Finally, I’m done, I’ve managed to complete a post for every day of a whole year, including the extra day for the leap year, and most of them consecutively as well. There have been odd occasions when things have slipped unavoidably, technology let me down for several days, and on those occasions when we’ve been away I’ve been unable to get my tablet or my phone to access my WordPress account for whatever reason. It’s never been for the want of trying or the lack of inspiration, though on occasions it’s been a struggle to maintain momentum and motivation, particularly when faced with the weather we’re often faced with , but then, what price an accomplishment without some form of challenge I ask myself?

Yesterday I pondered on how to close things, whether I should go out in a blaze of glory, have a fanfare of trumpets or some other such celebratory fiasco to record the event, in the end I chose to simply revisit the location I was in when I started the journey and began to record things photographically , that way it reflected the fact that I’d traveled full circle, a complete year had come to an end in the location that it had started so to speak. Ironically the scene was almost a mirror image, heavy clouds and the threat of rain, the river was somewhat fuller this time after the recent storms but essentially, despite a year having passed by the scene was remarkably similar.

Despite the daily routine coming to an end I have no doubt that it won’t be the end of my photographic journey, I cannot imagine a time when I won’t be taking pictures, well, not for the foreseeable future anyway, it may just be that I won’t record those moments in this way anymore, maybe I’ll just go back to letting the photographs speak for themselves. Has it been fun? Yes, would I do it again? Maybe, it’s possible that I might find another thread to inspire me rather than view it as a challenge, challenge is perhaps too confrontational a term for something that’s supposed to be a pleasure. That said, I’m grateful that I’ve viewed it as a challenge at times, posting a picture ( or two ) and adding a few lines of text daily didn’t seem to vexatious when I began but there have been moments when I’ve thought ‘ what am I doing, what am I trying to achieve here’, I’m glad I’ve met those moments, faced them down, found the inspiration and completed the task.

It’s been a long, hard slog at times and today has been no exception, today I’ve reached the penultimate post of my self imposed challenge to photograph and blog for an entire year, I would add the rider ‘daily’ but there’s been the occasional, unavoidable slippage and looking back it seems that I’m about 6 days over on that score, hey, whose counting?

What started out as a throw away comment from a friend in which he said something along the lines of ‘ you should write a story’ sparked an idea which, at times, has become an almost obsession. Missing a day seems like an anathema, there is almost a sense of guilt, of failure but at long last we’re nearly done. How I will celebrate tomorrow’s post, or include a photograph or two to illustrate it is anybody’s guess given the current weather , it would be nice to go out in a blaze of glory, a fanfare of trumpets, bells and whistles or something of the kin but heaven only knows at the moment.

I started out and posted the first episode on the 12-01-2019 and here we are on the 18-02-2020, 365 posts later, has my photography improved, possibly. Has my use of English or my vocabulary improved…mmm…questionable bordering on unlikely, will I be writing a novel anytime soon, not a chance of it. I have enjoyed it though, even on those days when it was hard going, when the words or the photo’s failed to flow as smoothly as I’d have liked, sometimes it forced me to be creative, challenged me to find some form of inspiration, however vague, but now I am almost done with it.

Lately it seems that I could take this shot every other week, the poor old mill here in Sturminster has found itself almost marooned once again due to the inclement weather. While the flooding here has caused a little disruption, and no doubt loss and inconvenience to some poor unfortunates, we’ve got off relatively lightly compared to those in the Welsh valleys, those in Shropshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire and the communities further North who have been in the eye of the storm.

Flooding’s always been a winter issue in towns and villages that lie in the flood plain, in my home town of Leominster along a road called Lower Bridge Street the residents used to open the front doors of their properties, roll up the rugs, and then open the back doors to allow the water to run straight through as recently as the 1950’s, every winter as regular as clockwork, it was almost a ritual. It seems that we’re almost moving backwards and returning to those dark, miserable days despite being far more enlightened when it comes to forecasting the weather, it seems that we can throw money and technology at predicting extreme events but there seems little will to spend money in preventing the damage being caused by managing the rivers and surrounding land.

