Bills Posts

The rotunda in the picture isn’t Roman, but you could almost think it is. The more I read about the history of the county. The more significant the influence of Rome becomes apparent.

I’d quite like to pay a visit to Silchester. It appears that there is a lot of Roman history there. On our trips to Pagham we visited the Fishborne Roman Palace The Bignor Villa it was amazing to see the quality of the mosaics and the technology of the underfloor heating. A most fascinating insight in to the lifestyle of the very wealthy.

Up near Butser hill there is a series of 5 barrows called the Devils Humps. I am curious to go and see them. I don’t think I am obsessed with artefacts from Neolithic or in this case Bronze ages, I feel just a little bit drawn to visit them for some reason.

I go back to previous posts where I’ve written about my visit to Knowlton. Haunted Britain describes this as one of the most atmospheric places in Dorset.

When I visited Knowlton, I probably spent about half an hour there, but whilst I knew that it was old I didn’t really feel anything. What should I feel? How do I find that out, and why do I have this sense of curiosity about these things? I think these are questions I would like to explore.

I keep on writing these posts where I keep beating myself up over one thing or another. This time it’s about my morning walk. I have been doing it for several years now. I must have done the same walk several hundred times.

I have become a little bit bored with it. I think it’s partly because of the time of year it’s always dark for the most interesting part of the walk; down the high street and along the water front. You can only take so many pictures of the Normandie or the Mon St Michell or the occasional different Cruise ship. Even with a sometimes spectacular sky.

I have had lots of intentions to do various walks but I could only do them at weekends, but come the weekend I either have something else to do, can’t be bothered, or just feel to tired.

Perhaps if I could just get to somewhere different at the weekend, that might help alleviate my morning boredom. I feel quite sad at that.

Almost a couple of years ago, when I started doing this numbered blog I can remember several occasions when I was conflicted about which book to read, and couldn’t make up my mind. I am sure that there have been several such occasions during my journey to bloggendum.

Once again, I am in that position of having to books on the go, with others knocking at the door. But, the two of the moment are A history of Hampshire and Street Photography Workshop. Two completely different yet equally engrossing books.

I have just finished Chapter Two of Hampshire which was about the Roman occupation of the south of England around 43AD. And yet it covers battles at Maiden Castle of Dorchester, and the establishment of Bath. The Isle of White also appears to be equally as important. I am assuming that this is because of easy access to the coast by Roman ships. I can’t wondering what I would do if I were in those times with a modern camera (that still had access to unlimited storage and never ran down its battery (yes, I know). It would be fascinating.

Applying the principles of Street Photography to the citizens of that time would probably have not been received very well.

The chapter of street photography workshop that I am reading at present deals with equipment, specifically (at present) lenses. Now, a prime lens is one of fixed focal length whereas a zoom lens has variable focal lengths. Which do you thing street photographers prefer? I thought it strange that they prefer prime lenses. But this is the case, and it is for two reasons; Prime lenses are of better quality than zooms and also (perhaps more importantly, although this might be slightly contentious) because, if you are looking at a potential phot, and have to worry ab out which setting to use, you are very likely to lose the picture. That does make sense to me.

Now, I can feel the urge to go our and buy a decent compact, but this is just turning me into a gadget freak, when why do I need to bother? I have one one of the best street photography tools nearly always available in my pocket.

I am of course talking about my phone. Not only is it convenient, but every has one, and being seen holding the phone rather than a big camera with a big lens is much less likely to influence a picture.

I’m being a bit naughty. I am doing this post way too late. I am too tired for a longer session and I don’t want to lose the counter by not doing a post. I will do better tomorrow.

An unusual day, we didn’t do very much. Last night I wanted to read a couple of pages of A History of Hampshire and I started looking for the book but couldn’t find it. Most frustrating but I found it this morning languishing a place where it had fallen. I’ve now managed to read the first chapter.

I enjoyed reading that chapter, it was an “easy read”, that means for me good writing. Naturally it covered the introduction of people onto what we now know as Hampshire, but of course I don’t think the county boundaries or what ever boundaries they had 1,000 BCE. Many of the people from then interacted with different parts of the country, apparently commonalities have been found between people living in Hampshire and those from Dorset. I hope the book explores that a bit more.

The book mentions many place names such as Portsdown and Butser, even this early in the book. There are quite a few so I think I need to compile a list of place names as they may be well worth a visit.

The book mentions old tracks, I wonder if there is a printed map showing all barrows and hill forts. I’d really like to get that and find out if there are ley lines to be drawn. I bet there are.

