27th February

Today's Blipfoto challenge for WideWeds is "In the air/sky" so I set off originally with my 17 - 85mm lens attached and took a few snaps as I headed down through town with the intention of colour popping them, the first one was taken at the bottom of Union Street where this post-box sits opposite WHSmith which now houses the main post office.

As I got to the bottom of town there's a little ice-cream "kiosk" shop with a big fibre-glass "99" outside, which I thought would look great "popped" against a mono background. Whilst taking this photo my lens appears to have pick up a connection fault, hopefully its just a dirty connector that I can sort out myself.

These next two shots are similar to a couple of my extras on Monday and were my planned shot for todays challenge. Instead I chose a shot looking skyward through a bunch of daffodils, click on the date to check it out, 27th February.

After grabbing a photo on the seafront to "pop" later I headed over to the duck ponds.

Over at the duck ponds things seemed a little quiet, the two resident swans were there but there wasn't the usual number of ducks. Even the crows and gulls were fewer than normal. As I wandered round the ponds I discovered why. Most of the ducks were resting on the grass beside the ponds including this guy who seemed very contented basking in the sunshine.

From there I decided to head back via Torre Abbey Gardens where I grabbed my blip for today and these last two photos of some crocuses before walking back up through town, grabbing a bit of shopping on the way home.

25th February

Today's Mono Monday topic was "Down to the wire", after wracking my brain till it hurt I decided to give up trying to find anything to match the topic and just head out to take general photographs. I cut down through the town centre to the harbour stopping to grab this shot of a row of tables outside one of the bars, deciding to drop it into black and white the pop the red table tops.

Down by the harbour I found one of the regular visitors waiting and hoping somebody would drop a titbit, this shot was taken using my 80 - 300mm zoom lens with some minor tweaks in Gimp. Further on I spotted this bundle of chicken wire amongst some fishing gear on one of the quays and considered using it for todays challenge.

The next shot is of a sparrow that seemed to be enjoying the sunshine.

     

After grabbing the photo for todays blip, click the date 25th February to view it, I decided to grab a few shots of the magnolia blossoms on Rock Walk.

24th February

Has it really been 5 days since my last blog ??? :O

That chest infection really took it out of me, my "Get-up-and-go" got up and went, but hopefully I have now managed to kick it into touch, I take the last anti-biotic tomorrow.

My blip for today (24th February, click the date to see it) is of an area in Torquay called Walls Hill, I have posted this as a Derelict Sunday offering not because the area is "derelict" but this was the site of an Iron Age Fortification.

There are no buildings there and most people are unaware of its historical significance. The area has both SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest) and SSHI (Site of Special Historical Interest) protection and is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. This is another shot taken further round towards nearby Babbacombe.

To the east of Walls Hill is an old limestone quarry known locally as Long Quarry most of the limestone buildings around Torbay were built using stone from here. This photo was taken near the edge of a shear cliff that drops about 300 feet to that "plateau" below, a popular spot for anglers, if you can find the way down. The graffitied shelter below is a safe distance from the edge on the other side of a fence.

West of Walls Hill is the "village" of Babbacombe which is now part of Torquay and is a very popular destination for visiting holiday makers. The photograph to the right is looking down at Oddicombe Beach from Babbacombe Downs. There are three ways to get down to the beach firstly you could use the road that goes down to the beach and back in the 80's was used for the "Oddicombe Hill Climb" (I think it may also have been known as the Babbacombe Cliff Climb), you could also use the road down to Babbacombe Beach and walk across the "rock path" between the two beaches. The third way is to use the Cliff Railway that runs from Babbacombe Downs down to the beach.

My final two extras are of the natural variety, firstly some good looking fungi (don't think they're edible) spotted beside a tree trunk I pass almost everyday as I head into town. The second is of some crocuses spotted on the roadside whilst on the return route from todays expedition.

19th February

Well the side effects of the amoxicillin have led to me having to stop taking them (nothing serious just following the advice given on the accompanying leaflet) now on a course of doxycycline only a 1 week course so hopefully these'll finish the job the amoxicillin started.

Managed to get out yesterday (posting a day late as I've no internet at home so having to come into town to the library) and take some photos, still fighting the lack of mojo at the mo so not a lot. I set out from home with an intention to try and find and capture some blossoms, this first shot I think is pear blossom on a tree opposite the bottom of our driveway. It took a bit of capturing as there was a bit of a breeze so it wouldn't stay still, but perseverance eventually paid off.
After cutting down through town to pop into an office to check something I decided to head towards the seafront and have a little play with some selective colour pictures.

The shot on the right shows a memorial bouquet of flowers to a young man in his early twenties who tragically lost his life about four years ago after falling into the sea near this point whilst on a night out with friends. The pic on the left was taken further along the prom towards the beach. As I neared the beach I noticed that the wind had increased a bit and it was starting to get a bit chilly so I decided to start heading back towards home. 

