August weather in Tavistock

"Let the rain kiss you.  Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops.  Let the rain sing you a lullaby. " Langston Hughes

I am deafened by rain.  My lullaby is a cacophony and I am no longer in the mood! 

I miss BLUE.

Boats on still water near Salcombe

Tavistock Wargame Company

Had a brilliant afternoon at the Wargame Company Tavistock, near Gulworthy.  Really professional with an excellent woodland site.  It certainly stoked fun into a bunch of young teenagers, and one rather older one.

Here's a picture from the company's facebook page:

Tavistock Wargame Company Photograph of Teenagers having fun

So much fun to be running around and crawling in the dirt with a weapon again!!

Thanks to Kevin and Glynn.

From Tavistock to Florence ...

Here is the last part of my Italian triptych; Florence.  I know it's hot, busy and hard on the feet, but it is also extraordinary.  The sheer volume of Renaissance art and architecture at every turn within the city is overwhelming.

Here are just a few snaps:

The Basilica of Santa Croce, Florence

Santa Croce was rebuilt in 1294 and is the burial place for, amongst others, Michelangelo, Machiavelli and the great Galileo who was tried by the Inquisition no less.

Next is the Ponte Vecchio, the Medieval bridge over the Arno River, housing shops selling gold bling.

Ponte Vecchio, Florence

The River is a lovely colour don't you think.  What would London Bridge have looked like I wonder?

On to David.

Replica of Michelangelo's David

I know it's only a replica, but still, pretty iconic.  Michelangelo sculptured the original between 1501 and 1504.

Finally, one of the best aspects of Florence is the myriad of streets, arching here and there, channelled by beautiful, tall buildings.  So many stone roads; ordinary and extraordinary simultaneously.

From Tavistock to the Land of Puccini ...

Experienced La Bohème at the Gran Teatro all'Aperto Giacomo Puccini; the open air 3200 seat opera theatre next to Lake Massaciuccoli at Torre del Lago.  This is where Puccini lived and composed many of his works for about 30 years.

Anyway, it's beautiful and very evocative:

View from Torre del Lago

Lake Massaciuccoli, Italy at sunset

View of Lake Massaciuccoli from Torre del Lago at the annual Puccini Festival 2012

From Tavistock to Tuscany

Guess where?

Torre Pendente di Pisa - Leaning Tower of Pisa

No funny angles, just a clean, glorious icon of Romanesque architecture, typical of Early Renaissance Italy.

Its construction was started in 1173.  Trouble is, it started sinking after only 3 stories were built in 1178, so they stopped for c 100 years.  It was finished by Giovanni di Simone in 1372.

It is actually breathtaking.  Craftsmanship to remember, although you can sack the geotechical engineer of the time!

Daymer Bay

Daymer Bay in High Summer

Funky Fish

Photographing a pond and I swear they were following me...

Holsworthy Funk Fish