Caen Hill (Monday 31st August 2020)

As it was a bank holiday, I went on my traditional if occasional Sunday outing to the supermarket and then Caen Hill, which I found as busy as I have ever seen it, with pairs of boats ascending the locks staircase, and large groups of people and dogwalkers filling the walking and leisure spaces.
I was aware of the Mono Monday theme of Stair Or Stare and had it in mind to take a shot of all the locks from Marsh Lane, at the bottom of the hill, and indeed I did. Looking through the pictures while processing the results into the night, though, I could see that throughout the couple of minutes I spent photographing the tagged pen swan Bottoms-Up at the Moorings, I was being stared at the whole time by the boater manning the narrowboat Mabel. I was using the boat as a backdrop and had the aperture as open as possible to try to blur the background (that didn't work) and hadn't been aware of his unrelenting gaze through the dim EVF as I concentrated on the swan, who was also keeping her beady eye on me. I said hello to Captain Birds Eye as I passed by but perhaps I should have thanked him for his help with my challenge. Thanks to Chantler63 for hosting Mono Monday.
A colour rendition of this and the other images will appear in the Flickr album when I post it, along with some shots of a heron, the swan's partner in a side pound and a sleeping Comma. I couldn't resist adding an Extra of the magnificent heron.

So much clearer in Large (Gallery) view

L.
1.9.2020 (1156 hr)

Blip #3288 (#3038 + 250 archived blips taken 27.8.1960-18.3.2010)
Consecutive Blip #000
Blips/Extras In 2020 #140/267 + #056/100 Extras
Day #3812 (774 gaps from 26.3.2010)
LOTD #2433 (#2274 + 159 in archived blips)

Taken with Nikon Coolpix P900 (24-2000mm equivalent bridge camera)

Caen Hill series
Swan series
Black & White and Monochrome series
Canals series
Kennet and Avon Canal series
Devizes series

Caen Hill, 31 August 2020 (Flickr album of 32 photos)

Lozarhythm Of The Day:
PP Arnold - Is This What I Get for Loving You? (recorded 1966, London, for Immediate)
Andrew 'Loog' Oldham produced this recording of the Ronettes song (released in 1965) at his first session with PP Arnold, with Arthur Greenslade arranging, conducting and playing various keyboards.
Andrew Oldham was a big fan of Phil Spector productions, especially, and produced two other versions of the same song (and possibly the same backing track) with Marianne Faithfull at the same time (released as a single in 1967) and the duo Twice As Much (on their album Own Up in 1966). As PP Arnold's debut album, The First Lady Of Immediate, included another Ronettes' song (Born To Be Together) this one was held over, remaining unreleased until 1986. The backing singers probably including Madeline Bell and Dusty Springfield.
It turned up on my latest CD acquisition, The First Cut, which includes both her Immediate albums, a stray B-side and this.

One year ago:
Smokey 0929 hr