Back in the ninth century AD King Alfred the Great made Winchester the capital of England. The city remained influential through the medieval period, thanks to its cathedral and royal connections, before eventually being eclipsed by London. Even today it remains a beautiful and historic city. It also holds a special place in the hearts of many lovers of English literature, mine included, as the final resting place of Jane Austen.
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Although all black and white photos are monochrome photos, not all monochrome photos have to be black and white. Monochrome comes from the Greek monochromos meaning ‘having one colour’. But why shouldn’t that one colour be green, beige, or orange? Or for that matter, grey, red or blue?
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Mdina, the former capital of Malta, carries the weight of its long history. Protected by its ancient walls the centre has remained largely untouched by modernity. Winding streets are lined with a mix of baroque and medieval architecture. There are churches and grand palaces interspersed with more modest homes, all of them beautiful.
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Our homes often tell the world something about ourselves, especially their exteriors. How often have you looked at a house and drawn some sort of conclusion about the people who live in it? Most obviously, we can tell if they are neat and tidy, or messy. We can tell if they favour bright colours or neutrals.
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Malta’s capital is small but beautiful! Its historic heart sits on a peninsula between two harbours and is protected by a series of fortifications. Inside, the grandeur of many of its buildings reflects the wealth of the Order of Saint John whose Grand Master, Jean de Valette, founded the city to strengthen the Order's position in Malta and bind the Knights to the island.
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According to Cicero, the greatest of Greek cities wasn’t in Greece itself but in Sicily. He described Ortigia, the original heart of modern-day Syracuse, as ‘the greatest Greek city and the most beautiful of all’. Situated on a small island, the city was founded by the Greek settlers from Corinth in 743 B.C.
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While I try to avoid too many picture postcard souvenir shots when I travel, it’s inevitable that I will take some. I feel the need to record what I see initially, before diving deeper into the sights, looking for details or angles that are less obvious.
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London has enjoyed one of the sunniest and hottest Junes I can remember. Although ‘enjoyed’ is stretching a point for anyone travelling on the Tube in thirty degree temperatures, as most of the lines aren’t (yet) air conditioned.
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The Romans built the city of Netum on the slopes of Mount Alveria in south-east Sicily. Legend tells that Daedalus stayed in this city after his flight over the Ionian Sea, as did Hercules after his seventh task. Over the following centuries it flourished, until in 1693 disaster struck, in the form of an earthquake. Most of the buildings were razed to the ground and over half the population perished.
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Very many people have had their say about what constitutes creativity. Most focus on a degree of rule-breaking and risk-taking. In this post I want to share some of the creative people I’ve featured previously, bringing examples of their fascinating and unusual work together into this single post.
