Stonehenge

Strawberries and Cream

With all these cold nights and thoughts of winter hot pots, stews and soup to keep us warm.  I thought it was a good idea to think about the summer.  People generally are an optimistic bunch which is one of our survival traits that enable us to cope under duress.  So I thought something cool and sweet for a hot summers day.  What better than a plate of strawberries and cream in the old Swiss market town of Gruyere.  Do enjoy. All photos taken last year.

More Vintage Hong Kong

This was taken quite near my work place in Kowloon when the old Hong Kong airport Kai Tak was in operation.  Although this image has been reproduced many times over it is still worthy of consideration as an excellent capture and wonderful example of the power of the camera.
It is a contribution from a fellow image collector so thank you Phil for the photo.

JR french photographer and graffiti artist

Hong Kong's Round Corner Buildings

These buildings have fascinated me and many photographers and tourists alike.  They appear on corners in the older areas and probably date from the late 1950's to the mid 1960's.  There appears to be no real reason for building them this way other than an aesthetic concern.  Once I am sure really attractive they now have a run down quality about them which in itself carries a particular beauty, with the metal windows and small panes that wrap around the building. Often multi coloured in subtle shades they are reminiscent of an ageing wedding cake.  The beautiful subtle remind me of the work of Richard Deibenkorn and his Ocean Park Series.  One of my favourite painters.  I took these photographs on a search for the more wild and forgotten side of Kowloon.

Housesteads, Hadrian's Wall and Robin Hood

Steel Rigg is one of the most photogenic areas of the British landscape.  The dramatic sky and rolling hills form the back drop for Hadrian's Wall and home of Housesteads one of the largest Roman remains and significant Roman fort on the Wall.  My interest to visit this location, however, was to visit the tree made famous in the film Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves.  The tree is a beautiful Sycamore and of course in true British use of language it sits in what is known as Sycamore Gap on the Steel Rigg crags.

Roman Blockwork

Looking South into England 

Housesteads is the best-known fort on Hadrian's Wall, and is one of the most iconic sites of the Roman Empire. Perched high on its ridge, the remains convey the spirit of the past as well as the beauty of the present. Along with Chesters, it was one of the permanent forts added to the Wall around AD 124, as part of a second plan for the new frontier. Known to the Romans as 'Vercovicium', 'the place of effective fighters', Housesteads was garrisoned by around 1,000 infantry (generally Tungrians from what is now Belgium), later reinforced by Germanic cavalry.

Vintage Hong Kong

Looking West on Hong Kong Island at the sampans in Victoria harbour circa 1880.  You can see the clock towers in the background and a close up of them in the above photograph.  Interesting to note that the docks come right down to the sea level and boats would have been moored alongside the harbour.  It then being a very short walk to the storage warehouse and markets.  If you have more information on these photographs please let me know.