When I crossed from the seafront to head along the Rock Walk I remembered this wonderful "monument" arrangement about halfway along the lower footpath, also remembering that it was "Tiny Tuesday" I stopped to grab a couple of shots.
There is nothing there giving any details of why it was created or even when or who by, but I seem to remember that it has been there for several years, since before the regeneration of Rock Walk in 2010.
I have posted another version of this shot as my blip for 19th February.

My final photo for today is a not very brilliant shot of what I believe is Magnolia blossom think I need to go back and try again.

16th February

So, over the past week I have learnt a very good lesson "Never start to celebrate until you know the extent of your victory". Last Friday I was hit by a 48hour flu bug that hit me so hard I remember virtually nothing of those two days, including the taking, editing and post of a photo not just posted on Blip but on a second site as well, I only know this because I can see the postings.

Sunday dawned and I awoke with a little bit of a sniffly cough, I also had a bit of appetite back so put the kettle on for a coffee, but when I reached for the milk I discovered that my fridge had packed up, that was all I needed. The rest of Sunday passed relatively ok, I managed to set up take and edit some photos (and this time I do remember doing it) and my health seemed to be improving all the time (or so I thought).
Monday was a relatively good day, some nice weather and I managed to get out and take some photos and enjoy the day. The landlady had replaced the broken fridge I now had a newer one and a matching freezer. However by Tuesday I was back on my knees again, the cough had drastically worsened to a point that I was doubled over coughing and getting stomach cramps. Sleep Tuesday night was virtually non existent so on Wednesday I went to see my doctor who kindly informed me that I had picked up a chest infection and would need a course of anti-biotics. I am now on a delightful, 7 day, 3 capsules a day course of amoxicillin and whilst I am not yet starting to celebrate, they do appear to be working, the cough is slowly disappearing.

Now on to other things as promised in my post on Blip yesterday, 15th February, I have a few "extras" to yesterdays blipped photo of the fire damaged church. The fact that this church is abandoned and unloved is a crying shame as it is such a beautiful building. Built in 1895 as the Holy Trinity Church, in later years it became the Breakaway Snooker Club (I remember playing several frames there myself. Around early 2000's it was converted into the "Rainbow Funhouse" an indoor children's play area. This closed around 2012 and has been abandoned ever since. A couple of years ago some squatters moved in but were evicted a few months later.
Now sadly it has been damaged by fire, I was unofficially told it was caused by electrical fault, but the electrics were "dodgy".

This first shot was taken from the Terrace car park, from here you can see the damaged roof on the Torwood Street side of the church. About two thirds of the way along the roof you will notice two lines running down the roof, this is where fire personnel had to remove tiles to create a "firebreak" to stop the fire spreading to the spire which inside is made entirely of wood.
Down at the church things looked a little grimmer the side street that runs alongside it has been closed off as there is concern about falling roof tiles and looking up the damage starts to become clearer. This next shot demonstrates more of the beauty of this old building and the sad damage above. My final "extra" was taken from the Meadfoot Sea Road side of the church and reveals a bit more of the extent of damage.

15th February Quick health update.

Welllllll, I certainly thought I was back on the road to recovery but a delightful little chest infection had other thoughts. Now merrily (??) popping antibiotics, amoxicillin, to try and shift it. Was also prescribed a mild codeine solution to take as a cough suppressant so I could get some sleep, that was weds afternoon, I pick it up from the pharmacy in a few minutes, no-one had it in stock in Torquay town centre. The good news is that the antibiotics appear to be working and the chest infection is easing.

On other news, a bit of a sad story that I don't yet know the full extent of yet. The delightful derelict church that I featured as my blip for 6th February was set on fire yesterday, I'm hoping (chest infection permitting) to pop down that way later to see the damage but from what was on the news last night (not a lot) it looked quite bad, bit of a shame. Here's a link to a post about it on the BBC Live news site yesterday, REPORT, it was later confirmed that no-one was inside, I also need to add that the photo is not one of mine but one "borrowed" from the BBC website.
Will hopefully have more later.

11th February

Cough, Cough, splutter...….. Its amazing how much dust can build up over a couple of days.

Having been "wiped out" on Friday, for the best part of 48 hours by a flu bug I hadn't got out to take any photo, in fact I don't even remember taking, editing or posting the photo I Blipped on Friday. Yesterday I tried to go out but just didn't have the energy to, so I settled for a bit of internal "selective colour" work.

Today I managed to get out and take a few photos, mojo still a bit off though. The robins that I normally see around the duck ponds seemed to be more timid than normal, only this one seemed to want to come down for the seed I'd scattered. Sat around for a bit but this was the best shot I could get. Maybe the crows hanging around were putting them off.

Down on the beach I wasn't the only one visiting, apparently Alfie was here too, mind you I'm not too sure about those ears. I hung around long enough to see the early part of the sunset, this is one of a couple of HDR shots (each compiled from 3 photos).

Another sunset shot was my blip for today, 11th February, click the date to view it.

7th February Extra

A few days ago I was messaging a fellow blipper about the number of birds I had photographed around Torquay since I started blipping. So far the tally stands at 25 different types, and those are only the ones I've captured clear enough to be able to identify (some were moving too quick). I have only counted the breed of bird and not the sexes (when, like Mallard Ducks and Blackbirds, the male and female look different).

