He Caught The Sun

As we ease off in the garden we are embarking on the next stage of the internal refurbishment of our house which was in a sorry state when we bought it in April 2014.

Our bedroom with ensuite bathroom drops down from the alleged dressing room through which it is accessed. A large chunk of this room has been sacrificed to a rather pointless extension of the airing cupboard. As with every other D.I.Y. effort throughout the house it has been a botched job.

Richard, of Kitchen Makers is to start work on various rooms, beginning with this on Tuesday.

For seven years this room has been only good for a dumping ground. When our craftsman removes the extension of the airing cupboard he will build a useful structure into the former chimney breast seen in the centre of this trio of pictures.

Although we still have to clear the clutter shown above, this morning we emptied the now obsolete extension.

The third picture in this second gallery shows the door frame to the inner original cupboard which will be reinstated. The variously textured walls will be refaced and eventually redecorated, removing

our predecessors’ stencils and the false wall oppressing my great great grandmother, Elizabeth Franks.

I have eschewed flash photography for many years. I didn’t use it for the pictures on this post, but I have a project coming up next year for which it may be necessary. It must have been some time in the ’90s when I bought a rather complicated flash gun with instructions for use with film. I have never used it. This afternoon I made an effort to understand it and eventually produced some passable images. Nevertheless I need to seek further advice before deciding whether to find a simpler device.

Later, Jackie drove me to Mudeford to have a look at the skies.

Gulls in a feeding frenzy rather dominated a few hopeful starlings hoping to peck up scraps.

On the harbour side of the quay a few people waited for the sunset and a sailboarder caught the sun.

This evening we dined on Jackie’s wholesome stewp, with fresh crusty bread. She drank Hoegaarden while I drank more of the Comté Tolosan Rouge.

89 comments

  1. The picture of the sailboarder at sunset is spectacular. Good luck with the house project. Expect it will entail a lot of hard work–just to remove/return the things.

  2. You captured some very unusual light in your skyscape photos. They’re all very compelling. It’s good that you’ve hired a professional for your home renovation. Trying to DIY someone else’s botched DIY never ends well. Just out of curiosity, how old is your house?

  3. A credit to you both that you could see the lovely lady slumbering beneath so much dodgy work. Between that and the overgrown garden, you needed to have foresight and vision. Perhaps the previous owners once had a larger family needing more drying space. It’s not even a feature in Australian homes as you would be aware. I’m looking forward to the after photos.

  4. I love the old armchair, the polished mahogany desk and the chair from the room that you’re about to do up. Styles come and go but some things are just too gorgeous to let go of.

    The gull images are quite stunning ad I love the starling sitting there watching its world fly by.
    The featured image at the start is quite lovely too.

  5. Some of the homes we see on Escape to the Country have similar wasted spaces. One room they don’t build in Australian homes is a Utility room. I’d love to have a Utility room.

    Skies and clouds make for beautiful photos. Add a sunset and the photos can be amazing. Adding the sailboarder – that’s spectacular.

  6. Love the guy captured out on the water in the sunset picture. We are slowly updating our house. By the time we get it how we want it we will probably be moving out in the country leaving it behind.

  7. The extension appears both haphazard and dysfunctional. Three cheers to the planned renovation! You are fortunate that the flashgun you bought in 1990s is still operational and communicates with your camera. The technology has moved up several rungs since then. The partly clouded harbour at sunset presents an excellent vista. The sailboarder catching the sun, the gulls hogging the feeding opportunity and the frustrated starling make for interesting visual stories.

  8. Best of luck on the renovations project! Your great-grandmother will keep an eye on the work being done.
    Beautiful photo of the sailboarder catching the sun!
    The birds in action, the clouds, and sun in action! Wonderful!
    (((HUGS))) 🙂

  9. Wow, such brilliant sceneries! So skilfully clicked. Great great grandmother? ? So the designs on the wall are hers? ? Or did I get it wrong?
    You do live in such a wonderful place, so close to nature- the harbour looks so picturesque.
    Good luck with your renovation, sir. ?

  10. Another set of stunning images, Derrick. The renovation plans sound daunting but you and Jackie will take it all in your stride of course. The plans for repurposing the room where you’re starting this pahase do sound inviting. A reward for the expense and upheaval ? Do you have a timescale for this part of the project?

    1. There are several rooms involved. I haven’t asked for a timescale, because I don’t like to rush a craftsman who I know will be meticulous and not waste time.

  11. I use a simple SB-190 Speedlight that I can attach to my Nikon full frames. It is simple. Rather than tune the strength of the light, I rotate it and point it at the ceiling, and cover it with a diffuser.

  12. Best of luck with the project, Derrick. It’s always nice to refresh areas of our homes, and in your case, restore them to a more sensible and personal space. What are your plans for the room when it’s finished?

  13. I LOVE the header shot and the title! He caught the sun, indeed!

    So exciting about the remodel! We have an old (1915??) house and nothing is square or normal or sensible. And yet, it is so charming. It always feels so good to fix a bit of it up. Can’t wait to see your results.

    1. Thank you very much, Jodie. Your house is a good age. We looked at two houses the day we chose this one. The first was beautifully built and in perfect condition with an immaculate garden – but this one satisfied our souls even though it has been hard work

  14. The work is going to improve that space SO much. I can almost envision it, but I’m eager to see the “after” photos. I simply love the first two seagull photos here, with dark grey skies behind and bright sunny feathers. Wow. And you managed to catch some of the iridescence of the starling. So nice.

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