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.

Grave in the crypt of St Agatha, Malta. This was one of many in what was a surprisingly large underground catacomb . Normally I don’t think the public are allowed into this part, because there was very little lighting and it was a bit creepy – lots of bones and such. We had been given the keys and told to have a look round, don’t touch anything, and bring the keys back when we had finished. The guy on the ticket booth, who was also the guide, had his foot in plaster. We spent a happy hour exploring ( I always carry a torch).

One of very many fine statues sprinkled seemingly at random all over Florence in Italy. I cant remember who this one was supposed to be – some random goddess or other I suspect – but a very fine piece of work none the less.

Mosaic from the St Marks Basilica, Venice Italy showing the head of a saint. The mosaic is in part made of tiles inlaid with gold leaf. Dates from around the early 1400′s CE. In 2011 this work could be found in the upper visitors gallery in St Marks.  Although we could look at this from only a meter or so away, originally it would have been high up on the wall or ceiling.  The closest you could have got then was probably 20mtr’s at best, and in dim light too. Each image is an act of faith.