Season's Greetings

No more posts now until after the holiday, so until then here is my digital Christmas card made from one of my own photos. Have a good break and I'll be posting more photos from Saturday 26th.

© Roland Turner

Grocery Shop, Beaune, Burgundy

Another favourite from my recent French trip, of a grocery shop in Beaune, Burgundy. With its blue shutters, window boxes of geraniums and the "decorative" bicycle it is stereotypically Gallic.

Ruins of Penrith Castle

Dating from the 15th century the castle was for a while the seat of power for Richard, Duke of Gloucester who usurped the throne as Richard III before being defeated at the battle of Bosworth Field in 1485 and whose remains were recently rediscovered, buried under a car park in Leicester. The ruins are situated opposite the town's railway station and on several occasions I've wandered round them while killing time waiting to catch a train.

Camera; Samsung NV10

Photo ref; SNC16273

© Roland Turner

GWR Large Prairie 5101 Class Tank Locomotive.

A photo from a trip on the Severn Valley Railway in 2010 of Great Western Class 5101 Large Prairie locomotive No. 5164. The Severn Valley is a heritage line running between Kidderminster and Bridgnorth to the west of Birmingham, England, wihich uses a selection of preserved steam locos as its principal motive power.

Camera; Samsung NV10

Photo ref; SNC13257

© Roland Turner

Georges Guynemer's SPAD VII, Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace.

 

Another photo from the Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace, taken in 2012, of World War One fighter SPAD VII flown by French ace Georges Guynemer (24th December 1894 -11th September 1917).  Guynemer remains one of France's most celebrated national heros, he could easily have avoided military service due to poor health but instead chose to serve his country as a fighter pilot. In his short career he became the second highest scoring French ace (Renée Fonck being the highest) and failed to return from a mission over Poelkapelle, Belgium. Neither his body nor his aircraft (a SPAD XIII) have ever been recovered. 

For more information on Georges Guynemer see English Wikipedia or in more detail; French Wikipedia

 

Camera; Nikon D40

Photo ref; DSC1111-2012 

© Roland Turner

The Capitol, Washington DC, December 2003.

Another shot from my 2003 USA trip. The day after the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers first flight I, along with the party organised by the Aeroplane magazine, headed north to Washington DC via an overnight stay at Colonial Williamsburg and Richmond in Virginia where we spent a couple of days exploring the likes of the National Aerospace Museum on the Mall.

Camera; Pentax P30

Photo ref;2003-USA Trip-03-17

© Roland Turner

The Wright Brothers Memorial Tower, Kill Devil Hill, Kittyhawk, North Carolina

 

Certainly not a technically brilliant (or even good) photo, it does however represent where I was 11 years ago today, attending the First Flight Centenary celebrations of the Wright Brothers historic flight. It was actually taken on the preceding day, the actual anniversary was dull, overcast and wet - just like you would have expected had it have been back home in England. The event itself was hosted by John Travolta and guests included Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Chuck Yeager, oh, and a chap called G W Bush dropped in by helicopter.

Camera; Pentax P30

Photo ref; 1993-USA Trip-02-07

© Roland Turner