Tintree

I have lots of monochrome negatives. Most are 35mm but amongst then are a few 2×2 from the days of the box Brownies. This one I found the other day. It was taken on a Sunday in June when I was either eleven or twelve. I’m the one in the striped top – it was red and white and made of nylon and I hated it but mother liked it. We are all sat on the beach at Hayling Island (east of Portsmouth, Hampshire)  The lad with the ‘kiss me quick’ hat is my cousin and my brother is just visible in the background. Father is taking the photo.
What is weird is that I can remember lots of silly details about this day. The hats were a result of my cousin throwing a tantrum because he had no money. Mother felt sorry for him so we all got one – just to be fair. It was windy but not cold and I think it was mandatory then to have a windbreak for everyone to hide behind. This is a habit that seems to have died out now. Perhaps windbreak construction is a lost art? After this photo, and a couple of others had been taken it was sandwich time. In those days sandwiches had real sand in them. My cousin got the ham ones, and my brother a ham and a cheese one. I got a cheese and a salmon one. I hated pink salmon and gave it to the dog (you can just see it between my cousins knees). That got me a telling off, but the dog was happy.

A day out over 47 years ago and I remember the sandwiches and sitting on the sand looking at my father taking a picture. This picture. Priceless.

These steps on the inside of the  Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore (English: Basilica of Saint Mary of the Flower) the Cathedral church of Florence, Italy. The Doumo, as it is ordinarily called is one of Italy’s largest churches, and until development of new structural materials in the modern era, the dome was the largest in the world. It remains the largest brick dome ever constructed. You can  get to the top, as millions of tourists, do by climbing up the 400+ steps between the dome and the exterior wall. This is cramped, steep and well worth the strain on your heart.

They have another claim to fame. When my daughter was little (under 4′ 6″ tall) whilst on holiday in Italy we all climbed to the top.  About half way up the stairs open out onto a balustrade which runs around the inside of the dome. Its now overlaid and effectively closed in with clear perspex, but back when we first climbed it it was open. As she exited the small opening from the stairs she was confronted with a clear view between the balusters of the long long drop to the floor of the cathedral about 100′ below. She was scared. I couldn’t understand what she was crying about and basically forced her round to the next section of the climb on the other side of the dome. By the time we got to these stairs she was beside herself.

So basically I am responsible (along with the Catholic Church, God and many unthinking master masons from the 1430′s) for my beloved daughters fear of heights.

Its a nice dome tho. I’ll ad some more pics later.