Show Basket (0 items costing £0.00)I’m pleased to announce that my 2011 calendars of Gower, Brecon Beacons, Pontardawe and Saltash are now available on my buy page. Various outlets will be stocked over the next few weeks and they will be available to buy direct from at the Brecon Craft Fairs in August, September, November and December and the Saltash Wesley craft fair in October.
Yesterday, we went for a short walk from the house so I could get the final photo for the Pontardawe 2011 calendar. Even though it was a short walk, it really released the endorphins. It’s a pity we couldn’t do the full walk into town as it was such a nice day, but it was getting towards lunch time.
This is an unusual church in that there appears to be no parish for it – it’s not in a village and there are no houses nearby.
Llangiwg Church, Pontardawe
The grass really was this green!
Pontardawe Golf Course
During the stay in Cornwall, I was able to capture the steam train’s return journey too, although lighting conditions were harsh. There must have been around 100 people watching it from the Tamar Bridge car park!
Cornish Riviera Express crossing Coombe Viaduct
Unfortunately, there wasn’t much steam from the engines as they crossed the Brunel Bridge.
Cornish Riviera Express crossing the Royal Albert Bridge
When in Cornwall, I had a sunrise down on Saltash Waterfront planned so got up early and arrived at 4:50am. The BBC website said sunrise was at 5:06am. At 5:20am, the sun rose and I shot several photos. This is one of my favourites:
Sunrise at Saltash Waterfront
Apologies for the poor pun in the title! Every so often, it’s possible to have one of those rare days that are perfect and this was one of those days. Whilst in Cornwall, I arranged for my parents to pick me up at 9am from the in-laws and drive down to deepest, darkest Cornwall for the day, stopping off at Roche Rock, a couple of quoits and then after a pub meal, watching sunset at Godrevy Point. The weather was warm and sunny which really helped the mood too. The drive down was good (although we missed the Roche Rock turning due to the new A30 and my maps dating back 20 years). We shared Lanyon Quoit and Men an Tol with other visitors, but Mulfra Quoit and Zennor Quoit we had to ourselves. After the quoits, we went to Godrevy Point to do a recce for the evening shoot, went for a pub meal and then back to Godrevy Point but those photos are for another time.
I went down to Cornwall with the aim to get a set of four square black and white photos of Neolithic Cornwall. I would have liked a standing stone rather than the third quoits, but that didn’t become obvious until later in the day when I didn’t have Google to research the area with. Below are the four shots I have come away with. I am pleased with them and feel I have fulfilled my objective. Plus this was the best day I’ve had in a long time – no children to look after, no work to do (OK, so photography is work but it didn’t feel like it) and parents who actually had a day without being stressed about little things. A very rare day indeed and one I’ll treasure for a long time.
TL: Zennor Quoit; TR: Mulfra Quoit; BL: Lanyon Quoit; BR: Men an Tol
All images were taken by either lying on the ground or crouching down – one thing I’ve worked out is that getting down low is the best way to photograph ancient monuments, get them to break the horizon and emphasise them.
I wouldn’t normally post a blog entry like this, but it’s rather comical. A lot of people will be aware of 7 Day Shop, a retailer with very good prices and like many others, I’ve ordered a lot from them in the past. On Sunday, I needed some photo paper as I’d run out and it was touch and go if I would have enough for my exhibition this weekend, so I decided to pay the extra £4.95 to jump the queue and get it dispatched as quickly as possible. Here’s a screen shot taken today of my order list with the paper order circled in red:
7 Day Shop order list
And copy and pasted from their terms and conditions on their website:
“Orders placed after this time will be treated as an order placed the following day.
Orders placed on weekends may take until Tuesday to be dispatched.”
Being Wednesday, I decided to contact them about this. Below is the exact transcript of our conversation:
Your post – 07/07/2010 – 06:15
I paid £4.95 to jump the queue for order xxxxx1 but it hasn’t been dispatched yet. A day later I ordered xxxxxx2 that I didn’t pay to jump the queue and this has been dispatched. Paying the £4.95 obviously hasn’t worked in this case so I would be grateful if you refunded the £4.95 please.
Many Thanks
Dan Santillo
7dayshop reply – 07/07/2010 – 10:12
Our rapid dispatch service does not ensure next day delivery. Your order jumps the warehouse queue. Once dispatched, the items are delivered by Royal Mail 1st Class, and fall under their normal service times of 3-5 working days.
Your post – 07/07/2010 – 10:21
I appreciate that, but my order HASN’T jumped the queue.
Sunday 4th July: Order xxxxx1 placed with £4.95 paid – not yet dispatched.
Monday 5th July: Order xxxxx2 placed with £0 paid – dispatched.
Therefore, the order I placed on Sunday HASN’T jumped the queue so I would like the £4.95 I paid refunded please. Many Thanks.
7dayshop reply – 07/07/2010 – 10:28
Please understand the details in ther terms and conditions stated in the message below regarding weedend ordering:
UK PRIORITY DISPATCH – £4.95
• Average Dispatch Times: Same or next working day
• Average Delivery Times from dispatch: 3-5 working days
Please note: Our rapid dispatch service covers orders placed before 10:30am.
Orders placed after this time will be treated as an order placed the following day.
Orders placed on weekends may take until Tuesday to be dispatched.
This service does NOT mean your order will be received within 24/48 hours, it simply means your order will be given priority treatment.