I know that it’s not just a question of throwing money at the issue, for every potential solution there is a potential problem, in eradicating one issue we run the risk of creating another, while we seek to improve the lot of the community we must also balance the effect on the environment, the flora and the fauna. It appears that the jugglers and plate spinners have their hands full to say the least, I’m glad that my juggling and plate spinning days are well and truly over, however, I might enrol on a boat building course….just in case.

Well, I did manage to galvanise myself this morning after all, as I said earlier, the urge to scratch the creative itch proved too great and a visit to the local Co-Op for life saving necessities, bread, milk and veg, also gave me the opportunity to find a few blooms with which to construct a few images. It seems that Storm Dennis isn’t the only thing to be over, the reductions on the roses from Valentines day were also eye watering, what price romance once the day is done?

At long last the rain has stopped, there’s also the suggestion that the sky is clearing and, as we speak, the sun has burst through, it’s actually casting shadows, the first time in 48 hours in all probability. We may even have a sunset this evening which might merit recording, there is a danger that I might become euphoric, I may need to lie down and rest, this much excitement at my age isn’t good . You may have guessed by the implied sarcasm that I’m not holding out too much hope but, stranger things have happened at sea don’t they say.

Whatever, the foul weather has presented me with yet another opportunity which I’ve gladly embraced, it’s always a good feeling capturing a shot, plucking something from almost nothing. The elements may have conspired to keep me indoors but it’s not been a total washout, pardon the pun given the weather. The forecast for the coming week isn’t good, either I’m going to have to dodge the showers for landscape’s or things might get costly in the way of props for still life shots, still, there are only four more days to go.

One storm after another, hardly a break in the incessant, demoralising downpour and the damaging winds. Communities flooded and without power, roads, rail links and transport interrupted once again, I haven’t ventured out and, given the conditions, I’m thinking it’ll be highly unlikely that I will today. I pity those whose circumstances aren’t as good as mine and count myself extremely fortunate at the moment.

I’m rarely lost for enthusiasm or inspiration but this morning’s just grey, flat and cold. I know I should get out, the urge to be productive is like an itch that needs to be scratched but I’m struggling at the moment, maybe the world will look a better place after another cup of coffee. I may not stray far today.

………when the lights are coming on and I’ll be there, I promise I’ll be there! And I would imagine that big old lamp would throw out a fair bit of light to brighten the darkness. This week has seen Helen and I take a short break to Lisbon, hence the lack of posts over the last few days, I’m now a few days down on the challenge, but, there are only six more to go and then it’ll be done.

Lisbon was wonderful. Big, brash, bustling and, at times, extremely hilly but exciting all the same. I would imagine that similar could be said about any major city, maybe as a small town boy I’m easily awed by the magnificence and scale of structure that seems to abound at every turn, that said, I’m also intrigued by the narrow twisting streets and alleyways that also seem to spread in myriad directions from all the major routes, there is almost, without exception, something to be seen around every corner.

It was easy to fall in love with Lisbon as a photographer, there was more statuary than you could shake the proverbial stick at, there were ancient, rickety trams and shiny tram lines, there was the opulence of the Avenida da Liberdarde and the decay and dereliction of properties around The Se de Lisboa and the Castelo de S.Jorge. I could’ve filled my memory card a dozen times over and still found things to photograph, as it was I had two days, aching feet and a happy smile on my face. Our trip may be over but the memory will linger on for a long time.

……..I’m ready to go! That’s as long as we don’t get any more gales, I’d hate to get as far as the airport only for them to cancel the flight due to the weather, I hasten to add that I can’t see it getting as bad as that, it seems that we’ve seen the worst of Storm Ciara. I’m happy with the prospect of leaving it all behind for a few days and enjoying somewhat warmer climes and, fingers crossed, the possibility of a couple of days sunshine.

It does mean that I’ll be away from the keyboard for the rest of the week, an unavoidable slippage but one I’m happy to accept, today’s post leaves me with approximately 6 to complete the year and at times it’s seemed like a very long haul but now the end is well and truly in sight, the thought of a break is a welcome thought indeed, though it is only a very short break this time…..enough for a few photo’s though I’m sure!

