Nature Art

I visited my local library this morning for the last time in 2016. Not because I'm leaving Beeston, but because the library is closing for nearly a year, so it can go through a £1,000,000 upgrade.

It's having a new roof and windows, and they are going to re-introduce the front entrance, which was blocked up many years ago. There's also going to be new shelving and hopefully a performance area for visiting musicians etc.

Leaving, I noticed a trail of stones on the wall surrounding the library. On closer inspection, I could see that someone had made, what I take to be a fish out of a leaf from a laurel bush and some stones.

I guess that it had been created by one, or some of the children that go the the adjacent Round Hill School. It's quite artistic, so I thought I would record it for posterity.

A Fond Farewell

Social media has all kinds of uses for me. From keeping in touch with friends, to finding out what's going on in the area. Sometimes you come across something that can be upsetting, for whatever reason. And that's exactly what happened to me a couple of days ago.

I was reading some Tweets on Twitter, when I came across a message about a Douglas McDonald and that it was his funeral on Friday. Now strangely enough I know a Douglas McDonald, a photographer, so I sent the author a message, asking them about this man that shares the same name as this friend of mine.

I got a reply, and they mentioned a link to where there was a photo of him. So I went to have a look. And yes, sadly it was 'my' Douglas. I was also saddened, as I realised that I couldn't go to his funeral, as a couple of people in my team at work were on holiday. So that would just leave me to keep everything moving.

I met Douglas several years ago through photography. He often went to book signings and theatre shows, to take photos of the authors, celebrities and stars that visited Nottingham. And I would be there too. Unlike me, he got paid for his photography, as he worked for the local newspapers, and did some freelancing. But it was good to see him and his Nikon every so often. I sometimes used to call him Donald, rather than Douglas. But I guess he would be used to that, and didn't seem to mind.

I also used to see him sat at a table in Beeston Library most Saturday's, diary open, colour coding events that he had put in. More book signings, events and shows. We would spend a good hour or so chatting about celebrities that we had photographed, or were coming to town soon. We both enjoyed the music of Kate Rusby, and would see each other at her Christmas shows that she put on at the Playhouse. He would also show me the photos that he managed to get printed in the Nottingham Post, on their readers page. Photos of flowers, animals etc. Things that he'd noticed on his travels. Just like me with this blog. He had a chuckle sometimes, as they would use one of his photos, that wasn't even taken locally, but he had sent it in anyway. He also used to write quizzes for the local WEA (Workers' Education Association) branch that he belonged to. And the odd reference book would be on the table as well.

Despite using a digital camera, he didn't seem that confident with technology. Especially mobile phones. He was interested in Twitter, but didn't know how to get it installed on his phone. So I told him how to do it. He finally managed it, but didn't Tweet very often. Unlike me, who Tweets 50 times a day. He often asked who I was following, and wondered who the person with the most followers was. I suggested it was Lady Gaga or Madonna.

So this morning many of his friends and family said a fond farewell to him at Bramcote Crematorium. But I couldn't be there. Going to the library in Beeston won't be the same now, as I'll never see Douglas sitting there again going through his diary, or reading a book or the local paper.

Watching The Detectives

Have you ever thought about what an author of murder stories might look like? Will they resemble someone who enjoys killing people?

I think most people know what Agatha Christie looks like from photos and films about her. From what I've remember, she looks like your favourite old aunt. But one that has bumped an awful lot of people off with her pen!

So I wondered what I was letting myself in for when I went to my local library this afternoon, to listen to thriller writer Stephen Booth. He was giving a public talk about his life and work. Will he be waiting to pounce on us as we went through the door, waving a pick axe about. Blood splattered on the walls?

Well no, he actually looked quite normal. Someone with a kind face. Stephen spoke for well over an hour about his early life in Lancashire and his interest in books. Even though there was only three in the house. He even managed to write a novel when he was 12 years old. He also answered questions from the audience of about 40 people, who sat glued to every word.

Once he had finished his degree at university, Stephen got a job as a journalist on a local newspaper, where he got to know the local police. This gave him the spark to start writing properly, and completed his first murder story, set in the Derbyshire Peak District in 1999. It featured two young detectives called Cooper & Fry, and was entitled 'Black Dog'. He's just about to have his 16th novel published, which also features the dynamic duo.

I must admit, I have never read one of Stephen's books, or even heard of Cooper & Fry before. I will though, especially now, as the stories may be televised in a new series that is presently going through the development stage.

