Creating Pictures in my Mind

The Allotment Love Letter!

2012-01-14T21:54:00.000Z

A clever use of foods in this love letter!

When Expressing your Love was Complicated!

2012-01-14T21:40:00.002Z

In Victorian and Edwardian times, the Language of Fruit allowed young lovers to expose their feelings without fear of exposure! Life must have been so complicated! Vegetables, too, played a part but that's another story . . .

War Horse

2012-01-13T19:30:00.001Z

Reading about the premiere of the heart-rending film, War Horse, I remembered reporting on a pilgrimage to the battlefields of the First World War. During an afternoon visit to the Cloth Hall in Ypres, I was shocked by one of the realistic exhibits. It featured a war horse and moves me still!

Midwives or Nurses?

2012-01-08T12:59:00.000Z

Calling all medical historians. Are these midwives or nurses and what is the significance of the stripes on the arms of the uniforms worn by the two women on the left of the photograph? Whatever the answers, it's a nice photograph and may have been taken to mark graduation from training. And, what is the significance of the doll-like figure holding what seems to be a bouquet above the baby (front, right)?

Pink Floyd in Concert

2012-01-02T22:04:00.001Z

From 1969 to 1972, I lived in West Germany, in Munster.. There were a number of concert venues in the city - most notably the Halle Munsterland - at which some of the big names of rock played.I saw Pink Floyd play their greatest hits in 1970 but, in 1971, they returned with a large orchestra and choir to perform their concept album - Atom Heart Mother. Two great concerts and I was there. Fantastic!

I was reminded of the concerts when I found two badly printed photo rejects that I must have picked out of the bin in my darkroom. The first is a poster for an Amon Duul II concert and on the right of the advertising pillar is half of a poster advertising a performance of Atom Heart Mother by Pink Floyd. The other shows Nick Mason and Roger Waters during their 1970 concert. Occasionally, I would be lucky enough to fight my way through to the front of the stage to take photographs. Those were the Days, as Mary Hopkins used to sing!

Pink Floyd - Roger Waters sings while Nick Mason plays the drums (Copyright Laurie Manton 2012)

In Memory of Captain Scott

2012-01-02T01:07:00.000Z

An unusual certificate awarded to Miss Lily Mair for donating one shilling to the British Girls' Memorial Fund in memory of the Polar Explorer, Captain Robert Scott. Evelyn Noble devised a chain letter inviting girls to donate money. More than £200 was raised.

Trough of Bowland

2012-01-01T09:48:00.002Z

Someone asked how far my home was from the beautiful Trough of Bowland. Close enough!

Here is the view from the supermarket car park

New Year

2012-01-01T09:38:00.004Z

Happy New Year to everyone!

This time, last year, I wrote that I hoped to reach 200 followers (I did) and the magic (to me in any case) 10,000 visits. By yesterday, visits totalled 31,495 so my annual visit total more than doubled over the twelve months. That was despite my discovering a new audience on Facebook groups and pages in August and neglecting this blog for a while. I already have a large number of items piled up alongside my scanner ready to publish here. See you soon!

Laurie

An Aviator in the Family?

2011-12-29T16:37:00.001Z

Sadly not, but I am intrigued by this souvenir photograph as Marcus D. Manton looks rather mature to be dubbed 'The Boy Aviator'! Born in 1893, he qualified as a pilot in 1912. He piloted a Graham White biplane over Bisley in 1913 with a machine gunner who fired successfully at targets on the ground. He teamed up with the flier B. C. Hucks and the pair were described as the foremost exponents of aerobatic displays.

Santa's Sleigh

2011-12-21T18:17:00.000Z

I was looking for a suitable photograph to mark Christmas. Imagine my surprise when I came across an album of family photographs that I had never seen before. There were about forty snaps and at least a dozen were of me as a toddler! What an unexpected Christmas present. Here is a photograph of two of my cousins - Christine and Jennifer. I would imagine it was taken in a London store around 1960. Father Christmas looked very different then. I wonder why he is wearing washing-up gloves?

2011-12-10T10:17:00.001Z

By way of comparison, Anthony has very recently published the 1976 edition of the Argos Catalogue. Every day items look even more dated! Click HERE to visit his flickr account.

2011-12-10T09:59:00.001Z

Anthony Voz has scanned in the 1985 Argos catalogue.When I look at some of the items on offer, I remember that - at the time - everyone thought they were cutting edge! Wonderful! Thank you Anthony. (Click HERE to be taken to his flickr set)

2011-11-12T10:55:00.001Z

Great photographs!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2060629/Mesmerising-colour-photographs-resolve-Greatest-Generation-World-War-II.html

Potter's Museum of Curiousity

2011-10-16T20:28:00.000+01:00

When I was a child in the 60s, I always looked forward to our annual coach trip to the sea at Brighton. There was always a break in the journey from our home in Berkshire. The location never altered - Potter's Museum of Curiosity in Bramber, near Steyning, Sussex.

Walter Potter specialised in anthropomorphic taxidermy where stuffed animals are dressed as people or displayed in human activities. Such displays were very popular in Victorian and Edwardian times. I loved it and so did hundreds of other people - the museum was always packed when I went there with my parents. My absolute favourite was the funeral of Cock Robin.

I was recently looking through a box of papers and found my original small collection of printed ephemera that I kept from my visits. Here is a selection of them. For this who want to know more about this marvellous collection and its sad demise, I will place a few links at the end as well as two Pathe Films short films about it. Remember to click on the images to enlarge them.

One of the booklets available that detailed some of the amazing tableaux.

A wonderful guide book filled with hand-drawn illustrations

The Kittens' Wedding

The Rabbits' Village School

My Favourite - The Burial of Cock Robin

A page from the brochure featuring Walter Potter

The frontispiece of one of the booklets

A familiar view to many. Far right is the museum, the tearoom to the left

The Squirrel Club - playing cards

The Kittens' Tea Party

POTTER'S MUSEUM

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Links

Walter Potter on Wikipedia

Great selection of photographs in Daily Telegraph article

Top 10 Abandoned Resorts!

