LawrenceCornellPhoto

Merry Christmas everyone. It has been a cold week here. Colder than we have seen for many a year. Even here, in the south of England, we had snow a week ago and it is still here because it has been so cold. I would say I love this weather if I didn't have to drive in it very early in the morning I love the feeling of the cold biting at my fingers and toes and how my nose tingles and my eyes water. I love pulling on my thick socks and my big, heavy jumpers (sweaters). Pulling on my serious walking boots and zipping up my serious coat. I use the word serious because this is the weather these things were designed for. You couldn't wear this coat unless the temperature was below zero or you'd be too hot. My fleecy hat tops it off and I feel well protected but I can still feel how cold it is without actually freezing out there. The main roads have been cleared pretty well but the side roads have been left as have the pavements (sidewalks) which makes it quite exciting walking around. The snow on the pavements has been compressed by people walking on it and is now a slick, icy sheet which you tread on with care. It's amazing the footwear you see people wearing in this. Proper boots are definitely advisable This will be a real test for my garden. I don't usually have to worry too much about seriously protecting any of the plants and I haven't done this year either so, come the Spring, it will be interesting to see what has survived. All the ferns that I added this year are still standing so I have high hopes for them. My Dahlias are under about a foot of mulch after I cut them down at the end of the season so I hope they will make it. They should be ok I think. This cold snap is due to end at the weekend so they will then get warm again and get a lot of rain. It might just be a bit confusing for them going from one extreme to another.

Frost is a quite magical thing. The patterns you find on your car windows or, indeed, any windows are just spectacular. Fine patterns like leaves traced onto the glass as if done with a very fine tool. Never the same, always beautiful.

And the silence. If you walk out of town into the countryside you notice how quiet it is. Snow seems to dampen noise. As your breath steams before you you can hear every one of your footsteps crunching on the ice but all other sound seems to have been switched off. Like fog takes away your visual clues the snow seems to take away all sense of surrounding sound. You can only hear what is close up to you. Maybe that is because there is less outdoor activity but I prefer to think it is the magic of snow

Nothing beats the feeling of coming back indoors to a hot chocolate or a steaming bowl of hearty soup. I hardly ever eat soup in spring or summer but in winter I could happily have it every day. And I do have a favourite. I make my own soup which is usually pretty good but there is a company called Yorkshire Provender who make a roast chicken and vegetable soup that I have not been able to match. So hats off to them. I also really love a pumpkin or butternut squash soup with a touch of chilli in it.

So Christmas is nearly upon us and, as you all know, I love Christmas. I do wish it could be Christmas everyday but only if it kept it's magic for me. I have a client whose daughter has three daughters who I have know since they were tiny. Now they are 18, 16 and 14 and I still buy them presents every year. This week I gave them their presents and I really choose them carefully. This year I think was my most successful year yet as they were all absolutely thrilled especially the 14 year old who just came over to me and quietly whispered in my ear " Thank you. I am so happy. So happy" and that means more to me than anything.

Christmas is about love and I love these girls. I know it is not all about presents and all the commercial things but for these girls, it is. They do not have much and Christmas is the one time of the year when they get treats. And I am happy to be part of that. I grew up in a very similar way. Although we were poor we always had an amazing Christmas though that was not built around lots of presents. It was built around the dinner table and us all being together. Sitting together in front of the gas fire watching the big Christmas TV shows together. Playing board games or cards. We never lacked for love or care and the food was always a very big deal. Christmas dinner was special. It was a feast the like of which we never saw the rest of the year and it was enjoyed to the fullest of our ability. I have two brothers and we would all agree that, given the choice, we would all have had it exactly the way it was. We would rather have the annual feat together than have had another present but less food.

Anyway, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas however you celebrate it. We all have our own family traditions and I have mine . If you know of a neighbour who might be on their own maybe you could spend a few minutes with them with a cup of tea and some cake or something or see if you can help with their shopping. It is not easy for everyone, especially this year which will be tough for many. So if you can it would be lovely but I know how busy a time of year it is. It could really make a difference to someone though.

