Black and white landscapes appear to be one of my specialities. I do not necessarily look for them but they seem to find me. I was very pleased to receive an honourable mention in the MonoVisions 2024 international photographic competition. This was a picture taken in Wychwood Wood which is local to me and surprisingly not a place that I have visited until recently. The tree trunks in the picture remind me of two people dancing. Whilst the trees are not able to shout, they can twist and turn. Full details of the competition and the honourable mention are on the web site. I was successful in the Monovisions landscape category in 2001 and 2003.
The bluebell season is here and is earlier than normal. Usually the flowers are in full bloom around the May Bank holiday weekend. This year their arrival appears to be 1 to 2 weeks early. A blue carpet of bluebells is always stunning especially when set against the backdrop of the woodland. This year I went to Hay Wood as a fellow photographer had taken a picture of the blue carpets of flowers and the scene looked stunning.
The blue carpet of bluebells.
Hay Wood is part of Forestry England and is a small wood which is near to Baddesley Clinton. The latter is an outstanding National Trust property which is always lovely to visit. We are fortunate to have Hay Wood nearby. The bluebells appear on specific patches to the east and west parts of the woodland. The easterly display was at its peak and even though I was there around midday, the light was wonderful. The new shoots of green leaves glistened in the sun and the bluebells contrasted against the trees rising upwards.
Light and shadows highlighting the scene.Bluebells around the trees.
The bluebells to the west of the wood looked beautiful and they were still flowering. More photographs of the blue carpet were taken. The western part of the wood has a public footpath that links with St Michael’s church that is adjacent to the Baddesley Clinton estate. I visited the church as there is the opportunity to take a picture of the bluebells in the foreground and the church providing the background interest.
A solitary bluebell plant with a backdrop of green and blue.Old tree trunks add interest to the scene.Muddy paths led to the bluebells.St Michael’s Church, Baddesley Clinton with bluebells.
All these pictures were taken with my Fujifilm x100vi and I bracketed the exposure of the pictures. The 3 photographs were merged with the HDR function in Lightroom. Some adjustments of the shadows and highlights plus dodging and burning were made.
If you enjoyed these pictures of the bluebells then please follow the links below to see previous entries in my blog.
I am very fortunate to live within a few miles of two outstanding National Trust properties. Packwood House and Baddesley Clinton are within walking distance of each other and during the summer I visit them on my bike. Both houses have different charms. Baddesley is a moated house in a picturesque setting. The gardens are well laid out and are fantastic to see in the summer months when they are in full bloom. Packwood house is charming and whilst it does not have a moat, there are other unique features. Packwood has the amazing topiary called the Sermon on the Mount and a walled kitchen garden where one can follow the changes in the vegetation during the year. There is little to choose between the two houses.
The moat around Baddesley Clinton.
This Christmas both houses have upped their game and have really gone to town with their decorations. You would almost think that there is a competition between the two properties on who could put on the better display. Looking on the web, I realise that the majority of the National Trust properties enjoy putting up their decorations. This story of Christmas between these two houses is reenacted up and down the country.
Visiting Packwood each December is a delight and this year the house looked very Christmassy inside. Each room of the house has a Christmas tree. The larger Christmas trees are naturally in the bigger rooms. The Entrance Hall Christmas tree is decorated with handmade decorations and has a commanding presence. The three adjacent rooms each with their own Christmas tree are set up for welcoming guests to dinner in the 1920s. The place settings and the arrangement of the food on the table is carefully choreographed.
The tree in the Entrance Hall at Packwood.The room is set for a 1920’s Christmas dinner.One of the many Christmas trees at Packwood.
When photographing National Trust properties, I always look for the small things and those details that you miss whilst looking around the room. I am naturally drawn to the bigger view and as I entered each room, your eyes quickly alight on the brightly lit Christmas trees. The polished wooden floors reflect the light from the trees. For inside photography, I use my iPhone15 as the sensor quickly picks up the colours in the low light. I did try and use a long exposure setting with my compact camera but there were too many people moving around in a small space. Plus the volunteers do become worried when you bring out the tripod even though it is a small travel one.
Hand made decorationsPretty paper wheels.Baubles Dinner table settingReady for the ball.Beautiful tree.
Packwood has one room off the Long Gallery, that is set up with a minature town scene with skaters on white icelike flooring. As the picture shows the lighting effect in the darkened room produces a magical effect.
A magical scene at the foot of this Christmas Tree.Details of the sceneThe Christmas Tree.