2011-10-05T20:01:00.002+01:00

I found these photos rather interesting!

Click HERE to view!

Arthur Askey - Busy Bee!

2011-09-24T13:42:00.001+01:00

They don't make them like this anymore! Enjoy Arthur singing what was probably his most famous song. Here, he chatters for some 1min 40sec before launching into his eccentric performance. Considering how popular he was, then, people today don't know what to make of it. Just click on the screen and enjoy!

ARTHUR ASKEY

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Wild Cat!

2011-09-19T23:24:00.000+01:00

I photographed this wild cat at a wildlife sanctuary in Belize. Now, I cannot remember what breed it is. Does anyone have any ideas, please?

Desert Encounter!

2011-09-05T19:55:00.001+01:00

I walked past a plastered wall and noticed that a piece of plaster had fallen away and revealed this eye. It reminded me of the veiled face of a bedouin woman. When I was a baby, my mother caught sight of a desert nomad heading in her direction. He galloped his stallion furiously towards her and she, evidently, held me up in front of her. He pulled his horse up at the last moment in a cloud of dust. With a hand resting on his Khanja (a large curved knife), he raised his ancient rifle above his head in salute and raced off back into the Cyrenaican desert! What do you see in this picture?

Sand Sculpture

2011-08-20T22:35:00.000+01:00

I wandered along the main street this afternoon and stopped outside a department store. On the ground was a blue plastic sheet topped with a sand sculpture of a dog and its bone. As it began to drizzle lightly, the eastern european migrant who crafted it simply scooped up the sand by the handful and dropped it into a carrier bag. He then rolled up the sheet and walked away. No doubt, when the weather is better, he will be back. It is nice to see something new!

Blooming Lovely!

2011-08-01T21:15:00.000+01:00

I found this snap while looking for another image. I like the patterns inside the blooms. Lovely!

Flight of Fancy!

2011-07-31T14:22:00.002+01:00

This postcard was sent to someone in Liverpool in 1912. It was three years after Bleriot had flown across the English Channel. I am not sure how high they are flying but it raises a few questions. Why haven't their hats blown off; has the draught extinguished his pipe; why isn't her hair more windswept; and, most importantly, what on earth have they done with their legs? It also looks like the undercarriage is about to collide with St Paul's Cathedral in London.

Stand-off

2011-07-29T20:08:00.002+01:00

Looking at this print I made from a glass plate negative, I think this cat and dog must have come to some sort of agreement to pose for the photographer. I can detect that the cat is not quite relaxed. What do you think?

Early Colour

2011-07-24T09:54:00.002+01:00

I just love the way some Edwardian postcards were so well hand-tinted that they looked like real colour photographs. Here are two examples.

Amazing Blitz Pictures of Britain in WW2

2011-07-20T20:15:00.003+01:00

Blitz Britain: Amazing colour pictures of London under siege from Nazi bombers during World War II. Click HERE to view them

Americanisms

2011-07-20T18:19:00.000+01:00

The BBC has released details of the 50 most detested Americanisms. Click HERE to view them. I wonder if any American followers know of a list of most undersirable Englishisms?

Funeral March for a Marionette

2011-07-19T22:14:00.001+01:00

I found this animation on YouTube which took one year to make. Enjoy!

Star of the County Down

2011-07-16T23:08:00.004+01:00

I heard a song by John McCormack on Desert Island Discs this week which caught my imagination, Here it is in a 1939 recording. Wikipedia records the fact that that McCormack (1864-1945) was a world famous Irish tenor. Read more about him HERE. His is an interesting story. The recording reminded me of a section from On Wenlock Edge - Vaughan Williams' song cycle drawing on six poems from AE Houseman's A Shropshire Lad. Does anyone else recognise the similarity?

School Certificate

2011-07-16T12:46:00.003+01:00

Here is a school certificate awarded to Samuel Rogers whose Band of Hope membership document was recently posted. Remarkably for the time, he was advanced a standard for subjects 7 to 17: Recitation, Geography, Singing from Rote, Grammar, Composition, History, Drill, Algebra, Shorthand, French and Gymnastics. Didn't young scholars fit a lot into their schooldays in 1892?

Sowing Seeds!

2011-07-13T18:17:00.002+01:00

Another leaflet from my extensive Second World War Dig for Victory campaign collection of ephemera. In America, I believe they had 'Victory Gardens'.

More Temperance Memorabilia

2011-07-06T19:32:00.000+01:00

The Independent Order of Rechabites was a friendly society that was founded in England in 1835, according to Wikipedia. It was part of the temperance movement to promote total abstinence from alcoholic beverages.

Big Foot!

2011-07-02T12:04:00.001+01:00

A few months ago, I saw this giant shoe outside a London theatre. It was used to advertise a musical - Priscilla Queen of the Desert. I wonder how tall the owner is!

Graveyard at the bottom of the Atlantic - U-boat cemetery

2011-06-29T20:06:00.000+01:00

Check this out.

Lily

2011-06-28T21:09:00.000+01:00

Lily is one of our three remaining cats. She is reluctant to pose in our new garden and this was the final photograph of 25 taken recently! She can be a right little madam!

Posing for the Camera

2011-06-26T13:07:00.001+01:00

Is it me or do some of these young children look slightly sinister. The images were all taken by an Edwardian photographer and have been reprinted from the original glass plate negatives.

A gigantic whip for such a small pony!

Another whip for a wooden horse

Anyone for Tennis?

Does the book indicate she can read?

Do you think she might be related to Gulliver?

Hang on. The carpet is showing!

Reject the Demon Drink!