Now to share your art. I recently heard a song by Jimi Hendrix that I hadn't heard for a while with the line "let me stand next to your fire" in it. It immediately resonated with me as I have long though that artists, and we are all artists, have a fire that burns inside them. When I share your art I feel like I am standing next to your fire. I hope I am also letting other people stand next to your fire. Never let anyone put out your fire. Always keep it burning. Keep us warm with your fire.

Here we go then. Sit back and enjoy. Please take a moment to drop the artist a comment or a fave if something particularly attracts your attention. You could make someone's day which is most welcome in these times.

As always I thank you deeply for your time. I hope you found something to enjoy from my selection. It gives me enormous pleasure to put these features together.

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas with my love and warmest wishes to you all. Take care of yourselves, each other and your loved ones. Look out for those in need if you can help them.

Keep your fires burning and keep creating your wonderful art. It is so important.

My love to you all

Reading: Murder On Christmas Eve

Listening To: Prokofiev

Watching: Outlaws

Eating: Roast Chicken and vegetable soup

Drinking: Coffee (again)

Playing: At photography

Here we are just past Halloween. Last night was bonfire night over here where we have huge bonfires and fireworks displays. These events really do mark deep autumn time and the rapid approach of winter. It hasn't really been that cold yet but, in contrast to the previous dry months it has been very wet. To celebrate all this wetness I am going to the Isle Of Skye next weekend for a few days. I know I always joke about Scotland being wet so 'take your coat' when you go............well this year it has been very wet so it is going to be a challenging week. You know I don't mind a bit of rain but I am already preparing myself for the possibility of this being a bit of a wash out. You never know though. You have to get out there anyway because if you are not there you can't shoot it. So I'm going to put myself out here at least and see what happens.

I have been thinking about the differences between Skye (which is the Inner Hebrides) and Harris and Lewis etc. (the Outer Hebrides) and I think the biggest one thing that makes them different is the Skye Bridge. Before the bridge was built you had to get a ferry to Skye which is what you have to do to get to the Outer Hebrides. Once the bridge was built (it opened in 1995) Skye became much busier which did change it. They built the bridge because of demand. In 1971 the two 28 car ferries carried more than 300,000 vehicles and there were very long queues which were impossible to manage. So they built the bridge which changed Skye for ever. Even now some people argue it was better before and is just too busy now. Others delight in the success of Skye as all the islands face many financial challenges and Skye is, in this respect quite a success story. There is a very apparent difference between the Inner Hebrides and the Outer Hebrides with the Outer Hebrides feeling much more like island life and Skye much closer to Scottish Mainland life. Who knows how things would be without the bridge though. I love all the islands I have visited whether Inner or Outer Hebrides. They all have their own charm and beauty in different ways.

What I did love on the Outer Hebrides was the immediate drop in pace of life. Deadlines seem to be a thing of fiction. You just do things as you need to do them. There are few shops if any so you just go when you really need to and just get what you need. Travelling by ferry from one island to another means arriving at the ferry 45 minutes to 90 minutes before it sails (and make sure you have booked in advance as booked cars go first) and there is no rush at the ferry. They load it efficiently as they have done it so many times. You settle in for the journey and at the other side you just drive off straight into the small town or village you have arrived at. All very smooth with little in the way of trouble but it has mysteriously taken up at least half of a day if not longer. The reliance on the ferries is real and if one of the ferries can't sail for any reason the effect is noticeable. Locals can't move around, tourists can't get where they're going, goods can't move. It is such a calm way to live though. On my recent trip my stress levels just fell away when I was on the islands. I will make sure that the next time I go I am doing even less so the relaxation time will be even greater. I really can see the appeal of island life though. I'm sure I don't need half the stuff I've got. Living out there I would be outside all the time. The remote life would suit me.

