Whitby, April 2014: In which I demonstrate that I'm not a photagraher.
Soooo, just cos I took a few piccies (which I don't do much. I really must get into the habit of it more. It's nice to look at them, even if I have no eye) here's foggy, pretty Whitby, in all (or at least a small part) of its glory.
St Mary's Church, just above where we were staying. The churchyard is on a cliff. There was a landslide a little while ago which deposited part of it (with graves) in the streets and gardens below. Ick.
The inside of the church was pretty amazing. At one point it was so well used that they had to extend it and each locality had their own closed off pews, with pews for 'Strangers Only' as well. I'd rather hoped to go to the service on Sunday morning (I really don't go enough :() but a late night Saturday rather put paid to that.
I don't generally take pictures in churches, so I have none of the inside, but it's very cool.
The Abbey and, on the left, the modern-ish extension of the church. Also, graves. I'm not entirely sure why, but I didn't get any closer to the Abbey than this on this visit. I think I was kind of walked out by the time I got around to climbing the steps (199 of them. It doesn't sound a lot but it's quite a climb. And I wasn't wearing the ridiculous impractical boots that are loved by so many goths).
And again. On Saturday night I got a raffle ticket in aid of a bat conservation charity (cos well, bats. I like bats) and - for possibly maybe the second time in my life - I actually won something. It was a print of a very pretty and atmospheric painting of Whitby Abbey by Anne Sudworth. I really had my eye on a really lovely sketch by Ed Org, who was also there selling prints, but honestly the fact that I won anything at all is near miraculous, so.
Among other things, Ed Org takes as inspiration The Mabinogion, including this - called The Wife of Lleu - which is soooo pretty. If you're not familiar with the story, Lleu Llaw Gyffes is cursed by his mother Arianrhod to never have a human wife. To counter the curse, Math and Gwydion (2 wizardy types) create a wife for him out of flowers (Blodeuwedd - it means 'flower face' apparently). Blodeuwedd has an affair and betrays Lleu to his death, but he turns into a eagle and flies away. As punishment, Gwydion turns Blodeuwedd into an owl. The story was the inspiration for Alan Garner's The Owl Service, which I completely failed to understand as a child but loved when I reread it as an adult: "She wants to be flowers, but you make her owls. You must not complain, then, if she goes hunting."
Whitby harbour. The frankly apocalyptic fog had mostly withdrawn when this was taken but you can still see a slight haze.
One side of the River Esk to the other. Whitby really is terribly pretty.
The church again. Apparently the vicar gets slightly annoyed by people draping themselves over gravestones for pretty pictures. I didn't see evidence of such things, but I can see how he might find it a tad disrespectful XD
Somewhere in the glow at the front is New Model Army. Clearly gig photography isn't my forte.
The Esk from the swing bridge. Also, random Victorianly attired person. I also don't like taking photos specifically of people (it just seems intrusive to me) which is why I don't have many photos of pretty outfits, but occasionally people crossed my shot and I didn't object :D).
See those sea gulls? You cannot even begin to imagine how loud they were. They scared Brie when I was Skyping with her cos she could hear them all the way to America.
The guy with the seagull on his head is Captain Cook. A couple of his ships (Endeavour and Resolution) were built there. He was a Yorkshireman too, though not born in Whitby.
Random river front. It really did get very busy. I'm told that the folk week in August is even worse.
The street that we were staying on (Church Street). Also goggles! I own neither a top hat nor goggles. This fact makes me sad (I do have a bowler, a Panama, and a fedora, though I rarely wear them. I always remember Charlie's dad in Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys saying 'all you need to wear a hat is attitude'. I rarely have the necessary attitude, apparently XD
This was the street just below our living room window, if I remember rightly. Why didn't I get any photos of the place we stayed in? It was kind of cool and sort of reminded me of the Grey House from Susan Cooper's 'Over Sea, Under Stone'. I didn't find any maps to lost grails though. (But we did spend quite a lot of time standing at the window and watching all the pretty clothes go by).
Those 199 steps to the Abbey. Best not attempted after a long day trecking around the village. It's hard enough with not-achey feet.
