Linda Kennedy Photography

Beliefs I Hold Dear

2010-01-03T10:15:00.003Z

Cars are not self healing

Signposts always appear too late

Cats will always throw up over anything new or freshly laundered

Traffic wardens do not possess a sense of humour

At least one Dalek will always escape the wrath of the Doctor

Sat Navs are not infallible

Bank managers are genetically modified

Life is full of surprises

The Doctor is Dead, Long Live the Doctor

2010-01-02T12:25:00.004Z

Last night when David Tennant said, "I don't want to go" as he was regenerating, I suspect I wasn't alone when I shouted at the TV, "I don't want you to go either."

I've been a fan of Doctor Who from the very beginning when the irascible William Hartnell took the role of the first Doctor. I was never one for hiding behind the sofa; I wanted to be right there in the Tardis with him journeying on new adventures through galaxies and time. In the old series before the brilliant Russell T Davies stories my favourite two Doctors were Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker. I loved Jon's romantic look, dashing about saving earth with his cloak flying out behind him, a Victorian gentleman on speed. Tom Baker to me was always larger than life. I loved the humour he brought to the character. I'm sure jelly baby sales must have increased dramatically during his time as the Doctor. I also remember being permanently attached to my 20 foot long knitted stripey scarf worn in homage to the time traveller.

Elizabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane was my favourite companion to the Doctor. My Dad for some reason got very interested in Doctor Who when Leela played by Louise Jameson became the Doctor's companion. The sofa used to get very crowded on Saturday nights. I was pleased to see Elizabeth come back to work with David Tennant in 'School Reunion' in 2006 and star in her own spin off series 'The Sarah Jane Adventures'.

Favourite story has to be 'The Sea Devils' . I loved the moment when they emerged from the sea with their huge rubber heads and fishing net costumes. The episodes were filmed not too far from here at No Man's Land Fort in the Solent. Recently on a visit to St Mary's House in the village of Bramber, the guide was eager to show me a tiny bit of blue paint left by the Tardis on the old wooden beams when Silver Nemesis was being filmed there.

I've never felt the need to collect a lot of Doctor Who memorabilia preferring to enjoy great story lines and adventures instead. However I will admit to wearing my Dalek socks whilst writing this blog. You gotta enter in to the spirit of the thing! Over the years I've been easy to buy presents for - anything to do with cats or Doctor Who always got my mojo working. I've been given Doctor Who calenders, Tardis money boxes and keyrings, even a Doctor Who birthday cake.

(David Tennant - good enough to eat!)

However the one thing I always wanted was a Dalek suit. I plagued my Dad for years for one of these but it never materialised and even now at the tender age of (deliberately left blank) I still have a hankering to run around wearing one (counselling should maybe help here).

Coming back to the present day I am in awe of Russell T Davies' innovative writing for the series. He has got the most incredible imagination. If there was an accolade of Sci Fi Laureate he would win it hands down. Watching episodes over again I can see where he has dropped in words and signs that had no apparent relevance but in later episodes have become central to the plot. A master storyteller. I'm sorry he has departed the series along with David Tennant but I live in hope that he has handed the mantle on to another excellent writer.

Matt Smith as the 11th Doctor has got a hard act to follow but having seen his previous work I think he can pull it off and in spades!

The Best of Intentions

2010-01-01T11:01:00.003Z

I was going to post a picture of the first sunrise of 2010 however as the effects of last night's alcohol intake were still with me at 8.00am this morning, standing on the beach photographing the low winter sun casting its pink and gold rays over Worthing Pier and holding a camera steady was verging on the slightly impossible. Plus my ability to erect a tripod was also suspect.

So here is a nice picture of a flower instead.

New Year Resolutions? Might as well jump on the bandwagon......

After much deliberation and a few beverages I think the following should be worthy of some kind of observance.

Take at least one sunrise picture in 2010

On the road try to avoid getting behind and uttering profanities at elderly men wearing hats and driving dark green Rovers

Before buying magazines in the shop empty out all those annoying bits of junk mail found inside

Be as politically incorrect as possible

Campaign for the winding up of Jobsworths to be classed as an Olympic sport

Avoid watching any TV programmes with the words celebrity or reality in the title.

And here are some more nice flowers.

Happy New Decade to all old friends and new friends still to be made!!

Christmas is a time to.........

2009-12-24T12:03:00.009Z

Be determined to get home in spite of the weather

Listen to carols on the radio

Fall asleep after playing with your new toys

Dress up as Santa

Party hard

Have fun in the snow

Share your toys

Admire the tree

Examine new arrivals

Get comfy for the Christmas Film

Record your favourite TV Christmas special

Deliver that Christmas Kiss!

