"Coals from Newcastle?"

Today was unusual - it got to 4pm and I still hadn't even had an idea for today's blip. However it struck me that I really like looking at "Still Life" photos taken by fellow blippers but I very rarely take them myself - probably partly because I'm not very good at them. So why not have a bit of practice?

I took these 2 replica miners' lamps (given to me as presents by my Editor many years ago) and set them up with a couple of old work gloves and some coal*. I placed them on a table under some wall lights to illuminate them from above, and overlaid a textured background which I took during our visit to Cragside yesterday.

Here in the Northeast we do of course have a strong mining tradition, now long gone (good for the environment, not good for employment!) so this seemed to be a reasonable blip from a Newcastle blipper :-)

* Confession: This isn't real coal. I was going to use a lump of coal which my Editor "mined" herself (well, she picked it up anyway) during a visit down Grimethorpe Colliery 40 years ago when we lived in Sheffield and she was doing a Health Visitors' course - they were taken down there to see how the other half lived, I suppose! We've kept it safely wrapped in clingfilm ever since and use it for first-footing at New Year. However when I began to unwrap it I found that it has crumbled badly so I quickly wrapped it up again. So these "coals" are artificial coal from a coal-effect gas fire. I claim artistic licence!)