Richmond upon Thames Daily Photo

Who's hiding in here then? - # 09/159

2009-11-22T12:01:00.000Z

I know that you enjoy the Ham House moments.

Here the House has been "put to bed" for the winter and the conservation work continues while the visitors are kept firmly outside!

The "conservation cleaner" is hunting for signs of the insect world who may have decided to try to move in and eat the house for dinner when no-one is watching.

Figures at the end of a gallery - # 09/158

2009-11-19T18:56:00.001Z

You see the scene and sometimes your heart stops for a moment. 1 + 1 suddenly equals an infinity of emotion.

Camera: Olympus C7070 wz.

The pond, the inn and the pick-up truck - # 09/157

2009-11-15T09:06:00.002Z

The pond is probably tens of thousands of years old - if not a hundred thousand; the inn is a listed building with original parts at about 600 years old, and the Japanese pick-up truck is a recent model.

The photo shows the Plough Inn and pond, remnants of the village of "Old" Malden, at the 1930s suburb of Worcester Park, within the Borough of Kingston upon Thames. You can drive past it all without even realising it is there.

Something else worth seeing - # 09/156

2009-11-12T18:34:00.001Z

Following along after yesterday's "delight", here are two little late 19th Century villas, well cared for in Canbury Park Rd, Kingston. Please enlarge the picture and spend a few moments noticing the tiny details and little differences.

Disney-Land in Kingston upon Thames - # 09/155

2009-11-11T15:03:00.000Z

After more than 60 years of familiarity with Kingston I have to confess that I had never noticed this group of houses until today. To be fair, it is at a spot where, although I passed frequently, I was always on a bus or driving a car, or too tiny to pay attention to such a marvel. However, it just goes to show how much we miss, or fail to learn about our surroundings.

This group is at the bottom of Kingston Hill near the traffic circle at the junction with Park Rd. Amazing! Enalrge the photo to appreciate some of the detail.

The rain drop - # 09/154

2009-11-07T20:36:00.000Z

We are having a wonderful Autumn, so this might be a bit unfair!

Barnes Pond looking towards the Sun Inn - # 09/153

2009-11-04T09:21:00.000Z

Night time at Barnes Pond - # 09/152

2009-10-31T19:16:00.000Z

The title speaks for itself. The mediaeval riverside community of Barnes has a pond and an ancient church, many centuries old (and much re-built after ravages of fire and age). The pond is surrounded by elegant late 19th century villas and the Sun Inn (a great "Bar Fly" venue) looks out towards the water.

Barnes now part of the Borough of Richmond and can be counted as part of London's great "Suburbia". Is it nice in Barnes? Again, let the photo speak.

Stop messing about! - # 09/151

2009-10-30T14:38:00.000Z

You probably wish I would post some nice photos of the Borough of Richmond upon Thames, I can only assure you I'm keen to get back to that point. But it's not always that simple.

Anyway, I took a friend out to Barnes Common to play about with some night photography. Things got out of hand and we ended up messing about with the lighting along Barnes railway bridge across the Thames. Sorry!

Richmond roofline 10 - # 09/150

2009-10-25T15:16:00.001Z

Food for deer - # 09/149

2009-10-23T18:36:00.000+01:00

Autumn in Richmond Park. The nuts are falling providing lots of fattening winter food for the deer.

The working man- # 09/148

2009-10-19T18:12:00.001+01:00

.....I'm still hard at it but unable to leave you totally abandoned without a nice cliche-ridden B&W: hope you like it. (FYI.....the workman (not me) is replacing the anti-UV filters on the Ham House windows. The House is a very strictly controlled to prevent destructive UV rays getting at the collection).

The working table - # 09/147

2009-10-15T16:17:00.000+01:00

This little item proved difficult to get right. It's still not exactly as I'd like it to be. Anyway, there will now be a short period of inaction, with no postings for a little while. I'm busy on another project which needs some time spent on it...........rather like this tantalising table with its grain, highlights, contrasting smooth, shiny chairs and angles and curves, sunlight and shadow.

Hidden delights - # 09/146

2009-10-11T15:54:00.000+01:00

...another heavilly magnified crop, but worth displaying.

The green parrots enjoy eating Ham House for breakfast, and swarm about, early in the morning, attaching themselves to the brickwork. We guess they have found something in the 17th century lime mortar that appeals to their taste, or perhaps they like to extract the grittiness to help diges the seeds they have eaten.

