As you may know I'm not posting very regularly at the moment, the reason is that this moving house business is all consuming. If all goes well (and with moving there are always plenty of things that can go wrong!) we might be in by Christmas, or maybe early January. There is really a panic inducing amount to do, we have lived in our current house so thirty-three years so you can imagine the amount of clutter we have collected!
I have recently started a photograpy course in Salisbury, the city we are moving to, which is around an hours drive from our current home. Our first assignment was to produce two pictures one illustrating where our heart is and the other where our head is.
This is what I am taking to class tomorrow night -
My head picture. This is attempting to illustrate that I am wearing way too many hats at present. Wife, mother, employee, project director to name but a few. I like the writing on the phrenology head as it references how much my head is buzzing with stuff, different projects, different lists, different agendas. I know it will get worse before it gets better, but it WILL be worth it! (I should perhaps also add that my husband is pretty busy too!)
This is my heart photo, I took it last week on a photo shoot with the class.
Salisbury Cathedral Spire
“the Cathedral was enlarged upwards between 1300 and 1320, by the incomparable tower and spire. This development was not unique to Salisbury – the cathedrals in London (old St Paul’s) and Lincoln both had taller spires, if only of timber and lead – but this one has proved the longest-lived, and since the late 16th century has been the tallest in England, standing at 404 ft/123m. ”
My heart has definitely moved to Salisbury and the cathedral, especially the spire, is the symbol of Salisbury. You can see it from almost everywhere in the city and it acts as a marker or guidepost in the city's life. I choose this photo because I liked the way the birds were juxtaposed with the spire and the black and white really draws attention to this, although I also like the coloured version with the evening sun turning the stone a glorious gold
While I'm here I can't resist adding a picture of the chapter house from the cloisters. This magnificent building houses one of the 4 surviving originals of the Magna Carta
“Magna Carta is famous as a symbol of justice, fairness, and human rights. For centuries it has inspired and encouraged movements for freedom and constitutional government in Britain and around the world. But when it was issued by England’s King John in June 1215 it was an attempt to prevent a civil war between the king and his powerful barons.
Magna Carta means simply ‘big charter’. A charter is a legal document issued by the king or queen which guarantees certain rights. This charter has over 60 clauses, covering many areas of the nation’s life, including the right to a fair trial. It is one of several copies written immediately after King John agreed peace terms with his barons at Runnymede, which were sent around the country as evidence of the king’s decision. Salisbury Cathedral’s copy is one of four which survive from this original issue. It was written in Latin by hand, by an expert scribe, on vellum (preserved animal skin). Medieval documents like this were not signed, but sealed, and at the bottom of our Magna Carta you can see the marks where King John’s seal used to hang.”
Finally I had to include this - I haven't seen a clerical hat like this in the UK for decades - welcome home Father Brown!
Yes, there is no doubt about it, my heart has definitely moved to Salisbury!