2011-06-25T21:50:00.003+01:00

I am temperance, but I never got one of these. It was given to a young child who joined the Band of Hope union. The organisation began life in Leeds in 1847 with the aim of teaching children the importance and principles of sobriety and teetotalism. According to Wikipedia, it was set up in an era when hard liquor was generally viewed as a necessity of life, next only to food and water, the Band of Hope and other temperance organisations fought to counteract the influence of pubs and brewers, with the specific intention of rescuing 'unfortunates' whose lives had been blighted by drink and teach complete abstinence.

Another Face in the Bark

2011-06-25T09:34:00.000+01:00

I arrive early for an open air concert by Van Morrison and went exploring the parkland around the stage. I found this face in the bark and it reminded me of an owl.

Hungry Trees that Devour Objects!

2011-06-21T20:51:00.000+01:00

I saw some strange photographs in today's Sun newspaper. Click HERE to see them!

New Book Blog Launch!

2011-06-21T15:09:00.000+01:00

I caught a glimpse of a new blog from a book-lover which has a introductory post that has left me desperate for more. If you like books, then you ought to go over to A Book-Lover's Journey and sign up to follow its progress. Click HERE to visit the blog.

Ouch!

2011-06-17T20:52:00.001+01:00

I found a catalogue of surgical instruments the other day. Some of the items on sale frightened me no end. Well, to be quite honest, nearly all of them did so! Here are some sample pages. Ouch! Click once, and then again, for an enlarged view of the instruments!

Help solve a Puzzle!

2011-06-14T22:28:00.001+01:00

I found this photograph at a car boot sale recently. It came with some postcards. I am wondering what sort of people they are. So far, I have imagined they might be prospectors, explorers, quarrymen, but I don't think they are cowboys. Can anyone suggest what their occupation might be? Click once and then again for a close up view. I first thought the location was America, but it might be Australia. Why? Well, the chap on the right of the three blokes at the rear seems to be wearing an Aussie hat, but the man on the extreme right (front) looks is wearing a pith helmet - sometimes known as a sola topee.

Can Photograph Albums survive the Digital Age?

2011-06-14T19:22:00.001+01:00

Here is a link to a fascinating article described as 'An evocative survey of photo albums captures the history of American photography - and asks whether we'll ever impose order on our sprawling digital collections?' Click HERE to read it.

Reading the article lead me to think about my own photographic collection. I have more than 20,000 images on my MacBook laptop which take up no room at all. Pre-digital collections are different. I have boxes and boxes and boxes of prints and negative wallets, each of which contain 36 photogaphs. I also have boxes and boxes of 35mm transparencies. Together they take up huge amounts of space. Oh, how I wish there was a Scanning Fairy who overnight could transform them all into digital images. I have not come across one yet, but if you have one with time on its hands, please send it over!

Sante Fe 2002

The Banned List

2011-06-14T07:37:00.000+01:00

Read about the Banned List - the top 100 words or phrases to avoid HERE. How many of them do you use?

Long Live The King!

2011-06-13T22:50:00.000+01:00

On Coronation Day 1901, nearly every town and village in Britain celebrated the event with their own pageants. Here are three views of one such event, somewhere in England. Look how happy these new Edwardians are. Wonderful!

Taking a Leak!

2011-06-10T20:57:00.001+01:00

I was quite surprised when I noticed what this statue represented. Just by chance, I had pressed the wrong button and shot two seconds of video. That said, you have to quick to see it! It is at the end of the post. Outrageous!

Spiders on Speed!

2011-06-09T23:35:00.001+01:00

Have you ever had one of those days when you step outside and see that a heavy overnight dew has highlighted the webs of spiders. But has it ever happened when the spiders have switched into overdrive and gone berserk. I was amazed at how busy they had been! Click on an image and click again for a close-up view.

Lavender

2011-06-08T20:16:00.000+01:00

Can't you just smell the lavender? Lovely!

Colourful Leaf

2011-06-08T20:02:00.000+01:00

I was struck by the colours on this leaf. Isn't it beautiful?

St Francis gains a new Friend

2011-06-07T18:11:00.000+01:00

Rather annoyingly, because of the passage of time, I cannot remember where I came across this statue of St Francis of Assisi. It might have been Wilmington NC or Fredericksburg. Moments after taking the first shot, a bird landed on his head. No doubt one of you will be able to tell me what it is!

Psst!

2011-06-05T12:32:00.000+01:00

Psst! Look out! They are here again. Those damn visitors with their cameras . . .

Through the Picture Window

2011-06-05T12:25:00.002+01:00

Through the Picture Window. I wonder what is on the other side? Do you know?

Arm Rest with a Difference

2011-06-05T12:19:00.000+01:00

The arms of this garden bench are pretty impressive by any standard. I always wondered where Aslan went we he wasn't need by the Pevensey children!

Ratko Mladic stirs memories of the Past

2011-06-03T21:09:00.002+01:00

Watching Gen Ratko Mladic make his first appearance in court on television this evening stirred some unwanted memories. I saw for myself the destruction of Sarajevo and the fighting between Bosnian Muslims and Croats - houses burning, graves, the mercenaries and much, much worse.

Quite by chance, as I was scanning a collection of cemetery snaps that had arrived from America, I opened a battered wallet of photographs. It had a sticky label on it, marked Bosnia 10. I remembered that I had taken hundreds of Kodachrome transparencies and even more 35mm negatives recording what I saw. They sit in the attic waiting to be looked at.

Here are few of my images. These are just snapshots and not my best work, but they do illustrate a little of the massive destruction that took place. Remember to click once on the photos, and then again, for a really close up view. I used to describe such snaps as record or evidential shots. Think of them as a rare glimpse into one of my previous lives!

Not wishing to bore you, I will recount just one tale of the inhumane acts that took place in the conflict. The second image shows an overgrown garden in front of a wrecked house. It reminded me of an incident that affected me greatly.

