When Skies are Grey

 I have been working from home today, and all day long the sun has been shining and there has hardly been a single cloud in the sky. So, I was looking forward to finishing work and getting outside for a nice evening walk along the sea front. But as I turned off my work laptop I realised that the sudden gloom in my  home office is not because the nights are drawing in (we have past the summer solstice after all) but because there is a weather front coming in and the sky is now heavy with dark grey clouds.

As an antidote for that I thought I would quickly post some beautiful, bright and colourful shots of some flowers taken not so long ago in the gardens at Erddig. Hopefully these images will give your day a little lift just as they have mine.

You're welcome.

In an Orderly Fashion

 

So this follows on from yesterdays post (if you haven't seen it please take a look).

I really love the orderliness of the workshop, with all the tools neatly stored in their proper places.

I think the setting really suits black and white images, which is how they were shot. It adds to the sense of age or history. But when I edited the first image in colour I was really struck by the richness and warmth of the wood and that is possibly my favourite image for today.

I love the detail in the cabinets, the marquetry patterns are simple but beautiful, and all that just to store chisels. Marquetry is something I have done in the past (and will do more when I retire) and I know that even for a simple pattern like this it will have taken time and skill and it shows that the craftsman has taken care not just over his tools but how they are displayed.

Many years ago I had a holiday on the Norfolk Broads and I went into a photo studio in Stalham where I bought a black and white print of tools silhouetted against a window. I really liked the picture and I had that in mind when I took these images. Although that was a good image I am going to say I like mine best...

That Grinds My Gears

 I recently visited Erddig, a National Trust property in North Wales. It is a lovely old house in beautiful grounds, it has a rich history and is a place I have visited several times in the past with my family. 

On this occasion it was a bank holiday and the place was heaving, there was no space in the car park and there were so many people it really was not the quiet day out I had envisaged. It was a harsh reminder of why I normally stay home on bank holidays.

I didn't bother going into the house itself, the thought of having to squeeze through masses of people was too much so I stayed outdoors and tried to enjoy the gardens. I got some nice shots of some flowers and I managed to find a quiet corner to sit and reflect and as the afternoon wore on many of the families had left and a more calming atmosphere descended before it was time to head home once again.

On the way out a National Trust volunteer reminded me that there was a smithy and wood workshop just off the courtyard and so I popped in for a quick look.

For me this was, perhaps curiously< the highlight of the visit. I love this sort of place, I love the smells, the old tools and machinery and I love the memories that come flooding back of visits to my grandparents. Both my grandfathers had shed/workshops with lots of old tools which they looked after carefully. On Saturday afternoons we would spend time talking and tidying and sometimes making things or mending things.

It also makes me think about how much things have changed and how we have become such a throwaway society compared to the past when we would routinely restore and mend things That makes me sad so i am going to stop here and go back to remembering  my Saturday afternoons with my grandads.

In The Scullery

I have a thing for jugs! Yes I have said it, I have a thing for jugs.  I can't explain it but there is something about them, especially pottery jugs that I love.  I have several really nice ones that I have collected on my travels and no doubt I will pick up a few more in the future.

These shots were taken in what I think was the scullery at Erddig and I really like how the jugs look on the window sills, especially in black and white. I have made a print of the first image and framed it to display at home, it looks great.

Laundry Time

So for the past two days I haven't been able to post anything because I was away camping in the North Yorkshire Moors (in sub zero temperatures). Slightly crazy perhaps but lots of fun, a great break and plenty of photo opportunities and when I have had time to sort through for the best shots I will be posting some great winter landscapes, seascapes, seabirds and waders, surfers and more so look out for those.

For today though it is back to Erddig and these shots are from the laundry. In the first picture you can see the crank of what was clearly quite a mechanised process pressing the sheets etc for such a large household.

The second shot shows a rack of hand irons neatly lined up waiting to be used. I like how orderly this is and it reminds me of the order of the carpentry workshop in the pictures from earlier this week.

Wheels Within Wheels

Today's shots are from the sawmill at Erddig. I don't what it is about about old machinery but I think it is really photogenic and these wheels, pulleys and cogs look really cool. I like the black and white images but the third picture looks better in colour because it brings out the rust and it gives some extra texture.

Treat Me Kind...

So yesterday's blog showed the orderliness of the carpenter's workshop and today I have selected some shots of some of the wood off cuts. 

If you have seen my blog before then you will know that I like textures, patterns and colours in nature and I have posted pictures of wood grain previously click here or here for example.

I really like the warm colours in these bits of wood just discarded and left to decay.  I also like the patterns in the grain. The third picture is of a cross section of a tree stump and in the centre there is a core of bark which has been "consumed" as the tree has grown around it.

In The Workshop

As a schoolboy the practical subject that I enjoyed most was woodwork and while I won't pretend that I possessed any great skill I really enjoyed the smell and feel of the wood and I always found it really satisfying to finish a project.  In contrast to metalwork where my most enduring memory is of a lump of metal (which was intended to be a support for a small metal dish that I was making) flew across the workshop like a bullet because I got confused and turned the wheel of the lathe in the wrong direction. I got a heck of telling off and it was lucky I didn't hurt anyone and to my surprise I wasn't actually banned from the workshop so I got to finish the dish.

Anyway I still love the atmosphere of a woodworking shop and at Erddig there is a great workshop which is still in use. It has the smell of a log fire burning in one corner mixed with the scents of sawdust and well oiled and carefully maintained tools. I love the order and precision of these tool racks and the care that has gone into preserving these tools of the trade is clear to see. I think they make great subject for a really atmospheric picture and I think they work well in both colour and black & white.

Spring Is Springing

Last Saturday was particularly cold but at least it was dry so I took the opportunity to visit Erddig near Wrexham in North Wales. It is a fine stately home with a reputation that the servants of the household were highly valued and well treated by the home owners.

There are lovely formal and informal gardens at Erddig but because of the intense cold I didn't spend too much time outside.  I did however see these hopeful signs of spring in these lovely catkins  and crocus.and couldn't pass up the opportunity to take a few shots to share with you.