kimbofo

A year in photographs, V to Z

V is for: Vane Arms pub, Thorpe Thewles, Stockton-on-Tees, England.
Date: June 22, 2007.
Camera: Sony Cybershot DSC-W1.

This 17th century pub -- with a thoroughly modern interior -- overlooks the green in the pretty village of Thorpe Thewles, not far from the rather grim industrial suburb of Billingham, near Middlesbrough. It's run by a distant relative -- my dad's cousin's eldest son, if that makes sense -- whom my dad and I met for the first time in the summer. We had lunch here and enjoyed catching up with a varied assortment of rellies we hadn't seen in quite some time...

W is for: war graves, Brompton Cemetery, London.
Date: April 22, 2007.
Camera: Sony Cybershot DSC-W1.

Brompton Cemetery is largely characterised by elaborate Victorian headstones but there's a small section dedicated to the war dead. These simple white headstones mark the burial spots of soldiers from both the Great War and the Second World War.

A year in photographs, T to U

T is for: Tara, Hill of; County Mayo, Eire
Date: April 22, 2007
Camera: Sony Cybershot DSC-W1

According to tradition, the Hill of Tara was the seat of the High King of Ireland. It's a rather impressive landscape of ditches and ring forts carpeted in rich green grass. The central focus is a standing stone (where the people are gathering in the photograph above) at which the High Kings were supposedly crowned. Standing here, you can look out over the surrounding rural countryside and take in the breathtakingly beautiful scenery.

Tara's other claim to fame involves St Patrick. Apparently this is the place where he converted the Irish to Christianity in the early fifth century. Indeed, to mark this role in history, a giant statue of St Patrick stands at the foot of the ancient site.

We visited on a rather wild and woolly day marked by ever-changeable weather but the skies cleared long enough for us to explore the monument, clambering up and down the ditches that reminded me of a crazy golf course possibly designed by someone on hallucinogenic drugs!

A year in photographs, P to S

P is for: Park, Hyde; London
Date: April 14, 2007
Camera: Sony Cybershot DSC-W1

I confess to having a love/hate relationship with Hyde Park. I hate how busy it becomes in the summer months, but I love its acres of green grass and majestic trees, which are best appreciated when no-one's around. This photograph was taken early on a Saturday morning when nary a soul was to be seen. I scooted around the park on my bicycle -- a seven mile round-trip from my house -- and stopped to take the odd photograph or two. Apart from the occasional dog walker I practically had the entire park to myself. In a city as heavily populated as London you don't know what a rare and precious treat this was!

A year in photographs, L to O

L is for: Leadenhall Market
Date: December 27, 2007.
Camera: Panasonic DMC-TZ3.

Leadenhall Market is a beautifully preserved market in the heart of the City of London. It dates back to the 14th century but the current building was designed by Horace Jones in the late 19th century. I love the colours -- deep green, rich red and an assortment of golds and creams -- all bathed in a gentle light that filters through the glass roof. When we visited just after Christmas it was alive with City workers drinking lunch time pints and there was a real buzz about the place, not apparent in the surrounding areas. A must-see if you happen to be in London at any point in time.

A year in photographs, H to K

H is for: Horse Hospital, London.
Date: Saturday, July 28, 2007.
Camera: Sony Cybershot DSC-W1.

A beautiful summer's day and we traipsed all over Bloomsbury, exploring bookshops, pubs and garden squares. We finished up at a pub just around the corner from Russell Square and this is the view across the road. The Horse Hospital is now a "unique arts venue" but it had a past life as a hospital for equines and from the outside it looks like a rather elaborate stable.

A year in photographs, A to G

A is for: Abney Park Trust in Stoke Newington, London.
Date: Sunday, April 8, 2007
Camera: Sony Cybershot DSC-W1

We went to Abney Park Cemetery on Easter Sunday, which is one of the "magnificent seven" London cemeteries laid out in the 19th century, currently maintained by the Abney Park Trust. The park had a wild kind of flavour to it, with many of the grave sites overtaken by ivy and all manner of leafy plants, although General Booth's was in pristine condition. (Booth was the founder of the Salvation Army and one of my ancestors, on my mother's side, so I made sure to take a photograph for her, seeing as she's never visited it.)