Happy Christmas 2009!

Winter Solstice

2009-12-21T14:29:00.004Z

Ah, Winter with its supporting cast of brooding leaden skies, chilling tendrils of cold reaching into our homes, seeking us out to freeze the warmth from our bodies. In the still of the night, ice splitting and cracking under each footfall. The darkness creeping through keyholes, under doors, surrounding our very souls. Our world slowly silently descending into the embrace of Winter since the flames of summer exploded into autumnal fire.

Time for contemplation, to reconnect with the ancient power of the Druid priests still able to reach down to us through lost forgotten centuries.

Then suddenly in the midst of our slumbering shadow world the Solstice arrives to give us hope. A spark of light to shine and sparkle in the darkness and at last the day begins to slowly claw back the hours the dark night has stolen from her.

The Winter Solstice, a shining hope filled wonderful time of year and one of my favourites.

Happy Solstice

Narnia, Sussex Style

2009-12-19T15:19:00.005Z

Woke up to find a thick covering of snow on the ground. First thought, "Grab camera and take pictures." Second thought, "Put some clothes on first."

So while the cats were wondering how far down their little legs would sink into it, I was dressed and out through the door which was a minor miracle as I had so many layers on I could've made the Michelin Man look anorexic. I headed up to one of my favourite places, the RSPB reserve at Pulborough Brooks expecting to do battle with all the other photographers out capturing snow scenes.

We get so little snow in Sussex that when it does fall it usually induces some sort of madness which has all the local togs running around upping the EV and hammering the shutter button. Speed is also of the essence as Sussex snow doesn't hang around for long. It probably helps to have a snow plan made in advance, but I've never got round to making one.

I swung into the car park, quite literally as I was a little too eager with the steering wheel over the ice. Anyway there I was in the big empty car park, not a single snapper in sight (Christmas Shopping 65m - Linda 1). Into the Visitor Centre to be told I had the reserve to myself, go enjoy! And I did!

Wandering over glittering white crystal pathways in a magical landscape watching bunnies, fallow deer, and bouncing red robins has to rate as being one of the most fun things you can do with all your clothes on (note I said 'one').

Hundreds of Canada Geese were parked on the Brooks making their funny honking calls. A lone woodpecker was tapping out his secret message on a tree trunk. The paths were crisscrossed with dozens of deer and fox prints made the previous night, evidence of just how many animals frequent the reserve after the humans have gone home.

Over at the Hanger viewpoint there was a notice telling visitors of the recent arrival of a female Peregrine falcon and pointing out her favourite perching tree. Usually I never manage to see the subject of signs like this but I looked for her anyway and after deducing that it wasn't a stuffed bird the RSPB had nailed to a branch I finally saw her. Spent ages looking at her through my bins. A beautiful magnificent creature casting her eye over her winter kingdom. Humbling to think I was looking at the fastest living thing on this planet. Even better to see a bird that's not part of any falconry display but living wild and free - awesome!

Third Party Living

2009-12-11T20:03:00.004Z

There was an invitation in cyberspace recently to submit in one line your own personal answer to the following - “Before I die I want to.............”

Some of the answers were -

Travel the world

Swim with dolphins

See tigers in the wild

Drive a racing car

Climb Everest

Visit the Galapagos Islands

Learn to play the guitar

I wonder how many of those people who replied will ever get to live their one liners? Why do we get distracted from them? 'Reality' takes over and by reality I suppose we mean shopping, cleaning, putting food on the table, commuting day after day after day. I'd hate to think that was it, that I was doomed to stay within this 'reality' circle for the rest of my natural born.

The majority of us seem to be content to keep our one liners as pipe dreams as we go for the easy safe option and watch someone else do it for us. No risk there, no need to get immersed up to our armpits in mud in our quest to see a rare elusive animal. We can watch tv and get the experience in a sanitised safe way. We can have the visual memory but what we can never have through this medium is the effect on all our other senses. The damp musty smell of jungle vegetation, the aching muscles in our legs caused by reaching that mountain peak but we got up there anyway and the view was breathtaking, popping seaweed pods between our fingers and thumbs, how cool and refreshing that bottled water tastes in our mouth when we stop for a well earned break on a long walk. Taking the easy path will result in a future big empty hole in our memories while we try to work out what we did with our lives.

I wonder what would happen to us if we all made an effort to live our one liners. Would we put Mr Murdoch out of business by creating our own memories instead of the ones dreamt up by Fox's finest.

