One of the main catches from the larger boats that put out to sea from this port is Atlantic Tuna.

This vessel had just returned from a fishing trip and was unloading her catch which would be taken to the port-side refrigeration factory where the fish would either be bought by local restaurants and hotels as well as being prepared for export to mainland Portugal and elsewhere.

As in other coastal communities the successful return of one of the fleet brings locals down to the harbour to chat to the returning crew and to see the catch with some being able to get hold of one of the Tuna to take away with them.

Which is probably about as fresh as you can get it!

Originally used by the people living in the village of Monte as a means of quick transportation into the capital Funchal, the Monte Sledges first appeared in 1850 and are still used to this day attracting thousands of tourists every year.

The Sledge drivers dress in their traditional clothing that consists of white cotton clothes and a hat made of straw. They also use rubber soled boots so that they are able stop the sledge when necessary as it glides down the hill. The wooden runners on the sledges frequently smell of burning caused by the friction of sliding down the tarmac covered roads as they speed towards the bottom of the hill.

A “Carreiro” sits in the shade on wicker toboggans

A “Carreiro” enjoys a beer in a local bar during a break

“Carreiros” enjoy a beer in a local bar between runs down the hill

A “Carreiro” stands in a doorway in the village of Monte

“Carreiros”prepare their toboggans at the top of the hill in Monte

The toboggan drivers, known as “Carreiros” walk to work in the village of Monte

A Monte toboggan slides down the hill towards the capital Funchal controlled by the “Carreiros”

“Carreiros”

www.ianforsythphotography.co.uk

The by-election was triggered after the former foreign secretary David Miliband announced recently that he was resigning from the House of Commons in order to leave Britain and head up the New York based International Rescue Committee humanitarian organisation.

I covered event yesterday and a few pictures are below with further shots via the link HERE

A voter makes his way into one of the 45 voting stations in the South Shields constituency

Councillor Ernest Gibson, the Deputy Mayor of South Tyneside, hangs party banners at Harton and Westoe Colliery Welfare Club

Voters make their way towards one of the portable voting stations in South Shields

After the polls closed at 10pm the ballot boxes start to arrive to be counted

Ballot papers are emptied out onto the tables to be counted

The count begins at Temple Park Leisure Centre in South Shields

A member of the Monster Raving Loony Party looks on as ballot papers are counted

Labour candidate Emma Lewell-Buck reacts to well wishers in the gallery above after arriving to watch the count

Labour candidate Emma Lewell-Buck

Labour party members are in high spirits as the result is about to be announced

The candidates in the South Shields by-election line up as the Mayor of South Tyneside, Councillor Eileen Leask, prepares to read out the results

Labour candidate Emma Lewell-Buck makes her speech after being announced as winner of the South Shields by-election.

All pictures remain copyright Ian Forsyth/Getty Images

www.ianforsythphotography.co.uk

Here are a few from the event. Click on the first image to view larger then click anywhere on the picture to see the next……

Images remain copyright Ian Forsyth/Getty Images

]]> http://www.ianforsythphotographer.com/blog/2013/04/photography/just-void/feed/ 0 http://www.ianforsythphotographer.com/blog/2013/04/photography/easington-colliery/ http://www.ianforsythphotographer.com/blog/2013/04/photography/easington-colliery/#comments Wed, 17 Apr 2013 20:16:54 +0000 admin http://www.room2850.com/?p=1495 Twenty years to the day after the closure of Easington colliery in County Durham former miners and their families held an event today to remember the closure of the mine and the resulting impact it had on what was one of the major coal production mines in the country. Coincidentally the funeral of Margaret Thatcher was also held on the same day in London following her death last week. Many former miners around the country blame Margaret Thatcher and her conservative government for the decline of the coal industry when she took on the mining union during the 1984/85 miners strike and which ultimately led to the resulting pit closures and all that that these closures then brought to their communities.

The impact of these closures is still felt in these communities and feelings still run very high.

The event which was held at Easington Colliery Club and Institute saw a small number of the former miners display banners outside the club which expressed their continuing strong feelings towards Baroness Thatcher.