The Long Gallery has two more Christmas trees and the final room has a long narrow decorated table that leads to another impressive tree. I counted 8 trees in all (I could be wrong). Along the way there was a story being told as the place was set up for a Christmas masquerade ball.
Dressed for the ball.Some beads in your tea.Baby its cold outside.The Christmas Tree in the Long Hall.
I did enjoy visiting the house, however, the place I loved the most was the kitchen garden. Here the old tree near to the entrance was decorated with all types of decorations. The afternoon light shimmered on the shiny lanterns. Many of the decorations like those in the house were hand made. There was continuation of the skating theme on the potting shelves.
Entrance to the Kitchen Garden.Skates on the potting shelves.Lantern in the tree.A beautifully decorated tree.
My Verdict on Packwood. The house is amazing with the Christmas trees that enhanced the beauty of the old building. The best part of my visit was viewing the outside tree in the Kitchen Garden.
Baddesley Clinton is fully prepared for Christmas. As you pass through the shop into the courtyard you, a Christmas tree awaits you. Before entering the house, I walked along the garden paths and loved the large, big red ribbons and the decorations of the summer house with the story of the Holly and the Ivy.
Lovely red ribbons.
The larger sloping greenhouse on the garden wall had orange slices hung up as decorations and there were pomanders (oranges with cloves) adorning the ceiling. Recipes for making mulled wine and smoking Bishops were available. I love the name of Smoking Bishop for an alcoholic drink. The walled garden and the vegetable growing areas were being prepared for winter by the gardeners and my time slot for the house entrance was due.
Decorated Greenhouse.PomandersMulled wineHolly and the IvyThe decorated entrance.Entering the garden and house.
The walk through the house was a Christmas tour de force. The kitchen was getting ready for a grand feast. There was a Christmas card display to browse over before entering the grand Christmas tree by an open fire in the Great Hall. The downstairs rooms were a delight to visit with preparations for dinner and carols being many of the activities being featured.
Christmas time by the fireplace.DecorationsRed and white bowsGingerbread manTable set for a feast.
Upstairs the first two rooms were all ready for Christmas presents to be delivered. Lady Chatterton’s Bedroom on the corner room overlooking the orchid was beautifully laid out and included a decorated tree. The next room was the Great Parlour and there was a spectacular frieze of children skating. This had the wow factor. There were two Christmas trees, children skating on the ice and little owls watching the proceedings. The final room had a frieze of a family singing carols. In the room, the exhibit I found most interesting was of the glass ornament that had a model of the house in a large jar.
This display had the Wow factor.Hand made decorations.A snowy owl hidden in the tree.Christmas StockingLady Chatterton’s Bedroom
After such an exciting visit to the house, I retired to the cafe and had a Turkey Bap with trimmings. This was a Christmas dinner at a reasonable price. Another highlight of my visit to the property.
My delicious Turkey Bap in the Stables restaurant.
My Verdict on Baddesley Clinton. Great food, some wonderful ideas put into practice with the decoration of the rooms and a garden ready for Christmas.
So two houses, giving two versions of Christmas, lots of trees, decorations, and food. Which of the two properties is better prepared for Christmas? I would recommend visiting and if you read this at a later date, my answer is that they both have captured the Christmas Spirit in a brilliant manner.
Thanks must go the National Trust employees and the volunteers whose industry at Christmas and throughout the year make these properties such fun places to visit. If you enjoyed this blog then I do have other entries of my visits to National Trust properties around the area. Click on this link to find all my visits.
I visited Packwood House at Christmas in 2021 and if you want to see what they did back then, the blog is below.
You may have heard the news that there was a Coronation taking place in May. An event that has never happened for 70 years. The excitement was everywhere and it was not difficult to get caught up in what was happening over the weekend. My village Knowle is very active and keen to promote community based events. The place is very friendly and since moving here from the North West nearly 40 years ago, there has always been a community get together around major events. For the Coronation weekend the plan was to close the High Street for a day and let the community reclaim the streets. This event took place last year with the Queen’s platinum Jubilee and plans to repeat this successful venture were made for the King’s Coronation.
Crowds on the High Street.Market Stalls.Take a look at this flavour.The Mayor of Solihull learning that King Charles may have arrived.Judy the village crier.
