Friday 22 November 2013

FSO - My Weakness


The idea is to show you in pics My Weakness, the place my car wants to stop when I’m driving around.  Someplace I just can't resist stopping?

With me, no matter what town I’m in, the only place that would hold that sort of attraction for me would be a church (or somewhere with good coffee).  I’m almost at the point where I’m over churches, almost but not quite, the attraction isn’t as strong as it used to be but it’s still there.  These days the smaller the size, the more modest it is, the more neglected it looks, the greater the appeal. 

I'll show you my latest find.  On my last trip to Taranaki I pulled off the highway in search of coffee – and found a church.   Just an ordinary little wooden church.  Nice, I thought.  

 
 St Pauls Anglican Church, Urenui

But it doesn’t compare to some of the sorry sights I’ve seen in churchyards in the north.   

 


Nor do its surroundings compare to this:


I’m sure there are some like that in Taranaki and with my impending retirement from the workplace, I intend to find them.

I wonder what weaknesses the other FSO participants will reveal about themselves.  I'll be looking here.  Why don't you pop in for a visit, too?

12 comments:

  1. Pauline you can't find enough of them for me. I love them all, pristine to abandoned, they all have a beauty.

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  2. Great shots of these sad little churches. I think I am more pulled towards the coffee shop too.

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  3. I do like your take in the photos. Things I might just drive by, you make more compelling.

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  4. Those churches are a little sad. For some reason I particularly like the last one although it does look as though it has been used to house sheep??

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  5. Looks to me that you're contributing to preserving history by taking some of those photos (thinking of the middle one in particular)... Keep it up! :)

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  6. I think there is something special about neglected churches. As GB has probably told you we have an organisation specially to keep neglected Churches open and in reasonable repair even though they are no longer in use.

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  7. I also love old, simple churches. ones you can tell were build for the needs of the community, by the community. I dont see them here in Houston, only big, new and not much personality churches. great photos by the way.

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  8. I love these pokey old churches. Wouldn't it be great fun to transport one home and turn it into a studio...sigh...I can dream can't I?

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  9. The top photo looks like the one across my road.

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  10. I love all of these photos. You are definitely recording history and I really like the churches. They are so pretty and sad.

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  11. I have just commented on CJ's post that I didn't consider his list to contain weaknesses. I can't really see how your love of old churches (which I share of course) can be considered a weakness.

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  12. Hi Pauline, you may be just the person I am looking for! I am hunting for an abandoned church in Taranaki, particularly Mokau or Opunake areas; we want to get married outside of the church over summer. Have you found any you could share with me? Many thanks, Louisa. weezaanddusty@hotmail.com

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