Aaaaaand finally, a random rooftop shot. I really didn't miss my vocation when I failed to become a professional photography ... :/
This entry was originally posted at http:http://prunesquallormd.dreamwidth.org/101378.html. Comment wherever you like :)
St Mary's Church, just above where we were staying. The churchyard is on a cliff. There was a landslide a little while ago which deposited part of it (with graves) in the streets and gardens below. Ick.
The inside of the church was pretty amazing. At one point it was so well used that they had to extend it and each locality had their own closed off pews, with pews for 'Strangers Only' as well. I'd rather hoped to go to the service on Sunday morning (I really don't go enough :() but a late night Saturday rather put paid to that.
I don't generally take pictures in churches, so I have none of the inside, but it's very cool.
The Abbey and, on the left, the modern-ish extension of the church. Also, graves. I'm not entirely sure why, but I didn't get any closer to the Abbey than this on this visit. I think I was kind of walked out by the time I got around to climbing the steps (199 of them. It doesn't sound a lot but it's quite a climb. And I wasn't wearing the ridiculous impractical boots that are loved by so many goths).
And again. On Saturday night I got a raffle ticket in aid of a bat conservation charity (cos well, bats. I like bats) and - for possibly maybe the second time in my life - I actually won something. It was a print of a very pretty and atmospheric painting of Whitby Abbey by Anne Sudworth. I really had my eye on a really lovely sketch by Ed Org, who was also there selling prints, but honestly the fact that I won anything at all is near miraculous, so.
Among other things, Ed Org takes as inspiration The Mabinogion, including this - called The Wife of Lleu - which is soooo pretty. If you're not familiar with the story, Lleu Llaw Gyffes is cursed by his mother Arianrhod to never have a human wife. To counter the curse, Math and Gwydion (2 wizardy types) create a wife for him out of flowers (Blodeuwedd - it means 'flower face' apparently). Blodeuwedd has an affair and betrays Lleu to his death, but he turns into a eagle and flies away. As punishment, Gwydion turns Blodeuwedd into an owl. The story was the inspiration for Alan Garner's The Owl Service, which I completely failed to understand as a child but loved when I reread it as an adult: "She wants to be flowers, but you make her owls. You must not complain, then, if she goes hunting."
Whitby harbour. The frankly apocalyptic fog had mostly withdrawn when this was taken but you can still see a slight haze.
One side of the River Esk to the other. Whitby really is terribly pretty.
The church again. Apparently the vicar gets slightly annoyed by people draping themselves over gravestones for pretty pictures. I didn't see evidence of such things, but I can see how he might find it a tad disrespectful XD
Somewhere in the glow at the front is New Model Army. Clearly gig photography isn't my forte.
The Esk from the swing bridge. Also, random Victorianly attired person. I also don't like taking photos specifically of people (it just seems intrusive to me) which is why I don't have many photos of pretty outfits, but occasionally people crossed my shot and I didn't object :D).
See those sea gulls? You cannot even begin to imagine how loud they were. They scared Brie when I was Skyping with her cos she could hear them all the way to America.
The guy with the seagull on his head is Captain Cook. A couple of his ships (Endeavour and Resolution) were built there. He was a Yorkshireman too, though not born in Whitby.
Random river front. It really did get very busy. I'm told that the folk week in August is even worse.
The street that we were staying on (Church Street). Also goggles! I own neither a top hat nor goggles. This fact makes me sad (I do have a bowler, a Panama, and a fedora, though I rarely wear them. I always remember Charlie's dad in Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys saying 'all you need to wear a hat is attitude'. I rarely have the necessary attitude, apparently XD
This was the street just below our living room window, if I remember rightly. Why didn't I get any photos of the place we stayed in? It was kind of cool and sort of reminded me of the Grey House from Susan Cooper's 'Over Sea, Under Stone'. I didn't find any maps to lost grails though. (But we did spend quite a lot of time standing at the window and watching all the pretty clothes go by).
Those 199 steps to the Abbey. Best not attempted after a long day trecking around the village. It's hard enough with not-achey feet.
Aaaaaand finally, a random rooftop shot. I really didn't miss my vocation when I failed to become a professional photography ... :/
This entry was originally posted at http:http://prunesquallormd.dreamwidth.org/101378.html. Comment wherever you like :)