Fifteen hours ago I posted that the weather was ‘ a much improved situation’, I guess that was something akin to ‘ the commentators’s curse’, you know the one, the commentator says something never happens and then it immediately happens! Storm Ciara is currently howling it’s way across North Dorset, not to mention the rest of the British Isles, as we speak. I knew it was coming, we’d been warned and it really won’t cause me too much disruption, fingers crossed, unlike for so many others across the country this morning. As ever, Nature is definitely a force to be reckoned with.

Despite it blowing a gale and raining horizontally I’ve braved the elements in order to continue my self imposed challenge, on a morning like this I wonder if it’s not a case of self imposed stupidity, but I’m more than aware that this week I’ll be away from the keyboard and my daily schedule will have , rather ironically given the current conditions, gone with the wind, so I’m looking to make up a little for lost time, or at least looking not to stray too far off the track as it were.

That said, I have to admit that inspiration, let alone attractive photography, was always going to be a little thin on the ground, to say it’s bleak out there is a little like saying there’s sand in the Sahara. I’d thought out the title picture before setting out, I was amused by the irony of the ‘slow’ sign and the fact that the wind was racing along, contentedly blowing a gale The second shot required a little more thought but, given the weather, the fact that there’d be no likelyhood of any takers for the picnic benches at the mill and the cars would be driving past with their lights on in the gloom I reasoned that some light trails might prove to help illustrate just how inclement the weather is today. I’m now going to chain myself to the nearest radiator for the rest of the day, in weather like this there’s an awful lot to be said for hibernation!

This afternoon was a much improved situation. Yesterdays mean, miserable, gloomy, grey weather was replaced by beautiful, warm, soft sunlight. Such an improvement, coupled with the fact that there was little or no wind made it a delight to be out, certainly something to be exploited and enjoyed given the fact that we are supposed to be in the grip of another storm tomorrow.

I chose to walk the Trailway at Shillingstone, the old track bed of the long defunct Somerset and Dorset railway, from Shillingstone as far as Gains Cross, not a great distance but far enough when carrying camera, equipment and tripod. I wasn’t alone by any means, there were walkers, runners, cyclists, it seemed that everyone was of a like mind and determined to get out and enjoy the soft sunshine while the opportunity presented itself.

The sun shone, there were powder puff clouds, the hedgerows were full of old mans beard and catkins, there were snowdrops and the odd suggestion of a daffodil or two in places, the mild weather to date is advancing the seasonal miracle of Spring early again this year it seems. High above in the sky a buzzard soared on a thermal while lower down and above the river a heron flew by in it’s usual languid manner, in no hurry at all in the afternoon sunshine. Rural Dorset, far from the madding crowd, at it’s best, silent, slow and sunny, a much improved situation indeed!

………….. and then the bottom fell out of things. For the second morning in a row we were treated to a gloriously hard frost, not a cloud in the bright blue sky, no mist this morning and sunshine. An almost wondrous event given the normal weather we’ve endured of late. Alas, things were destined to go downhill all too quickly, by mid morning the glorious sunshine and blue skies were a thing of the past, the frost had disappeared long since and the bitter wind had returned. All lingering hopes of a possible sunset to end the day evaporated as quickly as the frost had gone.

I found things to do at home, all the while hoping that things might improve, they didn’t, quite late in the afternoon I took a quick drive up onto Okeford Hill in the hope that I might yet salvage the day and find something of interest to photograph. It wasn’t really to be unfortunately, the weather refused to play ball, it just closed in tighter, meaner than it had been earlier, high on the hill there was now the hint of impending rain on the stiff, cold breeze. It crossed my mind that this wasn’t possibly the best of locations given the prevailing conditions.

On better days in this location the old tin barn high on the ridge often yields a shot or two, this afternoon it just revealed it’s true colours…..it’s a tin barn high on a hill. The phrase about turning a sows ear into a silk purse was beginning to resonate quite strongly, in fact I was beginning to think this little expedition may have been in danger of turning a silk purse into a sows ear rather than the other way around, bleak and barren came to mind and with that the thought to try and record the gloom, the air of desolation and abandonment of the afternoon. There was little or no romance up here this afternoon, things will be better come the spring and warmer, brighter weather.