During the course of the day I spoke with and photographed a number of ex-miners around Easington who were kind enough to let me take some pictures and who told me a little of their own stories and whilst the pit may have gone and a level of poverty, continuing unemployment and uncertainty about the future may still be in evidence one thing that comes through is the no-nonsense determination of the former pit-men and the pride they still have when they think back to the glory days of British coal production.

Images remain copyright Ian Forsyth/Getty Images

Parkinson’s is a long-term neurological condition that affects the way the brain co-ordinates body movements, including walking, talking and writing and affects both men and women, it is caused by a loss of nerve cells in the part of the brain called the substantia nigra. The nerve cells in this part of the brain are responsible for producing a chemical called dopamine. Dopamine acts as a messenger between the brain and the nervous system, and helps control and co-ordinate body movements. If these nerve cells become damaged or die, the amount of dopamine in the brain is reduced. This means that the part of the brain that controls movement cannot work as well as it should and this in turn causes movements to become slow and abnormal.

My fathers condition is gradually and inevitably deteriorating. Apart from the endless tablets consumed daily and the inherent side effects of some of those tablets the disease itself is making things difficult for both my parents. The periods of lucidity are mixed with confused ramblings and difficulties in being able to carry out even some basic activities and whilst I believe that my father is able to know inside what he wants to say he is unable to do so at times because of the disease and must consider the whole of the sentence he is about to say before he is able to speak it.

Irregular sleep patterns, frequent toilet needs, uncontrollable and violent tremors, lack of general mobility and balance and at times hallucinations and confusion caused by the medication are just some of the issues that must be dealt with each day and mean that it is a difficult task for my mother to ensure all the usual household needs are carried out whilst still maintaining care levels for my father. The demands of which become greater each week.

After his medication there are times of great awareness from my father who can recall many small details from years ago. Occasionally he will visit the local pub to watch the football and he still enjoys the odd visit or day out and visits a day centre on two days each week for a bit of a break and distraction – for him and for my mother – he is still able to enjoy pottering in the garden and continues to do some of the general household chores and requirements but almost as quickly as these periods of lucidity come they can go and almost in the same sentence the rationale can change and a confusing statement or thought highlights once again that inevitably, unavoidably and sadly my father is slowly becoming a shadow on a wall.

This week is Parkinson’s Awareness week.

Become aware and support it if you are able.

For more information feel free to visit Parkinson’s UK

A shadow on the wall

Medication reminder list pinned to the fridge

Lunchtime

The constant demands of the illness and the care that is needed to offer the most basic of assistance causes strain on my mother as it mounts and in what is similar to the vigilance and care that is given to a child so too my father needs round the clock assistance with many things

Heading out to the garden

The back garden is a haven offering comfort to my father

A keen gardener all his life my father is still able to care for, plant and carry out general maintenance in the garden

Stepping stones

The back garden offers great pleasure and comfort to them both and the flowers and plants are well maintained and many species of garden birds are frequent visitors

As the condition becomes worse the sufferer’s balance is affected. My father fell backwards off this step 3 weeks ago landing painfully on the concrete driveway

The Garage

Result! After a bit of a search he finds the all purpose plant feed

An old chest of drawers had swollen up due to the damp conditions in the garage and the drawers needed a little persuasion to open

Part of my fathers collection of Royal tea caddies, tea pots and other assorted porcelain that he has collected over the years.

Part of his large collection sits on display on the dresser. My mother is a collector of Wedgwood china tableware and every 6 months they each begrudgingly take down their own collection to make room for the next one to rotate onto display

Sitting in the front room

A dry and occasionally sarcastic sense of humour often comes through and gives a reflection of what he is was like before the illness took hold

At times housebound for much of the day the comings and goings on the street outside offer subjects for discussion and help to pass the time and offer something different to chat about

The front room

The ‘Forsyth‘ family crest hangs on a wall in the corridor . My father has amassed extensive paperwork from investigating the genealogy of the family and has an archive running into many thousands of documents gathered from years of research and investigation

Wedding photo

Dave Forsyth