Friends is apparently the most repeated series on tv. Six different personalities; plenty of scope there for us to choose our own favourites and identify with them throughout their fictional struggles with life in the Big Apple. We get so involved with the characters that we forget they are made up; Ross and Rachel do not exist. They are not our friends, the same way that Tesco/Sainsburys etc are not looking out to make life better for us, they are just plain and ordinary shops. I am not impressed with 'every little helps' or smacking my backside every time I reach the checkout, just put the damn things out on the shelves and I'll buy it if I need it.

Life has become safe, scripted and I find that incredibly scary. Even our hobbies are getting the scripting treatment these days. There is something so heart rendingly sad about a person standing alone at home on a wobbly board looking at a screen and pretending they are skiing down a mountain. What's wrong with actually booking a real life skiing trip and please don't say cost. For the price of one of these wobbly boards you could have a super holiday with a load of apres ski thrown in. Oh and you could actually meet up with other human beings and possibly create some lasting marvellous memories, what a bonus that would be.

In real life there are no certainties, perhaps that's what scares us these days. We don't get a preview of what is going to happen to us in next Saturday's 7.30pm to 8.30pm time slot. Far better to not risk anything and to stay in our comfort zone. Thankfully there are people out there in the world who are not content to let their sofas do a mind meld with their backsides. Ordinary real life people like the PA who gave up corporate life to fulfil a passion to paint animal portraits. The gardener who one year ago was shouting himself hoarse on the stock exchange floor and now the only sounds he hears are the birds singing and hedgehogs snuffling for slugs in the undergrowth. Being responsible for ourselves is probably the biggest challenge we of the sofa generation face in these PC/Nanny State/Health & Safety times.

But it can be done and done well. All we have to do is find our own one liner, then focus and LIVE!

It's the people who make it!

2009-10-02T14:57:00.003+01:00

For many years I've resisted the urge to go to the Goodwood Revival in Sussex, poo pooing it as just a load of anoraks looking at a bunch of ancient metal on wheels.

The never ending traffic jams along the A27 at Revival time didn't endear me to the event either.
This year I was given some complimentary tickets and thought I would have a wander round for an hour or so.

Wandering through the car park to the main entrance I slowly cottoned on to the fact that loads of people had dressed up in 40's, 50's and 60's gear and were looking pretty authentic too.

Getting through to the other side of the entrance gate I found out that the people wearing my 'costume' of jeans and t shirt were in the minority. It was a visual vintage feast of Dior 'New Look' style, Rockabilly, Psychedelic 60's, Jackie O and Country Twinset and Pearls.

And then I got it; it wasn't just about the cars, it was also about the spectators. The fun of dressing up, posing, strutting your stuff. It was the first event that I've ever been to where the spectators were equally as entertaining as the event! Roll on next year and yes, I will be dressing up!

(handy hint from Sean and friends "Charity Shops produce great outfits!")

Favourite Follies

2009-07-31T18:24:00.002+01:00

Ivy Folly

Ivy Folly in Milland, West Sussex is my favourite folly of all. It was built by the famous painter and cartoonist Gerald Scarfe as a personal project following his presentation of a BBC documentary "Scarfe's Follies" in the late 80s. The quirkiness and eccentricities of folly building appealed to Scarfe and eventually Ivy folly was born. It was originally built as a round tower but there was obviously a camel desperate to get out of Scarfe's imagination and into the world.

With the addition of trellis and the "hump" it is one of the most charming and inspired follies of modern times. I love it to bits!

Hiorne Tower

West Sussex boasts another older interesting folly, the triangular shaped Hiorne Tower in Arundel Park, Arundel. It was built in 1787 by the architect Francis Hiorne. He was anxious to get the contract from the 11th Duke - Charles Howard, to rebuild the neighbouring castle and agreed to build the folly as a 'test' structure. Sadly Hiorne died shortly after it was completed. Still he would be happy to know that his name has lived on through the folly, which in itself is unusual as most follies are named after the families or landowners who commissioned them.

The spirit of a young girl haunts the tower. She is reputed to have thrown herself from the top in desperation after a failed love affair. She has looked after it well as it is in remarkably good condition for it's age. Even the leaded windows are still intact.

It's a steep climb up the hill to get to it but it is worth it, plus there is also the chance of seeing racehorses from a nearby stable exercising on the track which runs alongside the tower.

The Madonna Pond in Binsted Woods

2009-07-19T14:20:00.006+01:00

Madonna Pond in Binsted Woods

I was talking with a friend recently about my mission to photograph Sussex history when the subject of the Madonna Pond came up. I'd never heard of it but after getting directions from Peter I set off with a friend on a mission to find it. As you can see above we were successful.

