Pablo Picasso

I read today that it is the 35th anniversary of the death of the artist, Pablo Picasso. He died near Cannes at the age of 91. Born in Spain, he became one of the most famous artists of all time - but I have to say, I know what I like when it comes to art (amongst other things) and I genuinely fail to understand the attraction of his work. Whilst walking through Leamington Spa in Warwickshire, I couldn't help but stop and look at another type of "art", and wonder just where the dividing lines are when it comes to categorising such work - I detest graffiti which damages buildings and property, but I can see artistic "merit" in some and can find it acceptable in the right place, such as a temporary hoarding as shown in the photograph (pity that the original "art" has been vandalised by inane graffiti!)

Camera Principis

As mentioned, Coventry's Coat of Arms incorporates an elephant carrying a castle. The elephant represents strength (to carry a castle on its back) but it is not clear whether it was meant to be Coventry's castle. The motto "Camera Principis" translates simply as "The Prince's Chamber", a reference to the fact that the City of Coventry was regarded as the 'chamber' of Edward, the Black Prince. The photograph shows the Coat of Arms above the main entrance to The Council House in Coventry

Egton Bridge

Egton Bridge is a picturesque village set in woodlands in the heart of the Esk Valley in North Yorkshire. Situated quarter of a mile south of Egton at the bottom of the valley, Egton Bridge is a community divided in two by the track of the Middlesbrough to Whitby main line railway and the River Esk. On a pleasant spring afternoon, I was able to record this scene whilst travelling between Goathland and Whitby

Under the Elephant

As well as "The Circ", another favourite meeting place for teenagers in the centre of Coventry, particularly in the 60s, was at the top of the Upper Precinct, where a statue of an elephant stands high on a column overlooking Broadgate. Meeting "under the Elephant" became part of the local way of life, in the days when it was a rather more pleasant spot than it has become today. The elephant, carrying Coventry Castle on its back, has long been part of the Coat of Arms of the city, and the statue was made by Coventry Motor Panels and originally marked the site of the "Savings for Reconstruction" exhibition

Beach Huts

Seaford Town Council has drawn up plans to erect a further 65 beach huts on the promenade at the East Sussex town, to join the 60 which were erected in 2004. The plans include improvements to facilities and services at the location, including extra parking, although local residents have already voiced their opposition to the plans. Some of the colourful 2004 huts are shown in the photograph, together with a distant view of the Martello Tower which houses the Seaford Museum

The Circ

When the centre of Coventry was redeveloped in the 50s and 60s as a mainly traffic-free area, one of the features of the pedestrianised shopping precinct was a circular cafe, which immediately became a favourite meeting place for the teenagers of the day, where they enjoyed burgers and cups of frothy coffee whilst looking out over the shoppers in the Lower Precinct. Like of lot of the redevelopment from that age, "The Circ", as it was colloquially known, has enjoyed a rather chequered history, but following recent refurbishment of some parts of the centre, it now resides, with listed status, under a glass roof whilst dispensing a range of food snacks and refreshments unheard of in its heyday some 40+ years ago

18 years ago

On 27 March 1990, the second of our beloved Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Shelley, was born. Her pedigree name was "Dheripark Brighid" and was one of a litter bred by Ann Patmore in Leicestershire. She was a very lively dog, quite mad at times, but settled in well with our other Cavalier, Cassie, who was more of a wise old thing! Sadly, in later years, she suffered with poor health and passed away far too soon.

Female Mallard

Draycote Water, near Dunchurch in Warwickshire, is a large reservoir which attracts a wide variety of wildlife and is also home to a large sailing club. Although we live only a short drive away, we had never visited until this week, when, despite the cold and blustery weather, we decided to take a first look. Everyone was wrapped up against the elements, but, judging by the large variety of birds which can be seen at the location, it will be a must-visit place when the weather improves. For now, all I can offer is a rather plump female Mallard seen looking, without success, for people to populate the picnic areas around the reservoir

Chris Rea in Concert

Last night, we attended the latest Chris Rea concert in Birmingham, where we've seen him and his bands many times. Included in this concert was his latest concept, The Delmonts, an instrumental group recalling the sounds of the 50s and 60s - following this they became The Hofner Bluenotes, but it was still the old favourites - Stainsby Girls, Road to Hell, Let's Dance - that the audience wanted to hear and really warmed to.

The usual high quality performance from Chris and his band, with his unique guitar-playing and gravelly voice in fine fettle

(Unfortunately we were too far from the stage for a photo, but this is one taken at his concert in Birmingham in April 2006)

Unseasonal Snow

Awoke this Easter Sunday to find the forecast snow lying on the ground - but it didn't last for long, and there's no sign of it now

The sight of snow reminded me of our Christmas holiday to Austria just three months ago, so I thought that I would make the first effort on my FotBlog with this photograph, which shows Lake Achensee at Pertisau