Monday, November 19, 2007

Bel Orient

Otherwise known as the Barking Dog Village, for its preponderance of mouthy canines, which range from not much bigger than a chihuahua to some fairly burly ones. The next village but one to ours, two 'blocks' away(- village is more than two houses, anything with any kind of centre, church, shop, school, mairie, is a bourg). Despite its name, an unlovely place in many ways, though the views are good. The farmers there are feckless, not fastidious, they throw things out anywhere, leave them to be gradually ingested by the landscape, or occasionally set fire to them. Picturesque it is not, yet, loafing around there with the camera for want of anywhere better, it has become one of those places where, in the detail and variety of its banality, and my familiarity with it, I have probably taken more photos than most:



an old wing mirror in the hedge to see round a corner,


honey in the making,


And cider too,

gear and nettle,



the nasturtiums that scramble round the house with the gnomes,



and a shed for nothing, with sad vacant eyes.

10 comments:

andy said...

Love the shed pic; B&W suits it so.

There's something curiously photogenic about sheds, once they've started to become absorbed into their surroundings - like this one I spotted on Flickr a while back.

Fire Bird said...

I especially like the apples and the shed

jzr said...

What an interesting place. I love to visit and photograph the same sorts of places myself. Always something interesting to see and think about. Love the nettles with gears!

Unknown said...

These photographs show that looking closely at things, as you do, is rewarding regardless of their context. Perhaps the unitidyness of the village is in iteself inspiring. Gerard Manley Hopkins might have understood.

Anonymous said...

Seconding all the above... and what strikes me is how nature does take over and cover up the human mess in time. Wonderful photos.

apprentice said...

Mmm i love these, especially the shed. I love photographing them too, especially allotment ones. The lean to very much like people, moving to the position of ease irrespective of what it does for their posture.

Rosie said...

Hello Lucy
I am just starting to get interested in photography too. I am fascinated by the changes that happen in our landscape with the seasons. It is something that I love about Brittany, that I didnt experience living in a city like London, or on the west coast of America where the sun shone through the smog all day and every day.
There is certainly something about a shed though...where ever it might be

Catalyst said...

The shed picture is fine but show me a good nasturtium anyday!

Lucy said...

Thanks chaps.
Andy - that shed picture is a gem!
TG - the apples smelled really good too, wished I had a smell camera!
JZR - yes, the variety is always interesting.
Plutarch - if things aren't obviously pretty, you do look more closely at them. Quite a few 'Compasses' pictures came from here.
ML - yes, nature does a good job, though I worry these days that we presume too much on that...
Apprentice - funny analogy! true though.
Rosie - nice to see you again, thanks for coming. It's been a particularly good autumn here. Are you further inland than us? The colours get better the further in you go.
Aha Catalyst! I like a nice nasturtium too!

Granny J said...

Oh, just my cup of tea, those photos! I can even see pictures within your pictures. Tidy was never very photogenic.