Friday 31 January 2020

A Country Churchyard


A wander around a graveyard on a gloomy day. You could be forgiven for assuming that I'm in a low mood at the moment, but you'd be wrong. Photography doesn't work like that. Whereas painters project their thoughts on to the canvas and manipulate the light, colour and composition to express their feelings, photographers have to be sensitive to their environment and make pictures from what is there. So here is my response to the melancholy that seemed to pervade this morning's damp, chilly air.






















Now lets find some music for what's left of Friday.....

The Music Maker Relief Foundation is a US charity which helps ageing and impoverished musicians, finding them gigs, grants and sometimes recording them too. There's a whole batch of videos on YouTube but this is one of my favourites. Here is the laid back Captain Luke accompanied on upside-down left-handed guitar by Cool John Ferguson....



As the good Captain says "YeeeeeaaaaAAH!...…......…...that's it"


Take care.

23 comments:

  1. Thank you so much for this damp and lovely wander though the graveyard. A peaceful and a beautiful spot to spend eternity - or even just a morning.

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  2. Oh, that angel on the cross! I have never seen a gravestone like that. And flowers, already? We're mired in mud and grayness, no sunshine for days. And certainly no flowers.

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  3. I always get a thrill out of seeing the first early Spring flowers whatever the weather, and what could be better on a gloomy day than an angel covered in golden lichen.

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  4. When I visited Britain in the past, in spring or summer, country churchyards were the most reliable places to find Spotted Flycatchers, and always seemed to deliver. In addition they were wonderful peaceful havens to visit. Now, Spotted flycatchers are really hard to find, but the churchyards stay the same I suppose.

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    1. Yes, I'm sure there are less Spotted Flycatchers than there used to be. They are difficult birds to find since many live in large gardens where, unless the homeowner is a birdwatcher, they often go undetected. There were often a pair in the garden of the school where I worked, but very few people knew they were there.

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  5. The angel tombstone is particularly captivating.

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  6. Love the music. I wish we had a few of those blooms around now.

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  7. I love these photos. They make me want to walk through the cemetery here on one of our many cool, damp days. The music you chose is quite beautiful. Captain Luke's voice is so deep and rich.

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  8. I always love your photos of Churches and burial grounds. This are lovely, especially with the delightful tender blooms springing from the ground. I didn't know about Music Maker Relief Foundation. What a fabulous idea. I'm going to pop on over to their website right now. And thank you for the sweet music, like Robin says, such a rich voice.

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  9. Still can't believe those snowdrops!

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  10. What is it about graveyards?! Your photography is as excellent as ever, John; and the sounds possibly even more laid back than JJ Cale.

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  11. And what a wonderful response it is John. Beautifully captured mood of the day, not your mood, the damp chilly weather 😊

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  12. The weathered stones always impress me. I also love the composition in your first photo.

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  13. Life continues in the graveyard...wonderful snowdrops...and are the yellows buttercups? I probably am wrong. But there's also the fungus growing on many of the stones Sweet song.

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    1. The yellow flowers are Winter Aconites, Barbara. Like the snowdrops they seem to be earlier than usual.

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  14. Crumbs John - what a voice Captain Luke has ... delightful to listen to. Your trips around the countryside are always good ... love them all: lichen, graveyards, snowdrops, aconites, the fallen branches and twigs nurturing life hiding from the wintery weather - as you say - not so wintry. Cheers and thanks - Hilary

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  15. That looks a great church to walk around an dthe churchyard. I have been useing my iPhone to take photos as well as my DSLR, I'm very impressed with the results

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  16. What a voice...like liquid gold. You found a lot of beauty in these shots...

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  17. Celandine and snowdrops - wonderful. Love wandering around old graveyards. Nice music as well.

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  18. How beautiful. The snowdrops and winter aconites look wonderful against the grey stone. There is something special about snowdrops in churchyards, it seems such a fitting place for them:)

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  19. Lovely to see flowers blooming to cheer us through the dull weather.

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  20. So many lovely things to see :)

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