Sunday 3 June 2012

Solitude

I know so many people who cannot stand to be on their own.  But I believe there is a world of difference between being on your own and being alone.


 I spend at least twelve hours out of every twenty-four surrounded by people and it is draining to say the least.  Every interaction requires energy, and so moments such as this, taken at low-tide on the marshes are pure balm to my soul.  While I am eternally grateful for my wonderful partner, family, friends and career, precious days spent by myself, wandering at my own pace and soaking up the peace and beauty of the landscape are a special kind of blessing.

To me, this picture says 'I am blessed in solitude'

Wednesday 30 May 2012

Endurance


With so much history and so many amazing landscapes to experience in these Isles we call home, I feel compelled to share the beautiful images I capture while I wander in the countryside and to talk about the stories behind them and the thoughts and feelings they conjure for me.





Living in a quiet, forgotten corner of the country is the perfect foil to my working week in the city and nothing lifts my spirits more than stepping out of my car on a warm, sunny evening and taking a deep breath of fresh air, tinged with a scent of the sea.


This was taken during a low tide on the salt marshes in Essex, and is an example of the incredible scenery that surrounds me each time I step outside my door. 

One in a row of dead trees, stranded at sea, yet somehow still tied to the land, this image should invoke a sense of solitude and loss.  This majestic tree drowned by the sea, its rich soil made barren by salt, its branches scoured and broken by the wind.  Yet for me, there is a deeper meaning and it is one of strength in solitude, and endurance in loss.   The spirit of the tree endures although the essence of life has washed away.  The memory of the meadow that was still shimmers in the air and the shell of the tree still stands, tied to its element despite the ravages of sea and storm.

To me this image says 'I endure'.