I recall being driven up country from Gorni Vakuf. On the outskirts of the town, a woman was hanging up her washing on a line in the garden that surrounded her home. Her toddlers played by her feet. When I came back from the front two weeks later, I was shocked to see that the house had been torched and there was one freshly dug adult grave and two smaller child-sized graves on the lawn. The washing still hung from the line. I passed that way six months later and the washing still waved in the breeze, albeit faded by the sun and in rags. There were red roses in bloom by the front door. The memory still troubles me still . . .

As I clutch my trusty Canon T90 camera, behind me is a large hole blown in a bridge. Such immense damage

A little overgrown, but the shape of the garden still exists

Ruin after Ruin

Street after Street

A striking example of the ferocity of the fighting. Riddled by bullet after bullet!

A grave in an abandoned village cemetery. This person is probably of Serb descent as the headstone is undamaged

Not like the grave on the right which has seen it's headstone smashed by the occupiers

Sarajevo Portrait

2011-05-31T21:03:00.000+01:00

It is always a bad sign when someone suggests you travel in a canvas topped truck along the infamous Sniper Alley in Sarajevo. It is even worse when the accompanying soldiers piled into an armoured vehicle behind, shouting "You'll be sorry!". It was reassuring for me but not for them when the armoured vehicle broke down and they had to join me!

Let me tell you, it is even worse when the truck you are travelling in breaks down on Sniper Alley. Having nothing else to do, I reached for my camera and took this portrait of a somewhat strained looking young soldier. You will note that this UN soldier has a white helmet not blue. Reason? When the British Army first deployed to Sarajevo, it was ill-prepared for United Nations service. A large number of white Arctic Warfare helmet covers were dyed blue for use on the deployment. Sadly, as soon as it rained, the blue dye ran, leaving the helmet covers white and the resulting blue-faced soldiers looking like Smurfs. Hey ho!

Giant Robot

2011-05-31T20:48:00.001+01:00

The all-seeing eyes of the giant robot are watching you. Be warned. Do NOT do anything you shouldn't be doing!

Warning Shots!

2011-05-31T20:44:00.003+01:00

Crikey! Someone doesn't like horse riders!

Morris Dancers hit the Streets!

2011-05-30T13:10:00.000+01:00

A last minute decision to visit Chorley in Lancashire led to a chance encounter with Morris dancers in the main shopping area. I shot about a dozen brief videos of the dancing but most were ruined by shoppers walking in front of the camera - it must be a local pastime!

Statistics!

2011-05-27T23:14:00.000+01:00

I am enjoying walking past nearby farmland and seeing the animals in the fields.

But I came across some United Nations statistics that I find so staggering and feel I should share them here. I will make no comment. I will leave that to you.

The number of farm animals slaughtered worldwide for food in 2009 is as follows:

Camels 1.7 million
Water Buffalo 24 million
Cows 293 million
Goats 398 million
Sheep 518 million
Turkeys 633 million
Rabbits 1.1 billion
Pigs 1.3 billion
Ducks 2.6 billion
Chickens 52 billion

Just a View up the Garden

2011-05-24T22:06:00.001+01:00

It's that time of year, again, when the garden starts to regain its colour - and the first of the salad crops are being enjoyed. Thank heavens! Oh, and a fine layer of volcanic ash from Iceland on the car this morning.

Saving Turtles

2011-05-20T20:39:00.000+01:00

When I visited Ascension Island, I was lucky enough to be invited to see a Turtle coming ashore and laying its eggs. It was a latecomer as some eggs from others had already hatched. It was a wonderful experience.

Two days later, as I was photographing the Georgetown (Dead Men's) Cemetery, I saw a number of baby turtles between the graves. They were all dead except one. I rescued it and carried it across the beach to the sea. Remarkably, it was strong enough to swim away. I was very upset when I realised why the baby turtles were in the cemetery. When they hatch, they dig themselves out of the sand and crawl towards the light of the moon which is beyond the water's edge. A company had built a small industrial unit behind the cemetery and floodlit it as a security measure. The floodlights were brighter than the moon so many newly hatched turtles, at that end of the beach, crawled away from the sea by mistake . . . and died a lingering death as they dried out in the sun. What a shame.

Seen on Facebook!

2011-05-16T22:30:00.002+01:00

AOCDRNDICG TO RSCHEEARCH AT CMABRIGDE UINERVTISY, IT DSENO'T MTAETR WAHT OERDR THE LTTERES IN A WROD ARE, THE OLNY IPROAMTNT TIHNG IS TAHT THE FRSIT AND LSAT LTTEER BE IN THE RGHIT PCLAE. TIHS IS BCUSEAE THE HUAMN MNID DEOS NOT RAED ERVEY LTETER BY ISTLEF, BUT THE WROD AS A WLOHE. IF YOU CAN RAED TIHS, PSOT IT TO YUOR WLAL. OLNY 55% OF PLEPOE CAN

What's in a Tree?

2011-05-15T22:44:00.002+01:00

Who can see the magnificent stag's head as it fixes its gimlet eye on me? What impressive antlers he has!

There is always One!

2011-05-12T20:14:00.000+01:00

Ah! The majesty of the Lake District. Spectacular views like here on Honister Pass. Wonderful!

And here too!

But wait! What's this? Something is not as it seems . . .

Why, it must be Idiot Jim who thinks it's acceptable to spray his name on a rock

My, my. Here's another one - Marty's Party.

So, do you think it is acceptable to do this, Jim and Marty? I don't think so!

What word do you think best describes them?

I'll start with: Saddos!

[Saddo - British slang - a socially inadequate or pathetic person]

Time Travelling in Virginia

2011-05-10T19:22:00.000+01:00

The one thing I remember about walking up the main street of Fredericksburg, West Virginia was the large amount of antique and bric-a-brac shops - wonderful! I came across two Civil War re-enactors who were engaged to attract visitors to a local shop. They were very happy to pose for the English photographer!