There was an opportunity at the end of the talk for his fans to buy any novels that they didn't have, get them signed and personally chat to him.

In The Frame

An art exhibition has just opened at my local library in Beeston. And of course I had to put in an entry.
As I very rarely print any of my photos,  I put in my rusting bike photo, that I took last year in Wales.

There was a bit of an opening party tonight, as the library had invited the artists to meet up and share their work. There was around 40 pieces of art, including, of course photography, some paintings, sketches and needlecraft.

I was talking to another photographer about my picture and where I took it. She saw the rusting bike as a metaphor for the destruction of the British cycle industry, especially that of Nottingham's very own Raleigh.

Reading Between The Lines

A shot from the inside of Birmingham's new library.

This is taken from the first floor escalator, and you can see some of the greenery on the outside.

It's A Square World

I got a rare trip out of the office today, when I went to Birmingham for a meeting, and of course my camera came with me.

This is the view from the 16th floor of the Jury's Inn Hotel on Broad Street. The unusual looking building in the distance is the new library that holds a surprise. It has a garden on the roof, as you can see in the photo below.

Writer's Block

I happened to be in the right place at the right time this morning, when I visited my local library, as a small awards ceremony took place for local novelists.

The Great Beeston Book Read has been a six month competition where people have read and voted on eight books from local writers, ranging from a children's book, a thriller and the winning novel; an historical mystery.

Ripples And Shadows tells the story of a history professor who finds some 200 year old journals, written by someone who lived at a country house, where they were discovered.

I've got a copy of the book from the library today, so I'll see what it's like.

Here's a photo of the winning author Stephen Taylor receiving his trophy from BBC Radio Nottingham's John Holmes (right of picture).

Green

You may remember a few weeks ago me mentioning that we went to West Bridgford to see an exhibition of photographs by Tracey Whitefoot.

Well this afternoon she gave a talk about where, how and why she took the photos. And very interesting it was too. I'm not really a landscape photographer, probably more of an urban one, so it was nice to hear someone enthuse about how they got up at 3am, drove to the location and waited until the sun came up and hoped that it would make an appearance.

The talk and slideshow was at the library and next door was a park. So I had a little walk round to see if I could capture some autumn colour. Bu sadly most of the leaves were still greenish.

The Reading Room

It was a lovely sunny day yesterday, which for early October must be a bit of a record breaker.

After we had been to see Tracey's exhibition, we sat out and had some lunch at the romantically named Mud Crab Diner in the town centre.

Before we left the library, I took this shot of an area that had been laid out like a reading room that you would have at home, with some comfy chairs, a good selection of books and some sun streaming through a big picture window. All that is missing is a glass of whiskey.

Snapped

One of the great things about being involved in photography, is having the opportunity of meeting other photographers and seeing their work.

Gail and I have had that opportunity today, when we met up with local photographer Tracey Whitefoot, in West Bridgford library, where she is has an exhibition of some of her excellent landscapes.

I have known Tracey a while now, as we often bump into each other at events across Nottingham. But as Tracey is a professional photographer, we often only manage to say a quick 'hello' before she's off looking for her next shot.

So it was nice to spend some quality time with her, and look at her prints in real life, rather than a computer screen. And Gail hadn't met her before, so it was a good opportunity for introductions.

If you fancy popping along to the library in West Bridgford and seeing Tracey's exhibition, it's on between now and the 17th of November. Yes, a library that is open on a Sunday. How great is that.

There is also the opportunity of saying hello to her on the 19th, 24th, 29th October & 10th November. She is also giving a small talk on her photography on either the 10th of October or the 6th November. Or if you are unable to get, here's a LINK to Tracy's website. And of course she is on Facebook and Twitter.

A Bookworm's Heaven

On Friday, Nottingham's main library held a massive book sale. There were thousands of books of all kinds for sale. All between 50p & 80p, with 3 novels for £1. They were also selling of a large quantity of classical vinyl records (remember them?) for 50p each and a few CD's at a pound a piece. It was packed with people picking over the goods on offer. I was there for over an hour & ended up buying 1 book, 2 LPs & 2CDs.

Books on Wheels

Here is a snap of Nottingham Council's latest vehicle; a mobile library. It's a good idea having these, as not everyone has access to a library, or can travel to one, and reading books is one of the most important things you can do. Not only for pleasure, but for learning about the world around you and what's going on in it.

I wonder if there's any books about blogging!