#mucking

[daveamisdpda]

Parting shots…

It was four years ago this week that we left Essex and moved across the country to make a new start in Keynsham, a town between Bristol and Bath. These images are from the last walk we were able to take before packing everything up ready for the move. I distinctly remember the landscape in our part of Essex back in July 2022 looking somewhat parched because of the lack of rain - it is one of the driest counties in the UK. We knew this would be our last walk across Stanford Warren, down to the seawall by Mucking Creek and then back again so, I made sure I had a decent photographic record of it. Where we used to live in Stanford-le-Hope, it really was a case of trying to make the best of what passed for countryside around us. As you can see from these photos! Do I miss Essex? Given what we have on our doorstep here in Keynsham plus the fact we have two cities within a ten minute train journey, the answer has to be no, we don't…

Locations: 1, 2, & 3 Stanford Warren / 4 & 5 Mucking Creek / 6 Mucking - Stanford-le-Hope, Essex, UK | Shot: 16.07.22

[daveamisdpda]

A year around Stanford-le-Hope: Autumn / Winter 2021

These images were shot as part of a project to document the countryside, such as it is, around Stanford-le-Hope, an overspill town in the south of Essex near the Thames estuary. It was started during the second lockdown at the beginning of 2021. With the restrictions that were in place, travelling anywhere far was a bit of a pain, so to compensate for that, I focused on what was around me, mostly within walking distance. As 2021 progressed, the restrictions were eased but, having started the project, I was determined to see it through. This was my last full year living in Stanford-le-Hope before moving across the country to Bristol in 2022. So in some ways, these images are a memory bank of what it was like where I used to live. Given the nature of the Thames estuary, these images have a 'tell it like it is' feel to them. That's because I value honesty with my photography.

Locations & date shot: 1 - Mucking - 08.11.21 | 2 - Stanford Warren, Mucking - 04.12.21 | 3 - Mucking - 04.12.21 | 4 - Stanford Warren, Mucking - 26.12.21 | 5 - Stanford Warren, Mucking - 26.12.21

[daveamisdpda]

Convergence in the snow

Currently here in the UK, it's hot but, worse than that, it's very humid:( So, while I was digging through the archives, I found these snow shots which I decided to convert to black and white. Hopefully, looking at these will make you feel cooler:)

Location: Stanford Warren, Mucking, Thurrock, Essex | Shot: 19.12.10

[daveamisdpda]

Down to the creek and back…

I've been going back through the archives again, looking at images I shot when I was living back in Essex. Enough time has passed since moving for me to view my older images with a fresh eye…

This used to be one of our regular walks in a 'landscape' that was largely created by gravel extraction over the decades, then back-filling with landfill and finally, entering a process of restoration. Let's put it this way, it lends itself to a certain bleakness…

Locations: Stanford Warren/Thameside Nature Discovery Park, Mucking, Essex | Shot: 02.03.21

[daveamisdpda]

This is more digging through the archives and finding photographs shot on the last walk I went on in Thurrock before upping sticks and moving down to Keynsham in July 2022. It is interesting looking back on these images and realising just how bleak it could get down on the Thames estuary, even at the height of summer. This makes me appreciate what I have on my doorstep here in Keynsham:)

Location: Mucking, Thurrock, Essex, UK | Shot: 16.07.22

[daveamisdpda]

I was digging through the archives and found these four images from at least fifteen years ago, shot in the winter as the sun was going down. With some cropping, I thought they would make an interesting composite. However, I wasn't really happy with the colour quality of these old images so, I starting playing around with the colourising filter and, this is what I came up with:)

Location: Mucking, Thurrock, Essex, UK

[gargelyfloof118]

It's mucking day. The horses, chickens, and rabbit all need fresh bedding.

One stall done, I need a break before the second one. Sherman dug what I've named a 'diva ditch' in the front of both stalls. I'm stripping everything I can out, refilling the holes, and moving the stall mats forward before refreshing the bedding. He's hanging out in the other stall for a bit while I gather energy for the next one.

Chickens don't require a lot of heavy lifting, so I decided to get them taken care of before dumping this load and heading in for water and a bathroom break.

They are getting their big kid feathers and getting very indignant at my audacity to mess with their brooder. Lots of practice hops and flaps now, so I had to cover part of the top so they didn't have a chance to jump out.