Thoughts of Turner

BIG TRAIN

Fungi are currently limited in Bracondale wood and the grounds of County Hall. So at lunchtime I took a walk down to the ring road, crossed it and walked a short way down the A146 Loddon Road, which gives access to the A47 bypass. For some time I've planned to do this one day, to blip a shot of the river below with a view down to Trowse Mill. Looking down at the river with the railway running adjacent to it made me think of man versus nature - Rain, Steam, Speed, one of the best known works by JWM Turner (one of my 2 favourite artists) immediately sprang to mind. In that painting Turner depicts a steam train crossing over a river, with a small rabbit running beside and ahead of the train in the bottom corner (his 'comment' on man v nature perhaps?). This railway is one of the many busy lines leading from Norwich station and trains are frequent. So I waited a while and saw the lights ahead turn green - I knew a train would be arriving from behind me very soon. Not a classic steam train of course, a modern day diesel one. As soon as it whooshed out from under the bridge, I grabbed a couple of shots, this one and another of it disappearing towards Norwich station..

So my blip today is a sort of modern day interpretation of Turner's wonderful image - I just wish my photographs were as brilliant as his wonderful paintings!

No rabbits, but just after the train had gone I saw movement in the field to the left of the railway - a fox! I grabbed a shot of it - a pretty poor one - but the first photo I've ever managed to take of a fox. Right then I really wished I had a DSLR with a damned good zoom on it!