My favourite colour appeared in the thundery sky yesterday evening, as I was coming in from Gaelic Choir practice just after 10pm.
I've seen some spectacular natural phenomena, but never a pink rainbow before.
Showing posts with label rainbow. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rainbow. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
Pink Rainbow
Hiya again
My favourite colour appeared in the thundery sky yesterday evening, as I was coming in from Gaelic Choir practice just after 10pm.
I've seen some spectacular natural phenomena, but never a pink rainbow before.
My favourite colour appeared in the thundery sky yesterday evening, as I was coming in from Gaelic Choir practice just after 10pm.
I've seen some spectacular natural phenomena, but never a pink rainbow before.
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Return to south-western Scotland
Hello again
I'm recently back from another trip out to the Lochgilphead/Crinan area. From there, Bern feels way off the beaten path... :) I do hope to return, but I have no idea whether that will happen, or when. :(
Naturally, I had my camera with me almost wherever I went, even on the plane from Zürich to Heathrow. The Alps were out in splendour. Sorry, you'll have to more or less imagine seeing the Eiger, Moench and Jungfrau in the centre:
In Scotland the weather was clement most of the time. Hot and steamy when I arrived. The next day I even took a quick dip in the rather churned-up sea at what the locals call 'The Queen's Beach':
On the way back from the 'Queen's Beach', I caught this glimpse of Jura with the sun setting beyond the island:
The above is a look at Barra island from near Skipness.
Below, a wonderful sandy beach near the western tip of the Mull of Kintyre.
The great thing about the changeable weather of Scotland is that there's almost always a rainbow to be seen.
Above, Tarbert harbour at about five pm on September 23, 2006.
Loch Sween on a holiday Monday, photos taken from a lovely little sailboat out on the dead calm water. I really loved sitting there, enjoying the occasional sun and drifting clouds, the quiet, the feeling of time flowing ever so slowly... We watched a heron standing stock still, ready to pounce on a fish; we watched a harbour seal sunbathing with upturned tail; we watched herring gulls converging; even a lone gannet in travel mode flew past overhead. Later, big yachts and workhorses of boats, probably carrying lobster, came chugging up the loch, turning west into Tayvallich Bay.
My gracious host, and his charge, kitted out for safety:
Suddenly, when we had almost given up hope, there was a bit of a breeze, which gave my instructor a chance to teach me the skills of tacking. So now I can safely say that I've been initiated -- the fulfilment of a dream I've carried with me since I was in my middle teens. Isn't it wonderful to discover new skills at the ripe old age of fifty-four-and-a-half?! :)
Finally, some souvenirs from a few magical moments spent walking into the dusk along a path leading into a nature reserve near Achnamara:
Take care, everyone -- peace!
I'm recently back from another trip out to the Lochgilphead/Crinan area. From there, Bern feels way off the beaten path... :) I do hope to return, but I have no idea whether that will happen, or when. :(
Naturally, I had my camera with me almost wherever I went, even on the plane from Zürich to Heathrow. The Alps were out in splendour. Sorry, you'll have to more or less imagine seeing the Eiger, Moench and Jungfrau in the centre:
In Scotland the weather was clement most of the time. Hot and steamy when I arrived. The next day I even took a quick dip in the rather churned-up sea at what the locals call 'The Queen's Beach':
On the way back from the 'Queen's Beach', I caught this glimpse of Jura with the sun setting beyond the island:
The above is a look at Barra island from near Skipness.
Below, a wonderful sandy beach near the western tip of the Mull of Kintyre.
The great thing about the changeable weather of Scotland is that there's almost always a rainbow to be seen.
Above, Tarbert harbour at about five pm on September 23, 2006.
Loch Sween on a holiday Monday, photos taken from a lovely little sailboat out on the dead calm water. I really loved sitting there, enjoying the occasional sun and drifting clouds, the quiet, the feeling of time flowing ever so slowly... We watched a heron standing stock still, ready to pounce on a fish; we watched a harbour seal sunbathing with upturned tail; we watched herring gulls converging; even a lone gannet in travel mode flew past overhead. Later, big yachts and workhorses of boats, probably carrying lobster, came chugging up the loch, turning west into Tayvallich Bay.
My gracious host, and his charge, kitted out for safety:
Suddenly, when we had almost given up hope, there was a bit of a breeze, which gave my instructor a chance to teach me the skills of tacking. So now I can safely say that I've been initiated -- the fulfilment of a dream I've carried with me since I was in my middle teens. Isn't it wonderful to discover new skills at the ripe old age of fifty-four-and-a-half?! :)
Finally, some souvenirs from a few magical moments spent walking into the dusk along a path leading into a nature reserve near Achnamara:
Take care, everyone -- peace!
Saturday, June 03, 2006
Another Swiss Blog -- schools this time
Hi, I'm back.
Ok, all you gals and guys abroad, since you insist, yes I will take you on a little tour of school buildings. But please note that this is very much a work in progress, and early pictures were not taken with architectural interests in mind. In fact, sometimes the buildings themselves were not what really mattered to this here photographer. But see for yourselves.
Let me start with one of the oldest specimens. This little school was built in 1859/60; in 1873 the upper floor and the clock turret were added. Ever since, it has been known as the «Tuermlischulhaus» («Tuermli»= turret). It was here that coeducation was introduced to Bernese schools.
Outside the western entrance, the foundain proclaims its age (1870).
