We're off to have lunch with a friend soon, then go on to visit these Bluebell woods while they are still out. This is last year's photo.
There is something really strange about these woods which is verging on spooky, but I am sure it has a scientific explanation - which I am hoping one of you can furnish for me.
As you see, the photo was taken from the road. When I went into the wood with my phone-camera, it just refused to work. I lined up the shot and pressed the shutter, then the screen went white and eventually the phone simply turned itself off. I made about three attempts, each one ending up the same way.
The camera/phone had never behaved like this before, except once in a very small area of land in a yard. The parameters of this dead-patch were about 8 feet across, whereas they are about 200 feet in this wood.
I went back there a few days ago - a year later - and tried to take a picture inside the wood. The phone turned itself off.
All I can come up with is that either there is some underground magnetic force or something which disables the simple camera, or the fairies which inhabit the wood do not like having their picture taken.
Both seem as unlikely as the other too me, as the camera on the phone does not rely on a connection to a mast in order to work, so why should it shut down - and only shut down in that wood?
Your sensible/ridiculous suggestions would be most welcome.
After all that, the camera worked fine today.
Low battery?
ReplyDeleteLow battery?
ReplyDeleteNo, not that. Like checking your car to see if you've run out of petrol, this was the first thing I looked at. Are you a bit shaky at the moment? You keep hitting the comments button twice.
DeleteNo it seems to be happening all over. I'll have a word with Mr Blooger.
DeleteI have no explanation except that I know that there are some places where this does seem to happen - I remember reading about it in the BBC staff magazine where people were having enormous difficulty using the equipment! It's happened to me at the Rollright Stones in Oxfordshire - which are supposed to be a bit weird. this was in the days of 35mm and I found that when the slide came out the sky was a peculiar dark green. Never happened before or since. And all the other pictures on either side were OK.
ReplyDeleteI have no explanation except that I know that there are some places where this does seem to happen - I remember reading about it in the BBC staff magazine where people were having enormous difficulty using the equipment! It's happened to me at the Rollright Stones in Oxfordshire - which are supposed to be a bit weird. this was in the days of 35mm and I found that when the slide came out the sky was a peculiar dark green. Never happened before or since. And all the other pictures on either side were OK.
ReplyDeleteYes, I have heard of this type of thing at ancient sites too. There may be something in these 'power ley-lines' after all.
DeleteRe the repeat comments, maybe it's my site that is causing it?!
Wow!
ReplyDeleteI will try and take pictures today as well. I'll tell you what happens.
DeleteP.S. - One of the marks of an ancient woodland is well-established, indigenous bluebells.
ReplyDeleteWow!
ReplyDeleteWow!
ReplyDeleteI think those fairies have inhabited the comments section of my blog now too!
Delete(Just trying to get one up on Jenny and Cro,sorry)
ReplyDeleteI've had a few double comments on my blog the last week. Maybe it's the bluebells.
Anything to see your writing in print, eh? They're a weird mob, these writers.
DeleteDefinitely fairies.
ReplyDeleteI wondered how come you'd got so many comments. Now I know.
ReplyDeleteI remember when you posted this photo of the woods last year. You may recall, but then again you may not, that the view is is so similar to the woods at the back of my house that I thought you had been here and photographed it and I thought OMG you were here. At the time you thought it was very funny. I am not so sure what you would think now. A year is a long time in blogging for us. My phone blacks out at every point in this place, bloody fairies my foot. No signal.
How strange - maybe it's just bluebells. Anyway, it worked fine today. Photos above.
DeleteWe have woods filled with spring bluebells at a a metropolitan called Furnace Run. I once stole a friend's picture to use, but have misplaced it. The picture has the same strangeness; the sight of all that blue floating on air.
ReplyDeleteMore weirdness--apparently Rachel and I posted simultaneously. I had an error message that said I must have double clicked and the site could not accept both messages at once, so I should use the back arrow and try again. Now I think their are giggling fairies about.
DeleteNot yet - John hasn't posted a comment.
DeleteFairies, for sure :o)
ReplyDeleteSorry to say not fairies. It is the confliction between magnetic earth energies and your phone camera that is the problem. Mrs H had a camera that acted up in H.E.E. areas such as stone circles etc.
ReplyDeleteMust be intermittent then.
DeleteWas the spot where you were taking pictures cold or colder than the surrounding area?
ReplyDeleteIt was colder than the inside of my car.
DeleteHey Tom: Also thinking magnetic earth stuff - looking forward to seeing if you can take a photo today.
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid to say I did - shucks!
DeleteYeah, darn it! Oh well - it's a pretty place none-the-less
DeleteYou could try giving someone else a go with the same camera lest the fairies only have issues with you?
ReplyDeleteThey seem to have forgiven me.
DeleteNo suggestions, sensible or otherwise, but the native bluebells are beautiful. I love them.
ReplyDeleteAnother strange coincidence
ReplyDeleteWe have a painting in our front room
A watercolour from 1930
It looks just like that photo
Cue music...
DeleteThe other unknown you shut off the phone to remind you to look at the bluebells without your phone. You don't remember because you were in a state of somnabulism at the time.
ReplyDeleteIn that case I did it three times without realising.
DeleteThere are more things in heaven and earth than we have dreamt of Horatio (or something like that) - for Horatio substitute Tom by the way.
ReplyDeleteI like the fact that science will never answer all life's mysteries. We need mystery in the same way we need sleep.
Delete