Roger Bennion's photos

Happy Fence Friday, All Waddesdon Manor Part of the pathway from the Welcome Pavilion to the House. And, for 'Sight & Sound' I have chosen "Both Sides Now" by Joni Mitchell from her 1969 album "Clouds". Added to Sight and Sound : Pictures & Music ♫ ♪ ♫ ♪ Listen here ~ Both Sides Now - Joni Mitchell

A link to the Waddesdon website - waddesdon.org.uk/whats-on/standing-with-giants-at-waddesdon An extract as follows - “To commemorate Remembrance the silhouettes of 400 life-size soldiers, sailors and aviators are displayed within the parkland at Waddesdon alongside 250 poppy wreaths to form a striking art installation, the largest Standing with Giants installation in the UK. Visitors will be able to walk through parts of the artwork, amongst soldiers lining the gravel walking path. The display continues upon Spring Hill. It will provide a meaningful space to visit, reflect and connect within the natural landscape. Created in partnership with Standing With Giants, this community-based project works to raise understanding and appreciation of our freedom and to remember and pay tribute to those who gave their lives so we could live ours today.” This is truly awe-inspiring and an emotional display in the grounds of Waddesdon Manor. I have already taken lots and lots of photos of the display on different days. For sure, I will be uploading some more photos. Probably better to view on black, please :-) For 'Sight and Sound' I was thinking of war songs but then I thought that, perhaps, one day there will be peace in this world. Unlikely I know. But, I have chosen "Peace Train" by Dolly Parton with Ladysmith Black Mamboza. Added to Sight and Sound : Pictures & Music ♫ ♪ ♫ ♪ Listen here ~ Peace Train - Dolly Parton with Ladysmith Black Mambazo

Happy Fence Friday, All Another shot of the walkway that runs from the Waddesdon Manor Welcome Centre to the House. A pretty obscure musical link for 'Sight and Sound' but as there are some lines here I have chosen "One Toke Over The Line" by Brewer & Shipley from way back when......... Well, actually released as their debut single in 1971. Added to Sight and Sound : Pictures & Music ♫ ♪ ♫ ♪ Listen here ~ One Toke Over The Line - Brewer & Shipley The song was, apparently, banned in several areas, especially in the Deep South, the Bible Belt, and the rural areas in the Midwest. That didn't stop Gail Farrell and Dick Dale singing the song on the Lawrence Welk Show. Have to say this version made me giggle lots and lots and lots. Well, have hysterics actually :-))) And, some of the comments are priceless :-))) ♫ ♪ Watch & Listen Here ~ One Toke Over The Line - Gail Farrell and Dick Dale

Dunstable Downs is the highest point in the county of Bedfordshire at 243metres (797 feet) Happy Fence Friday, All

Happy Fence Friday, All This scene is near to the Waddesdon Manor Welcome Centre. I saw the gate under the tree but, initially, I couldn't see any fencing. But, there is some fencing buried in the hedge and upon closer inspection I can see fencing near the middle of my shot :-) I was having difficulty finding a 'Sight & Sound' link. But, as my photo was heading towards a panoramic crop I then wondered if there was a "Panorama" song :-) After some searching I found "Panorama" by Hayley Kiyoko. I know absolutely nothing about Hayley :-) Added to Sight and Sound : Pictures & Music ♫ ♪ ♫ ♪ Listen here ~ Panorama - Hayley Kiyoko

This is the view of the House at the end of the 20-minute walk from the Welcome Centre. Over to the right, just out of shot, is a winding pathway that is quite steep. Or, you can walk up over the grass as this couple with their dog are doing. The other alternative is to walk through lots of trees off to the left, again just out of shot, that is slightly less steep. I favour this third option :-) Maybe view on black, please :-) There is clearly a 'hound dog' here and that makes it easy for me to choose "Hound Dog" by Elvis for 'Sight & Sound' :-) Added to Sight and Sound : Pictures & Music ♫ ♪ ♫ ♪ Listen here ~ Hound Dog - Elvis Presley