The parrot's lovely underside colouring is generally hidden from view until we photograph it in flight. Likewise, visitors to Ham House probably fail to look up and notice the rich detail in the soffit of the roof. This detail was of course included to show off the wealth of the owner when the house was extended in 1672.

Leather!- # 09/145

2009-10-10T18:30:00.001+01:00

Those of you who like the arty Ham House shots might like to see this simple snap I did for a feature in the local newspapers promoting the display of a luxurious leather wall hanging that has been hidden away in store and in separate exhibition rooms. It has been rehung on display so that more visitors can admire it in its proper context.

You will recognise the floor (see earlier "Servant Girl"). The wall covering is entirely of leather, and of course the pretty hanging above the table is the wall hanging just brought out for general display. All the leather is the original 1672/3 "re-decoration" of the house.

Enlarge the photo and admire it. Better still, go and see it before the house closes for the winter. (That's the time when I become most busy helping with all the winter maintenance.)

Colourful migrant - # 09/144

2009-10-08T18:32:00.000+01:00

London has long been the home for spectacular Green Parrots who stem from an escaped pair and have now extended themselves across London so much that recently they were declared a "Pest" and you can get a licence to cull them if need be.

This snap has been extremely magnified from a 400mm telephoto shot and the bird was also flying at speed, but you can see the amazing colour scheme that nature has given to this parrot. (I also forgot to switch on the image stabilizer which did not help the definition, either).

It's a Green Parrot, but the fanned tail and the underside of the wings displays beautiful colours that we down below rarely see, except when the high speed camera catches them.

Tell Cook we've got guests tonight - # 09/143

2009-10-07T20:36:00.000+01:00

Big 17th Century kitchen!

Let in the light - # 09/142

2009-10-05T15:36:00.000+01:00

I'll bet they enjoyed all this just as much in the 17th Century as I do now. Curves, angles, straight lines, sudden unexpected vistas, floods of light, deep shadows that form shapes, the incentive to just stop and look at how it's all arranged around you, everything pleasing the eye.

Open door with open book - # 09/141

2009-10-02T18:04:00.000+01:00

I just love catching glimpses through open doors and trying to capture the atmosphere or the feeling of surprise. The glimpse in the mirror of a 17th Century tapestry is intriguing. The angle of the table, the carpet, the open book seemed to have certain harmony in them. How the mind likes to play games with us!

Servant girl - # 09/140

2009-10-01T14:49:00.003+01:00

Another playful mock 17th Century bit of fun. I decided to show this because the "antique greyscale" treatment, in combination with the natural light, makes the most of the magnificent marquetry floor. This floor is very precious, and I'm only allowed to walk on it if I put on special slippers. The Olympus C7070 compact camera has done a good job capturing the details of the furnishings and the shiny tones created by the natural sunlight coming through the special double-layered anti-UV blinds that protect the treasures of Ham House.

I like this simple picture. It really pleases me: but without the servant girl it would be severely depleted. Now there's a thought.

Crossing paths - # 09/139

2009-09-30T16:27:00.003+01:00

The Copse behind Ham House. Slabs of light and shade in the late afternoon sun.

So Yesterday, Darling! - # 09/138

2009-09-29T18:34:00.007+01:00

Ham House has to be "felt" as much as seen. You are indeed back in the 17th Century. The light here is coming only from the dim, low wattage electric "candle lamps" that light the rooms one by one. The shutters are closed. The house is dark, waiting for the visitors to arrive. I wander, glimpse the scene and try to capture the feeling. Take yourself back to 1673.

Girl in the window - # 09/137

2009-09-28T14:29:00.002+01:00

Leaf lying in the dust - # 09/136

2009-09-27T09:15:00.002+01:00

The Bar-Fly observes circles of influence - # 09/135

2009-09-25T15:30:00.005+01:00

Isn't it strange how some people are "in" and some are definitely "out"? "Nobody ever tells me what's going on". "I've watched people going up and people going down; but they couldn't see it, or control it".

It's a long time since I did a decent "Bar-Fly", and I don't rate this one very high in the series. Bar-Flies are spontaneous but, actually, they aren't. They have to come together in a mysterious unplanned way, where numerous components just suddenly "fit". Like "circles of influence" in the cosmos and in human affairs, lots of other things have to happen in a precise way, and actually they are highly complex and organised forms of chaos.