This is a map of Torquay showing where I photographed them, some were captured in more than one location.

7th February

Sunshine and showers, that's what the forecast for today is, what they neglected to say was that the showers would be frequent and the sunshine scarce. Every-time I look out the window with a view to going out it starts raining, so todays photography will have to be done indoors.

The first couple of photos are a "re-working" and a twist of a photo I took a few years back after dropping a deck of cards on the floor and spotting the joker poking out among the other cards. The one to the left is a similar shot to the one posted on todays Blip (click the date to see that one, 7th February) with the joker in a slightly different place but showing a bit more. As it's nearing Valentines Day the next two are a slight twist on the first shot done with LOVE in mind, using the Queen (first one) and the Ace as the selected colour cards.

The next "experiment" is a play on what is possibly the most well known and feared hand in poker, "Dead Man's Hand" , a pair of aces with a pair of eights.

It is reputed to be the hand that Old West folk hero, lawman and gunslinger Wild Bill Hickok was holding when he was murdered. Traditionally they would all be black cards and, it is uncertain what the fifth card was. I felt all black cards would look a bit boring so I've used a couple of red ones, what do you think?

Might have to have another play sometime. 

6th February

Today's "Wide Wednesday" challenge prompt of "Tradition" with suggestions of a church, public building or festival, meant a trip down to the bottom end of town with a plan to grab a possible 2for1 or even 3for1. The plan was to photograph an abandoned church a short walk from Torquay's harbourside, perfect for Wide Wednesday as even in portrait orientation I needed my 10-20mm lens to get all the church in. But also perfect for the "Derelict Sunday" challenge. The shot to the right is a slightly different angle to my Blip, click the date to see that one, 6th February. The church has had a varied life so far. Not sure about its religious life but in the 80's it was a snooker hall called the Breakaway and from the late 90's early 2000's it was a children's play café, which closed about 3 or 4 years ago, Then for a while it was occupied by squatters, who were evicted about 18 months ago. Since then it has been abandoned and boarded up.
As I headed down through town I took some photos of Torquay Town Hall.

This shot shows the entrance to the "Concert Hall" which in the 60's and 70's was a popular concert venue hosting some well known acts including The Who, The Kinks, David Bowie and Eric Clapton. One band Torquay missed out on though was the Beatles because their agent refused to lower the appearance fee by £50 to what the Town Hall's booking agent wanted to pay.

My final extra for today shows the main entrance to the Town Hall and the clock tower above it.

Torquay's Town Hall was built in 1911 and during both world wars was used as a hospital for the Red Cross Society and in 1914 a young lady by the name of Agatha Christie served as a nurse (that same year she also started writing her first novel).

5th February

Not much on today, had a course this morning then back home for lunch. Weather outside is slightly damp and forecast to get wetter and windier, so no outside photography today.
Today is "Tiny Tuesday" so I start checking what I've got lying around that's small ? Bingo, several years ago, for a reason I can't remember, I purchased this miniature bible at a flea market.

But how small is it really ?
This next photo shows how small, next to it is an AA 1.5 battery which is 4.5 cm long.
I have no idea how old it is, but one page inside has a licence with a date that I think is 1901 (written in words and mostly in pen, the hand writing is not very legible). The writing inside can just about be read, with a magnifying glass.

I took a photograph of one of the pages and posted it as my blip for today, click today's date, 5th February, to check it out.

As well as these photos of this miniature bible I took some photos of these small shells.

4th February

Once I had finished the course I had to attend in the morning, I headed home for some lunch and turned my attention towards taking photos. A glance out the window showed a threat of rain so I started thinking what I could take photos of indoors. The blip prompt for today's "Mono Monday" is "tension" and looking around I couldn't see anything, then my eyes stopped on my guitar :) If the tension of the strings isn't right you won't get the right notes. I now had the subject for todays blip. Once I had a few shots I packed up and made a coffee, the plan being that I would look at and edit the photos I had taken. Another look out the window and I saw that the sun was shinning so plans changed, I packed up my gear and set off out.

Heading down through the town centre and along the seafront I was struggling to see anything "new" to photograph, Then as I was crossing the pedestrian bridge on the seafront I noticed these tension bolts holding "fairy" lights along the seafront, so grabbed a couple of shots, before heading on to the duck ponds.

I now had three photos to chose from for my blip - the guitar shot I chose for the blip (click the date, 4th February, to see it), the guitar shot above and the tension bolts above.

Continuing on towards the duckponds at the recreation ground I noticed that the workmen had finished refurbishing the duckpond at Torre Abbey Gardens, where I took this photo of "Reflections and Shadows". Over at the Recreation Ground duckpond there were the usual suspects ready to be photographed.

There were also a couple of not so familiars, I'm not 100% sure what these birds are I think the first one on the left is a female blackbird, the one on the right I believe is a great tit and the bottom one is possibly a wren or a dunnock.