The playground used to look dismal until a few interesting features were introduced about five years ago, once the renovation work on the school was completed:
I rather like the next one, with its red window frames, verdigris dormer windows and eaves. Currently used as a training school for secondary school teachers (it's part of the Institute of Pedagogy of the University of Bern), it was built in the 1930s when the neighbourhood was going through a spurt of growth, fields were built over and the city limits pushed north. The local «Volkshochschule» (or Academy of Adult Education) use classrooms in the evenings, too, and I used to be one of the teachers.
The above is a photo I took on a weekend in the autumn of 2005, well, mid-December, actually. The valiant little sycamore was just stunning in the early afternoon sun.
And this is what things looked like eight days later, Dec. 26: the golden glory is gone, the school has taken on a chill aspect. This was holiday time, but someone's working -- or left the lights on. Do teachers never stop?
That's better, don't you think? May evening, with the setting sun warming a façade that looks pretty drab on a grey day.
Some more recent photos of the same school, from different angles, starting with the main access to the north-east, taking you around the north-east end to the south-east facade with its huge windows.
This is the south-west entrance - very plain, very elegant -- and very hot behind that glass on a summer afternoon!
Between this chunky, yet graceful school and the «old» school, some gormless sixties architect inserted an eyesore of a pavilion (lack of funding is no excuse for poor architecture).
Several years ago, teachers and their kids painted their version of the four seasons on the lower frieze of the façade to brighten up the dismal aspect. It was a constructive way of muscling out the otherwise ubiquitous graffiti:
The gabled little school next door is probably the oldest in my series. It was built in 1833 and renovated in 1905. It started out as a primary school for the population living along the little stream downhill and westward. Until about twenty years ago it served as the training primary school for the trainee teachers from the building in the previous pix, and is now part of the Institute of Pedagogy of the local university.
And this is part of the playground between the «new» and old schools:
On a cold and foggy day early in 2006, the old school looked like this:
Oh yes, it was a cold and foggy afternoon that day -- mid-January 06, to be precise. But we have proper winters, too, and that's what the school looks like then (March 04):
The air ambulance homing in on the nearby hospital, and the weather always seem to be coming in over those spires, which may serve as lightning rods (the next photos were taken in July and Oct. 04):
And on a good day in spring or fall (or in a bigger picture) you can see several hot-air balloons floating in (March 03):
Occasionally, as in May 06, a rainbow spans the two schools:
Can you see the rainbow in the middle one?
More to come -- I hope! Thanks for coming back.
Ok, all you gals and guys abroad, since you insist, yes I will take you on a little tour of school buildings. But please note that this is very much a work in progress, and early pictures were not taken with architectural interests in mind. In fact, sometimes the buildings themselves were not what really mattered to this here photographer. But see for yourselves.
Let me start with one of the oldest specimens. This little school was built in 1859/60; in 1873 the upper floor and the clock turret were added. Ever since, it has been known as the «Tuermlischulhaus» («Tuermli»= turret). It was here that coeducation was introduced to Bernese schools.
Outside the western entrance, the foundain proclaims its age (1870).
The playground used to look dismal until a few interesting features were introduced about five years ago, once the renovation work on the school was completed: 
I rather like the next one, with its red window frames, verdigris dormer windows and eaves. Currently used as a training school for secondary school teachers (it's part of the Institute of Pedagogy of the University of Bern), it was built in the 1930s when the neighbourhood was going through a spurt of growth, fields were built over and the city limits pushed north. The local «Volkshochschule» (or Academy of Adult Education) use classrooms in the evenings, too, and I used to be one of the teachers.
The above is a photo I took on a weekend in the autumn of 2005, well, mid-December, actually. The valiant little sycamore was just stunning in the early afternoon sun.
And this is what things looked like eight days later, Dec. 26: the golden glory is gone, the school has taken on a chill aspect. This was holiday time, but someone's working -- or left the lights on. Do teachers never stop?
That's better, don't you think? May evening, with the setting sun warming a façade that looks pretty drab on a grey day.Some more recent photos of the same school, from different angles, starting with the main access to the north-east, taking you around the north-east end to the south-east facade with its huge windows.
This is the south-west entrance - very plain, very elegant -- and very hot behind that glass on a summer afternoon!
Between this chunky, yet graceful school and the «old» school, some gormless sixties architect inserted an eyesore of a pavilion (lack of funding is no excuse for poor architecture). 
Several years ago, teachers and their kids painted their version of the four seasons on the lower frieze of the façade to brighten up the dismal aspect. It was a constructive way of muscling out the otherwise ubiquitous graffiti:
The gabled little school next door is probably the oldest in my series. It was built in 1833 and renovated in 1905. It started out as a primary school for the population living along the little stream downhill and westward. Until about twenty years ago it served as the training primary school for the trainee teachers from the building in the previous pix, and is now part of the Institute of Pedagogy of the local university.
And this is part of the playground between the «new» and old schools: 
On a cold and foggy day early in 2006, the old school looked like this:
Oh yes, it was a cold and foggy afternoon that day -- mid-January 06, to be precise. But we have proper winters, too, and that's what the school looks like then (March 04):
The air ambulance homing in on the nearby hospital, and the weather always seem to be coming in over those spires, which may serve as lightning rods (the next photos were taken in July and Oct. 04):
And on a good day in spring or fall (or in a bigger picture) you can see several hot-air balloons floating in (March 03):
Occasionally, as in May 06, a rainbow spans the two schools:
Can you see the rainbow in the middle one?More to come -- I hope! Thanks for coming back.
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