The Little Boat

June 8, 2014June 8, 2014 / Steve Lakey / 12 Comments

Photo: © Al Forbes 2014

Jimbo wasn’t a very happy boat. In fact most of the time, he felt sad.

He didn’t like being so little. He was jealous of the bigger boats. They got all the fame and attention. Even the ones that sank. Especially the ones that sank! But not poor Jimbo. He had been overturned many times, and no one thought to make a film about it.

This weekend, was the last straw! All Jimbo heard about, was people talking about the big ships that sailed over to Normandy, seventy years ago. How they, even at risk to themselves, carried the brave men that freed a continent, and saved the world. The best that Jimbo ever got to do, was get rowed up and down a safe, man-made lake. Big deal!

But then Jimbo overheard something that completely turned him around. He heard about the bravery of lots of little boats four years before Normandy. They went over to France and rescued a battered army, that lived to fight another day. So, if it wasn’t for the little boats, the big boats couldn’t have done their thing.

Jimbo realised that because of the brave boats, big and small, people were free to row their boats and paddle their own canoes. Or just mess about on the water.

And then he didn’t feel sad any more.

This story is intended as a tribute to all those who risked their lives, to fight for the freedom we enjoy today. Their sacrifice is not forgotten.

The picture prompt is from Sunday Photo Fiction: June 8th 2014, hosted by Al Forbes.

Click the logo for more details.

To read the other stories written on this prompt, click the blue frog.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Room

June 7, 2014June 7, 2014 / Steve Lakey / 6 Comments

These photos were taken at what was a Victorian Workhouse, at Southwell, Nottinghamshire, UK.

Workhouses were seen as a last resort for poor people who had fallen on hard times. They were deliberately run on austere lines, and males and females, even from the same family were kept completely separate.

The building has recently been renovated and is open to the public. It certainly has a Dickensian atmosphere to it. Some of the rooms have been furnished, while others have been left bare.

This is my contribution to Weekly Photo Challenge: Room, hosted by the Daily Post . Click on the link for more details.

Phoneography and Non-SLR Digital Devices Photo Challenge: Nature

June 2, 2014 / Steve Lakey / 12 Comments

Seafront.

Volcanic beach.

Night falling.

The photos were taken on iPhone 4s, January 2014 at the resort of Caleta de Fuste, Fuerteventura, Canary Islands.

The first and second photos were given texture and colouring using Photo Toaster. For the third, Snapseed.

All photos ©Steve Lakey 2014.

This is for the Nature prompt on Phoneography and Non-SLR Digital Devices Photo Challenge, hosted by Sally W. Donatello at

Lens and Pens by Sally.

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Split-Second Story

May 31, 2014May 31, 2014 / Steve Lakey / Leave a comment

Trafalgar Square, London.

London’s West End.

Outside the Houses of Parliament, London.

Three different snapshots of London, taken on our honeymoon, May 2010.

Trafalgar Square is a vibrant focal point, in the heart of central London.

London’s West End is Theatreland – with a wonderfully laid-back evening atmosphere.

There was an anti-war protest outside the Houses of Parliament, the home of British Democracy. This was overlooked by the statue of the great wartime Prime Minister, Winston Churchill.

This is my contribution to the ‘Split-Second Story’ Photo Challenge from

The Daily Post.