Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Record

2008. The ones that got away.

Many photographs never made it to the blog at the time they were taken. I am drawn to those taken in the colder half of this year. The clean lines. The light.



December. Christmas decorations. Taken in a local cafe.



December. London dawn. Awake early in a strange bed.



December. A commuter on the Tube leaning against a glass partition immediately to my right. If I were a palmist, he would have been offering up his life up for my inspection.



October. The neighbour's cat and the aloe plant.



November. Winter beans. Now sprouting.



October. Reflections, Durham.



February. Local park. Fog. Emptiness. Silence.



February. Detail. Water of Life Fountain by Stephen Broadbent, Chester Cathedral.


****

When we met, Relatively Retiring and I spoke about our respective travels. Did you keep a journal, she asked. No. And that is sad. In those days I relied on an excellent memory and an unreliable camera. Twenty five years on I understand that the former is neither trustworthy nor time-proof and that uncared for physical photographs eventually fade, are mislaid or you spill coffee on them.

And now I have a blog. It is a record, of a kind. Blogging has shown me the extraordinariness of the ordinary and the value of naming what is there. And that the quest for perfection is pointless if it leads to paralysis. There are times when you just have to shrug and press Publish and move on. It's still worth doing.

It is.

Happy New Year!

11 comments:

Zhoen said...

You never know who's lives you touch.

The pressed palm is so particularly noticed.

Anonymous said...

yes totally echo zhoens comment - and to let you into a secret - your blog has touched MY life! with its writing, helpful links and the still beauty of your photographs... I love them all ESPECIALLY I think the ones that did mot make it to the blog...they too have a message and beauty of their own.

looking forward to more inspiration here next yr! best wishes for 2009!!

Sky said...

oh, friend, how i love to visit here and see pieces of your life through your words and images. i especially love the park in fog and the water of life fountain...both quite stunning.

i wish you so many good things in 2009 - i can't even enumerate them all, but joy, comfort, and love are definitely at the top of the list. happy new year wishes and many thrilling adventures ahead, m!

Relatively Retiring said...

Yes, to all the above comments! Wonderful! Just keep pressing that 'Publish' button!

Anonymous said...

What's left for me to say? But your blog posts have been a real joy for me. All the very best for 2009.

Jan x

herhimnbryn said...

What all the others said.

The image of the park and the fountain will stay with me today.

leslee said...

Wow. Great photos - they didn't get away after all.

I'm at a loss for a New Year's post. It may take awhile. Anyway, Happy New Year!

Anonymous said...

HI! Truly enjoy seeing the things you notice! Such beautiful photographs. Thank you! So true about the way 'perfection' can get in our way. Onwards and happy new year!

mm said...

Zhoen, Krissie, Sky, RR, Jan, HHB, Leslee, Cat.

Thank you all, very much. What I left out of the post (how could I?) is the extraordinary privilege of discovering blogfriends. Thank you for being there.

Barbara said...

Keep pressing the publish button! Beautiful photographs with so much to say.
Happy New Year.

Sit A Spell said...

Wonderful photos! Thanks for sharing...cheers!