colours, and aside from not being quite as good at focusing and having less functions I think that the D3100 is a close match for my D300s. I had been thinking that when the D300s replacement comes out in a year or so I was going to trade the D300s in for that. But now I am having second thoughts – rumour has it that the Nikon D5000 (another entry level DSLR) is soon to be updated with a D5100 model like the D3100 but with an articulating screen at the back. I may well trade the Nikon D300s in for that! No more big expensive DSLRs, just a small entry level one that is compact and light to carry.
photographing tara (bm)
You have seen photographs of Tara that I have posted before, but this time listen to the history in the BBC program "The History of the World in 100 Objects" by clicking here.
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