I`m not getting to be a luvvie after all!

The Hepworth Museum

After recent posts extolling the virtues of Plensa at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Chatsworth`s Beyond Limits  and the Coldstones Cut I was fearing that this Geordie lad with a love of football, beer, whippet and pigeon racing and leek shows was getting a bit poncey. A trip to the Hepworth Museum today has reassured me that I have not lost my northern roots that has previously had me being one of the Geordies scratching their head in the Baltic on the Newcastle quayside ( I refuse to recognise the Gateshead element) saying "Whey ye bugger what`s that aal aboot?".

A few quotes  summing up the art on offer:
"That`s a nice piece of wood ruined"
" I hope that coach party arriving have something else to do after half an hour in here"
"The toilets are the best bit"
" I like the stairways"
" I prefer the view out of the window" and that was Sue not me!

Admiring the view - it`s behind you Sue!

It was not all bad though. The cafe was very nice with great food and one or two pieces were nice to see. Photography policy? Only in galleries 4/5. Trouble was it was not always easy to know which galleries were 4/5 as the signposting / labelling was admitted to be poor. A Sunderland College were in with permission to shoot anyway to add to the confusion. You could tell which ones were from Sunderland. Apart from their photographer stickers they were the ones scratching their heads and saying "Whey ye bugger what`s that aal aboot?" in a strange southern style and crying in their drinks about recent results in the north east and comparisons with the mighty Magpies.

There was a nice structure outside too. If I could have been bothered by that stage I`d have looked to see what it was. Nice playground for the kids though and some new redevelopment in that area. It was absolutely packed with visitors. Photographically speaking best bits were outside with the imposing grey building and surrounding boatyard with curios sights to see.

Funniest bit of the day was on the drive back seeing a van which I joked was a case of the guy adding "the wife" onto the side of the van as a bit of an afterthought. I then saw she had the critical role of oversight over driving abilities.

Beyond Limits

Sotheby`s have their annual selling exhibition at Chatsworth House just now (until 30th October 2011) and it`s worth a visit. Of course we had to go on a hot sunny day in October and spent 2 hours getting there with heavy traffic and it was absolutely packed with people!
Never mind - some interesting works on display from Lynn Chadwick,Nadim Karam, Ji Yong-Ho, Damien Hirst  and Jaume Plensa (just the one I am afraid so check out Yorkshire Sculpture Park for more of his work). Our verdicts? Well it was a shame that due to water shortages the grand cascade and fountains were only on for an hour and better to go when fewer people. As for the art?
 Damien Hirst - over-rated moulding work with a splash of paint

Takashi Murakami and Yayoi Kusama flowerrs - plastic tat that looked out of place here

My favourites?  Lynn Chadwicks people, Nadim Karam`s Miu with it`s great reflections and Ji Yong-Ho`s fantastic lion.
Overall not as good as the exhibits when I went 2 years ago but still a great idea and lovely to see the kids sitting on the cascade steps waiting for the water to turn on and the rainbows in the water by the Squirting Willow

Miu by Nadim Karam

Squirting Willow and rainbow

Ji Ying-Ho`s Lion

A Cut Above

After tea and cake in one of the splendid coffee houses in Pateley bridge why not take the road out to Skipton and visit The Coldstones Cut. As you park in the Toft Gate car park signposted there is little to tell you what is ahead. A distant low mechanical noise, with the wind in  the right direction perhaps, is all you might hear.

Following the sign you come to Toft Gate Kiln where lime was smelted from 1700 or so and taken by cart to Pateley Bridge railway. Little sign of that heat and dust now but a 5 mile walk from here will take you down to the lead mines too for a little industrial heritage tour. Not on this day though as it was just too hot - at the end of September would you believe!!!

Toft Gate Lime Kiln Remains

Go up the hill (rises around 40 metres in 500 so quite steep) and you come to the understated entrance of the Coldstones Cut. Looks like an inner city street or alley combined with yellow parking lines and bollards. In deference to the usual health and safety priorities there is more emphasis on warning you about the untreated paths in winter, climbing on walls etc rather than definitiive information boards.

