My
favourite pass-time during my stay in Birmingham is walking along the numerous
canals. Not only are there small friendly cafe's and restaurants to enjoy, but
just watching birds drive in and the occasional narrow boat pass by is a pretty
soothing way to spend an afternoon. Once in a while a bunch of young adults on
their hen/stag evenings might throw the soon to be bride/groom into the canal
for everyone’s amusement.
The "Easy Does It" photo was taken on one such walk as I came across the boat moored alongside the tow path. Going off on a tangent here, but a little research informed me that the path next to a canal is called a tow path because horses were used to tow the barges since before industrialization motors weren't fitted in boats to guide them through the narrow waterways. With Birmingham's claim of having more canals than Venice, and it being a major industrialist town in the days gone by, there are numerous tow paths, all well maintained, that can be explored on foot or bike.
Looking at the photo now, which from time to time forms the background picture on my iPad, I always remember these calm walks. Often these walks were taken with my daughter wherein they become a lesson into the ways of life for her; me being the obvious teacher. With an abundance of birds, the canal-side has also become a favorite place for my daughter and mother to go every evening and feed the pigeons and ducks, so much so that some of the ducks have started recognizing them and come up every time they walk by.
The photo is special because evidently it has a calming effect on me. It's a reminder that there is more to life than just work, and every once in a while it's good to go out in the open, take in some fresh air, and just enjoy the little things that life has to offer, including cherishing the wonderful memories that have become an integral part of my life.
"Easy Does It" is also a reminder about finding laughter in the smallest and simplest of things that might pop up unexpectedly every now and then. Now, thanks to a phone with a good camera, I am never far away from taking a photo of a boat with an interesting name, and there are quite a few of them.
The photo is a constant reminder about living life on the move. Watching the barges moored, there is always an opportunity to peek into a completely different lifestyle of living. The idea of spending time on a boat is mesmerizing. The photo keeps my dream to explore Britain through its waterways alive. Although, whether I will ever embark on this journey or not is a completely different story, but I know that it's possible and something that I would love to experience one day.
One photo and so many emotions. Memories about time spent with the family and dreams about living a life without any obligations. A photo that has the magical power to make me stop from what I’m doing and say "Easy Does It".
Can a photograph actually speak a thousand words? Can it really tell the whole story? In my new series I shall be picking out a few of my favorite photographs and talking about them; where I took them and if at all they really "speak" about the place it was taken in. I do not intend to count the words to a 1000, but still try and see if a picture can really be as descriptive and informative as we claim it to be.
