02 May 2008
EVEREST BASE CAMP
My brother Rob has just returned from a trek to Everest Base Camp - see his spectacular images here:
KEW GARDENS IN SPRING
Adrienne had a day off work so, having heard that the spring flowers at Kew were looking spectacular, we set off for our first visit to the Gardens for many years. We also knew that the display of 28 of Henry Moore's large scale sculptures is due to end shortly.
The swathes of daffodils were indeed superb:
Temple of Aeolus
There were also many trees in blossom and flower, as well as patches of crocuses and other bulbs, although the snowdrops were over:
Arriving quite early in the morning we were surprised that it was possible to wander around and in many places not see any other people at all.
The Pagoda
Syon Vista
The Palm House
In the Pinetum
The apex of the roof of the Alpine House ('infra red' b/w treatment).
In the Temperate House
The White Greyhound of Richmond. In front of the Palm House are replicas of the ten heraldic figures called the Queen's Beasts which stood at Westminster Abbey during the Queen's coronation in 1953.
The Japanese Garden
A view across the Thames to the rear of Syon House - directly under the approach to Heathrow!
The lake
A corner of the lake (with Tufted Ducks).
I took some pictures of a few of the Henry Moore pieces:
'Large Totem Head' According to the guide, "This is a prime example of Moore's belief that a sculpture should have a sense of mystery in order to maintain interest."
'Oval With Points' "This sculpture is inspired by an elephant skull. Moore was struck by the caverns of space, the strength of the bone in contrast to its fine edges and the tension created by the pointed forms."
'Large Reclining Figure' The Black Headed Gull was not part of Moore's inspiration!
'Large Upright Internal/External Form' "This is a good example of the internal/external theme. The interior form as cast as a sculpture in its own right called Large Interior Form."
'The Wall: Background for Sculpture' "This piece resulted from the challenge of placing a sculpture within an architectural setting. The wall forms a barrier between the sculpture and the building."
'Two Piece Reclining Figure' "This work has a deep cut separating the two forms that make up the piece, creating tension and division."
See my images at Flickr
and at RedBubble
Interesting reading! (you need to have Adobe Acrobat installed for these.)
Fellbarrow Round from Loweswater
The Top of Ullscarf Is A Cheerless Place
Rural Schools in the Late Nineteenth Century
Send Bluetiger comments at roger@bluetiger.org.uk