Roger Bennion's photos

On 23 June I was torn between two essential photo opportunities!! Both were held @ Willen Lake, Milton Keynes. One was the Milton Keynes Dragon Boat Festival with much needed funds from the event being donated to the nearby Willen Hospice. The other event was the 33rd Anniversary of the building of the Milton Keynes Peace Pagoda. This was the first Peace Pagoda to be built in the Western World. We arrived in plenty of time but although the distance between the two events was not huge it would have been much better if I could have been in both places at once :-) So, it was a case of goin’ back and forth between the two :-) In the afternoon there were multi-cultural events at the Pagoda. These delightful Japanese ladies sang songs in English as well as Japanese. It was difficult to find good viewpoints (excuses again!) without standing in front of people. But I was fairly pleased with this effort. I felt the shot would be enhanced by a little soft focus so I did just that in Photoshop :-)

O is for … OVERTAKING :-) Or……… O is for … OWEN Photograph of the poet Wilfred Owen, who died in action on the Western Front in the First World War N is for… NASSAU HOURS Book of Hours made for Engelbert of Nassau. Flemish illumination by The Master of Mary of Burgundy. c.1470-1490

A shot from a while back when I was attempting to be a little creative :-)

I don't know to which Team these belonged but I thought it was an opportunity to try some people shots :-) The Festival raises much needed funds for the nearby Willen Hospice.

'They' say you should always try and have a little bit of red in a shot. I think I might have met this criteria here :-) The Festival does a brilliant job of raising much needed funds for the nearby Willen Hospice! And, the competition was very fierce :-)

From Wikipedia - “The Milton Keynes Peace Pagoda was completed in 1980 at the northern edge of Willen Lake in Willen, Milton Keynes. This was the first Peace Pagoda in the western world. There is a Nipponzan-Myōhōji Order temple and monastery nearby.”

From Wikipedia - “The house, which is a Grade I listed building, was given to the National Trust in 1943 by Sir John Dashwood, 10th Baronet (1896–1966), an action strongly resented by his heir. Dashwood retained ownership of the contents of the house, much of which he sold; after his death, the house was restored at the expense of his son, Sir Francis Dashwood. Today, while the structure is owned by the National Trust, the house is the home of Sir Edward Dashwood and his family. The house is open to the public during the summer months and a venue for civil weddings and corporate entertainment, which help to fund its maintenance and upkeep.”

A shot from a while back :-)

Looking down the Octagon Lake from the Palladian Bridge. A shot from last Autumn :-)

From Wikipedia - “The gardens at West Wycombe Park are among the finest and most idiosyncratic 18th century gardens surviving in England.The park is unique in its consistent use of Classical architecture from both Greece and Italy. The two principal architects of the gardens at West Wycombe were John Donowell and Nicholas Revett. They designed all of the ornamental buildings in the park. The landscape architect Thomas Cook began to execute the plans for the park, with a nine-acre man-made lake created from the nearby River Wye in the form of a swan. The lake originally had a Spanish galleon for the amusement of Dashwood's guests, complete with a resident captain on board. Water leaves the lake down a cascade and into a canal pond.”

Entertaining the shoppers in Cornmarket Street.

A shot from last year's Kop Hill Climb. I would have liked there to have been a bit more space around the car. But, you only see the cars coming out of the trees and bushes at the last split second so it is not always possible to achieve better composition. Well, that's my excuse and I am sticking to it :-))

End of Term Revelry (Oxford University) The tradition of “trashing” i.e. spraying each other’s academic gowns with champagne, eggs and shaving foam after completing their finals. Plus Heinz Soup it would appear :-))

Temple of Concord & Victory - Part of one of the 16 columns.

From Wikipedia - “The Milton Keynes Peace Pagoda was completed in 1980 at the northern edge of Willen Lake in Willen, Milton Keynes. This was the first Peace Pagoda in the western world. There is a Nipponzan-Myōhōji Order temple and monastery nearby.” From www.theparkstrust.com/parks/willen-lake-north - “The Peace Pagoda was built by the monks and nuns of the Nipponzan-Myōhōji as a symbol of world brotherhood. Above it, 1,000 cherry trees commemorate the victims of war, while prayers and messages of hope decorate the nearby One World Tree. Alongside the Pagoda is the distinctive Buddhist Temple, where the public is welcome inside or to visit the grounds with their Japanese and Zen gardens.”

Good Morning :-) Having a few Internet Connection problems at the moment. So, if I disappear for a while that will be the reason :-(