Flower Creature

2011-05-08T16:12:00.000+01:00

My first walk through the churchyard in Longridge ended with an encounter with two creatures. The first was a stone flower, one of many that adorned the edges of a particular headstone. Feisty is the word that comes to mind! The second was a creature that I did not recognise. I found it rather sinister, especially as it was hiding behind the stone flower. What do you think?

French Military Weddings 2

2011-05-07T12:03:00.005+01:00

A further selection of photographs of French military weddings from the First World War. This time, they should wedding groups. The first 'happy couple' - at least - appeared in my earlier post. Possibly, image five as well. I am intrigued by the figure on the right of group 3 (as you look at it). Is that a butcher's apron or is he a craftsmen, perhaps a cooper? When you think about the artful, and often posey, wedding snaps of today, it seems that people were not at all bother about what was is the background back then! Remember to click once, then click again on an image to get a really closeup view.

For those who thought the bride looked masculine, look at her sister - behind to her right - a twin maybe?

What on earth has the boy on the right got round his neck!

Is the man with an apron, on the right, wearing clogs?

The chap on the left is striking an unusual pose. Not the bicycle with acetylene lamp on the right.

Leyland Clock

2011-05-06T17:37:00.000+01:00

I visited the Lake District yesterday. It was my second visit. The first was forty-five years ago, but more of that in a later post. My first port of call was Kendal but I am told it is actually outside of the official National Park. That said, I did spot an impressive green clock up one of the many side streets

It was a 'Leyland Clock' - one of seven erected in the 1930s at prominent locations on major roads by the Leyland Motor Company. They were intended as an advertising gimmick and became well-known landmarks in their own right. This one I photographed was originally sited on the A6 at Shap, but was relocated to the Kendal Brewery Arts Centre in 1973.

French Military Weddings

2011-05-02T22:57:00.001+01:00

Here is a selection of French military wedding photographs that I scanned from glass plate negatives. They date from the First World War. A number of things surprise me. How plain the happy couples are, how mature they look and the uniforms and dresses being worn. They remind me of characters taken from silent film comedies - Laurel and Hardy or the Keystone Cops, to mention just two. Extraordinary!

Some of these are taken in the street. Spot the fragments of broken plate to the left of the couple in the first photograph. On the second, a spectator's arm is visible to the left, while a ventilation grill can be seen low down on the building behind couple three - their shoes have just picked up a little mud so perhaps it had rained earlier in the day?.

Cemetery of Dogs

2011-05-02T18:34:00.001+01:00

Over the years, I have acquired a small number of postcards of Le Cimetière des Chiens - the Paris Dog Cemetery. Recently, I acquired a significant archive of material on this fascinating cemetery. I have decided to publish them on a separate blog. Click HERE to visit it. I hope you enjoy seeing them.

Cave Entrance

2011-05-01T12:51:00.000+01:00

Just a cave at the back of a Pembrokeshire beach. You enter and it wends to the right. I wonder where it leads? Does it allow access to another world and if I reach it will I be able to get back? Is there another dimension? So many questions to ponder . . . so few answers!

Tree Creature

2011-04-30T13:30:00.001+01:00

"bark face" 2
Originally uploaded by steve loya

I couldn't resist posting this great photograph of a Tree creature by Steve Loya on Flickr. Great stuff, Steve!

Warren Photos 4

2011-04-24T13:50:00.000+01:00

And just to finish off, here are the last two photographs from the collection of negatives from the Warren family in Pennsylvania. If you like old cars or roadside souvenirs, this will interest you.

Now this is an impressive automobile. I wonder if it came with the stars on the bonnet
and doors as standard or whether they were added afterwards?

Now, judging by display of goods for sale. Flamingos were popular in Pennsylvania.
Are flamingos common in North America and are these types of roadside wares still common?

Dig for Victory

2011-04-21T23:08:00.000+01:00

One of my other specialist subjects is Cookery and Gardening during the Second World War. Over the years, I have acquired quite a collection of wartime recipes, dig for victory leaflets and . . . similar material from the US. The American equivalent of our Dig for Victory campaign was Victory Gardens!

The earth always seemed so well tilled in wartime photographs

Warren Photos 3

2011-04-20T23:45:00.002+01:00

Two more photographs of the Warren family in 1920s Pennsylvania.

The ladies have climbed on top of a wood pile. Today, Health and Safety regulations would probably
require them to undertake a risk assessment first. I think I can guess what the result would be!

OK? We have what seems to be an old schoolhourse, two old cars, a wooden fence and a young man standing on a large tree stump. But why? Is it a family tradition, part of local folklore, a rite of passage or what?

Bovine Sentry!

2011-04-19T20:07:00.000+01:00

In the fields just a few hundred yards from home, I noticed this cow standing guard. I wonder what for?

Horned Creature!

2011-04-17T20:51:00.000+01:00

You know how it is. It is a nice sunny day and you are sitting in the garden enjoying a cup of tea. Then you hear a rustling behind you and turn round to see what caused it. I am not sure which of us was more surprised - me or the stone creature that was emerging from the garden wall. Phew!

Scott of the Antarctic's Hut

2011-04-17T08:25:00.001+01:00

Scott of the Antarctic's Hut is frozen in time. More than 10.000 items are preserved there. In support of tonight's documentary on BBC2, they have published a slide show showing the contents now and as they were. The result is fascinating. The documentary looks at the project to preserve the hut and its contents

Click HERE to view the photographs.

Wikipedia provides details of the hut's history HERE.

New Arrival!

2011-04-16T12:53:00.000+01:00

This is Matty, short for Matilda, who is the newest member of our family. It took a long time, but we found each other two months ago and have been getting to know each other. She likes long walks and cats which is good as we have three of them. It is more than two years since our Jack Russell, Bertie crossed over the Rainbow Bridge and fifteen months since Sooty, our toothless Shih Tzu, joined him there. I imagine she now has a full set of teeth and is enjoying crunching her food again!