Happy Fence Friday, All This is the road that leads from the Waddesdon Manor Welcome Centre to the House. It is mostly used by the courtesy bus. Adjacent to this is the pathway that also goes from the Welcome Centre to the House. For 'Sight and Sound' I have chosen a "Gate" song. Pretty sure this is not 'St. Olaf's Gate' but it seems a good enough reason to use one of my favourite performances by Nanci Griffith :-) The song was written by Tom Russell. Added to Sight and Sound : Pictures & Music ♫ ♪ ♫ ♪ Listen here ~ St Olaf's Gate - Nanci Griffith

On 1 October I was walking towards the Manor and could see in the grass just below the Parterre what I thought might be Snowdrops. But, then I thought "Surely Snowdrops are a first sign of Spring?" :-) According to the Waddesdon Manor Facebook pages these are Colchicums more commonly known as Autumn Crocuses. CORRECTION Have spoken to gardeners at Waddesdon Manor and these should simply be referred to as Colchicum :-) ***Please view on black*** For 'Sight and Sound' "Bring My Flowers Now" by Tanya Tucker came to mind. Added to Sight and Sound : Pictures & Music ♫ ♪ ♫ ♪ Listen here ~ Bring My Flowers Now - Tanya Tucker

Happy Fence Friday, All A 15 minute walk from our house is Stoke Mandeville Hospital and nearby the hospital is a small Asda Supermarket. If we are running low on any items, it is quite convenient to walk to Asda. On 24 September I set out for Asda and the sun was shining. By the time I got near to Asda the sky was darkening! I thought I was going to get soaked but after a few spots of rain the sun started to try and break through. I had my phone with me and thought this structure, that is actually in the grounds of the hospital just across the road from Asda, could be an HFF subject :-) I also thought there ought to be a 'Sight and Sound' link :-) The sky was stormy and in 1989 Nanci Griffith recorded an album entitled "Storms". My pretty tenuous link is "You Made This Love a Teardrop" from the album. Added to Sight and Sound : Pictures & Music ♫ ♪ ♫ ♪ Listen here ~ You Made This Love a Teardrop - Nanci Griffith So sad that Terry Wogan passed away in 2016 and Nanci passed away in 2021.

There are lots and lots of statues in the grounds of Waddesdon Manor and I don't think the names are on each statue. I'm pretty sure I could find out the names of these two statues but it would take me a while :-) In the meantime, I concentrated on finding a musical link for 'Sight and Sound'. I couldn't immediately think of a 'statue' song but after some searching, I came across "Statues" by Amy Macdonald :-) Added to Sight and Sound : Pictures & Music ♫ ♪ ♫ ♪ Listen here ~ Statues - Amy Macdonald

Happy Fence Friday, All. One of my Oxford shots from the Archives.

A bit of an obscure link for 'Sight and Sound' but I was taken with the sky here. I have chosen Jackson Browne's "Late for the Sky" covered by Sivert Hoyem with Darling West. One of my very favourite songs and love this cover version. Must be heard through headphones I say :-) Added to Sight and Sound : Pictures & Music ♫ ♪ ♫ ♪ Listen here ~ Late for the Sky - Sivert Hoyem with Darling West Maybe view on black, please.

HAPPY FENCE FRIDAY, EVERYONE A scene from the wider Waddesdon Estate. I have also added this photo to 'Sight & Sound' with a link to "Open the Gate" by Zach Bryan because I was tempted to open the gate here :-) Added to Sight and Sound : Pictures & Music ♫ ♪ ♫ ♪ Listen here ~ Open the Gate - Zach Bryan Please view on black.

