My brilliant Granddad, George Beswick was born in the  East Yorkshire village of Burton Fleming in 1916.  

In January 1940 he was  drafted into the Royal Army Medical Core (RAMC).  

George William Beswick, 1941

The 6th August 1940 saw  George and his comrades of the 15th Casualty Clearing Station (15CCS) sail from Gourock in Scotland aboard the Troopship Franconia.  They were heading for Egypt,  a trip which would take them 7 weeks and see them visit  Freetown, Cape Town and Durban in South Africa before arriving in Egypt on 30th September 1940.

I remember him, enjoying his retirement whilst recording his memories in poems and collecting together old photographs, his way of remembering and honouring.

I thought it would be fitting to show some of these photos here; taken by unknown photographers who were documenting their WW2 story. 

Bath time!

Tobruk bombed hospital

Major Rogers, George Beswick and Ron Welband

On the train Geneifa

Sandbagging

Taffy's Crew George far right.

The Crazy World Of Harvey

Harvey is our dog and in my biased opinion - he is ace! He can be a handful but mainly he is a great companion & friend and has been with us through many highs and lows.  Here are some photos of Harvey the Hound.

Down in the garden...

The plants in our garden are blooming, this is always a cheery picture and very rewarding.  We set out to plant things that would attract bees and butterflies and we have not been disappointed.  I tried some capture some of the insects that have been visiting our garden this summer, have a look and see what you think.

Stay focused.

Peacock butterfly

Bumble bees

Made with love

A wedding is full of love, customs and traditions which reflect the bride and grooms cultures and beliefs. 

One of which is the wedding cake; traditionally wedding cakes were made to bring luck to the couple and their guests. 

It also forms  a centre piece of a wedding and newly weds enjoy slicing their cake to celebrate saying 'I will'.

Baking a wedding cake is a creative and skilled process which relects the theme of the wedding.

I was lucky enough to  view and taste an gorgeous cake at my cousins recent wedding, I also enjoyed taking a few  snaps of it.

It was made by my  friends company,  Blooming Cakes and what a blooming marvellous cake it was!  You can keep an eye on their other creations by liking their Facebook page.

Alive: In the Face of Death

What is photography?  A way of capturing moments, recording historical moments and using innovative and creative ideas to push boundaries and express ideas, feelings and emotions?

 A visit to Rankin's Alive: In the Face of Death exhibition at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool prompted these and many more questions.

Through doing this exhibition Rankin has allowed us a glimpse into the world, feelings and thoughts of people who live with terminal illnesses, those who have faced death and survived and those who work within the death industry.

It was uplifting to read individual's stories and to hear how Rankin has worked with his subjects to empower them and to help them celebrate their lives through the art of photography.

I left the exhibition carrying with me a poignant insight from one of the subjects which was along the lines of: you cant control the length of your life but you can control its width and depth.

These words and photos empower us to lead a full life with no regrets and encourage us to talk about death more openly; it is, after all, a subject which none of us can escape.

Now, I think that is art at its very best.

All you need is love

Capturing the emotion and happiness of a wedding is a privilege  for many photographers. I am a total amateur photographer and have been lucky enough to assist my good friend Meg during some of her work.

This weekend I had the perfect opportunity to put some of my skills to work; my beautiful cousin, Holly married the rather dashing Matt and between my tears I managed to capture some of the many beautiful moments.

The ceremony took place in the very pretty parish church of St Wilfrid in Mobberley and the wedding breakfast and party was help at Peover Golf Course.

Enjoy

St Wilfrid

East of the Shire

A visit back to my home turf and an opportunity to capture the wonderful Yorkshire Wolds.  

The Yorkshire Wolds stretch  from the charming market town of Beverley to the town of Hessle on the banks of the Humber.  There are walks a plenty, David Hockney trails and cycling routes to be explored. 

During this trip I was lucky enough to attend a very good friends wedding at Weaverthorpe Church  and to walk my hound on Fraisthorpe beach. 

The pretty village of Weaverthorpe

Fabulous Fraisthorpe 

Surfs up!

Blue Skies ahoy