whirling skies
Hidden galleries,
wine in my glass,
laughter in the air
When was the last time you walked barefoot in the sand?
Other posts from my recent US adventures:
New York part 1 (NYC people)
New York part 2 (My kind of city)
Squam Lake
Hidden galleries,
wine in my glass,
laughter in the air
When was the last time you walked barefoot in the sand?
Other posts from my recent US adventures:
New York part 1 (NYC people)
New York part 2 (My kind of city)
Squam Lake
Creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson always has something thought-provoking to say, and this excerpt from a talk at the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) is no exception. Love the way Cognitive Media have made this talk visual too.
What do you think? How would you change education to get more children to use all parts of their brain, and develop what they are truly good at and have a passion for, so that when it comes to working they can do what they love?
About The Author (me): See profile. Loves travel & adventure, people, making stuff, tea, hugs, sunshine, books, chocolate, laughing, bare feet on sand.
The Setting: Each chapter is set in a different country – at over 50 chapters so far this is a long book.
The Characters: Some characters in every chapter (family, friends, lovely man), others pop in and out, bringing fleeting glimpses of other worlds.
The Plot: Young girl heads out in search of adventure. Meets many strange and wonderful people, falls in love, sends many postcards.
The Twist: You’ll just have to keep reading to find out…
This attempt to sum up ‘my life as an open book’ is my response to the Hello Splendor’s blogcrawl, as it’s my turn. I am passing the honour on to Sam at Today’s Nest. Check them out and back-track to find more open books floating out in the ether. Or why not try it for yourself? It’s harder than it looks, especially if, like me, you limit yourself to 20 words for each answer.
Joining in Cathy’s self-portrait challenge for Blogtoberfest. Not a huge fan of having my photo taken (especially by me) but this one is quite fun – took it in Cape Cod a couple of weeks back, having caught the sun out on a long bike ride.
How do you feel about taking your own photo? Do you get self-conscious? Do you see it as a way of getting a photo you actually like?
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For more self-portrait bravery from Blogtoberfesters see here.
There was a lot of laughter on this trip. In my last post about Squam I just wanted to share some of the (many) lighter moments.
Travelling to the retreat in style…
You can imagine our faces when Leroy and his mobile home rocked up to pick Louise and me up from the bus station. Not quite the shuttle we had been expecting, but we were delighted to find it filled with tea and biscuits and friendly new faces.
Wondering how apt it was that my cabin should be down this road…
Feeling lucky to share a cosy cabin with such wonderful ladies (Nina, Sylvia, Jayne, Kirsten, Brittany + Steph who is not in the picture.)
Getting lost in the forest in the middle of a torrential downpour late at night with six girls laughing madly (our cabin was called ‘Wayonda’ for a very good reason). It looked something like this…
Admiring the work of fellow artists Andrea and Jess at the Visions of Squam exhibition at Mocha Rising in the cute nearby town of Centre Sandwich.
Thank you Squam Lake for having us, and thank you Elizabeth for bringing us together.
An old friend of mine, renowned wildlife photographer Koichi Fujiwara, is busy preparing for a big exhibition of his photos which opens later this month in Japan. The images he captures are a mixture of stunning, cute, and thought-provoking but they all have one thing in common – they tell the story of the environmental crisis our world is currently facing.
In ‘The Earth is calling us – listen to Nature’s voice’, a special exhibition to coincide with the COP10 Biodiversity Conference in Nagoya, Ko shares a stark snapshot of the state of the planet. Through beautiful photos he shows how our actions are completely shaking up the world’s ecosystems, and the impact that is happening on some of our most treasured animals.
As a perpetual traveller and the only person to have photographed every species of penguin in the world, he is taking the planet’s pulse first hand. From Komodo Dragons in Indonesia and Giant Spiny Chameleons in Madagascar, to Orang-utans in Borneo and seals in Antarctica, Ko has brought back a suitcase full of visual treasures from his travels, but with a frightening message about what we might find (or not) if we travel to those same places next year, next decade, next century.
If you happen to be in Nagoya, do check it out. If not, you can always see some of Ko’s photos on his website Nature’s Planet or peruse one of the many books he has written. (The site is in Japanese but is easy to hop about and find photos.)
He got me thinking about the importance of photography not just to capture beauty, stash away memories and catalogue history as it happens, but also to influence the future. The seemingly inevitable doesn’t necessarily have to become history, if the images are powerful enough to make us change how we live in the present.
What powerful images of our time have you seen lately? Do share with a link!
So to one of my three workshops at Squam – a photography class with Susannah Conway of unraveling fame.
I love the soulful polaroid shots that appear one after another on her blog, and was interested in absorbing some of the magic. After learning a few rules, and then being encouraged to go out and break them all (my favourite bit), I snapped away.
In the woods…
And by the lake…
Have you broken any rules recently?
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More on my Squam experience here: Reflections of Squam – I dreamed a dream
Thank you friends, for opening your hearts and sharing your laughter
A visit to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park does wonders for the soul. 500 acres of stunning parkland, with internationally renowned sculptors’ work dotted here and there. You can picnic by a Henry Moore, hide behind a Barbara Hepworth or get lost in the forest near the David Nash stairway. You can even take an outdoor class in bronze casting. And it is free to get in!
My man and I had a lovely couple of hours strolling through the land, making up stories about what each piece really meant, and sheltering from the rain in the cosy shadow of the big trees.