Sunday Selections #438

Sunday Selections was originally brought to us by Kim, of Frogpondsrock, as an ongoing meme where participants could post previously unused photos languishing in their files.

Huge thanks to Cie who gave me this wonderful Sunday Selections image.  
  
The meme was then continued by River at Drifting through life.  Sadly she has now stepped aside (though she will join us some weeks), and I have accepted the mantle. 
 
The rules are so simple as to be almost non-existent.  Post some photos under the title Sunday Selections and link back to me. Clicking on any of the photos will make them embiggen. 
 
I usually run with a theme.  This week I am returning to bus trips.  Or more accurately walking to and from bus stops.

These colourful murals brighten the bus stop which is now closest to home.

I took these one chilly morning (on my way to the dentist) at the first point where I changed buses.

Another early morning trip to town.  I liked the spiderweb of fairy lights illuminating this arch.

And smiled when I came across this wintry tableau - inside and away from the weather.

I am going to finish with some early morning shots from home.

 I was fascinated to see that a lower hill was dusted with snow, while the higher ones were snow free.

Enjoy your weekend - and the week(s) to come.

Monet: Impression Sunrise

Drat it all.  I had this post nearly complete and an inadvertent finger deleted the whole damn thing.  Trying again.

Some time ago we went to see this exhibition and I promised to devote a post to it.  Life, laziness and a myriad of medical appointments got in the way.  I apologise for my failings, but here it is.

The title of the exhibition came from this painting.

Impression, sunrise:  Claude Monet

I hadn't realised the name of the movement he started could be so directly traced to one painting.

Contemporary opinion of the Impressionists was often very far from favourable.  Thinking about that, I realised I am often guilty myself of failing to like/understand/appreciate contemporary art.  The more things change...

This exhibition was brought to us from France, no doubt at considerable expense.  I am very grateful to have had the chance to see it.  Some paintings were familiar, some were not.  The same was true of the featured artists.

Come wander with me and see some (and only some) of the works which caught my eye.  I was struck by how many of them featured dawn, dusk and/or water - three of my most favourite things.

Low tide, the beach at Trouville:  Gustave Courbet

 

Le Havre, Commerce Basin:  Eugene Boudin

Sunset at low tide:  Eugene Boudin

The train in the snow:  Claude Monet

Springtime through the branches:  Claude Monet

 Can't you just feel, hear the wind whipping through those branches?

The water-lily series needs no introduction from me.  On my trip to Antarctica I can remember seeing something very similar picked out in ice...

The sailing boat, evening effect:  Claude Monet

Sunset in Holland:  Johan Barthold Jongkind

 

A view of Vesuvius from Posillipo, Naples:  Joseph Wright of Derby

 Joseph Wright was on his honeymoon when he saw Vesuvius erupt!

 Of course the only exit was through the gift shop.   And I succumbed.  The next pictures show the bookmarks, magnet and cards I picked up.  I am happy to send them to anyone who would like one (first come best dressed) so if you would like one please let me know in the comments or via email.

Oops.  I scanned that first bookmark upside down.

This will probably be the next exhibition we go to see.

The final photo was taken from just outside the exhibition and already has me intrigued.

Sunday Selections #437

Sunday Selections was originally brought to us by Kim, of Frogpondsrock, as an ongoing meme where participants could post previously unused photos languishing in their files.

Huge thanks to Cie who gave me this wonderful Sunday Selections image.  
  
The meme was then continued by River at Drifting through life.  Sadly she has now stepped aside (though she will join us some weeks), and I have accepted the mantle. 
 
The rules are so simple as to be almost non-existent.  Post some photos under the title Sunday Selections and link back to me. Clicking on any of the photos will make them embiggen. 
 
I usually run with a theme.  We have had some grey days.  Some windy days.  Some chilly days.  Sadly the predicted rain hasn't really happened.  A few splats and no more (incontinent pigeon rain).

On a grey, chilly and windy day last week we headed (I may have mentioned that I am a creature of habit) to our National Arboretum for their annual Warm Trees display.

The stated objective for this bit of fun is to get people to go to the Arboretum in the chillier months.  It was school holidays while we were there, and there were plenty of people (albeit mostly in the warmth of the visitors centre).

Settle back with a cuppa of your choice and enjoy the fun with us.

Starting off in the Himalayan Cedar Forest.

The theme for this year is tulips and bicycles.  Which we spotted early.

This tree was rugged up in the sort of knitting I could do. 

As always the views were a joy.

I really liked the sunshades - even if there wasn't any sun to shade from.

While people decorated a lot of trees, no-one had the courage to rug up the cactus.

The giant bicycle on the hillside - which didn't look knitted to me.

Of course I had to stop off at Richard Moffat's Nest - and admire the railing on the nearby look out too. 

That sign is totally truthful.  It is a steep hill.  We often see cyclists struggling up it (or sailing down) but not that day.  Instead we followed a car which rode its brakes the whole way down.

If you have lasted this long through the myriad of photos, many thanks.  Minimalism comes hard to me.