I`ll have to return at a different time when the sun is less bright but these give an idea of the impressive stone cutting and construction of the Cuts.

When you follow straight through to the lower viewing platform you see what is beyond. A huge working quarry that you never knew was there still producing lime but more concentrated on the excavation of high quality stone used elsewhere and in the construction of this iconic structure that has been made to blend into the beautiful open countryside. A ride over this in a plane or balloon would be fantastic but don`t get me started on balloon rides!

 Going back and through one of the side cuts takes you to the upper viewing platforms where even better views are to be had and one of them has a ring of advisory notices in steel telling you the direction and distance to key cities and locations - though it did include  Middlesbrough in this list for some strange reason!

Walking through the cuts gives an idea of the size of the stone used and the skilled work of the masons. Hard to show them but you walk through the cut shown here from the top platform

All in all a grand day out as they say in these parts and well worth a visit - you can take in How Stean Gorge or Brimham Rocks on the same trip too!

Another one off the bucket list!

Now that Sue, me and great friends Anne and Art are all early retired or working part time when we want to,we have plans to cross items  off our bucket list. Things we want to do before we are too old and senile! Some are modest , some are grander and some might need a lottery win but the aim is to do as many as we can.
An early one was to share in Anne and Art`s wish to visit Cornwall using our knowledge of the area from countless trips with the kids and Art`s use of the company car whilst he still has it!

Mousehole

Spent most of the week wishing I`d taken my tripod and 10 stop filter with the great weather we had on all but one day but had a great time.Thanks for all that driving Art and looking forward to Granada, Cordoba and Murcia next!

Mousehole

Art looking pensive at Praa Sands

Add can never resist a good door and window

Ceative sunset with silhouetes taken in daylight

Trying to go minimalist

Lines in

Between the Deep and the Big Blue Sea

More shots and comments from my recent trip to Kilham. Mixed weather meant a visit to the Deep at Hull one day. Brief review - well it`s OK but just a few fish really! One big tank to look at from 6/7 different angles and lots of video displays and a few cockroaches to make up the numbers. Charged parking too! Guessing my year long pass with the ticket might be underused. My favourites were certainly the spotted garden eels which burrowed deep then sprang up doing meerkat impressions and the jelly fish. All the shots required me using my D700 at up to 2000 ISO level and f 2.8-4 - I love my D700. No noise reduction  applied to any of these images.

Spotted garden eels

By the next day it had stopped raining and we could visit Fraisethorpe beach - that`s more like it!

Strength in Unity

Just come back from another stay at the beautiful Kilham Hall. I did the photos for their website and publicity a few years back and have been a regular visitor since. If you are looking for somewhere super sophisticated with all the luxuries and the best breakfast you will ever eat check it out here:
http://www.kilhamhall.co.uk/
Joanne and David have won so many awards for their hotel they can barely fit them on the front page and you`ll see why if you go!

Whilst there you can take in the coast , explore beautiful country houses and walk to your heart`s content. If in the area don`t miss a special sculpture though.

Strength in Unity - Peter Naylor

 Found by the side of a small road in the east riding near Lissett, at the site of their old aerodrome, stands a superb monument to the men of 158 squadron of bomber command who gave their lives in World War 2.Novera Energy PLC got permission in 2007 to install a wind farm on the site of the old Lissett airfield. They commissioned a competition to produce the best tribute to the airmen who lost their lives, open to artists living and working in the Humber and Yorkshire region. This was won by Peter W Naylor who worked with  Hull based firm Campbells to deliver the 7 airmen featured. Cut out of corten steel it is inscribed with the names of the 851 airmen who gave their lives flying daring missions during World War 2 in their Halifax bombers. 343 more airmen were taken prisoner from this squadron.

The wind turbines on the old airfield site behind  are named after some of the  bombers flying during the war. The piece, named Strength in Unity after the motto of the squadron was unveiled on 16th May 2009. The squadrons linked badge features in the plinth for the piece set amidst wildflower turf and oak posts with a book for visitors to sign. An inspirational piece of work that ages with the elements but serves as a reminder of those that went before.

When you go home, tell them of us and say, for their tomorrow,we gave out today"JM Edmonds