For the last post of 2013, I return to my first series – the Lamppost series – with a rather cute pair of entwined lampposts seen at the Vitra Campus in Weil am Rhein, just across the German border from Basel. There’s no name-plate – I can’t find out anything online about it, so I…
Singular Statues: #6 Captain Robert Falcon Scott
This statue of Captain Robert Falcon Scott commemorating his ill-fated second expedition to the South Pole, stands at the western end of The Porter’s Garden of Portsmouth Dockyard, just inside the main entrance. Sculpted by his widow, Lady Kathleen in 1915, the Grade II listed bronze statue of Captain Scott with one of his faithful…
Basel’s most stylish Christmas tree …
From a recent trip to Basel, Switzerland, the home of culture and artistic finesse, I discovered one of the most innovative Christmas trees I have ever seen. Found at Les Garecons, the gastronomic enclave at the German Railway Station, it is made of recycled plastic bottles, filled with coloured liquid and in the evening, it…
Pic of the Month: ESPA at Fairmont Baku, Azerbaijan
I took this image when visiting ESPA at Fairmont Baku, Flame Towers in Azerbaijan recently. I loved the shadows which flitted across the table on which the flowers were located – and indeed, the delicate beauty of the flower itself. It seems to give promise to a calming, beautiful experience, which, knowing the ESPA product,…
Singular Statues: #5 Sound II
The fifth in the series of Singular Statues is by the artist, Antony Gormley, who is said to have donated this work – Sound II – to Winchester Cathedral. Located in the crypt, it is best viewed when the area is flooded (the cathedral is very close to the water table), where you see this…
Venerable Ruins – Stonehenge
Give me the scoop on Stonehenge then, I asked my friend who had visited on many occasions when we passed by recently to see these venerable ruins. Old stones – prehistoric, she replied succinctly. Whilst maybe accurate, you really want a teensy bit more, don’t you when you visit. So – with guidebook firmly in…
Pawprint Series: Portsmouth to Arundel Canal
Having a dog is a great way to investigate a city you thought you knew well. Looking for new and interesting walks for The Hound has certainly lead me to discover parts of Portsmouth which I didn’t know existed. Having driven past it on the Eastern Road when travelling into Portsmouth, I decided to park…
Singular Statues: #4 HMS Trafalgar Figurehead
I discovered this magnificent carved and decorated figurehead featuring Admiral Lord Nelson lying quite close to HMS Victory, his famous ship, in Portsmouth Dockyard one fine day. As you can see, the right eye remains unpainted as he famously lost his sight in this eye in the siege of Calvi in 1794. Research relates that…
The Hindhead Tunnel – Genius Engineering
If, like me, you have driven back and forth to London from Portsmouth on the A3 prior to 2011, you will have realised the pure joy of bypassing The Devil’s Punchbowl and the mind-numbing traffic queues at Hindhead crossroads. The 29th July 2011 could not have come quickly enough for me and I even visited…
Pawprint Series: Hindhead Commons, Surrey
It’s a particular pleasure for me to return to Hindhead at least once a season. For years, I suffered in wearisome traffic jams on the A3 motorway at Hindhead’s crossroads – a notorious traffic congestion spot now thankfully bypassed by the Hindhead Tunnel. So I love the fact that the region has returned to an…
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