Tag Archives: photos

Jan 28 2025
Leave a comment
Daily Post, Landscape

High Knoll: Code?

Tuesday 28th January 2025, 2.25pm (day 4,905)

High Knoll Fort, 28/1/25

I have absolutely no idea, for certain, whether this will be my last full day on St Helena or not. I have given up speculating, for if I don’t leave tomorrow as currently scheduled, I might succumb to despair. I tried to avoid this emotion today by going on a walk up to High Knoll Fort — appearing for the third time on this visit. This view is taken from inside, looking down through the battlements to the island’s secondary school on Francis Plain. What the code means, I have absolutely no idea either. One Exits Now? That would be good.

Tagged , , , , , , , , ,
Jan 27 2025
Leave a comment
Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Cobweb and fingers

Monday 27th January 2025, 6.05pm (day 4,904)

Cobweb and fingers, 27/1/25

Yep, still here. And for another 48 hours, at least. This shot pleases me, though. The third one in a row to depict a creature in some kind of repose, but that is how I feel right now.

Tagged , , , , , , , ,
Jan 26 2025
Leave a comment
Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Stoicism

Sunday 26th January 2025, 2.20pm (day 4,903)

Stoic bull, 26/1/25

There are worse places to be stuck, that is true. And I’ve not been turfed out of my accommodation, I’m not running out of money, and so on. But this has now become my life’s longest-ever flight delay, or indeed travel delay of any kind, and I may not even be halfway through it yet. I am trying to develop a stoic outlook on life — as this guy appears to have done.

Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,
Jan 26 2025
Leave a comment
Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

You’re still here, then?

Saturday 25th January 2025, 4.55pm (day 4,902)

Lucky again, 25/1/25

Oh yes, Lucky, I am still here. It seems I will be here for at least a little while longer yet. You don’t have to look at me with such disdain, though. I know you don’t like me, and I have tried.

Tagged , , , , , , ,
Jan 25 2025
Leave a comment
Daily Post, Landscape

Sandy Bay scene

Friday 24th January 2025, 5.35pm (day 4,901)

Sandy Bay scene, 24/1/25

The island is generally good-looking, but perhaps I am getting used to the scenes in my usual haunts of Jamestown and Alarm Forest. Over on the other side of the central ridge, though, the less-frequented Sandy Bay area can still take the breath away. Lot and, on the further ridge, his Wife preside over a scene as fair as any you could name.

This was going to be my last evening on St Helena but I post this on Saturday morning already knowing the flight’s been postponed for at least 24 hours. “Bad weather” supposedly but I can’t say it seems that bad to me. So there’ll be one more picture from here, at least.

Tagged , , , , , ,
Jan 23 2025
1 Comment
Daily Post, Landscape

Francis Plain, early

Thursday 23rd January 2025, 7.40am (day 4,900)

Francis Plain, 23/1/25

Was ‘at work’ ridiculously early this morning, at least by my standards. Francis Plain is the location of St Helena’s secondary school: that this view is taken across the nearby football pitch is not a further manifestation of my, perhaps, over-interest in that sport but just because that’s what the view is. On a generally dull day this was one of the few observed shafts of sunlight. Yes, the litter bin to bottom left does irritate, but otherwise, there are worse views to gee one up at 7.40am.

100 days to go until day 5,000. I guess I can keep it going until May 3rd.

Tagged , , , , , , , ,
Jan 23 2025
Leave a comment
Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Elephant head plant

Wednesday 22nd January 2025, 1.50pm (day 4,899)

Elephant heads, 22/1/25

I have no idea about the actual identity of this species — and I think these are buds rather than the mature plant — but tell me you don’t think the name is appropriate. Look at the one third from the right on the stalk, it even has an eye in the right place.

Tagged , , , , , , , ,
Jan 21 2025
Leave a comment
Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Invasive species: two for the price of one

Tuesday 21st January 2025, 2.30pm (day 4,898)

Flax and chicken, 21/1/25

St Helena has been subjected to many invasive species since humanity first arrived here five centuries ago, some deliberately planted or otherwise introduced, some accidentally so. In the background, New Zealand flax (Phormium tenax), which a while back someone decided would be a good cash crop, it being the basis of things like rope and mailbags. The cash for it stopped flowing fifty years ago, but that doesn’t mean it all decided to stop growing. In the foreground, well, you know what bird that is (Gallus gallus domesticus, according to the biologists): much the same thing happened, but as a chicken is for life and not just for Sunday dinner, when there stopped being much economic point in people looking after them, out into the environment they went. There are now large numbers of feral chickens on the island.

Tagged , , , , , , , ,
Jan 20 2025
1 Comment
Daily Post, Interior

Ascension: the first approaches

Monday 20th January 2025, 1.35pm (day 4,897)

Ascension map, 20/1/25

Ascension Island is, nominally, a dependency of St Helena and lies about 800 miles from it. Whereas there are many friends who think that when I come here (St Helena, that is) I am swanning away to some ‘desert island’, it’s not like that, as my photos make clear. But, as far as I can ascertain, Ascension really is such a place. The plan is that I will be going there in early April, all as part of the same research project that I’ve been working on since 2021.

But Ascension may well be the most bureaucratically impenetrable place I have ever tried to visit. It might be depicted on maps — this one hangs in a corner of Anne’s Place in Jamestown — but does it officially exist? In practice, can your average person actually set foot there? About these things, I am not yet convinced.

Tagged , , , , , ,
Jan 20 2025
1 Comment
Daily Post, Landscape

High Knoll Fort

Sunday 19th January 2025, 12.35pm (day 4,896)

High Knoll Fort, 19/1/25

I spent the day entirely in my accommodation, marking. Something I could have done at home (whether on a Sunday or otherwise). The options for a photo were of the garden at the flat, or its view, so let’s try the latter. I have a decent view at home, too… but the day was what it was. Anyway this is High Knoll Fort, or one end of it anyway: a significant St Helena landmark, visible from most of one half of the island, which is, of course, why they built it there.

Tagged , , , , , , ,
← Older posts
Newer posts →