Every picture tells a story

[DivineDon]

The art college I attended was previously a Magdalene Laundry. For those of you who don't know, these were institutions run by religious orders (ie: nuns) to 'care' for those less fortunate citizens. These mainly comprised orphans or unmarried mothers and mothers-to-be. Recent reports into these so-called 'caring' institutions have shown how horrifying the reality was, living in a virtual prison and treated like a slave - absolutely awful.

Anyway, like I said the building that housed the art college was once one such place. And even the caretakers were reluctant to stay there on their own at night because several claimed to have heard babies crying and to have seen figures in the corridors. One of the briefs we were given as students was to make a video so my friend and I persuaded the caretaker to let us up into the attics where the mothers and babies had slept. As the building was due for renovation, this was probably one of the last times anyone was allowed up there. My friend was pretty freaked out about it though I have to say I didn't feel anything sinister there but it was spooky to see the dormatories where the keys were still in the locks (the mothers were obviously locked in at night!) But I was perturbed when I saw the imprint of the cross below that had once hung on the wall. That, I think, seemed more haunting and disconcerting than anything else up there as all the furniture and fittings had been removed. I was discussing it with a friend recently and came across it and thought some of you might find it interesting.

[Brooke]

DD, very interesting....and kinda creepy!

Thanks for sharing!

[bluefeather]

weird...

[Brooke]

Great pictures Brooke. Looks very much like something you'd get on this side of the Atlantic. Not often you get that!

I always enjoyed reading books like Wuthering Heights and Rebecca and seeing fog like this reminds me of them and England. Fog across the moors....

[L101]

Brooke - I love your pictures especially the one with the gate - When we have mornings like that here during the summer, you just know its going to be a gorgeous hazy summers day.

DD - love your picture as well - it looks like a 3D image of the Cross and shadow and considering where it was, its definitely eerie - I bet you could feel the presence of the nuns and the poor mothers if you stayed there long enough - I know I wouldn't be there to find out !!

[DJ]

The movie Philomena goes into the story of one girl who got pregnant out of wedlock and was sent to a home run by nuns to be so called cared for. It did not paint a pretty picture. The girls were used as slaves and servants and their children were sold to wealthy couples right out from under them. Sad.

[Ive always been a dreamer]

Your sunrise pictures are very pretty, Brooke.

And DD, that image of the cross is rather eerie under the circumstances.

[DivineDon]

Sorry folks, I didn't mean to freak you out - just thought you might be interested in some social history

I much prefer taking photos of landscapes anyway, particularly sunsets and sunrises. I really liked yours Brooke and I'm a bit obsessed with clouds, I just find their patterns fascinating.

Here's a cheerier photo of a sunset I took a while back

[L101]

As we are on a sunrise/sunset theme , this is a photo of a sunset taken outside my home just after Christmas. I love the shadow of the trees against the sunset

DD - love your sunset. ..it's very unusual.

[Brooke]

Laken and DD, those are both just beautiful! Thank you!

DD, the one of the cross didn't freak me out. Just very eerie as Dreamer said.

I really like to take pictures and need to buy myself a better camera. I have hundreds of my grandson. Many more than of my own kids because this digital age makes it so much easier to keep them.

I have been watching an owl swoop in to a field beside our yard on some evenings and would so love to have a good picture of it. I tried to take one as it sat in a tree watching the field for it's next meal, but it won't zoom enough.