Blipfoto and Erddig

After much deliberation, I have signed up for Blipfoto. This is basically an on-line thing where you have to take a photo every day and create a photographic journal. I have resisted up until now because I am not able to get out every day to take photos, but then I tried to look at it from a different angle. I want to be able to take pictures of the ordinary and make them interesting, like Richard Hammerton (see photographers to inspire) is so good at. So I decided that this was probably the challenge I need to inspire me. This is my page: https://www.polaroidblipfoto.com/Maisiebeth and I do hope you will go have a look. This is one of the pictures I have posted.

Taken in Whittington, Shropshire. The tombstone graveyard!

Today I was able to get out for a couple of hours for my photos and decided to revisit Erddig and maybe go around the house this time.

The difficulty there is that due to the delicate nature of the furnishings the lights have to be kept very low. You are not allowed to use flash or a tripod so it was a real challenge to get some decent shots. 

My ISO never went below 1600 with my aperture as wide open as possible, and even then I had to lean on odd bits of pillar to keep the camera as still as possible!

This little selection was in the music room and I thought quite charming. I am not into all the pretty furnishings or paintings, I prefer the everyday bits and pieces that people used and enjoyed.

Erddig is one of the few places I have visited that show how the servants lived and worked. This fabulous vacuum was in the housekeepers room. Just add small boy to peddle!

This next one is my favourite photo from the day. It was taken in the Butler's rooms and is completely fabulous.

Because the room was so dark, I have had to do quite a bit of editing just to get out the details and you can see that it has gone quite grainy as a result, but to be perfectly honest, in this instance I don't think it is a problem.

I am just loving anything old and mechanical at the moment. I adore the whole steampunk rage that is going on. Show me anything with cogs, clocks or keys and I am hooked!

This is in the main kitchen and I can imagine Erddig's own Mrs Patmore sitting in that chair, overseeing preparations! Always found life below stairs more interesting than that above. Obviously know my place in life!

(A 2021 edit, this is my most plagiarised photo! Do a search on steampunk kitchens and this comes up and has been used dozens of times, but sadly there's not a lot I can do about it so I have chosen to be flattered rather than annoyed!)

Saw these beauties (and their horses) in the courtyard, for ferrying guests around the estate. Certainly a bygone era. Another old form of transport, but not quite as old follows:

Another fabulous trip today, I must admit I am really getting my money's worth out of my National Trust Membership.

On a completely different note I would like to share what I am thinking of doing next. Because for most of the last few years I have never done anything, I have never thought of having a Bucket List. I have now decided that it is about time I did. Not much on it yet, but throwing it open to you for suggestions. So here it is:

- Zip wire, worlds longest zipwire is in Snowdonia.
- White water rafting, plenty of that around here.
- Be a bit braver on roller coasters, aiming for the Rock n Rollercoaster at Disney next year.
- Photograph the movement of the stars, then sleep beneath them.
- Get a tattoo. Maybe only temporary and certainly small.

There is one more thing on it, but I can't tell you that one!
That's not much of a list so ideas welcomed. If you can't leave a comment here as I believe it doesn't always work, please e-mail me.

Lessons learned: Don't go anywhere family orientated at half term! There was so much shouting, shrieking, crying and complaining going on, and that was just the parents!

Diet Diary: If you go to a NT property you have to have a scone with jam and cream. Its the law!