I was at Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal. And it was raining. I stood beneath the shelter of the Temple of Piety, and enjoyed the gracious structured elegance of the Water Gardens. Centre stage was Neptune, Roman god of the waters, and of the Moon Ponds over which he presides.
And then I noticed that amid this ordered beauty, a coot family had built a ramshackle and highly unstructured nest. I think the gardens’ creators, John and William Aislabie would have enjoyed the water birds’ cheeky appropriation of this most peaceful of scenes.
My contribution to this week’s WordPress photo challenge: Structure.
Interesting contrast.
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And quite fun too.
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Love those gardens, and the reminder that nature is everywhere and doesn’t care a fig for man made art!
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Absolutely! And the intention always was to have the site surrounded by untramelled woodland.
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Lovely choices for the challenge, Margaret!
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Thank you! It’s always fun deciding, isn’t it?
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Lovely contrast between the formality of the garden structures and the coots’ nest. The nest looks a bit ramshackle but it seems to be effective in keeping its inhabitants high and dry!
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High, but maybe not so dry … when it’s raining.
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I like the coots’ style! Nice choice of subject.
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Thanks! I enjoyed their being there.
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What a cool interpretation of this theme! That photo of Neptune and his reflection is so beautiful!
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It’s a lovely and serene place. particularly on those few occasions when you seem to have it to yourself.
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Those Coots sure picked a classy neighbourhood!
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Oh, only the best for those coots. I’m sure they appreciate it 😉
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Very relaxing! I think I might start to participate in the WordPress Photo Challenge again…
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You should! I find it quite a stimulus and I try to keep it related to to themes I explore in any case.
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I used to do it went I started out blogging but it tapered off after the first year. Now I think I’m ready to get back at it.
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I was going to comment beautiful despite the rain, but looking again I think probably the rain has brought an additional soft quality to the photos. Yes, definitely just beautiful.
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I’m glad you think so. I often feel this garden is at its loveliest when conditions are cool and cloudy.
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Beautiful pics! Appreciating nature is always refreshing!
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It was a lovely moment of peace, despite the rain. Thank you.
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