Around And About – Cambridge And London

This is a wood-panelled passage in Christ’s College in Cambridge. For anyone who is a stranger to the colleges, they are slap bang in the middle of the town. The entrance to this college faces onto the entrance to the Grand Arcade and Lion’s Yard, with stores like John Lewis just opposite. Step through the ancient doorway into the college and it is different world.

The second photo is from the same college and the Ceonothus (I think that’s what it is) was just coming out when Tamara and I visited a few days before. And now we saw it in this deep, deep blue. I can’t help but wonder how pollinators see it?

Many pollinators have eyes that can see into the ultra-violet part of the spectrum – well beyond what humans can see. Bjørn Rørslett took a whole series of photos of flowers using a camera adapted to react within the UV range. If you are interested, look for the ones that under UV light show the flowers with stripes laid out like airport landing strips for insects, guiding them in to the flower.

This is a light installation by Cerith Wyn Evans that was in the great hallways at Tate Britain when Tamara and I visited Tate Britain a few weeks ago.

And finally, a panorama of the frontage of St Catharine’s College in Cambridge. I guess that is the St Catharine who was burned to death for her faith. She was tied to a rotating wooden wheel and that is the origin of the Catharine Wheel firework on Bonfire Night. I think they are called pinwheels in the States.

All photos taken with an iPhone 6 and messed about with in Snapseed.