Your post – 07/07/2010 – 11:04
Please READ what I’ve typed and you’ll see that I haven’t once mentioned about receiving it within 28/48 hours. I’m talking about DISPATCH not DELIVERY.
7dayshop reply – 07/07/2010 – 11:09
yes I have explained this, you said you placed the order on Sunday, we state that it may take till Tuesday to dispatch the order as I have stated on many occasions now.
As stated :
Orders placed on weekends may take until Tuesday to be dispatched.
Your post – 07/07/2010 – 12:09
Please note that today is Wednesday! So, I stand by my original request to have the £4.95 refunded as it blatantly hasn’t jumped the queue. Thank you.
7dayshop reply – 07/07/2010 – 13:56
Sorry no refund is due according to the terms and condtions on the wesbite.
Your post – 07/07/2010 – 14:38
And what are the terms and conditions according to the website?
“Orders placed on weekends may take until Tuesday to be dispatched.”? It’s Wednesday and I’ve paid for a service I haven’t had.
Need I mention Trading Standards, Distant Selling Regulations and the Sales of Goods Act?
Please cancel that order (xxxxx1) immediately and refund ALL the money due me including the £4.95. Something which you HAVE to do under the Distant Selling Regulations.
7dayshop reply – 07/07/2010 – 14:41
This cannot be cancelled as it was dispatched on 7/7/10 at the earliest dispatch time from when your order was placed. Regards
———–
So it was dispatched today (Wednesday) then? Surely that isn’t under their Terms and Conditions which says Tuesday. At the end of the day, it’s only £4.95 but it’s the principle. In my opinion they’ve acted wrongly by charging for a service they haven’t provided. They also seemed to have employed staff who can’t read English and don’t know what day of the week it is. I’m sure Trading Standards will be interested, but first I need to put my complaint in writing. I would think that the above online conversation would be in writing, but it would be nice for someone other than the person I’ve been speaking with. Letter to Guernsey next…
———–
EDIT: Further conversation added on 8th July 2010.
Your post – 07/07/2010 – 14:48
So why is it listed as ‘processed’ and not ‘dispatched’ in my list of orders? I would send a screen shot, but can’t attach an image.
Your post – 07/07/2010 – 16:42
By your own admission, “Orders placed on weekends may take until Tuesday to be dispatched.” and “it was dispatched on 7/7/10″? It’s Wednesday (7/7/10) today so I’ve paid for a service I haven’t had. Trading Standards state that it’s illegal to sell a service that isn’t provided – they will be notified.
All you had to do was read what I typed and act honestly and admit that the order wasn’t dispatched when it should have been and we could both have saved a lot of time. This is some of the worst customer service I have experienced. Very disappointed.
7dayshop reply – 08/07/2010 – 08:11
My sincere apologies, Tuesday was the last day that your order should have been dispatched , We have now refunded the postage cost for you. Apologies again for my error.
regards
7dayshop.com
———–
Yay, success! But I really shouldn’t have had to go through all that. Most companies I deal with are very good and some go beyond what I would normally expect to provide customer service but I shall be wary of 7DayShop in the future.
I really ought to thank one of my Facebook friends, Adrian Oakes, who wrote as his status “Forecast is looking good for sunrise. Another 3am start looming….”. When it comes to early mornings, I tend to procrastinate about actually getting up and going out; I sometimes look for excuses why I shouldn’t go. Which is all very silly as when I’m out for sunrise, I’m one of the happiest people alive. Walking around in the pre-dawn light, seeing the sun slowly rise (usually several minutes late from the BBC sunrise time) and then feeling the warmth of the new day slowly seep into my cold body is an experience I will never tire of. What makes the procrastinating even more silly is I was trying to decide whether to go to a location just 10 minutes walk from where I was staying, my childhood home from birth to 25 and where my parents still live. Anyway, I saw Adrian’s status which kicked my bottom into gear and I decided to get go for it.
So I set my alarm from 5am, got up at 4:50am (I always wake before my alarm on sunrise shoots), dressed and walked out the door. I met my first dog walker at 5am, tried a shot of Devonport from Saltash Comprehensive School (or whatever it’s called now) and then proceeded down into Churchtown Farm Community Nature Reserve, but slightly wary of dogs – it’s a haven for dog walkers, but I’m not happy with dogs and they tend to get defensive when I’m using the tripod (was out once, sensed someone behind me and it was a dog crouched down and it growled horribly when I looked at it). I was pleased to see mist lying around and was glad I’d made the effort to get up. After taking a few shots of Trematon Castle and Forder, I headed into Point Field as the sun was rising. Realising I was in the wrong place, I ran to the right place in the field and set up the tripod whilst getting my breath back (I’m fit, but not a runner). I only knew this was the right place due to a walk here earlier in the week, which highlights the benefits of a recce.
River Lynher sunrise
I then walked around Point Field to the view towards the Ince Estate, which was hidden in the mist.
Shillingham Point from Point Field
Slightly further along, I shot a photo or two of Trematon Castle through the trees and then walked into the next field. By now, the sun had risen a little higher and had lit the underside of Forder Viaduct so I headed back to Point Field. As I got the camera set up, I heard the first Penzance train of the day. I quickly framed, focused and got ready. To be honest, I’m not sure of the photo would look better without the train (I do have one without the train, but haven’t processed it yet).
Trematon Castle and Forder Viaduct
With the photo shoot over, I walked home for breakfast. A good mornings work and it wasn’t even 7am yet!
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