Boy and Dog

2011-04-16T12:38:00.002+01:00

If I had a Toy Dog on wheels as nice as this, I'd be gurgling with laughter, too! What a lucky boy he is. Now, are those marbles or maltesers next to his hand? I feel a health and safety alert coming on!

Warren Photos 2

2011-04-15T23:39:00.001+01:00

Two more images of the Warren family in 1920s Pennsylvania. When there is snow on the ground and you are a hungry rabbit, the last thing you need to happen is bump into one of the Warren boys. Especially when they are pointing a shotgun right at you! One for the pot? I guess so. It makes me what to shout out that famous Pantomime cry: "He's behind you!" I wonder what those small huts are behind the unfortunate rabbit. Could they be hutches? Any ideas?

In complete contrast, in the next photograph, it is late summer and the harvest is in full swing. This is a very large load. My! Has anyone seen my cart? Remarkable.

Warren Family Photos!

2011-04-13T22:18:00.002+01:00

Pennsylvania covers 45,308 square miles. It has 67 counties and, in 1900, two-thirds of the State was farmland. In the twentieth century, the number of farms, there, dropped from 225,000 to 59,000. So why am I telling you this? Well, because I recently acquired some negatives from Mechanicsburg in Cumberland Country PA. They were purchased at an estate sale but the seller could say where for sure. They are said to be of the Warren family,and to date from the late 1920s. The family look is quite distinctive and they had some unusual pastimes . . . I'd love to know more about them. Anyone know how I might research the family?

These Warren boys certainly had a thing about skunks - shooting them, that is!

Nowadays, having your sweetcorn field flooded would be considered a disaster.
Not these youngsters who paddled out in their canoe for a look!

Face in the Facade!

2011-04-09T19:59:00.000+01:00

I was capturing some images to illustrate a future post on the need to look up when strolling about town, when I saw this face in the facade of an old inn. It reminded me of one of Doctor Who's Cybermen. This one seems to be in disguise as it is wearing a horse head hat! Note the eyelashes.

Ten Things You Didn't Know About Me!

2011-04-04T22:38:00.003+01:00

By way of light relief (possibly), I thought I would take a break from showing you some of the treasures from the large amount of glass plate negatives I have recently acquired. Here are ten things you didn't know about about Laurie Manton. It may be hard to think of anything interesting, but here goes!

1. I was born in Benghazi. It was then the British Military Administration - Cyrenaica.

2. I was educated at Broadmoor. For those who wonder what's interesting about that - Broadmoor was then the famous Lunatic Asylum for the Criminally Insane. My primary school was in the grounds of the hospital. Our nativity play was put on in the Asylum Theatre. I seem to remember there were mass murderers in the audience and I am sure that sort of thing wouldn't happen today!

3. I was once an extra in a Movie. The equally famous Wellington College public school was on the opposite side of our village. In 1963, a film called Tamahine was filmed at the college. It starred Nancy Kwan and I was part of a cheering crowd as she took part in the high jump. I have never seen it but it is one of my ambitions to do so. It was on television in 1983 and I missed it. It is not on DVD. I live in hope!

4. I once interviewed a number of famous people. They included Spike Milligan, the novelist Leslie Thomas, and the politicians Edwina Currie, Denis Healey and Enoch Powell. The latter still remains the most interesting person I have ever met!

5. The Imperial War Museum recorded my experiences for posterity. I went there three times and they kindly sent me a copy of the recording - it ran to 22 seventy minute CDs!

6. I was a war correspondent during the 1991 Gulf War. I was awarded the Gulf War medal and Liberation Medals from Kuwait and Saudi Arabia and had two books of my photographs published after the war.

7. I was once an Aviation Archaeologist. I recovered the wreckage of a Second World War Beaufighter, and a Dornier bomber, to name just two.

8. I have led guided walks showing people how to identify Animal Tracks and Signs. Not a lot of people know that!

9. I tend to see things that others don't. That sounds a bit like the film Sixth Sense but it's not. By way of explanation, read the first post of this blog. Click HERE to save you a long search!

10. I attended a 'Learn to play the Ukulele' course in January this year. Now, admit it - that has really shocked you!

Strangest Subject!

2011-04-01T23:17:00.000+01:00

This is probably the strangest image in my collection. I scanned it from a glass plate negative and I am at a loss to say which way up and/or round it should be. The photographer has marked the negative with CANCER - Head of Horse Miss Long on one side and Dec 5 1914 on the other. Is that an ear I can see, is it in the right place and from what angle was it taken? Any ideas would be welcomed.

FYI, OMG joins OED LOL

2011-03-26T22:10:00.002Z

According to the Oxford English Dictionary Online, for the March 2011 release of OED Online, it says it "selected for publication a number of noteworthy initialisms—abbreviations consisting of the initial letters of a name or expression. Some of these—such as OMG [OMG int. (and n.) and adj.]: ‘Oh my God’ (or sometimes ‘gosh’, ‘goodness’, etc.) and LOL [LOL int. and n./2]: ‘laughing out loud’—are strongly associated with the language of electronic communications (email, texting, social networks, blogs, and so on). They join other entries of this sort: IMHO (‘in my humble opinion’) [IMHO at I n./1], TMI (‘too much information’) [TMI at T n.], and BFF (‘best friends forever’) [BFF at B n.], among others.

Of course in such a context initialisms are quicker to type than the full forms, and (in the case of text messages, or Twitter, for example) they help to say more in media where there is a limit to a number of characters one may use in a single message. OMG and LOL are found outside of electronic contexts, however; in print, and even in spoken use (see, for example, the 2003 quotation for LOL int.), where there often seems to be a bit more than simple abbreviation going on. The intention is usually to signal an informal, gossipy mode of expression, and perhaps parody the level of unreflective enthusiasm or overstatement that can sometimes appear in online discourse, while at the same time marking oneself as an ‘insider’ au fait with the forms of expression associated with the latest technology.

