And now for something slightly different… Again…

Took this one with my real camera, but also decided to test the capabilities of my iPhone too while my blood was slowly crystallizing… and I have to confess, for a camera phone it’s pretty iMazing to say the least… I’ve been impressed with it already on a number of occasions, but last nights picture almost made me put my real camera away !!.. Only almost though, as it will never compete with a Canon obviously.. :)

If you’re on Instagram, then you can find it / me by searching for funkyslug… Or here’s a link to it for those who aren’t on Instagram… http://instagr.am/p/j-hff/

I was sorely tempted to convert the previous post to black and white, but at the very last minute I decided against it… This one though just HAD to be black and white… Dontchafink ??… Right from the moment I stood in the cold, windy and muddy field composing the shot, I just KNEW there was only one option on processing… Maybe… More than likely… Probably… I think…

I used to be indecisive… Now I’m not quite so sure !!…

Have to confess to not having taken many pictures recently, cos… well… not to put too fine a point on it… IT’S TOO COLD !!!… and if it’s not too cold, then it’s too… well… Ok  ok, maybe it’s not actually TOO cold, but it’s as good an excuse as any to just stay snug and warm in front of the fire at this time of year… lol.. Actually I tell a lie, as I have been out, and have plenty of shots from some recent urbex explorations, but figured that maybe I should dig back through some as yet unused pics from our summer holiday, if for no other reason than they LOOK a bit warmer than my recent urbex pics… This was a beautiful day, plus, who doesn’t love a sky like this… :)

The symptoms of said illness ??… An inane desire to seek out and sneak in to any and all abandoned and derelict locations I can find… Schools / Colleges / Hospitals / Mansions / Nursing Homes / Industrial Factories… If it’s old and unused (and generally unsafe) then that’s invitation enough normally… lol… Other symptoms also include cuts / abrasions / not being able to get clean for a week / dirty blood stained clothing, and smelling like something no human should really be smelling like…. It’s small wonder I have so few friends these days !!!… although I’m pretty sure it’s only mildly contagious…

Oh, and it also means that my much more “general consumption” landscapey type photography has suffered a bit, but then given that it’s fast heading in to winter here, that’s no bad thing…

So the latest offering is an old abandoned Girls School, which I’ve been to before, but on this occasion we also managed to find the basement, and the beams of sunlight streaming through the small windows were nothing short of awe-inspiring… You certainly can’t beat spending hours in the dark and damp basement of an old and long abandoned girls school on a sunny Sunday afternoon… Isn’t that every mans idea of the perfect way to spend their weekend ??… ;)

So a brief catch up with me… Started a new job end of Sept.. reverting back to a previous career of mine, and I have to say it’s going great… I’ve also had a number of urbex outings too recently, one of which this shot comes from, so apologies to those of you who prefer my more tranquil landscape’y type posts (and flowers !!), but I do find a certain beauty in these places too… Plus it’s one heck of a challenge to find and capture something appealing, and also quite the challenge to get out without having fallen through the floor… Oh, and getting in can be quite interesting too sometimes.. ;)

This is yet another one of those derelict and abandoned manor houses, such as the infamous Potters Manor… It’s known only as FH Manor, and is just as closely guarded a secret, and not one person will divulge it’s location… so for me this took almost 2 days of investigative work to figure it out, and that’s half the fun surely ??… I’ll not go in to specifics, but I FOUND IT… and that’s what matters… :)

Seriously though… How could anyone leave such a place to ruin ??…

Oh, btw… Can you find the special addition ??… :D

Edit: I did throw this shot up as a separate post, with some history on the place.. but it didn’t seem at all popular so it had to go… Seemed a shame to waste the shot entirely though, so I thought I’d squeeze it in here..  I guess Urbex photography is an acquired taste eh.. ;)

Spent rather a pleasant afternoon strolling along the river with a good friend, and her new Canon 5D Mk II (no fair… lol)… Spent most of the time with one eye open for any potential photo opportunities, and the other eye on her… waiting for her to fall in, so that I could do the decent thing that any friend would do… and grab her camera before it got wet… Well, if she were washed away, I’m sure she’d be only too happy knowing that her camera was going to be looked after !!… Right ??… :D

So you may recall that I mentioned the free roaming New Forest Ponies and Donkeys in my “And We’re Back” post, and how they are even free to roam in to your cottage if you leave the door open… Well as a bonus, here’s a shot of said Pony… The big one that is, and not the smaller one you see in the background…

Anyways, when we rented the cottage, the owner kindly left a list of useful things, such as what time the fish and chip van stopped outside, and where else to eat.. and drink.. and stuff… But at the bottom of the list in block capitals was a polite request to “always close the gate, as the ponies and donkeys will eat the bushes in the garden”…

So early one morning I’m loading the car with all the important essentials for the day (my camera gear) and figure “It’s early, no one’s around, and my hands are full”… So I’m busily putting stuff in the back of the car when I hear the clip clop of hooves, and turn round to see said pony checking out if there’s anything to eat in there as well… Anywho, I carry on and she gets bored and wanders off…

That’s when I remember that I’ve left the gate open… Oooops… But not only the gate, I’ve also left the front door to the cottage wide open too, and said pony is standing in the gateway, sizing up the front door to see if it’s big enough to fit through… Arrrrrrgh… Fortunately me screaming like a girl was sufficient enough of a distraction to dissuade her from following through with her plan to enter the cottage, and no doubt finish off the dishes.. ;)

Naturally the shot is post event, as it’s difficult to focus when you’re running like a cheetah on speed…

Oh, and as a bonus bonus… Couldn’t resist this… How cool is it to catch these two drinking from a dogs bowl outside the post office right next door… :D