Category: My Words

Spontaneous competition

The other day I held a spontaneous competition to see if anybody could guess what the blue lines were in the image.

I’m happy to say Michael Eardley guessed correctly.

And here is Michael with his winning print.

You may like to see the original post, please visit

The first person that can guess EXACTLY what the dotted lights (one long, three short) are; on the left side of this image, will WIN a copy of this image.Just leave your answer in the comments below.

Posted by Mark Stothard on Sunday, 10 February 2019

Minehead Hands

Thousands of walkers who start or finish the 630-mile South West Coast Path at Minehead, Somerset, now have a striking new sculpture to mark this point of their journey, thanks to Sarah Ward.

In 1999, as a part of a contest for A-level students at West Somerset College, she came up with the idea for a 12ft sculpture in galvanised steel costing £19,000. The sculptor Owen Cunningham, from Belper, Derbyshire, was commissioned to make it by the South West Coast Path Team, part of the Government’s Countryside Agency.

Eric Wallis, a spokesman for the walkers’ voluntary body, the South West Coast Path Association, said at the time: “It is a fitting landmark for the Minehead end of Britain’s longest national trail. Now walkers will be able to celebrate their arrival or departure in style.”

Rhenish Tower, Exmoor

Rhenish Tower was built by General Rawdon to store salt water for indoor baths. It was later fitted with an electric light for use as a beacon. The original tower was built in c.1860. It was rebuilt as an exact replica after 1952 flood damage.

© 2018 Mark Stothard

 

From this, to this, #darkroom

Back in early summer my new office and darkroom looked like this, full of junk.

Well, I’m happy to say, an hour a day later, the office and darkrooms are now empty of junk.

The builder is coming the first week of October, in 4 weeks time, to give me a new floor, seal the walls and make light tight, ready for me to move analog darkroom and office in after services are installed.

Happy Times 🙂

Become an #Exmoor Patron!

Exmoor4all are looking for “Exmoor Patrons” who can help them keep Exmoor4all going and provide them with the opportunity to develop their platform even further.

For a monthly contribution, from as little as around 80p, you will receive rewards, from DJ Miles Tea & Coffee to special access to information and even a personalised 5* trip to Exmoor. And you will play a significant part in developing Exmoor4all and events like the Exmoor Food Fest.

Here is their story:

Exmoor4all started in 2012 on Facebook and Twitter as a community platform for locals and visitors and everyone else in between and beyond who love Exmoor, the small National Park straddling Somerset and Devon in England’s South West.

Over the past five years, Exmoor4all has grown to a website, an online shop, community events and, of course, other social media platforms. It is taking a lot of time and love and dedication to build up the community (Exmoor4all reaches regularly up to 150,000 people per week, and 75,000 people engage with us on Facebook alone) and this is why they are on Patreon:

The Background Story:

Exmoor4all is run by Elke Winzer. Elke is a single mum with two staaaaarving teenage boys and four dogs and moved to Exmoor from Germany over 15 years ago, but fell in love with the area a very long time before then, with a background in Public and Cultural Relations. A publisher of three books in a previous life in Germany (under the author name Elke Koessling), and have worked as a promoter for musicals, organised concerts, and explored the world as a travel journalist amongst many more things.

Starting Exmoor4all in 2012 as an online community which connects people from all over the world in their love for beautiful Exmoor. Helping local businesses promote their products, publish information about events, and, increasingly so, provide a calming refuge from a scary world out there.

Five years down the track they know that people love what they do. Constant engagement, production of outstanding posts and products, and the provision of assistance (when dogs get lost or owners of cows have to be found) take a lot of time. It is easily a full-time job which so far has been subsidised by taking on “normal” jobs. It would be great if – with your help – Exmoor4all could run full time and provide even more ‘customer service’ than before.

You can become an Exmoor Patron for as little as 80p per month (Patreon operates in US$, but of course your subscription is in GBP if you live in the UK) – and any contribution is not only much appreciated, but also comes with rewards to patrons.

To find out more, please pop over to the Exmoor4all Patreon site and have a look at all the tiers and rewards available:

Accreditations

Exmoor (Green landscape) © Leanna Coles

Wildlife at Stonehenge

Local wildlife eyeing up a home at Stonehenge. Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument in Wiltshire, England, where archaeologists believe it was constructed from 3000 BC to 2000 BC. The surrounding circular earth bank and ditch, which constitute the earliest phase of the monument, have been dated to about 3100 BC.

© Mark Stothard. Buy this image.

 

My Artistic view of Muchelney Abbey @visitsomerset #muchelneyabbey #somerset

Pictured Church of St Peter and St Paul, Muchelney neighboring Muchelney Abbey, which lies two miles south of Langport, was once a landmark in the Somerset Levels and still has much to offer its visitors and history lovers, in particular, will enjoy this fascinating site but there is also plenty for families to do.

It was once a wealthy Benedictine house and the second oldest religious foundation in Somerset, but as part of the dissolution, the abbey’s principal buildings were demolished by Henry VIII in 1538.

Visitors can still see the clearly laid out foundations of the abbey, parts of the richly decorated cloister walk and thatched monks’ lavatory- the only one of its kind in Britain. The 16th-century abbots’ house remains intact with its magnificent rooms, and site finds are on display illustrating monastic life.

With plenty of rooms to explore, this is an ideal day out whatever the weather and on sunny days, children have plenty of room to play in the grounds.

© Mark Stothard. Buy this image. Text Source English Hertiage

 

Arundel Castle

International jousting at Arundel Castle Sussex. Arundel Castle is a restored and remodeled medieval castle in Arundel, West Sussex, England. It was established by Roger de Montgomery on Christmas Day 1068.

© Mark Stothard. Buy this image.

 

Arundel Castle Gateway and Moat

Curtain walls surround the enclosed northern gardens of Arundel Castle. The gated entrance in front of the tower seen nearest the viewer is guarded by a lion and a unicorn.

© Mark Stothard. Buy this image.

 

#Bayeux Commonwealth War Graves @BayeuxMuseum ‏

I was honoured, proud and privileged back in 2013 while in France, in having the time to visit the Bayeux War Cemetery.

Spending several hours with my children, reading together the names of the soldiers from all over the world and explaining to Kyla (10), Duncan (9) and Fenton (7) that these soldiers paid their ultimate price by sacrificing their lives so we could live the way we do today.

I was amazed to say that the place was so clean, with over 3800 graves of fallen soldiers from all over the world in immaculate condition.

This emotional moving place is so worth a visit, just a little over 30 minutes drive from the port of Ouistreham which is currently operated by Brittany Ferries.

Then across the road from the cemetery, with a large car park and picnic area, is the Museum of the Battle of Normandy, housing several tanks, jeeps, they will, of course, tell you their story and, of course, the Bayeux Tapestry, so you could make a day of it. Their twitter account is @BayeuxMuseum.

Ever visited Bayeux? Please do leave your experience of your visit or perhaps of my image in the comments below.

Don’t forget, you can purchase a copy of this print to hang on your wall, just click on the photo.

Mark’s Score for visitor experience Bayeux : 8 out 10.