As such usage indicates, many people would consider these recent coinages, from the last 10 or 20 years, and associate them with a younger generation conversant with all forms of digital communications. As is often the case, OED’s research has revealed some unexpected historical perspectives: our first quotation for OMG is from a personal letter from 1917; the letters LOL had a previous life, starting in 1960, denoting an elderly woman (or ‘little old lady’; see LOL n./1); and the entry for FYI [FYI phr., adj., and n.], for example, shows it originated in the language of memoranda in 1941."

Group Portraits

2011-03-25T19:22:00.002Z

I thought I would share a trio of group portraits with you. I rather like them. I wish I had images like these in my family photograph albums!

Four sisters are persuaded to stand still long enough to capture this delightful portrait.
The girl on the left is determined not to let go of her hoop!

The slimey seaweed hasn't put this family off. Note the rather dated swimsuits.
The poor boy on the left looks fed up with so much female company!

Now these look a happy bunch. I wonder what is in the jug. Cider?

Confirmation Photographs

2011-03-24T21:45:00.001Z

Confirmation is a big event in one's Christian life. Here are a small selection of studio portraits of young girls in their confirmation dresses taken around 1910 and scanned from glass plate negatives.

Military Pet Cemetery

2011-03-20T16:11:00.001Z

I once spent a couple of weeks on assignment at Fort Lewis, Washington. The fort remains one of the largest military bases on American soil. On a rare afternoon off, I discovered the pet cemetery. A peaceful setting for these members of military families. Some of the more modern graves [see the last image] were made from wood and had the details burned on. Unvarnished, I wonder how long they lasted. Taffy, whose grave is pictured below, certainly did a few tours of duty with the McGrew family. I wonder where the family is now?

St Hilaire Cyclist is first past the Post!

2011-03-18T21:29:00.000Z

And, of course, in those days when you won the local cycle race, you were whipped off to the photographers studio to have your portrait taken. Here, Henri Petit of St Hilaire who won the race by 15 minutes poses with his bike. I note his bicycle only had one brake.

Sad End for Small Creatures revisited

2011-03-17T21:53:00.001Z

After publishing yesterday's post about the dead moles hung on a fence, I had a bit of a disturbed night thinking about the circumstances of this occurence. Today, I made the decision to revisit the site with a different camera. I had a number of reasons for doing this.

I kept thinking about the person who hung the moles on the barbed wire and what he or she was thinking about as each was impaled. I could have found myself stood behind them in a supermarket queue and have absolutely no idea what their day job was.

I don't know why, but having reported from Bosnia and Sarajevo in the past when ethnic cleansing was at its peak and life was considered cheap, I couldn't help thinking about some of the more terrible events of the Second World War . . . when the life of some was thought of as worthless.

Revisiting, also provided a chance to get a rare closer looker at some of the physical characteristics of this small, disliked creature. The powerful front claws that moved the earth so easily as it moved underground, the smaller back feet and the pointed sensitive nose that helps notoriously badly-sighted mole find its prey - the earth worm!

Here, then, are more images that I think capture something of what I have just been writing about. The latter shots make me think of abandoned glove puppets . . .

Sad End for Small Creatures

2011-03-16T21:55:00.000Z

As I drove home yesterday, I caught a glimpse of something at the side of the road. I knew at once what it was but hadn't seen such a thing for many years. I don't like it but felt I should record it. What, you might ask? Well, it is the practice of the mole catcher hanging dead moles on a fence to demonstrate the job has been done. Vermin or not, it seems an unhealthy practice to me. What do you think?

A Buzzing in my Ears!

2011-03-15T22:06:00.002Z

Once when I was a child, I saw wasps flying in and out of a small hole in the ground in a wood. Like an idiot, I picked a stone and dropped it on the hole. Quick as a flash, several wasps flew to my my bare leg and stung me. I cried a lot because it hurt so much. For years afterwards, well into adulthood, I would tend to run around in panic and wave my arms about if a wasp came near me. This tended to antagonise them and I would be singled out for attention. Onlookers would think I had gone insane. I don't blame them for thinking that. Then one day, a friend showed me how to pick up a wasp that had settled on my scone as I ate it in the garden. I tended to relax more in future although the sight and sound of a swarm strikes fear in my heart. Imagine my feelings when I put a glass plate negative into my scanner and it produced this image. Spare a thought for the brave photographer whose camera would have been mounted on a tripod and, after inserting a glass plate, pulled the black cloth over his head and took the cap of the lenses to record this shot. I don't think I could have done it. What creatures frighten you?

There is a religious feel to this image. It reminds me of the crux ordinaria or latin cross

Another French Mystery!

2011-03-13T12:46:00.005Z

Two more images taken from the large collection of glass plate negatives. I like them very much but am baffled by what they represent. Do any of my French experts have any idea what is going on, please? Taken about 1910, they obviously represent their respective communes, La Selle sur-Le-Beid and St Hilaire les Andresis, but why are they doing it? So far, I have thought of Trade Unions, maybe or a representation of a call to arms? Maybe there is still a festival in France where people do this, still? I would love to know! Thank you. [I have looked again at the photograph below. There is a Republic of France logo in each corner of the flag. Could the woman pictured on the banner be Joan of Arc? Certainly not, Marie Antoinette - unless of course you know otherwise?] [I now wonder if this could be Fete du Travail - Labour Day?]

