moving house

We’re leaving. Our time in this little corner of west London has been far too short. We were settled and happy but have to move on.

This place has been a surfeit of riches for photographic inspiration, from the very fabric of Brackenbury’s old houses, the pub on our doorstep and of course Ravenscourt Park, which I’ve captured through the seasons.

Actually, we’re not going far at all. It’s a change of postcode, not country, and no doubt we’ll pop back regularly. But you have to live and breathe a neighbourhood to feel part of its fabric.

Our new place in the world will no doubt provide fresh material for my camera lens. Until then, here’s a brief homage to this slither of London W6.

Click first image for the full gallery experience

: The very fabric of the neighbourhood in all its electic glory

: The first shots with my macro lens were taken in Ravenscourt Park

: Our Victorian house caught on my Soviet Zenit film camera for posterity

: A salmon pink summer sky over our street

: A Mimosa blooming in a nearby street

: An evening at the local pub, the humming heart of the community

: A storm-ravaged tree in the park, which has recovered

: WIngate Road’s delightful pastel houses

: Decline and autumn colour in Ravenscourt’s walled garden

: The sturdy railings in front of our house

: The pub across the road

: A neighbourhood building subtly captured on film

: The first flush of geraniums outside our window

: Proud but dessicated lavender as winter approaches in Ravenscourt

: The navy blue of our local pub at close quarters

: Smudged and dark – the brick of our house

: Colourful Wingate Road

Moving home is a time-consuming, stressful and unsettling experience. But it brings the excitement and promise of a new place to live.

I’ve just resettled after eight years in the same west London flat. I had to go through the final ritual of handing over the keys and signing it over for good. Letting myself in early, I took some shots and wallowed in the sadness that an empty – and recently vacated – property always has.

There was occasional sunlight thrown on the now bare walls. The main shot focuses on the place I sat to edit photos and write posts. The others include the only two interior shots I have from my life there – a memorable old bathroom window that diffused and projected light.

But that was then. The new pastures are being happily settled while the photography continues.