I've been putting my garden to sleep bit by bit. Some of the big pots I have cut back and moved into my greenhouse for the winter. I've made the edging around my Rudbeckias deeper so, when I have cut them down to the ground, I'm going to bury them under a foot of top soil and improving mix topped with mulch to see what happens in the Spring. I'm hoping they will just push on up and come out as usual as they are very strong plants. My Dahlias will also be protected for the winter. When I get back from Skye I want to plant another load of bulbs so tat Spring will be even more of a show than it was this year.

I have to say that my ferns are loving all the rain. It was definitely a great move to make the left half of my garden a fernery this year.

Now the the real reason for this journal/feature. Your work. I have been desperately keeping up with your posts as my work has been busier than I would like lately. That's what happens when I go away for two weeks though. Meanwhile, while I have been hard at work so have you been. I've been collecting as much of your work as I can and leaving as many comments as possible. I would, once again, like to thank you for all your comments on my pictures. I really love to get them and I'm just so sorry I'm so bad at replying to you. Please be assured I read them all and I really appreciate each and every one of them so please do keep writing them as I do love them. It gives me great pleasure in the evenings to sit down with my ipad and look through each days new posts and see what you have been up to. Wonderful art is what you have been up to so I would love to share it here. I hope you enjoy this feature and will find something that appeals to you or touches you in some way. If you have the time please leave a comment with the artist or fave the piece. We all like a bit of feedback so you might make someone's day. Thank you so much Here we go then. Let's see what you've been posting in the last four weeks or so. Relax and enjoy.

That's all folks. I really hope you enjoyed looking through all these marvellous pieces. It is always so much fun for me to put these features together and I can only apologise for it being so big. I just don't have time to do them more often and I do want to share as much of your work as I can. I hope you have all had a wonderful weekend.

Keep creating. Keep sharing the love. Take care of yourselves, each other and your loved ones. Be kind and be loving. The world needs kindness and it feels like it needs a lot of love right now. My love to you all

Reading: Rag And Bone by Lisa Woollett

Listening to: Off Menu Podcast

Watching: Shetland

Eating: Chicken and vegetable soup with home made bread

Drinking: Coffee (again)

Playing: At photography

And I am back from my first trip to the Outer Hebrides. Here is my GPS trace for the time I was there. I left Oban for Castlebay in the south on the Monday and then worked my way up to leave Stornaway for Ullapool on the Wednesday nine days later. The GPS failed on the last ferry to Ullapool because it was a much newer ferry and all the electronics from the bridge interfered with my little unit.

The Outer Hebrides or the Western Isles (also known as Na h-Innse Gall or the Long Isle) is a group of islands that lie off the north west coast of Scotland. The Isle Of Skye lies between the Outer Hebrides and the mainland. On my trip I got the Calmac ferry from Oban to Castlebay on the Isle of Barra in the south. I was there Monday and Tuesday night then moved on by ferry to Eriskay and a drive through South Uist, Benbecula into north Uist. I stayed there Wednesday and Thursday night then on by ferry from Berneray to Leverburgh on Harris. I stayed near Tarbert for two nights. Then on Sunday drove up into Lewis and the last stop for three nights at Aird Uig before getting the ferry back to Ullapool on the mainland. The ferry from Oban to Castlebay at the beginning is four and a half hours. The others much shorter.

On day two I came down with a heavy cold which developed into a nasty chest infection which was a bit unfortunate but what can you do? So it was a case of pushing through. This was a trip of a lifetime for me. I have to say though that I loved my time on the islands. They are all different and you have to make a mental adjustment each time you change island as they feel so different from each other. Barra, in the south, is a beautiful small island. You can drive round it in an hour easily. The centre is a small town called Castlebay where the ferry comes in. There is a surprise in the north of the island though as they have a small airport and the runway is a beach. I made sure I was there to see the small plane come in. It drops out of the clouds and slides onto the sand before the long taxi up to the small airport building. After about a half hour turn round it is off again.

