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Ruislip Woods: ancient woodland in suburbia
When the Domesday Book was written, in 1086, what is now the pleasant London suburb of Ruislip was known as Rislepe, ‘leaping place on the river where rushes grow’. The book also tells us that it had more pigs than human inhabitants. These pigs roamed the extensive woodlands; and Ruislip Woods remain to this day, although smaller than they once were.
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Gallery: nature by design
Alexander McQueen is not the first person to suggest that nature is the best designer. Indeed, as far back as the Ancient Greeks similar things were being said.
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Gallery: giant snails invading Riga!
On my first afternoon in Riga, as I sat with a coffee in the Livu Laukums, my eye was naturally drawn to the large bright yellow snail in one corner. Later that day I spotted a green one in the Ratslaukums and I was to come across several more during the course of my stay. What is more, these snails were on the move; slowly (as is normal for snails) they made their way around the city, each day a little further from their original starting place.
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Gallery: feeling the blues
It is hard not to look at blue and feel calmer. Blue is cool and relaxing. Pale blue is tranquil, peaceful; while dark blue suggests strength and power. Blue also indicates intelligence and responsibility, which is perhaps why it is the most popular colour for business logos.
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Old Mission, one man’s dream
In the quiet Washington State town of Cashmere is a rather special place, the realisation of one man’s dream. The pioneer village, known as Old Mission, brings together a collection of around twenty historic buildings assembled from the surrounding area. It and the attached museum owe their existence to the way that man’s dying wish inspired a town.
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Tiger, Tiger, burning bright …
Like just about everyone else who visits, we came to Ranthambore with the aim of seeing tigers. And Ranthambore is all about the tigers. Every conversation you have here is guaranteed to start with ‘Did you see any tigers?’ The answer is quite likely to be yes, although there are, as ever with wildlife, no guarantees ...
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The astounding architecture of Pyongyang
The capital of the DPRK, Pyongyang, has been developed as a showpiece for the country, demonstrating to both outsiders and the North Korean people the strength and power of the regime, and making a strong statement about the country’s ambitions to be self-reliant in the face of often hostile challenges from elsewhere – those challenges being of course both political and at times physical.
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Gallery: a street art walk in Shoreditch
If you want to find street art in London (and I mean LOTS of street art) you could do far worse than to head to Shoreditch. This trendy (albeit some say ex-trendy) district is a mecca for enthusiasts, both those who create and those, like me, who go to admire.
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Gallery: it’s a wonderful world, from above
One of the (many) things I have missed during the pandemic has been that little frisson of excitement I feel when arriving at the airport to take off on a trip. Excitement tinged with a touch of anxiety too – not about flying (I love flying) but about the little details of a trip. Have I remembered everything? Did we lock the back door? Are we on time?
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Gallery: creating an eerie unreality
Normally when I edit an image I do so with the intention of bringing out more clearly what I saw when I took it. However, sometimes it’s fun to take things to extremes.