I have to go back to the street photography book now. They are both a draw, plus I have the Lee Miller story to read as well.

The header picture isn’t Southampton. We were there, but not for long. I had eggs Benedict in a restaurant in West Quay, which was very nice. We did what we needed to in West Quay, including a good browse around Waterstones, once again not buying anything. Then we went out on to the high street.

My wife wanted to go in to a clothes shop, which to be quite honest with you is usually anbsolutely the. last thing I want to do. So, I was quite happy to sit and people watch. The question going through my mind was “Why would I take a photo of you?” and of the hundreds of people who walked past me (ignoring some rather good looking women) the answer was I wouldn’t. Everybody, apart from one or two people with strange hair styles, looked what I would class as normal.

Anyhow, as I was sat there I was joined by another gentleman and as you might expect, we started talking. And it was quite interesting , we found that we shared similar views on a number of issues. We both felt entirely comfortable discussing as we did, and it was quite pleasant. A succesful day.

When I came up with the idea of Locality, getting to know the local area, I was really only looking at the coastline between Hurst Castle and Hayling Island. I now acknowledge that was too limiting. What I really should have done was include Hampshire from the outset. Whilst it is probably a bit late I am taking steps to rectify that.

It’s not that there isn’t much history in the area I defined, it is absolutely stacked with it. But I have to confess to a curiosity about the rest of Hampshire. Hence I’ve bought yet another book; A history of Hampshire by Barbara Carpenter Turner. Now, it only arrived yesterday, so I haven’t had a chance to look at anything more than the table of contents. Now, it is a reference book, but I do intend to have a read through.

Now, the problem is that I have a notional reading list. At the moment that includes The photography workshop and the Lives of Lee Miller, the photographer and the History of the photograph. I’m going to change the list and put the winchester book in early, indeed I am soo keen to have a good look at it that I may start the odd page here and there perhaps as my breakfast book.

I’m reading the street photography workshop. Chapter three is quite intriguing. It deals with projects. Professional Street photographers prefer projects because it means they have a subject and are more likely to take successful pictures that people who just shoot randomly.

I must admit, I found this to be something of a revelation, it seems obvious but why has this never occurred to me? I have I think always thought that a street photographer relied upon getting that lucky picture. really, frustrating, I have taken what I class as a quite a good street photo, taken in London, probably 15 or more years ago. That’s a stunningly good success rate isn’t it? What’s even more frustrating is I can’t find it. When I do find it, I’ll come back to this post and include it.

I go for my morning walk and there are very few people about until I get to the ferry terminal, I often so no people. But, I can still look for shapes, shadow and lighting. What is prone to change?

I went for a lunchtime walk. I didn’t take any pictures down the high street, but, I did pay a lot of attention to the people on the street. The workshop book doesn’t say that all pictures of “normal” people are bad street photography, but it’s really worth looking for some element that tells a story or makes it special.

I have to confess that I were of a mind to take pictures of a stranger I found nothing to inspire me. Oh Dear, that’s not good is it? The observation exercise is something I think I will repeat. You never know how that will develop.

I’m not in anyway disparaging Hampshire (you are now thinking that’s exactly what I am about to do) but any attempt to compare two locations will always in some way be doomed to failure.

In the 70’s I visited Guildford quite a few times, but I never got to visit the cathedral, I have visited Winchester’s grand cathedral and of course Portsmouth’s. I could never recall ever having seen a cathedral anywhere in Dorset.

Sherborne has a church, which it appears is nominally a cathedral (I don’t really know what nominally means in this context). Why is it that Dorset doesn’t have a clearly designated cathedral (in reality, I’m not bothered by this, but am curious as to why that should be.

Winchester is a critical city. Whilst I haven’t researched Winchester I know the place is loaded with history, of which the round table is only one part. There are many places in the county where the history spans the centuries.

Dorsets history is different from the Jurassic coast it’s history doesn’t span centuries but eons.

Two entirely different but in many ways equally fascinating stories.

I’ve taken a few pictures of the dredgers that have been working in Haslar Marinna, but it has nearly all been very early in the morning or at the weekend. today, I went for my lunchtime walk, and did the usual thing walking down the high street and carried on to the Haslar Marina Wave Guard.

I was glad I did because this time the dredger was working. The excavator at the front of the Doreen Dorward is a “self-propelled Spud Leg Pontoon Utility Vessel”. A spud – is a long steel leg that is passed down to the sea bed to provide stability to the ship. Here’s a picture of the ship in daylight. The two spuds are the two columns halfway down the ships;