I immediately wanted to find out more about the area and it's history. Once again my friend Peter was able to shed more light on the story through a book written by Cressida Connolly called The Rare and the Beautiful. It documents the lives of three beautiful and wild sisters (Mary, Kathleen and Lorna) from the wealthy, socialite Garman family. They were born in the early twentieth century and inspired and seduced some of the greatest artists and writers of their time. Lorna was the youngest and most beautiful of the sisters and at 16 she married the wealthy landowner and publisher Ernest Wishart who lived at Binsted in Sussex.

Madonna Shrine

Through her seemingly long and happy marriage she had many affairs to which her husband turned a blind eye. In particular she had intense love affairs with the writer Laurie Lee and the painter Lucian Freud. When Lee went off to fight in the Spanish Civil war Lorna would send him money in the form of pound notes which had been steeped in Chanel No 5, her favourite perfume. Freud used her as his model for his paintings "Woman with a Tulip" and "Woman with a Daffodil".

Her affair with Laurie Lee was serious enough to cause Lee to leave London and move into a caravan conveniently near her at the Madonna Pond. When Lee died in 1997 he was still wearing her signet ring.

Lorna loved to wear beautiful and unusual clothes and go skinny dipping in the surrounding lakes and rivers. She thought nothing of driving through the night in her chocolate brown Bentley from Binsted up to London just to go clubbing. At night while all around her were asleep she would frequently ride her horse through the woods or up through the streets of Arundel. Also at night in her later years she would go into the woods alone and decorate a tree for Christmas so she could surprise her grandchildren. She also turned the Madonna Pond into an enchanted glade and put up lanterns and beads all around it. Lorna died in 2000 at the age of 89.

Binsted Woods

This area of Binsted Woods has also attracted the attention of paranormal investigators as there have been many reports of ghosts; horses act nervously and dogs growl whilst passing through this area. I would like to think that Lorna is still around and living the afterlife to the full just as she did during every one of her 89 years.

Stopham's Ancient and Beautiful Bridge

2009-07-14T20:51:00.003+01:00

Stopham bridge spans the River Arun two miles west of Pulborough, West Sussex. It was built by a parson of Pulborough in Tudor times, "Out of love of God and in pity for straining horses and tired men", and as a replacement for an even older 14th century wooden bridge which in it's turn was built to replace a ford. The 246 foot long bridge is one of the few ancient bridges left in Sussex. There are six arches with 11ft 9in spans and a central arch with a 12ft 9in span. The central arch was raised 5 feet in 1822 to allow access for the increased number of loaded hay barges going through to the Wey Arun Junction Canal which had opened 6 years earlier.

Built of local stone it's a beautiful and locally well loved structure and also has the added advantage of having a very lovely pub (The White Hart) at one end of it!

Short, Short Stories

2009-07-13T13:22:00.003+01:00

Even storytelling is feeling the effects of the current recession. Prior to the Credit Crunch my short stories below were once epic novels!

A PIGMENT OF THE IMAGINATION

I decided to get the detonators in. That nice Florence Give-a-Dog-a-Bone from Changing Tunes was raring to go.

“Get rid of my mahonia walls, I want loads of colour,” I destructed him. “And while you’re at it can you do my garden as well?” I addled.

Well he really extinguished himself, he painted the walls with bread and did the ceiling Aunt Arctic white, In the garden, he got rid of the poison ivory and planted pink concubines and pompous grass.

I’ve got loads of equanimity now, so I’m selling it to a civil serpent from Penge.

Clear Your Clutter!

The article entitled “Clearing your Clutter” started with “Only have that which is useful or beautiful in your house”. Kelly put down her magazine and looked at her husband slumped snoring in front of the TV.

“Time for a trip to the dump darling” she whispered.

Top Gear

Another Monday morning and after an hour and a half sitting bumper to bumper on the M25 breathing in the fumes, fear and failure of modern life Jude finally drove into the office car park and then drove out again. Time to put her life in fifth.

Vlad The Inhaler

Vlad the Inhaler loved his job. All night long he would hang around bars and nightclubs. He adored sniffing ladies’ perfumes, macho aftershaves, the heady mixture of beer and spirits. All went well until the day he discovered he was a misprint.

Bramber Castle (with a bit of imagination)

2009-07-12T17:05:00.008+01:00

The name Bramber is taken from the Saxon ‘Brymmburh’ meaning fortified place.

However to call Bramber Castle a fortified place now is not strictly correct. If English Heritage who owns the site was to charge for admission a lot of people would be asking for their money back. Visitors on first glance just see a ‘pile of stones’ as only part of the 75 feet high (24 metres) circular keep remains standing, pointing skywards like a giant stone finger.