When I visited Waddesdon Manor back on 10 July there was clearly a photoshoot happening. I was tempted to ask if I could take over the photographer duties but thought it was not a good idea :-) Took a couple of shots from afar and added a bit of soft focus to this one. I did wonder if the lady in middle of the group had spotted me :-) Photographs were being taken and there would be memories for sure. For 'Sight and Sound' I decided upon "Photographs & Memories" by Jim Croce. Added to Sight and Sound : Pictures & Music ♫ ♪ ♫ ♪ Listen here ~ Photographs & Memories - Jim Croce

My Mum & Dad always had a number of commemorative mugs. When my Mum passed away and I was clearing the bungalow I had to decide what to do with the mugs. I decided to keep them all and they are displayed on the top of one of our kitchen cupboards. Following Queen Elizabeth's very sad passing I realised there was a Coronation mug from 1953 and decided to use this as a tribute. Knowing how clumsy I can sometimes be I was pleased that this mug didn't have any chips or cracks and the handle was still attached!

There are lots and lots of statues/sculptures in the grounds of Waddesdon Manor. I have searched the internet and, apparently, the two main figures here are Proserpina and Pluto. I thought Pluto was Mickey Mouse's pet dog but clearly that is not correct here :-) Apparently, Proserpina is the Roman goddess of agriculture and the daughter of Jupiter & Ceres. And, Pluto is the God of the Underworld. I think the small figure is a 'Triton'. Presumably, Proserpina and Pluto are in love and on this basis I have chosen "Would You Like to Learn to Dance" by Steve Goodman for 'Sight & Sound'. One of my all time favourites. Probably one of the best love songs ever written, in my opinion. "Would you like to learn to love? Well, that's somethin' else again I can show you how to sing and smile and dance Oh I have no keys to open your heart And no way that I could make you take the chance And so we'll dance around the room again And we'll sing a tune or two to pass the time And smile a lot and if you really want to We can try a little lovin', I don't mind Try a little lovin', I don't mind, I don't mind" Added to Sight and Sound : Pictures & Music ♫ ♪ ♫ ♪ Listen here ~ Would You Like To Learn To Dance - Steve Goodman

WISHING EVERYONE A 'HAPPY FENCE FRIDAY' This scene is part of the wider Waddesdon Estate. There is a 'Windmill Hill Walk' that is pretty much circular. It goes from near to Waddesdon Manor to the Windmill Hill Archive that houses the family archives of the Waddesdon Rothschilds. The walk then continues back to near Waddesdon Manor. Near to where I took this photo is a sign saying "Windmill Hill Walk". Not sure if this is considered to be the start or the finish of the walk. Not that it matters :-) And, I have found the other start or finish point. I started walking from here but it turned out that I was walking in entirely the wrong direction!!! On a different day I started walking from the other start or finish point and reached the Windmill Hill Archive building. I still have to find the middle section of the walk. I am determined to do the complete walk on the same day and without getting lost :-) Decided upon a tenuous musical link involving walking :-) Added to Sight and Sound : Pictures & Music ♫ ♪ ♫ ♪ Listen here ~ Walkaway Joe - Trisha Yearwood with Don Henley Absolutely love Trisha's performance and Don's harmony vocal takes it to a whole new level, in my opinion. Brilliant band too.

Waddesdon Manor Aviary. Inside looking out. Quite lucky with the blue sky and clouds because soon after I took these shots the sky started to go quite grey. I wasn't sure which photo to upload so decided upon both :-) Extract from Waddesdon Manor website - "Aviaries were an important part of many Rothschild gardens all over Europe in the 19th century. This followed a custom established by rulers and noblemen from the late 1600s, when owning exotic birds and animals was also a display of power, wealth and knowledge. Waddesdon’s cast-iron structure, erected in 1889, is similar to trelliswork pavilions designed for the gardens of Versailles." And, for 'Sight and Sound' I go back to the 'Birds.....Byrds' connection. As said previously Gene Clark was one of the founding members of The Byrds. I have chosen Gene's recording with Doug Dillard of "Somethings Wrong" from the 1968 album "The Fantastic Expedition of Dillard & Clark". Added to Sight and Sound : Pictures & Music ♫ ♪ ♫ ♪ Listen here ~ Somethings Wrong - Gene Clark & Doug Dillard