The middle islands of South Uist, Benbecula and North Uist are, it has to be said, quite bleak. They are flat and wet. A land of joined up puddles.

When you arrive on Harris it is almost a shock after the Uists. Harris is much more mountainous and generally pretty. It also has magnificent white beaches such as the famous Luskentyre. The water is a vivid turquoise even on an overcast day. The drive from Harris up into Lewis is very beautiful with an ever changing landscape. Lewis has the largest town on the Outer Hebrides in Stornaway. I was staying way out in the west where the coast and landscape is quite stunning and varied. I was about 20 miles from Callanish where the incredible standing stones are. Unluckily for me the weather turned a bit here so I didn't really get good conditions for photographing the stones but I did what I could. I did travel up to the northern most point of the islands at the Butt Of Lewis where there is a lighthouse and some sea stacks. It really does feel very remote up there. Small settlements with little in the way of amenities. Strangely, and most welcome it was, where I was staying on Lewis within about 4 miles there was a small general store with a small garage where you could buy fuel 24 hours a day. They had a machine in the lobby of the shop which you could get to out of shop hours that enabled you to buy fuel. That was so useful. When you are on the islands you have to know where the fuel is and where food is.

Sunday is still regarded as the Sabbath on the Islands and nearly everything is closed. This is something you have to be aware of. A friend of mine told me that when they moved to the islands 30 years ago you would not do your washing and hang your washing out on the line on a Sunday and you wouldn't mow your lawn. They said that nowadays you might hang your washing out (but probably not) and you still would not mow your lawn. The Monday was a bank holiday for the funeral of the Queen so everything was closed then too.

I will be writing more about my trip but I will just add that there is a strong sense of community wherever you go on the islands but at the same time a sense of solitude. There is no doubting the fact that you are in a remote place and you rely on the ferries for everything coming into the islands. When the ferries don't run you go without. Sometimes this is because of weather and sometimes it is because of mechanical failure. Apparently it has not been a good year for the ferries and the weather has also not been good so summer was very short. There feels like there is a lot of space everywhere. You always seem to find yourself looking over there at things and never over here if that makes sense. Given that the islands are not that big the sense of space is palpable. Maybe it is because a lot of it is quite flat so you can see a relatively long way. You often find yourself on a coast looking out of the islands too instead of into the islands. It felt strange and I was very aware of it at the time. It just feels like everything is always over there. I'm not sure I've ever felt quite like that before.

Now I am back though I have been desperately catching up as my various wifi links were patchy and a bit flaky on the islands. This was to be expected of course. So I have been rushing through all your work from the last few weeks. I have probably faved and run a little more than I usually do but have tried to leave comments as much as possible. I will now be sharing as much as I can and hoping that you will get to see your own work featured or that you will really enjoy the work of others that catch your eye. Please fav or leave a comment if you can. We all like to know that someone else has enjoyed our work. It can really give you a lift somedays. Here we go then. It's feature time so please enjoy

That's all folks I do hope you found something to like amongst this selection. I have to say that the shear amount of wonderful work you all make blows me away. So much good stuff. I find it almost impossible to leave any of it out which is why these features have become so big. It's just that I love so much of what you do. I am very grateful for it too. I get so much enjoyment from it. Now I have many photos to go through of my own so I will leave you for now.