In spite of a distinct lack of ancient architecture, I am amazed that this picturesque ruin has so much history and folklore attached to it.

The first building on the site took place in 1073 by the popular 1^st Lord of Bramber Sir William de Broase around 1075 to guard the prosperous port of Bramber (known then as Portus Adurni) on the river Adur in Sussex.

His descendent William the fourth Lord of Bramber was also well liked by the locals and neighbouring barons. He was one of the few people in authority who wanted to treat his workers fairly. As he grew in popularity he drew the attention and jealousy of King John who hatched a plot to bring down the baron by holding his family hostage at Windsor Castle, allegedly to ensure Sir Williams ‘good behaviour’ in the future.

Legend has it that King John fell for Sir William’s wife, Maud de St. Valery but when she refused his advances he threw her and her children into an oubliette at the castle where they starved to death.

It is said that on certain nights of the year the ghosts of Sir William’s children dressed in ragged clothes can be seen arms outstretched pitifully begging for bread.

These days it is more likely instead of seeing ghosts you are more likely to see colourful hot air balloons in the early evening rising up behind the ruins before commencing to whoosh softly over the river valley beneath. A wonderful photographic opportunity not to be missed and a fantastic spot for a family picnic, just beware of uninvited guests!

Pretty as a Picture

2009-05-02T17:03:00.005+01:00

This is Swanbourne Lodge at Arundel, Sussex.

The photo was taken earlier this year after a rare snowfall here in the south of England. This Jacobean building is lovely at the best of times but after it's dusting of snow it looks like a fairytale dwelling in Narnia.

It has other talents, one of which is a highly rated tearoom. The menu is impressive, as well as generous traditional English breakfasts (which I have never been able to finish!) there are soups, bakes, gratins, roasts, all of which are incredibly tasty. Vegetarians are well catered for too. And if you just want a snack, their coffee and toasted teacakes are a great combination.

The decor has a warm welcoming feel to it with fresh flowers on the tables and the biggest collection of novelty teapots I have ever seen in one place.

The Lodge sits at the edge of a boating lake and after eating you can go for a row, or maybe considering the size of the portions you get it may be wiser to go for a row before your meal!

Looks pretty good in the summer too!

One of the top tearooms in Sussex

2009-01-30T18:23:00.003Z

I always like to have a watering hole to nip into after I've finished a shoot and one of my all time favourites is Highdown Tearooms in Worthing.

The service is friendly and attentive. There's no trying to balance a full tea tray while trying to thread your way through tables to your seat. Your order is brought to your (pristine) table.

I nipped in this morning for a quick coffee (there's a choice of small, medium and large) and succumbed to a delicious cherry scone the size of Everest. I plan to work my way through their entire cake menu (over a period of time of course). I don't want to miss anything!

While I was decimating my scone I saw a couple with their dogs preparing to endure the cold at an outside table. One of the waitresses spotted them too and zipped out to tell them that their dogs were OK to come inside. Fantastic! Great to have a place where dog walkers are made welcome. The rest of the customers thought so too and soon everyone was making a fuss of the dogs. The staff also make sure there is not only a fresh bowl of water outside for dogs but also a bowl of dog biccies too. The birds don't get left out either, there is a well stocked bird table. In fact it is so well stocked with cake crumbs etc., it's a wonder the birds can takeoff, they must be so full.

The decor is warm and welcoming too with spotless red gingham tablecloths, cream painted flint walls adorned with the work of local artists.

All in all a fabulous place to visit and if I could I would designate it a national treasure.

Hot Chocolate

2008-10-12T19:26:00.004+01:00

I am on a mission to discover the best hot chocolate in Sussex. On a recent visit to Denmans Gardens in West Sussex I found what was probably the worst hot choccy ever as far as value, taste and presentation go.

This cup of hot chocolate cost me £2.25 - no whippy cream or marshmallow bits. What a rip off

Small bird but what a fighter

2008-06-20T21:58:00.003+01:00

This morning I found an injured wren in the garden. I picked it up and brought it in and settled it on some soft fleece. It could scarcely hold it's little head up and each time it closed it's eyes I thought it was for the last time. I nursed it this way for about an hour and then made the decision to take it to the vet once it opened as I didn't know what else I could do for it. In the meantime I transferred it to a box and put it in a dark cupboard where I left it for an hour but checking up on it every few minutes. Vet opening time arrived and I got the little bird out. For some reason I took it outside into the garden again and took the lid off the box. The darling little thing sat up fully awake looked around and then flew straight and true up to the top of the trees, followed by a loud cheer from me.

Amazing to think that a little creature half dead in my hand a couple of hours earlier could make a recovery like that. What a little fighter.