Visit Knowle were the champions of this Royal Coronation High Street celebration. As I walked the dog around early on the Bank Holiday Monday, the High Street was already closed and the contractors were putting up the stands and the stage. The weather forecast was not great and there were a few drops or rain around. I returned to the High Street at 11.30am to find it crowded and the party in full swing. The stalls were doing great business and many of the shops were open as well. The Mayor of Solihull was present plus a guest cardboard cutout of Charles III. The stage was in regular occupancy with all acts getting in a rendition of God Save the King somewhere in their routine. The idea of throwing a football into a toilet bowl attracted a lot of attention plus there were many other things to do. I did not get chance to go up the Knowle Church Tower or visit the inside display. There was just too much going on. Many people posted photographs and searching through the local social media sites confirms the success of the Celebrations and shows events that I missed.
Are you ready for “God save the King”?The stage is the big draw for the crowds.The Church grounds are being put to good use.We have toilets and we have balls. What games shall we play?My aim is true.Let’s do some stargazing.Which way?Stamps in a shop window.Time for a cuppa.This cup of tea is most welcome.If there are no cars, then let’s sail a boat down the High Street.Someone in the picture is not happy!Knitted Camilla to knitted Charles, “How many times have we been photographed today”
I spent a good hour and a bit wandering around, meeting people I knew and enjoying taking photographs of the fesitvities. Oh and did I mention the weather? Well there was no rain when I visited and it held off for most of the day. How would we cope if there had been sunshine?
A painted flag.
Epilogue – I won a basketball shirt in the basketball raffle winning a black top and red vest. A good result of the day. Pictures to follow.
You may like to see how the High Street looked last year during the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
The High Street in Knowle village closed on Saturday 4th June during Jubilee weekend. Several drivers were not pleased that cars were stopped from passing through Knowle. They were diverted around the High Street but that did add 5 minutes to their journey! The car drivers’ loss was the community’s gain. At 10 o’clock as soon as the road was closed, the artesian market went up. There was just one problem the rain came along at the same time and stayed for the duration of the morning. From all accounts people thought that the day going to be a washout.
The Queen is Knitted out.Jacques restaurant went to town with the decorationsColourful decorations at Caroline Bramley Dress ShopElderberry Blacks table settingMarie Curie with the dress design from the local schoolCarly’s shop window
I did not venture into the village until 2pm and by then the rain had stopped. It also brought out the people and the festivities were kickstarted again. The high street was buzzing, and the artisan market was in full swing. It was fun just to wander up and down the high street, stand on the zebra crossing and linger at the different stalls. This is what celebrating the 70th anniversary of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II is all about, doing something different.
The High Street is closedKing Charles or William?Lots of funHelter-Skelter in the Church Throw the ball into the lavatory No cars just lots of stalls
Highlights of the afternoon included throwing footballs into lavatories. At first the children lined up to have a go. After a while many of the dads decided to have a go. There were not much better than their siblings, but it was still amusing to watch. The area around the Church was transformed and where there was green grass and a nicely manicured path, on this Saturday there was a helter-skelter, market stalls and lots of people enjoying themselves.
Panda outside Marie Curie Charity ShopThe Police having funDressed for the occasion. The Queen looks onBusy at Eric Lyons BBQEven the dogs were showing off
I took many pictures during the afternoon and luckily met a few people I know who let me take their pictures. Visit Knowle made a video of the day with some of my pictures being featured. I hope the Village do this on a regular basis as the event did bring the community together.
Usually this is a quiet picturesque scene.
The event was to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. The Jubilee team (Arden Academy, Arden Parent & Teachers Association, Knowle and Dorridge Lions, Knowle Parish Church, Knowle Society, Knowle Village Hall Association, Love Knowle Park & Visit Knowle) came together to produce the programme of events. If you want to know more then the event is covered on the Visit Knowle website
The months of August are hot during the day and often very muggy at night. We have been through a spell of very hot weather and experienced some dramatic thunderstorms at night. Unfortunately I slept through the worse ones even though I had my camera set up to take some pictures. The next day I was up early and when I got to the park, I was not disappointed as there was a mist over the area. There were were also layers of colours present. What was remarkable was the continual change as the sun rose higher burning off the mist. The mist provides opportunities for rays of sunbreaking through the clouds to be highlighted. With my trusty iPhone I was able to take several photographs of the scene. These were immediately given some post processing via Snapspeed and then uploaded onto the BBC weather site. When I got back home all the pictures were run through Lightroom and then put up on Twitter and Instagram. I received a great deal of acclaim and lovely comments on the pictures and also featured no BBC Midlands weather.
Knowle Park after the storms with a lone dog walkerMagical mist, Sun and lightThe clouds were very dramaticThis picture was shown on BBC Midlands weatherThis picture was popular on Instagram
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