Take care of yourselves, each other and your loved ones. Keep on creating and keep sharing the love. Be kind, be creative, be amazing. Much love to you all

Reading: The Land Of Maybe: A Faroe Islands Year by Tim Ecott

Listening to: Beluga Lagoon

Watching: Taskmaster

Eating: Halibut Steaks with pesto pasta

Drinking: Coffee (again)

Playing: At photography

Ladies and gentlemen the excitement is building here. On Saturday I am heading off to the Outer Hebrides for a couple of weeks. I will be island hopping as I try to see as much as I can of the islands. This is the first time I will have been there and I can't wait. Although I have been looking and doing research I always find that nothing really prepares you properly. It is not till you are there that you can get a feel of the place and try to become one with it. On Saturday I'm driving to Fort William and then on Sunday I go to Oban. It is from here that I get the ferry to the Isle of Barra on Monday morning. I spend a day or so here before catching another ferry to Eriskay then drive across the causeway to South Uist and then onto Benbecula also reached by a causeway. I then stay in North Uist. There are six islands here all joined by causeways. From there on Friday off to Harris. There for a couple of days then on to Lewis on the Sunday. I'm there till the Wednesday when I head back on the ferry to the mainland at Ullapool. From there drive back to Fort William for another overnight stay and then drive home. So I will not be unpacking and will be living out of a suitcase. I have to remember that Sunday is still seen as a special day on the islands. It is now legal for businesses to open but the locals still frown on business being done on Sundays. Someone I know who lives in Stornaway said that you can now hang your washing out on a Sunday but it would still be frowned on to mow your lawn. This is more noticeable in the southern islands apparently. My journey takes me from south to north taking in as much as I can without moving so fast I don't have time to get to feel the place. I prefer to go to one or two places and spend time there than to just rush from one place to another. My photography definitely works best when I have taken the time to understand where I am and make some form of contact with the place. It is not easy to describe my process but when I take my landscapes I am trying to be a part of the landscape I am looking at. I am as much leaving a part of me there as I am taking the image away with me. I take my time and I slow down from the usual quite hectic pace of my life. I usually need two days to adjust away from my normal life to being away. When you look at my landscapes my hope is that you can feel the magic that was happening. It may only be happening in my head but it is, to me, a tangible thing. I remember when I was on Skye last November photographing the sun breaking through up in the Quiraing and I knew it wouldn't last long but I couldn't rush it. I almost couldn't take the picture, the scene before me was so beautiful. I was almost breathless from what was before me. But then I swung into action and the only thought in my head was....'don't muck this up'.

So I hope you could feel the magic but I also hope you couldn't feel the tension I have quite a complex but also simple relationship with my photography. What I want to capture is quite elusive but I do my best. I want you to either feel like you were standing with me when I took the picture or, to at least wish you had been there with me when I took the picture. Am I making sense? When I take my pictures I am often in awe of the nature I am looking at and I want everyone else to also feel something like that too. Like I said.....I do my best. Pleasing myself is the hardest thing though.

What expectations do I have for this trip? I try not to have any. I assume I will be doing more coastal photography than I usually do and less mountains but who knows? I hope I will come back with great memories and having had an amazing time and if I get some good

photographs that will be lovely too. I hope that I find a few moments when I feel at one with nature and am totally immersed in the landscape. I can hardly wait to get to know these islands.

And now on to your art. Enough of my trials and tribulations. Now I get the chance to share your work with as many people as I can. Everyone deserves and audience so, if this means more people get to see your work, then it is a good thing. I get so much enjoyment from your art that I want everyone else to enjoy it too. Here we go then. Oh, and please, if you have time, could you leave a comment for the artist if you particularly like something or leave them a fav. Many thanks for that. I'm sure the artist would be very happy to hear from you. It might make their day. So sit back and enjoy this selection which is as wide as I can make it.

That's all folks. Thank you so much for looking through so many pictures. I hope you enjoyed them and I hope you found some new favourites and some new artists to watch.

So please take care while I'm away. Look after yourselves, each other and your loved ones. Keep on creating your magic and I'll keep trying to keep up with you. Thank you all so much for doing what you do. Spread the love because the world needs love. My love to you all and I'll see you soon.