Commune la Selled sur-Le-Beid (current population 921)

St Hilaire les Andresis (current population 863)

A Mystery of the Grande Guerre

2011-03-11T21:38:00.002Z

The day before yesterday, the postman staggered up the steps to the house to deliver two very large parcels. Smothered with 'fragile' stickers, they contained dozens of glass plate negatives that show life in, I believe, the Loiret, France between 1910 and 1920. There are some staggering images of townsfolk in costume for some sort of festival, a collection of fascinating full length portraits of young girls in their first Communion dresses - more about these in later posts.

There are also a large number of full-length portraits of soldiers of the Grande Guerre (Great War) dated 1915. I share three of these here:

What I noticed from the individual portraits was that uniforms were very ill-fitting. While I am an expert in British military uniform, I have little knowledge of French uniforms. The first image is causing me some angst. Are these soldiers or young men posing as soldiers? Most of them look quite young, especially the Sergeant behind the priest. Indeed, the priest looks very young, too. Could this be a post war shot of youths wearing their father's uniforms for some sort of re-enactment? The bearded man, front left, is remarkable in having such young, smooth facial skin. Let me know what you think, please?

Here are two soldiers playing cards with a group of women. If the women weren't quite so mature, I would imagine it to have be taken to be the subject of a souvenir postcard. Any ideas?

This image is sadder. Dated 1920, it shows a veteran who makes wooden souvenirs from what I take to be a nearby battlefield. It reads Souvenir de ma campagne du bois de valamoy 1915 - 1916, but when I put the details in Google there was nothing that matched. Note the names and inscriptions carved in the wood of the souvenirs.

A Curious Grouping!

2011-03-10T19:58:00.002Z

The more I look at this print taken from a glass plate negative, the more I am intrigued. It is a rural scene, perhaps a farmhouse? What I take to be a father and son are seated with a scruffy little dog sat on a knee. I find it slightly sinister to see that the two women are not looking directly at the camera. Their poses mirror each other with their eyes downcast. Why on earth would they do that. Click twice on the image and you can see clearly that the woman on the left is slyly looking towards the photographer. They could be twins, but the woman on the left looks much older. The photograph was taken in about 1905 in England. Are they members of a cult, or an extreme religious faith? What do you think?

On the Beach

2011-03-08T23:21:00.002Z

Pipe in mouth, rod in hand. What could be better for the Edwardian Angler? I am impressed by his outfit, including his boots. I can see he is fishing as the line is visible and taut. Unless, of course, his man servant is pulling on the fishing line, just out of shot? Not many people about, I notice. Where did he get that hat?

Posing for a Treat!

2011-03-08T23:05:00.001Z

Even in 1905, it could be hard being a pet. This Jack Russell terrier had to perform for its owners, sitting up and begging on a large wooden barrell. What an indignity this is, it is probably thinking to itself. But being good-natured, it accepts its lot. So if he was, say, five years old and alive today, he would be 110 years old today. But with each dog year being worth seven of a human's, he would be 770!

Colourful Glimpse of the Past!

2011-03-05T18:33:00.001Z

Captured: American in Colour from 1939 to 1943

I found a link to these photographs that were published in the Denver Post last year and thought you might enjoy viewing them. I find them remarkable. Click HERE to view. How different history looks in full colour. Amazing!

These images, by photographers of the Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information, are some of the only color photographs taken of the effects of the Depression on America’s rural and small town populations. The photographs and captions are the property of the Library of Congress and were included in a 2006 exhibit Bound for Glory: America in Color.

The Man in the Tree!

2011-03-04T22:26:00.002Z

After driving the same route for five months, I thought I had noticed everything. But, last night as I slowed for a bend, I had a real surprise. On a tree by the side of the road, there was a face! This afternoon, I stopped and photographed it. What a find!

What's in a Sign?

2011-03-03T22:12:00.002Z

As I drove home the night before last, I saw a sign that caused me to stop my car and take a photograph. It's funny. When I am sub-editing at work I always look out for other meanings for words and phrases. This certainly caught my attention. I know people hang pheasants for a couple of weeks to ensure the meat is high. What I hadn't appreciated is that beef is sometimes treated similarly. I am still thinking about the first image that came into my mind when I read this sign. Phew! The mind boggles.

Then I remembered a sign I had seen a few months ago. It's funny how you can read meanings differently. When I first passed this, I read it as 'Children Playing Dead - Slow'. I then pondered why children were playing dead - must be some sort of game, I thought. Next time I passed by, I read it as 'Children Playing Dead Slow' and wondered what sort of game was played in slow motion! What signs have caught your attention?

What can You see in this Photograph?

2011-02-28T21:59:00.006Z

As the weather gets better, I am looking forward to the chance of getting out and about with my camera again. Poking my lens into the nooks and crannies of other worlds and, possibly, other dimensions. I have seen a strange sign a few miles from here and will be looking to capture it and publish it here for your enjoyment . . .

In the meantime, here is a print I made yesterday evening from a glass plate negative. I see something different here each time I look at it. I was originally drawn to it through a view from a distance when I thought the child on the right had angel wings. However, what I thought was wings looks to be the sort of apparel that a choirboy might wear? Then I was taken by the setting. A wire fence that ends abruptly with what looks like the remains of a tree painted white. And what precisely are the young man and the girl looking at? The boy is doing something that attracts their attention. Perhaps it is a church outing or a summer picnic? To the right of the boy is some sort of frame wrapped in rope and topped by a cushion. Perhaps it is a TB sanatorium and the object is some sort of bed designed to be placed outside so patients can enjoy the fresh air?

I am reminded of mother and my aunt who, in 1923, dreamt up the idea of convincing the authorities that they had TB by coughing a lot so they could avoid going to school. They didn't have Tuberculosis but, as a result of their subterfuge, they ended up in a sanatorium with TB patients. It was six months before it was realised the two ten-year-olds were in good health. They were so lucky not to have contracted it.

So back to the photograph. I am not sure why, but sometimes I feel there is something sinister about what is happening, but most of the time, it looks fine. What do you think it going on here? Click on the image for a closer look.