Reading: Yorkshire (There and back) by Andrew Martin

Watching: House Of Dragons

Listening To: Mazzy Star

Eating: Lasagne

Drinking: Coffee

Playing: at photography

We move into the middle of August enduring one of the hottest and driest years on record for England. I was going to say the UK but Scotland has still been having rain as it always does and has been mercifully cooler than England. I live in the south east of England and I don't think we have had any meaningful rain down here in 2022. The heat sits on you like a dead weight that you can't shift. The grass is yellow, the flowers hang their heads during the day and the ground is cracked like dried out leather. I long for the autumn to arrive to see some colour and feel a cool breeze on my skin. The sun light is harsh and too bright which makes you screw up your eyes even behind sunglasses. Everything is dry and bleached out.

Oh how I look forward to the joy of it being cool enough to wear a coat or a jacket and get my sweaters out of their summer storage. I want to put on my walking boots and tread on a carpet of rust coloured leaves. It will come, I know it will.......it always does. I think it is fair to say I am done with summer this year though Too hot....too dry and too long.

Of course when I head to the Outer Hebrides in September the heat and the dryness will not be a problem. That will be in four or five weeks time so I don't have to wait too long. My only worries then will be whether the ferries are operating between the islands and the mainland as there have been problems this year. That is out of my control though so I'll just have to deal with anything that comes up. Fingers crossed it will all be fine. It is always good to have holidays in your diary. I love the anticipation of booking somewhere and then the anticipation of the journey as well as the holiday itself. I just love travelling. When I am moving I am happy. Having a new adventure on the horizon is always a real buzz for me. I have pre holiday routines too such as getting all my camera gear out and giving it all a thorough clean and test before packing the things I think I will need for the trip. I also do my research either looking for stuff on You Tube or getting guide books. It is good to do this but it will nearly always take you to the places everyone goes so I like to do a little extra background searching to find some off the beaten track places too. That is not to say I won't go to the popular places. I will go to them because they are popular for a reason and I want to see them. I just like to take a wider view of a new place if I have the time to do that. Just looking at maps will tell you a lot about a place. You can do all the research you want to though but nothing beats the thrill of setting foot in a new place with my camera in my hand. I wish that moment could last forever. It is over in a flash though. Why is it that holidays pass so quickly? I guess it just takes you nearer to your next one though so it's not all bad

Just a brief mention of my friend in France who was diagnosed with a tumour in one of her lungs who I mentioned previously. She has been fairly quiet through her chemo but she has recently sent me a message to say the tumour has been shrinking. That's all I have but it is good news so far. Thank you to those who have asked.

And now it is my favourite part of my journals. Time to feature your art. Man you have all been busy. I have many pieces to share with you by many artists and dear friends.

I just quickly want to thank each and every one of you who has left a comment on my pictures. I know how slow I am to reply due to lack of time but I read every one and I am so grateful to you for taking the time to write them so please, do keep leaving comments as I love to read them. My work is very busy at times so I can go four or five days between my time on dA sometimes so I get behind. When I get back on I spend my time catching up on your posts first as that is my priority which is why I get behind in other aspects. I hope that is ok with you. I do my best to keep up So here we go then. Here is today's selection and I apologise if I have forgotten anyone as I try to include as many of you as I can. Take a moment, if you have time, to leave a comment for the artist if you like their work or fav it. They will really appreciate the interaction. Despite the many issues with dA it is still the best site for interaction between us but it is up to us to do that My love to you all

Well that turned into quite a big feature so I thank each and every one of you who have looked at every piece and enjoyed it. I really loved putting this one together. I had so much to choose from and it is all excellent. Thank you all for making so much exciting art which I have been revelling in. Thank you one and all.

Keep on creating. Keep sharing the love. Take care of yourselves, each other and your loved ones. Be kind and be loving. My love to all of you

Reading: Night Shadows by Eva Bjorg Aegisdottir

Listening to: Bruce

Watching: The Art That Made Us

Drinking: Coffee (again)

Eating: Mackerel salad

PLaying: At photography